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Time and again, we brought to the notice of Director (HR) of BSNL the cases of inordinate delay in settlement of medical claims by pensioners. Smt. Sujata Ray, Director (HR) is very much concerned of the delay in the matter. There is no dearth of instructions and guidelines in this regard from the Corporate Office .Her Office has issued fresh guidelines on the policy of BSNL. Same is given here:
Please click here to see the CO order dated 3-5-2017 . med-policy-may-17.pdf
WARM MAY DAY GREETINGS TO ALL
Com. M. Govindarajan, Circle Secretary of Chennai TD Circle has sent a copy of the Option Form adopted by the Chennai TD Circle Office. It is attached here. Circle/District Secretaries are requested to meet the concerned officer and ensure that Option form is approved and circulated.
Despite our request, the BSNL Corporate Office has not yet issued any format for option to be taken from pensioners for Medical Allowance.
It seems it is left to the Circles/SSAs. We have received copies of format circulated by SSA offices.
Most simplest form is given here:tvm-mrs-form.pdf
Unlike in the past, this time there is undue and inordinate delay in revision of pension with 78.2% in both Andhra and Telengana circles. BSNL pensioners are very much agitated over it. Our circle Associations declared dharna earlier. Then came the new instruction from Member (F) to complete the process by 10-4-2017. So, our circles postponed the programme. But, even after ten days passed since the second target date, the process is very much disappointing.
Hence, on 26-4-2017, Andhra Circle organised a massive dharna in front of CCA office at Vijayawada and Telengana Circle Unit organised massive dharna in front of CCA Office at Hyderabad. Hundreds of Pensioners participated in the dharnas despite scorching sun above their heads and the boiling sand below heir feet.
BSNL pensioners have expressed their anger over the delay. We do hope that the authorities in AP and TG Circles will take note of it and take suitable remedial action to extend the benefit of 78.2% to all the pensioners without further delay.
Dharna at Vijayawda by Andhra comrdes
Dharna at Vijayawda by Andhra comrdes
Dharna at Hyderabad by Telengana comrades.
Dharna at Hyderabad by Telengana comrades.
Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Government of India introduced a new system some time back, called CPGRAMS (Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System). Pensioners can register their complaints/grievances online through the system. It was announced that concerned authorities will attend to the complaints/grievances within 30 days. But, BSNL and DOT do not redress the grie3vances in most of the cases within the prescribed time. DoT finds fault with BSNL some times.
Director(HR) of BSNL has issued fresh instruction in this regard asking all concerned officers in BSNL Circles to have regular meeting with CCA offices and take prompt action.
As told to Com. P S Ramankutty by the GM (Admn) of BSNL Corporate Office on 13th instant, the Corporate Office has issued instructions to all for collecting the options from Retirees for without Voucher scheme and maintain a data of the same.
The three orders are given below.
Note that the scheme is restored for Retirees only, not for serving staff.
Third Circle Conference of Haryana was held at Bhiwani on 16-4-2017 under the president ship of Com. J S Dahiya. Com. Omprakash, District Secretary of CITU and Com. R C Jagga, President, Haryana Govt Pensioners Sangh addressed the conference.
Comrades J S Dahiya, J S Malik and Ramphool Saini are elected as Circle President, Circle Secretary and Circle Treasurer respectively.
: Today at 12 noon I along with J S Dahya and Anupam Kaul met Smt Sujata Ray, Director HR of BSNL and thanked her for restoring without voucher scheme.
We requested her to clarify about option and periodicity of MRS card.
She directed us to meet the GM (Admn.)
We met GM then.
1. Pensioners have to exercise fresh option with/without voucher. A proforma is being issued to SSAs to collect and register options.
2. MRS Cards are issued for one year, 2 years, 5 years by circles. We wanted standardisation.
Circles will be directed to obtain undertakings from pensioners every year instead of renewing the card , like life certificate.
3. 2007 order is being revised on rent free telephone connections. The word free local calls is being replaced by metered calls.
PSR
THERE WERE NEWS OF RESTORATION OF WITHOUT VOUCHER FACILITY FOR PENSIONERS FOR SIX MONTHS FROM APRIL FIRST. WE DECIDED TO WAIT FOR ORDERS.
FINALLY BSNL CORPORATE OFFICE VIDE ITS OM DATED 11-4-17 HAS ORDERED RESTORATION OF WITHOUT VOUCHER FACILITY FOR BSNL PENSIONERS FROM 1st APRIL. IT WILL BE 50% OF ELIGIBLE AMOUNT FOR ONE YEAR OF THE PENSIONER AND PAID IN 4 EQUAL QUARTERLY INSTALMENTS. IT IS ALSO SAID THAT THE SCHEME WILL BE REVIEWED AFTER SIX MONTHS(A NORMAL TERM USED FOR ANY ORDER FACILITATING REVIEW PROVISION)
WE ARE HAPPY THAT OUR CONSISTENT APPEALS FOR RESTORATION SINCE ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM 2011 TO THE BSNL AUTHORITIES HAS YIELDED FAVOURABLE RESULT. LATEST BEING OUR APPEAL TO CMD BSNL IN PERSON ON 31-12-16 WHEN HE VISITED CHENNAI AND OUR DISCUSSION WITH DIRECTOR (HR) ON 21-2-17 AT DELHI.
WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL TO THE BSNL AUTHORITIES FOR THIS ACT OF KINDNESS
JHARKHAND CIRCLE CONFERENCE was held at Jamshedpur on 9-4-2017. Comrades G Natarajan (GS), Mrs T S Pillai (VP), K Muthiyalu (OS) and Com. T S Vittoban (Treasurer) participated on behalf of CHQ and spoke on various issues in detail. Com. A K Singh (CS, Bihar) and Com. B N Behera (CS, Odisha) also attended.
A view of the Delegates
CGM, Jharkhand lighting the Lamp
Comrades B D Jha, R N Singh and Bharat Mishra are elected as Circle President, Circle Secretary and Circle Treasurer respetively
Our Punjab Circle Unit held its Executive Committee meeting on 9-4-2017 in Parwana Bhavan, Patiala. Com. Sher Singh, AGS and Com. Atma Ram Verma, Org. Secretary participated on behalf of CHQ.
Two photos
As we have reported earlier, through this website as well as Pensioners Patrika, in 7 Circles including Kerala, MP, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Rajasthan etc. the concerned CCAs refused to count the extra increment granted to Grade III officials one year before their retirement as PAY while the pension was fixed. In most of the Circles it was treated as pay and pension was granted with the said increment.
In Kerala, our Circle Association along with five retired BSNL employees who got the extra increment approached the CAT. On 15th March 2012, the CAT ord ered that the said extra increment should be treated as Pay even if the pay had crossed maximum of the pay scale. CCA did not honour the CAT verdict. He filed Appeal in the High Court. The High Court upheld the CAT verdict. Then, CCA granted the benefit only to the five pensioners who were Applicants in the Case.
Our Association demanded that since Association is the applicant 1 in the case the benefit should be given to others placed in similar situation.
After lot of delay the CCA is now issuing orders refixing the pension counting the extra Increment also. Copy of one of such orders is given below.
I suggest that in other Circles, the affected Members can apply to the concerned CCA to refix their pension taking into account the Extra Increment granted by BSNL.
Please Note: Those who did not get the Extra Increment before retirement, can not claim it now, whatever be the reason for not getting it.
...P S Ramankutty
Copy of the Order issued to one Shri Madhusoodhanan Nair K, Trivandrum
Dept. of Public Enterprises has issued orders fixing the rate of IDA from April 2017. It is 117.1% only.
There is a reduction of 2.4% from the existing rate of 119.5% applicable from January 2017.
As per the calculations given in the order the IDA should bed 117.15%. 0.05% is ignored.
TH orders: ida-april-2017-2.pdf
Tamil Nadu Circle held its CEC meeting on 2-4-2017 and 3-4-2017 at Virudhunagar, near Madurai. All India leaders Comrades G Natarajan (GS), D Gopalakrishnan (VP), K Muthiyalu (Org. Secretary as well as CS), V Rama Rao (Asst Treasurer as well as CP) and S Arunachalam (Org Secretary) participated. Virudhunagar district unit is a small unit comparing with others SSA Units like Madurai, Tirunelveli etc. But they made all arrangements for the successful conduct of the CEC meeting. About 500 members of the District and nearby areas also attended the meeting.
Few photos showing Comrades Natarajan, DG, Muthiyalu and Rama Rao addressing the meeting:
- Mysuru district branch held its general body meeting on 02-04-2017. Com. P Gangadhara Rao (Circle President as well as Dy GS ) and Com. R Changappa (Circle Secretary, Karnataka) spoke on various issues concerning BSNL pensioners. Com. M Ramaswamy, Com. Rajasekhara and Com. A O Aravindakshan were elected President, Secretary and Treasurer of the district branch.
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Dhuri branch (Punjab) held its general body meeting on 01-04-2017. Com. Atmaram Verma, CWC member and Com. G S Bajwa, Circle Secretary addressed the meeting and explained various issues.
Two Photos:
Com. Romesh Mohanty, Circle President unfurls the flag, a view of the audience.
The All India Consumer Price Indices for last 6 months are as:
2016 September:277
2016 Octo0ber : 278
2016 November: 277 ==== Average for the 3 months : 277.33
………………………………………………………..
2016 December: 275
2017 January: 274
2017 February: 274 ===== Average for the 3 months:274.33
IDA for January- March 2017 = 119.5%
IDA for April-June 2017 = 117.2%
There is a further reduction of 2.3% !!!!
BSNL WORK CULTURE IS STRANGE INDEED
In 2010, the Corporate Office of BSNL issued some instruction on maintenance of Service Book and forwarding the particulars of retiring staff. Then it sent some reminders. Not once; not twice or thrice....
14 Reminders have been sent on the same issue.
Still, many people do not get their retirement benefits and pension in time for want of papers from BSNL.
Now the Corporate Office has today issued the 15th Reminder to all field Units. 15th-reminder.pdf