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As all of you know, CBMPA consisting of 8 organizations of BSNL/MTNL pensioners, submitted a new proposal for pension revision. It was published in websites and in whasapp groups. The proposal was welcomed by large number of pensioners all over India. Since unity of all is the need of the hour, we sent copy of our proposal to AIBDPA, AIBSNLREA and BDPA so that a single demand is placed before the Govt.
Shri D D Mistry, GS of BDPA has responded saying he would consider it. Shri S Basu, GS of AIBSNLREA has not yet responded. Shri K G Jayaraj, GS of AIBDPA has responded through a write up in his website. He claims that he has not received our Email. We sent the email at 1.39 PM on 3-8-2019 to aibdpa@gmail.com. We received the report that it was sent. Till this moment we have not received any non-delivery report. Technology will not lie.
AIBDPA has every right to pursue their demand for 15% fitment factor. (Fact is that PRC has not suggested any formula for pension revision.) We want serving staff should get pay revision. Staff unions are capable of taking decisions in this regard. We supported all their united programmes in the past. We shall do it in future too. Serving staff is future pensioners. We want a permanent solution so that existing and future pensioners will get pension revision.
GS of AIBDPA says our demand is disastrous but he does not say how it is disastrous. We tried for unity.We don’t want to quarrel with anyone. We wish them success.
Smt. Sushma Swaraj is no more. As a popular minister and important leader she needs no description.
She was Minister for Communications once for a short period. Then she became Chief Minister of Delhi. Before moving to Delhi Secretariat, as communications minister, she granted rent free telephone connection to all telecom pensioners.
Originally it was not given to serving employees of DoT. I was in Sanchar Bhavan with the then Director (SR) Mr Rao when the news reached him. Immediately I sent a fax message to her and and met her next day with a letter requesting extension of the facility to serving staff. She read the letter, smiled but did not commit anything at that time. But soon, she ordered to extend the facility to serving staff of Telecom also.
She was an able, strong minister with a human approach; but not given a berth this time in the cabinet.
We convey our condolences on the sad demise of Smt Sushma Swaraj.
......................................... P S Ramankutty
Today's media reports say that BSNL has lost another contract worth of Rs 400 crore per year for maintaining the Bharatnet, an ambitious project of the Government of India connecting 2.5 village panchayats.
See AN ARTICLE contributed by an engineer of BSNL: bsnl-an-article.pdf
ON 6-8-2019 ABOUT 10000 EMPLOYEES OF MTNL STAGED A MASS PROTEST RALLY IN DELHI AGAINST NONPAYMENT OF SALARY FOR TWO MONTHS.
TOTAL UNITY AMONG ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING PENSIONERS IS A MUST TO GET A DECISION FROM THE GOVERNMENT ON PENSION REVISION.
PLACING DIFFERENT OR CONFLICTING DEMANDS WILL SPOIL ALL EFFORTS. SO, CBMPA HAS MADE AN APPEAL TO THREE ORGANIZATIONS, KEEPING ALOOF FROM THE UMBELLA ORGANIZATION.
Copy of the letter sent by Email on 3-8-2019 to Shri K G Jayaraj(GS, AIBDPA), Sh. D D Mistry (GS, BDPA) and Shri S Basu (GS, AIBSNLREA)
Dear comrade,
On behalf of the above umbrella organization which comprises eight pensioners’ organizations a letter was submitted to Secretary (T) on 02/08/2019. The same letter along with five annexures are herewith attached for your perusal and study.
We request you to give your feedback in a week’s time. If you are in agreement with the proposal we can jointly send a letter to Secretary (T). In the interest of pensioners, we want a united approach on the issue of pension revision which should be a permanent solution for the future retirees also. Keeping that in mind, we have submitted that proposal.
May we expect a positive feedback from you at the earliest.
With regards
Yours sincerely,
Sd/-
(P.Gangadhara Rao)
Convenor, CBMPA
THE LETTER FROM CBMPA ON NEW PROPOSAL FOR PENSION REVISION
On 2-8-2019, Com. Anupam Kaul (AGS, AIBSNLPWA) and Com. Munshi Lal (Delhi Circle President of AIBSNLPWA), visited Shri Anshu Prakash IAS, who has assumed charge as the new Secretary Telecom and Chairman of DCC and congratulated him. On the occasion, our leaders handed over a letter from Convener of CBMPA containing a new proposal on pension revision of BSNL/MTNL retirees, seeking a permanent solution to the long pending problem.
Shri Anshu Prakash assured consideration of the proposal.
Today, Shri Anshu Prakash has taken over charge as Secretary, Telecom and chairman of Digital Communications Commission (DCC: new name for Telecom Commission)
All India consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers is 316 for the month of June, 2019.
There is an increase of 2 points from the 314 of May 2019.
Our Bangalore SSA Unit is the biggest district unit in the country now, with more than 2500 members. To ensure better and more effective functioning, it was decided to form branches under the SSA Unit. Accordingly Bangalore South-East and South-West Branches have been formed today, 30-7-2019 in a massive meeting held in G N R Kalyana Mandap.
On the occasion, Com. P Gangadhara Rao (GS), Com. R Changappa (CS), Com. R Janardhana Rao (DS) and other leaders addressed the gathering of more than 600 members and explained the latest developments.
Public leaders like Shri Ramalinga Reddy MLA, Smt. Sowmya Reddy MLA and Shri G N R Babu (Ex. Corporator and owner of the G N R Kalyana Mandap) greeted the meeting. Shri Babu gave the spacious Kalyana Mandap free of rent (Rs. One lakh !) for our meeting.
Few photos:
Shri Ramalinga Reddy MLA
Smt. Sowmya Reddy MLA
Com. P Gangadhara Rao
Shri G N R Babu being honoured
With great sorrow, we report sad demise of Com. Ramesh Chandra Dauka, former Circle Secretary of our Association in Assam on 25-7-2019. He met with a fatal accident on 21-6-2019. He remained in the hospital unconscious all these days. Com. R C Dauka was a bold leader.
CHQ conveys its heartfelt condolences on the demise of Com. Dauka.
The Chrompet branch in Chennai TD Circle held its general body meeting on 25-7-2019 in a spacious marriage hall at Chrompet, Chennai. All India leaders who were in the city on the same day for attending the CHQ Secretariat meeting and number of circle and local leaders of Chennai addressed the meeting. It was a great successful meeting. .. few photos
:
Just before the Bihar Circle Conference on 21-7-2019, a delegation of Bihar comrades led by our GS Com. Gangadhara Rao went to the residence of Shri Ravishankar Prasad, The Honourable Minister for Communications who was in the city and submitted a memorandum on our pension revision.
Bihar Circle Conference was held on 21-7-2019 at Patna. Com. P Gangadhara Rao, GS and Com. C. Singh, SG of NFTE were the chief guests.
The Conference elected Comrades Shamshad Ali, A K Singh and Rameshwar Prasad as Circle President, Circle Secretary and Circle Treasurer respectively.
Com. Gangadhara Rao speaks
Com. C Singh addressing
Delegates
Government has taken a good decision to help the senior pensioners above the age of 80 years.
TO AVOID HARDSHIP OF THE SENIOR PENSIONERS WAITING IN THE QUEUE FOR LONG TIME TO FILE THEIR LIFE CERTIFICATES IN NOVEMBER EVERY YEAR THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL HAS ISSUED AN ORDER THAT SENIOR PENSIONERS ABOVE THE AGE OF 80 YEARS CAN FILE THEIR LIFE CERTIFICATE (JEEVAN PRAMAAN) IN OCTOBER ITSELF. IT WILL BE VALID TILL LAST OF DAY NOVEMBER NEXT YEAR.
OTHER PENSIONERS, BELOW THE AGE OF 80 YEARS, HAVE TO FILE LIFE CERTIFICATE IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER ITSELF AS AT PRESENT.
Click here to see the order oct-and-nov-lc.jpg
Today, 18-7-2019, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minsiter for Communications told in Rajya Sabha that "To ensure stability in Telecom Sector, one PSU is very important."
Well said. We await follow up action.
The Prime Minister himself launched SAMPANN on 29-12-2018 to ensure speedy payment of pension and quick redressal of grievances from pensioners. As part of it the Dept. of Telecom, through CCA offices, introduced the Direct Pension Payment System for the new retirees. Almost all CCA offices have started it.
CGCA:
A new post of Controller General of Communication Accounts was created in 2018. CCAs and Pr.CCAs have to report to CGCA.Awebsite –www.cgca.gov.in – was also launched. It is linked to websites of all the 28 CCAs in the country. This is also a welcome step.
SOME TEETHING TROUBLES:
Now, pension and pensionary benefits are being credited every month in the account of new pensioners from the month of March in most of the circles. Final settlement of GPF is not part of SAMPANN. However, during the last two months the BSNL failed to remit the amount and hence the final settlement of those retiring in the month of August 2019 may be affected.
MIGRATION OF EARLIER PENSIONERS:
The intention was to migrate all existing (earlier) DoT/BSNL pensioners to SAMPANN. It has not yet taken place completely. In Kerala circle 67% of pensioners draw pension through bank and 33% through post office.In other circles it is just opposite as many pensioners live in rural areas where banking facility is poor. The banks maintain data of their pension accounts. Still, in this era of digitization, many banks have not shared the data with DoT. Of late, the DoT has started the work with one bank. It may take few more months to complete the work related to all pensioners drawing pension through banks. Cases of those receiving pension through post offices will further be delayed as IndiaPost does not have full data.
DELAY IN POST OFFICES:
At many places pensioners did not get their pension from post offices on the last working days in May and June 2019. The Staff in Post offices told pensioners that “pension was not credited by the Centralized Pension Processing Centre at Mysore”. In fact, there is no such CPPC at Mysore for all Post offices in the country. The work is centralized in DAP offices, Director of Accounts, Posts in each circle. The Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) provides technical support, from their office at Mysore. In the software being used by CCAs and some banks there is a provision “not to pay before…th”. So they can credit the pension amount on any date conveniently which will be released only on the specified date. But, in the soft ware supplied by TCS to India post this provision is not available. So the staff in DAP offices (at some places only) came at 2 AM on the last working day in June 2019 and started crediting the pension. In those circles people got the pension on that day itself. In other Circles where the work was started at 9 AM they could not enter the network system as it was jammed! That caused delay in May and June. It is reported that India post is updating the system with the help of TCS. Let us hope that it will be improved. When some changes are effected in procedure there will be some problems.
Secretary, Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare has sent a letter to all Departments to hold Pension Adalat, on the same day of 23-8-2019 to settle maximum number of grievances of pensioners. We welcome this good initiative.
See the letter from Secretary, DoP&PW: pension-adalat-in-all-depts.pdf
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