Friday, May 28, 2010

3.5% Interest on day to day basis on SB Account from 01-04-2010

Millions of saving Bank account holders will get more interest now as the Reserve Bank of India has asked banks including Postal Savings Bank to pay 3.5 percent interest on a day-to-day basis from 01-04-2010 (Thursday )instead of taking the lowest deposit during the month (10th to last day of month) for computation.
Source Himachal Pradesh Association of IPs and ASPs

Clarification on 3rd MACP

Copy of Department of Posts (Establishment Division) Memo No 4-7/(MACPS)/2009-PCC dated 20.5.2010
Subject : Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) for the Central Government Civilian Employees.
I am directed to refer to this Directorate Office Memorandum of even number dated 18.9.2009 on the above subject mentioned above.
2. In page No 19 of the OM, the following omission has been noticed in illustration No 5:-
(a) In example 4 in Box No 4, the text appearing as "3rd MACP to the grade pay of Rs 4200 on completion of 30 years of service" may be read as "3rd MACP to the grade pay of Rs 4200 on completion of 10 years service in the grade pay of 2800 or 30 years of service, whichever is earlier".
3. This corrigendum is based on illustration No 28B of Annexure I to the OM dated 18 Septemner 2009 which prescribes that if two promotions are earned before completion of 20 year, only 3rd financial upgradation would be admissible on completion of 10 year of service in the grade pay from the date 2nd promotion or at 30th year of service, whichever is earlier.
4. This Directorate OM dated 18 Sep 2009 may be taken as amended accordingly and this change may be brought to the notice of all concerned

Continuation of Adhoc promotions in HSG-I cadre

Postal Directorate New Delhi isuued ordres vide letter no 4-16-2002-SPB-II dated 18-05-2010 to further continue the ad-hoc arrangements/ promotions made in the cadre of HSG- I for a period of six months i.e up to 19th November 2010 or till the recruitment Rules are finalized and regular arrangements are made in accordance with that, whichever is earlier.

Recruitment to Group 'C' posts in Pay Band-1, with Grade Pay of Rs. 1800/- (pre-revised Group 'D' posts)

Copy of OM No.AB- 140 171612009-Estt (RR) dated 12-05-2010 of Department of personnel and Training :
Sub: Recruitment to Group 'C' posts in Pay Band-1, with Grade Pay of Rs. 1800/ (pre-revised Group 'D' posts)
****
Reference is invited to this Ministry's O.M. of even number dated 3oth April 2010 circulating Model Recruitment Rules for Group 'C' posts in PB-1 with Grade Pay Rs.1800/-. In this connection all Ministries/Departments are informed that the Staff Selection Commission is mandated to make recruitment to all non-technical Group 'C' posts in the various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India and their Attached and Subordinate offices, except for those posts which are specifically exempt from the purview of the Staff Selection Commission.
2. All Ministries/Departments are therefore requested to kindly intimate their requirements for Non-Technical Group 'C' posts in PB-1 Grade Pay Rs.1800/- to the SSC inarticulately in order that the Commission could initiate action for recruitment.
3. Action may simultaneously be takeup for framing Recruitment Rules for these posts in accordance with the Model Rectt rules already circulated.
4. Ministry of Home Affairs etc. are requested to bring the contents of this 0.M to the notice of all their Attached/ Subordinate Offices.
5. Hindi version follows.
(J. Vaidyanathan)
Deputy Secretary to the Govt of India

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

India's postal system is a huge asset which is currently under-utilised, under-skilled and under-developed

An article published in the Business Standard by Subir Roy

India’s postal system is a huge asset which is currently under-utilised, under-skilled and under-developed. The 1.5 lakh post offices in a country of 6.4 lakh villages (that’s where the post office really matters) represent a reach unmatched by any other organisation. If it is developed and used well, it can give a leg-up to those parts of the country and their denizens who have benefited the least from the high growth of the post-reform period.

Till not so long ago, post offices were relics of the past where the urban middle class would not venture unless absolutely necessary. The burgeoning private courier companies appeared to be driving the last nail in the coffin of the slowly declining giant. But then, just as hope always triumphs in India, the post office began to change. It gave itself a new logo, prominent urban post offices began giving themselves a new look and you could spot PCs across counters.

The post office management is now getting bolder by the day and big brothers in the government have given it permission to spend Rs 2,000 crore in the next two years to bring in an IT revolution. All post offices will be linked, a core banking solution will be installed and pre-paid cards will be introduced with which you will be able to send money from anywhere to any post office through your cellular phone. All that the person at the other end will have to do to get instant credit is have a savings bank account with his post office.

For that last leg of the operation to be completed, the post office’s savings bank operations will have to be transformed. That can happen in only one way — by converting the financial services operations of the postal department into a proper bank, giving it a banking licence. Banks have well defined procedures and processes, the skills needed to run them are standardised, as are the benchmarks by which they can be judged. And you can easily get the public sector banks to lend a helping hand to enable the Post Bank of India (PBI) to get going. Initially, PBI will be an outreach for the established banks, but over time it should be able to give vigorous competition.

A parliamentary standing committee has again reiterated the demand for such a bank to be set up. And if or when (it is really a matter of time) it is, it will be a behemoth from day one. In financial year 2008, postal savings bank schemes had total outstandings of Rs 3.4 lakh crore, which was second only to the deposits of the State Bank of India that stood at Rs 5.4 lakh crore. (ICICI Bank came third at Rs 2.4 lakh crore deposits.) In the same year, postal mail traffic fell by 4 per cent. So did the number of money orders, by 8 per cent, but their total value went up by 7.8 per cent. Simultaneously, the post office’s “business development activities”, the cumbersome name for newer services like Speedpost, grew revenues by 24 per cent to almost a quarter of the department’s total revenue. So like it or not, the post office is changing. It only makes sense to get it to change the right way.

Once the post office becomes a bank with a logistical arm and not the other way round, it will be able to bury the canard that it is a loss-making outfit. In 2008, the postal department’s budgetary deficit was Rs 1,511 crore. If it were a bank with assets equal to the savings bank liabilities, it should have been able to earn a very modest return on assets of 0.5 per cent, which would have put it at the bottom of the public sector banks league table. That works out to Rs 1,727 crore, over Rs 200 crore more than the deficit. Right now it is the Government of India and the finance ministry that keep the postal department poor. All the deposits go to the central exchequer, to be passed on to states as loans in proportion to their small savings. The department earns a fee to run the inefficient and archaic savings bank system.


Why is it necessary to reinvent the post office and improve the self-esteem of postal employees? The post office with its reach is the best placed to open bank accounts for the beneficiaries of the rural employment programme, recipients of government pensions and the like. The postman remains the best equipped to affirm a person’s proof of residence. Once the banking function of the post office gets going and expands, it will give a boost to India’s financial savings the same way bank nationalisation did and helped push up the national savings rate. The whole scenario is predicated on PBI being run efficiently and on keeping its transaction costs low with the use of information technology and processes for handling no-frill accounts currently being evolved.

The big question is, what does PBI do with its deposits which are relatively costlier as postal rates are higher than banks'. It should remain a narrow bank, eschewing retail and commercial lending and instead investing in secure but relatively high-yielding bonds issued by infrastructure companies looking for longer term funds. PBI could also subscribe to Nabard bonds whose proceeds Nabard could lend to microfinance organisations whose members could get paid through their savings bank accounts with PBI. You have a bit of a virtuous cycle there. An efficient PBI will not only boost financial inclusion but help reduce fraud in social welfare payments. All this must be made to happen.

Source: Business Standard

3rd FINANCIAL UPGRADATION ON COMPLETION OF 30 YEARS OF SERVICE OR 10 YEARS FROM THE LAST PROMOTION/UPGRADATION. DIRECTORATE ISSUED CLARFICATION

Department of Posts (Establishment Division) Memo No 4-7/(MACPS)/2009-PCC dated 20.5.2010
Subject : Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) for the Central Government Civilian Employees.
I am directed to refer to this Directorate Office Memorandum of even number dated 18.9.2009 on the above subject mentioned above.
2. In page No 19 of the OM, the following omission has been noticed in illustration No 5:-
(a) In example 4 in Box No 4, the text appearing as "3rd MACP to the grade pay of Rs 4200 on completion of 30 years of service" may be read as "3rd MACP to the grade pay of Rs 4200 on completion of 10 years service in the grade pay of 2800 or 30 years of service, whichever is earlier".
3. This corrigendum is based on illustration No 28B of Annexure I to the OM dated 18 Septemner 2009 which prescribes that if two promotions are earned before completion of 20 year, only 3rd financial upgradation would be admissible on completion of 10 year of service in the grade pay from the date 2nd promotion or at 30th year of service, whichever is earlier.
4. This Directorate OM dated 18 Sep 2009 may be taken as amended accordingly and this change may be brought to the notice of all concerned.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Members of Postal Services Board in-Charge of specific Circles

Hon’ble Minister for Communication and IT has observed that there is no integration between top management and Circle level operations, with Postal Services Board, having six Members is virtually excluded from any effective role. He also observed that work distribution among Members in the Board is haphazard and unequal. To put in place an effective administrative mechanism with greater accountability and participation the Members of the PSB have been made in- charge of specific Circles as follows. This is in addition to their existing functional responsibilities.
Circles Jurisdiction of Members of PSB
Central Zone MP, Chhatisgarh,Orissa: Maj. Gen V Sadasivam

North Zone
HP, Haryana, Punjab, J and K: Ms. Manjula Prasher
South Zone
AP, TN, Karnataka, Kerala: Mr. P K Gopinath
North & Eastern Zone UP, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand : Dr. Uday Balakrishna
East Zone Bihar, WB, Assam, NE: Mrs. Indira Krishna Kumar
West Zone Maharastra, Gujarat, Rajasthan: Mr. S Samant

Govt sets up a Committee of Experts to examine and suggest measures to expedite disciplinary / vigilance proceedings

F. NO. 3721312007-AVD.lll(Vol.10)
Government of lndia
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel & Training )
North Block, New Delhi,
1 2th May , 2010.
ORDER

It has been decided to set up a Committee of Experts to examine and suggest measures to expedite the process involved in Disciplinary /vigilance Proceedings. The composition of the Committee shall be as under:-
(1) Shri P.C. Hota, former Chairman, UPSC - Chairman
(2) Shri Arvind Verma, former Secretary(Personnel) - Member
(3) Shri P. Shankar. Former Central Vigilance Commissioner - Member
2. The Committee shall submit its recommendation within a period of two months, The Vigilance Division of DOPT shall render all the required secretarial the Committee.

Deputy Secretary to the Govt. of lndia.
Telefax: 23094637
Copy to:-
(1) Shri P.C. Hota,
former Chairman, UPSC,
5, Bazar Lane, Bengali Market,
New Delhi-110001.
(2) Shri Arvind Verma,
former Secretary(Personnel),
K-6A, Hauz Khas Enclave,
New Delhi-110016.
(3) Shri P. Shankar,
former Central Vigilance Commissioner,
3, Gilchrist Hamington Road.
Chatpat, Chennai-400031.
(4) PPS to Secretary(P)IAS(S&V)IJS(Vig.)/AII Sections/Desks in
Department of Personnel and Training including PESB. Orogonal order can be accessed at
http://persmin.gov.in/writedata/CircularNotification/ScanDocument/372_3_2007-AVD.III(Vol.10).pdf

Bonus Points: Centre to dole out payouts to performing employees

The Indian government is finally going the corporate way. The stage has been set for introducing performance-linked payouts which may force over five million central government employees to deliver their best.

What may make even corporate executives envious of the new bonanza for central governmentemployees, particularly of the brass, is the proposal of a 20% hike for the best performers over and above the raise that they had received after the sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations two years ago.

Yet for the babus, it won’t be a cakewalk either, as the formula of assessing the governmentemployees as proposed by performance management division under the cabinet secretariat, has ruled out paying even a penny to an official if his ministry scores 70 or below in a scale of 100.

But a secretary of a high performing ministry which meets 100% target will be eligible to receive Rs 2.4 lakh extra per year if the cabinet secretariat’s proposal of a 20% performance-linked payout is endorsed by the government, according to an official in cabinet secretariat.

The first round of assessment, initially for three months from January to March 2010, is over and three out of 59 central government departments have got a 100% score. There is a strong possibility that a large number of government employees would receive an extra pay once the new formula is adopted.

“We are extending the performance monitoring and evaluation system to 62 departments from the current fiscal. According to our system, a department sets a target, fixes the weightages of each target, and if it succeeds meeting all its targets, it gets a score of 100. Now, we are proposing that if a department meets all its targets, the head of the department would be given a performance bonus of 20% or more of his basic salary. And other employees too will get such bonuses,” said an official inperformance management division.

He further says how the government has failed to implement performance-linked incentives for itsemployees for the last 20 years though such recommendations were mooted by successive pay commissions including the more recent Sixth Pay Commission.

Several countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark, UK, US and Finland have moved away from the traditional government administrative model to a management model under which officers act like corporate managers as they get greater operational freedom, but are held accountable for results. In fact, New Zealand is considered to be the leader of the pack where performance of government agencies are weighed in by setting targets and adopting regular evaluations.

Though there were several attempts in India too to bring in performance management in an institutionalised way, the process got kickstarted only after World Bank’s senior economist Prajapati Trivedi was appointed as secretary to the government of India with the responsibility forperformance management early last year. Dr Trivedi, along with cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, introduced a tool called Results Framework Document (RFD) which will set targets for each ministry and will finally be the basis for yearly evaluation.

Dr SP Parashar, a former director of IIM Indore, says that the government had in the past too dealt with the subject by introducing themes such as Programming, Planning, Budgeting (PPB), Zero Base Budgeting (ZBB), and Outcome Budgeting (OB), to name a few. “You might be wondering what happened to them? They went with their champions. Lets hope that Results Framework Document (RFD) stays. The real challenge and test of any change program in our kind of democracies is its continuity...” he says.

He agrees that at concept level, Results Framework Document captures international best practices in respect of government performance management, but it misses the heart of good performance being implemented in the corporate world. “It is fixing individual responsibility in addition to departmental responsibility. The Results Framework Document as currently devised and adopted uses departmental responsibility and score as proxy for individual responsibility and score,” he says.

Yet, with 62 government ministries and departments on board with a few exceptions like PMO, home and defence, the performance of central ministries is under close watch. Though SundayET has learnt that only three ministries met 100% targets and some could not even meet 50%, it remains to be seen when and how the government makes those report cards public.

Source: Economic Times

MACPS in Department of Posts: Issues for Anomaly Committee: Para 10 of order dated 18th September, 2009.

With the issuance of order dated 9.04.2010 the constitution of Screening Committee in connection with MACPS cases is now in order.

" The Chairperson should be one grade above the members of the Committee. The officers holding the post in JTS with Grade Pay of Rs. 5400 in PB-3 ( in the event of non-availability of STS officer ) can act as Chairperson of the Screening Committee. The officer of PS Group'B' with Grade Pay of Rs 4800 can act as Member of the Screening Committee at Divisional level."

As per para 10 of DG Posts Memo. No. 4-7/ (MACPS)/2OO9-PCC dated 18 Sep 2009 regarding Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) for Postal employees the recommendations of the Screening Committee are to be placed before the Director Postal Service/ Director Accounts Postal/ Head of the Region/ Circle or organization/competent authority as the case may be for approval.

This para of earlier order dated 18th Sep., 2009 requires modification. Action as per this para is creating a legal complication.

The recruiting authority for Group "C" [ Multi Tasking Staff previously known as "Group D"] is Inspector Posts, SPM LSG, ASP etc. The Screening Committee for conferring MACPS will comprise JTS Officer and two Group 'B' officers. As per para 10 of order dated 18th September, 2009 the recommendations of the Screening Committee shall be placed before the Director Postal Service/ Director Accounts Postal/ Head of the Region/ Circle or organization/competent authority as the case may be for approval.

Point for consideration is to whom should a Multi Tasking Staff appeal if he is not conferred MACP ? Why it should be mandatory to place the recommendations of the Screening Committee before the Director Postal Service/ Director Accounts Postal/ Head of the Region/ Circle or organization/competent authority as the case may be for approval when the Screening Committee is already headed by senior officers ?

India Post mails govt on land bank utilisation

NEW DELHI: The sleepy neighbourhood post office building could soon be bursting at the seams, if the government allows India Post to commercially develop its land holdings that house the country’s 1.5 lakh post offices.

The department of post, dependent on the government’s financial assistance for running the world’s largest postal network, has circulated a cabinet note seeking permission to develop its real estate assets with the help of private players to shore up its sagging revenues.

“The plan will help the postal department emerge stronger by benefiting from better facilities and infrastructure developed by private firms,” said an official with the ministry of communications and information technology. The plan, however, is unlikely to have a smooth run. It may face procedural bottlenecks faced by similar attempts by other departments like the Indian Railways. The government-operated postal system currently has an annual deficit of Rs 3,596 crore. It is expected to generate revenues of Rs 6,956 crore, way below its estimated working expenses of more than Rs 10,552 crore. The department is still to work out the modalities of the plan or the operational scope of private partners. But, it is clear that the private businesses that operates from the post office premises would be consistent to the ‘image’ of the department. This means sectors such as retail, financial services or public service delivery are likely to find favour with the department, said the ministry official, who asked not to be named. The proposal is seen by the government as a viable business option, not just because of its ability to reap yields for the government. It will also give private players a great business opportunity.

Indian Railways’ plan to develop it land to create another stream of income is facing delays due to objections raised by local authorities and law enforcing agencies. Its project in New Delhi was opposed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on the grounds that it would create a huge traffic bottleneck. Delhi Police also had reservations against the project.

The department is also working on a plan to introduce pre-paid cards that will support cashless transactions at retail outlets across the country to leverage the cash-handling expertise of 1.5 lakh post offices to generate revenues. The proposed magnetic strip-based cards could be operated at merchant establishments and automated teller machines (ATMs) where cards from VISA, Mastercard and American Express are accepted.
12th May 2010, 0330 hrs IST,Souvik Sanyal,ET Bureau

India Post is the official carrier of Unique Identity Numbers - MoU signed between DOP and UIADI to this effect.

India Post is the official carrier of Unique Identity Numbers and will deliver the UID communication to the citizens of India. Department of Posts has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on April 30, 2010 to this effect. The MoU has been entered into for a period of two years. The Department would use its flagship product, the Speed Post for this purpose. The Department got advantage for this project due to its vast network of 155,015 post offices of which nearly 90% numbering 139,144 are in the rural area.

India Post is also providing the comprehensive business solution of printing & pre mailing activities and last mile delivery of UID letters to the recipients of UID number. Whenever/ wherever required by UIDAI, the Department will also do biometric authentication of each UID letter delivered.

The Department is also successfully implementing the work of distribution of nearly 10,000 tonnes of Census material from 15 printing presses to nearly 12,000 taluk/ municipal level locations across the length and breadth of the country through its Logistics Post in connection with Census 2011 as its official carrier. India Post will also be undertaking the reverse logistics for collection of filled in census forms from these locations and delivery to the respective Directorates of Census Operations and scanning centers in the States. The Project started in February 2010 and will be completed in June 2011.

Source : PIB

Monday, May 10, 2010

Updates through CHQ

The proposal for upgradation of GP of IPs due for submission to MOF again has not yet been sent. Time-line for resubmission of the proposal is not known.

Result of IP Exam 2009 will take sometime (more than one month, at least) to be out.

Surplus candidates of IP Exam 2008 have to wait for getting the allotment. The matter is unlikely to be settled before 15 days from now.

Supplementary DPC for PS Gr.B nomination is over. Result is expected any time.

Source: GS on phonic contact on 06.05.2010 as available at http://www.ipasporissa.blogspot.com/

New Jt. Director PTC Mysore

As per orders released by Directorate on 06.05.2010, Ms. D Veena Kumari will be the new Joint Director, PTC Mysore in place of Sri S Rajendra Kumar who proceeded on deputation ( to UIDA).

Useful information for touring Gangtok

A beautiful article posted in Gconnect site about useful information on Gangtok tour is worth going through. Please click on the link if it interests you.
http://gconnect.in/gc/guestarticles/my-trip-to-gangtok.html

Holiday Homes now online

This is summer and obviously Children will be on a holiday spree. It’s time to go for a long outing with family that rejuvenate our mind and body. You might complain that stay in a good tourist spot is exorbitant. That’s true. Even if you are ready pay the price demanded, getting a decent lodging during summer is not a cakewalk.

But , Holiday homes and Touring Officers’ Hostels, which are operated by CPWD/Urban development Ministry throughout India come in handy in this situation.

Online booking make things easy:
Earlier, manual booking was only available in these homes, which involves cumbersome procedure of sending a request over post. This procedure was also not transparent and we may not be in a position to plan our travel properly as confirmation of reservation should also reach us by post. But Government has simplified this process by making 100% online allotment through internet in 6 holiday homes and in certain Touring Officer’s Hostels.

We have attempted here to compile the information regarding these holiday homes. Also we have presented a simple guide on online reservation in these places through the website of Ministry of Urban ministry .

These are the Holiday homes under Ministry of Urban development throughout India:
Holiday Home No of Rooms Location
Agra (Online booking only) 14 Holiday Home for the Central Government Employees,
Sikandra Sector 15, Near Income Tax Colony, Sikandra.
Amarkantak 10 Central Govt. Holiday Home, Amarkantak (MP)
Goa (Online booking only) 03 Holiday Home for the Central Governmen Employees, Bambolim,
Opposite Goa Medical College Complex, Panaji-Madgaon Road, Goa
Kanyakumari (Partial online booking) 22 Holiday Home for Central Government Employees Kovalam
Road (near Light House), Kanyakumari
Mysore 12 Holiday Home, CPWD Office Campus, T.Narasipur Road, Sidhartha Nagar,Mysore-570011
Mussorrie (Online booking only) 05 Southwood Cottage in the ITBP campus (near library Chowk, Mall Road, Next to Dove Cottage), Mussoorie.
Nainital (Online booking only) 13 Central Govt. Employees Holiday Home, Khurpatal (Nainital).
Ooty (Online booking only) 26 Holiday Home for Central Government Employees, Good Shed Road,
Near Railway Station, Udagamandalam,
Shimla (Online booking only) 109 Grand Hotel, The Mall, Shimla-171001
Udaipur 2 –

Who is eligible to apply?
All working and retired Central Government employees and the employees working under the Government of NCT of Delhi, who are working in the offices, which have been specifically declared eligible for General Pool, are entitled for allotment of accommodation from General Pool.

Documents to be submitted for authenticity:
Signature of administrative authorities of department where the employee is working is necessary in the application sent by the employee for booking. In the case of online reservation, application form generated by the system has to be signed by the administrative authorities before the same is sent by post. In the case of retired government employees, forwarding of self attested copy of the PPO along with the application for booking is necessary

How to guide for making reservation online:
Before proceeding to online reservation install Java Virtual machine software if the same is not installed in your computer already. As this online reservation system runs in Java platform this software is required to be installed in your computer. Also the conventional browsers such as Internet Explorer 6 and above supports this online reservation system well rather than Firefox or google chrome.
Java Virtual Machines software is available in department site of Ministry of Urban development.
Download Java Virtual Machine Software
This is the step by step work flow chart for online reservation:
Step I Register your request for advance reservation by filling online application form found in the website www.estates.nic.in.
Step II After pressing the SUBMIT Button, take a print of the application form generated by the computer system. Copy of the applicant form can also be generated from the button available in CHECK STATUS section.
Step III Sign the application form. Get it verified/forwarded from the Administrative Divn. of applicant’s office (Retired Government employees should enclose SELF ATTESTED copy of the PPO/Pensioner ID. Card. Verification by office is not necessary).
Step IV Annex Pay Order/Demand draft for the full amount of room charges. If Sending application to AD(Regions) New Delhi : DD/Pay Order to be drawn in the name of ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ESTATES (CASH), NEW DELHI (for booking of Holiday Homes other than Grand Hotel, Shimla). If Sending application to AEM, Chennai : DD to be drawn in the name of ASSISTANT ESTATE MANAGER, CHENNAI (for booking of Holiday Homes other than Grand Hotel, Shimla). For booking at Grand Hotel Shimla (From anywhere in country) : DD to be drawn in the name of ASSISTANT ESTATE MANAGER, GRAND HOTEL SHIMLA. Pl. write applicant’s name, destination and stay dates on the backside of the Demand Draft/Pay order.
Step V Despatch the HARD COPY of the verified application form [with Demand Draft/pay order for the full amount] to the concerned Allotting Authority.
Step VI You can check your booking status online by quoting BOOKING REQUEST ID and ID CARD NO. If it shows status as ALLOTTED, take a print of the confirmation letter. Get it attested from applicant’s office. Deliver it at the reception while checking in.

These are screen shots of online reservation system. What we could make out from the process flow of this system is that availability has to be checked prior to starting booking process and once the availability is ensured tariff for the rooms is to be ascertained and demand draft has to be taken prior to the start of the booking process. This is because for completing the booking process, Demand Draft number and date is necessary. Also, other modes of payment such as direct debit, credit card payment etc are are yet to be enabled.

Website of Ministry of Urban Development: Click Holiday home —>Apply online
2. Alert about availability of Java Virtual Machine:
3. Options to check availability, Booking Status, and online booking. Check the availability, tariff before making online booking.
4. This is the screen for checking availability:
5. This is a sample availability report:
6. This is the screen meant for online booking:
7. Screen-2 for online booking:
For making manual reservation download this application form
Click here to get complete details of these holiday homes and Touring Officer’s hostel.
Click here for Room Charges
check here for other terms and conditions.
Go to Website for Central Government Holiday Homes Online Reservation

For further details pl visit : http://gconnect.in/gc/news/get-cg-holiday-homes-booked-online.html

Revision of Security to be furnished by GDS.

The competent authority is has orderd to enhance the Security Amount to be furnished by GDS is follows.
01. GDS BPM - Rs.10,000 to Rs.25,000.
02. Other Categories - Rs.5,000 to Rs.10,000.

The Security will be in the form of Fidelity Guarantee Bond or NSCs pledged to the Dept in the Name of President of India or in the shape of a Bank Guarantee from any Nationalized Bank.

Considering the workload & renewal periodicity of Fidelity Guarantee Bond to be revised to once in 5 years (quinquinnelly).

Ex.
a. The currency of FSG is expiring by 30.09.10, the new FGBs / Security should be obtained for a block of 5 years from 01.10.10.
b. In case of any GDS is getting Discharged within the 5 years of block, the FSG must be obtained from 01.10.10 till dat eof discharge.
c. In case any GDS is discharging after a block of 5 years and if the balance period is less than 5 years, the FGB must be obtained for the balance period only.
d. In r/o New Entrants, these orders will take with immediate effect & FGB must be obtained for 5 years from Dt of Entry.
Dte Memo No : 6-18 / 2010- PE II Dt. 07.05.10.

Revision of supplementary charges of foreign mails

Registration (Letters , POstcard , ALC)
Revised from Rs.15 to Rs.50/-
Bulk Bags from Rs.75 to Rs.200/-

Advice of Delivery
For Nepal and Bhutan from Rs.1 to Rs.5/-

Saturday, May 8, 2010

IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT ORDERS on compassionate appointments

Orders on Compassionate appointments
See link http://90paisa.blogspot.com/2009/05/scheme-for-compassionate-appointment.html

Security Deposit of Gramin Dak Sevaks enhanced.

The Department of Posts has revised the security amount to be furnished by Gramina Dak Sevaks as under:

1. GDS BPMs from Rs 10000/- to Rs 25000/-
2 Other GDS from Rs 5000/- to Rs 10000/-

The security will be in the form of Fidelity Guarentee Bond or National Savings Certificate pledged to the Department or in the shape of Bank Gurantee from any nationalized Bank. The present periodicity of yearly renewal- of the Fidelity Guaratee Bond be revised to once in 5 years (quinquinnelly).The required premium for-5 years' block may be recovered and the F.G. Bond obtqined for full 5 years block from the recognized Cooperative Credit Society.

Source: DG letter no 6-18/2010-PE-II dated 07-05-2010

Submission of representations by Govemment servants

The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department's O.M. No. 11013/7/99-Estt. (A) dated 01.11.1999 on the abovementioned subject which indicates that the categories of representations from Govemment servants on service matters have been broadly identified as follows :-
(i) Representations/complaints regarding non-payment of salary/ allowances or other Issues.
(ii) Representations on other service matters.
(iii) Representations against the orders of the immediate official superior authority; and
(iv) Appeals and petitions under statutory rules and orders (such as Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965 and the petition instructions.
(Apart from the above, sometimes, Govemment servants also submit advance copy of their representations to the authorities higher than the appropriateICompetent Authority.)

2. Necessary guidelines to deal with such representations are contained in the aforesaid O.M. which are to be followed by the administrative authorities. However, it is observed that some officials resort to the practice of sending repeated representations on the same issue which involves repeated examination of the same issue and bogs down the official machinery to the detriment of consid6ration of more important and time-bound issues. The matter has been considered by this Department. It needs to be emphasized that Govemment servants should desist from making frequent and numerous representations on the same issue. The second representation on the same issue will be examined only if it contains any fresh points regarding new developments or facts having a bearing on the issue. It has been decided that when representations have already been considered and replied, further representations exceeding two on the same issue will henceforth be ignored. A Government servant may make a representation to an authority higher than the lowest competent authority only when he is able to establish that all the points or submissions made therein have not been fully and properly considered by his immediate official superior, or the Head of Office concerned or such other authority at the lowest level competent to deal with the matter. Government servants should desist from prematurely addressing the higher authorities.

3. All the MinistriesIDepartments are requested to bring the above guidelines for the notice of all concerned for information and compliance

Source : Department of Personnal and Training Memo dated 19.4.2010

India Post is on Twitter

The Department of Posts, one of India's oldest establishments, has become the first government organisation to be on the social networking site Twitter. Tilted ‘PostOfficeIndia,' the DoP's page already has around 200 followers, from both India and abroad, in less than two months of its operations.
As part of its new business strategy, the DoP wants to leverage this unique medium to promote its business, as is being done by leading food chains and other firms in the U.S. and Europe. Though some senior DoP officials are currently managing the web page, soon it plans to have a dedicated team of people to answer queries of followers and paste latest promotions and programmes of the department. It also plans to have sub-categories for various users such as business users, foreigners and have posts State and region-wise.
SMS tracking
It all began with the DoP posting information about new schemes for users. It posted links to its website telling users how they could calculate postage tariffs or know pin codes of their respective areas. Then recently, the DoP launched SMS tracking facility for Speed Post shipments and told people how they could make use of it.
Similarly, through Twitter, the DoP has already started an awareness campaign for India's biggest-ever stamp show that will be held in Delhi next February. It has also been sending messages to people who want to partner DoP in various projects or apply for some tender. Followers have also been making complaints and giving feedback about how to improve the functioning of the department.
Boon to philatelists
DoP's Twitter page is also proving to be a boon for those who pursue philately as a hobby, as it has been informing people about limited edition stamps that India Post issues from time to time. “Welcome to the amazing world of the great magician P.C. Sorcar” read a ‘tweet', asking people to get India Post's commemorative postage on the magician. Through another message – India Post greets you on Earth Day! Let's spare a thought for the future of the planet. Let's all join to put together sustainable lifestyles — it is trying to send social messages and connect with those on Twitter.
Senior DoP officials are excited by the initial response from its followers. “Wow, Indian Post is on twitter...that's great to hear” wrote one Indian follower, while a few foreign nationals have also shown interest in India Post's Twitter postings. The DoP has been taking special initiatives for foreigners. For instance, during the recent Pushkar festival in Rajasthan, which is very popular among foreigners, it informed tourists about the post office near the fair where special arrangements were made for sending mails and parcels, which received good response.
Source : The Hindu

Message from Shri.Roop Chand, newly elected General Secretary.

The 36th All India Biennial Conference was held successfully in a grand manner at Delhi on 3rd & 4th April 2010. More than 300 delegates from all over the country actively participated in the deliberation. I am extremely thankful to every one of you for having elected me as the General Secretary. I take this opportunity to thank Shri.S.Samuel, the outgoing General Secretary for his hard work and achievements during his tenure for the past five years. I will continue to work hard to meet the new challenges before us. I am pursuing the case related to upgradation of Grade Pay. I sincerely seek your co-operation and support to achieve our genuine demands. You are most welcome to convey your opinion and suggestion on the following channels:

Mob.No.09810239343
E mail ID : roopchand2010@yahoo.com
Office Address: Shri. Roop Chand, ASP, Speed Post Centre, New Delhi-110001.
CHQ Address: Qtr.No.12, P&T Colony, Kursheed Square, Civil Lines, New Delhi-110054.

Let us join together and work for the upliftment of our cadre.
Yours sincerely,
Roop Chand
General Secretary.
Posted by All India Association of IPs/ASPs at 10:27 PM

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Model Recruitment Rules for Group 'C' posts in Pay Band-I, with Grade Pay of Rs.1800/- (pre-revised Group 'D' Posts)

Extract of Department of Personnel and Training Memo No. AB-140171612009-Estl(RR) dated 30.4.2010

Sub : Model Recruitment Rules for Group 'C' posts in Pay Band-I, with Grade Pay of Rs.1800/- (pre-revised Group'D' posts)

The 61h CPC recommended that all Group 'D' posts in the Government will stand upgraded to Group 'C', Pay Band-I with Grade Pay of Rs.1800, along with the incumbents (after suitable training, wherever required). The other recommendations of the Commission, in this regard include:

(i) There will be no further recruitment in Group 'D'.
(ii) The existing Group 'D' posts will be placed in Group 'C' Pay Band-I with Grade Pay of Rs.1800.
(iii) The minimum qualification for appointment to this level will be either loth pass or IT1 equivalent
(iv) Multi- skilling, with one employee performing jobs hitherto performed by different Group 'D' employees.
(v) Common Designation for these posts.


Their duties would broadly include:

a) Physical Maintenance of records of the Section.
b) General cleanliness & upkeep of the Sectionl Unit.
c) Carrying of files & other papers within the building.
d) Photocopying, sending of FAX etc.
e) Other non-clerical work in the Sectionl Unit.
f) Assisting in routine office work like diary, despatch etc., including on computer
g) Delivering of dak (outside the building).
h) Watch & ward duties.
i) Opening & closing of rooms.
j) Cleaning of rooms.
k) Dusting of furniture etc.
1) Cleaning of building, fixtures etc
m) Work related to his IT1 qualifications, if it exists.
n) Driving of vehicles, if in possession of valid driving licence.
o) Upkeep of parks, lawns, potted plants etc.
p) Any other work assigned by the superior authority.

NOTE: The above list of duties is only illustrative and not exhaustive. Ministries1 Departments may add to the list, duties of similar nature ordinarily performed by officials at this level.

Project Arrow -Written Reply given by Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Shri Gurudas Kamat

Project Arrow has been launched with objective of modernizing the post offices and make visible, tangible and noteworthy differences in the post offices operations that matter to “Aam Aadmi”. It was launched initially on proof of concept basis in 50 post offices in Phase I. After the successful completion of the Phase I it was implemented in 450 post office in Phase II and in 500 post offices in Phase III across the country including the rural areas. Project Arrow aims at comprehensive improvement of the core operations of the post office as well as the ambience in which postal transactions are undertaken.

The response of the general public and the staff of the Department to the initiative has been overwhelmingly positive and Project Arrow offices have shown significant increase in revenue earnings. The initiative Project Arrow – Transforming India Post has also won the Prime Minister’s award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2008-09.

Due to budgetary constraints, only 500 Post Offices across the country are being modernized and upgraded in every financial year. In view of this, it is not possible to say by when all the Post Offices in Himachal Pradesh would be covered under this Project.

This information was given by Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Shri Gurudas Kamat in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Disclosure of third party information under the RTI Act, 2005.

Copy of Department of Personnel and Training Memo No NO. 8/2/2010-lR dated 27.4.2010

Subject: Disclosure of third party information under the RTI Act, 2005.

The undersigned is directed to say that the Government,'in a number of cases makes inter departmental consultations. In the process, a public authority may send some confidential papers to another public authority. A question has arisen whether the recipient public authority can disclose such confidential papers under the RTI Act, 2005. If yes, what procedure is required to be followed for doing so.

2. Section 11 of the Act provides the procedure of disclosure of 'third party' information. According to it, if a Public Information Officer (PIO) intends to disclose an information supplied by a third party which the third party has treated as confidential, the PIO, before taking a decision to disclose the information shall invite the third party to make submission in the matter. The third party has a right to make an appeal to the Departmental Appellate Authority against the decision of the PI0 and if not satisfied with the decision of the Departmental Appellate Authority, a second appeal to the concerned Information Commission. The PI0 cannot disclose such information unless the procedure prescribed in section 11 is completed.

3. As defined in clause (n) of Section 2 of the Act, 'third party' includes a public authority. Reading of the definition of the terin, 'third party' and Section I 1 together makes it clear that if a public authority 'X' receives some information from another public authority 'Y' which that public authority has treated as confidential, then 'X' cannot disclose the infonnation without consulting 'Y', the third party in respect of the information and without following the procedure prescribed in Section 11 of the Act. It is a statutory requirement, non-compliance of which may make the PI0 liable to action.

4. The Public Information Officers and the First Appellate Authorities should keep these provisions of the Act in view while taking decision, about disclosure of third party information in general and disclosure of the third party information, when third party is a public authority, in particular.

ACRs with below benchmark grading considered in past DPCs

Copy of Department of Personnel and Training No No. 2101111/2010-Estt.A dated 27.4.2010

Sub : ACRs with below benchmark grading considered in past DPCs-reg.

The undersigned is directed to state that this Department has issued O.M. of even number dated 13.04.2010 that if an employee is to be considered for promotion in a future DPC and his ACRs prior to the period 2008-09 which would be reckonable for assessment of his fitness in such future DPC contain final grading which are below the benchmark for his next promotion, before such ACRs are placed before the DPC, the concerned employee will be given a copy of the relevant ACR for his representation, if any, within 15 days of such communication. The representation is to be decided by the competent authority as per provisions in para 2 of aforesaid O.M.

2. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in their judgement dated 12.05.2008 in Civil Appeal No. 763 lof 2002 (Dev Dutt vs Union of India) had held that the 'good' entry in the ACR of the appellant which had not been communicated to him and considered in a past DPC which found him unfit for promotion, should be communicated for representation and if upgradation is allowed by the competent authority, he should be considered for promotion retrospectively by the DPC. When the petitions in SLP (Civil) No. 5770/2009, now converted to Appeal Civil No. 2872 of 2010 (Union of India vs. A.K. Goel & Ors.) were called for hearing, the Supreme Court has taken note of the apparent conflict between the decisions of the Hon'ble Court in Dev Dutt case on one hand and the judgemetns of Supreme Court in Satya Narain Shukla Vs UOI 2006 (9) SCC 69 and K.M. Mishra vs. Central Bank of India & Ors. 2008 (9) SCC 120 on the other hand and by their Order dated 29.03.2010, the Hon'ble Court has referred these appeals to a Larger Bench (copy attached).

3. In the light of the Orders issued by Hon'ble Supreme Court in the aforesaid SLP (Civil) No. 1577012009, Union of India Vs. A.K. Goel & Ors.,all MinistrieslDepartrnents are advised that wherever petitions have been filed in the Courts to grant relief on the basis of the aforesaid decision of the Supreme Court in Dev Dutt case, the latest Orders of the Supreme Court in A.K. Goel case may be brought to the notice of the Court.

Below benchmark gradings in ACRs prior to 2008-09 and consideration of representation by the Competent authority - DOPT Memo dated 13.4.2010

Copy of Dept of Personnel and Trainig Memo No 21011/1/2010-Estt.A dated 13.4.2010 is reproduced below. As per this OM, the below benchmark gradings for the period prior to 2008-09 should be communicated to the official concerned for representation If any within 15 days of such communication. The representation should be considered by the competent authority, and the competent authority should get the report of reporting/reviewing authorities also before upgradation such ACR.

Sub : Below Benchmark gradings in ACRs prior to the reporting period 200849 and objective consideration of representation by the competent authority against remarks in the APAR or for upgradatin of the final grading.

The undersigned is directed to say that prior to the reporting period 2008-09, only the adverse remarks in the ACRs had to be communicated to the concerned officer for representation, if any to be considered by the competent authority. The question of treating the grading in the ACR which is below the benchmark for next Dromotion has been considered in this De~arbnenat nd it has been decided that if an employee is to be considered for promotion in a future DPC and his ACRs prior to the period 2008 09 which would be reckonable for assessment of his fitness in such future DEcSont ain final grading which are below the benchmark for his next promotion, before such ACRs are placed before the DPC, the concemed employee will be given a copy of the relevant ACR for his representation, if any, within 15 days of such communication. It may be noted that only below benchmark ACR for the period relevant to promotion need be sent. There is no need to send below benchmark ACRs of other years.

2. As per existing instructions, representations against the remarks or for upgradation of !he final grading given in the APAR (previously known as ACR) should be examined by the competent authority in consultation, if necessary, with the Reporting and the Reviewing Officer, if any. While considering the representation, the competent authority decides the matter objectively in a quasi-judicial manner on the basis of material placed before it. This would imply that the competent authority shall take into account the contentions of the officer who has represented against the particular remarkslgrading in the APAR and the views of the Reporting and Reviewing officer if they are still in service on the points raised in the remesentation vis-a-vis the remarkstaradinas given bv them in the APAR. The UPSC has informed this ~epartrnentth at the Commission hasobsebei that while deciding such representations,t he competent authorities sometimes do not take into account the views of RewrtinaIReviewina Officers if thev are still in service. The Commission has further observed that in a'majGty of succ cases, the competent authority does not give specific reasons for upgrading the below benchmark ACRlAPAR gradings at par with the benchmark for next promotion.

3. All MinistrieslDepartments are therefore requested to inform the competent authorities while forwarding such cases to them to decide on the representations against the remarks or for upgradation of the grading in the APAR that the decision on the representation may be taken objectively after taking into account the views of the concerned ReportinqlReviewing Officers if they are still in se~ice'and in case of upgradation of the final grading given in the APAR, specific reasons therefor may also be given in the order of the competent authority.