Archives-News
Once gain, the Corporate Office has issued instructions to all CGMs to empanel more reputed hospitals under BSNLMRS. The letter is attached here. bsnlmrs-may2.pdf
Corporate Office does not realize the practical problems in the field. Most of the reputed hospitals are reluctant to make agreement with BSNL for cashless treatment due to delay in payment of their charges.
The Corporate Office has sent a reply to Bharat Pensioners Samaj, with copies to all CGMs, about procedure to migrate to CGHS by BSNL Retirees.
The letter is given here. bsnlcghs-may1.pdf
As all of us know, the Seventh Central Pay Commission had suggested two options for granting parity in pension to senior pensioners retired before 1-1-2006 etc. Orders were issued in August 2016 and the Second Option was implemented. Then existing basic Pension of Central Pensioners (DOT pensioners) was revised by multiplying with 2.57.
The first Option suggested by CPC was not implemented saying it is not feasible . The matter was referred to a Committee of senior officers. Based on the report of the said committee, Cabinet has now approved revision of pension of old pensioners with a THIRD OPTION. It is little better than 2.57 formula. But it is quite unsatisfactory compared to the Option 1 suggested by CPC and rejected by the Government now.
The order dated 12-5-2017 is attached here. It is bit difficult to calculate and find out the benefit.
Com. G S Bajwa, CS of Punjab reports:
All members of Nawanshahr and Nabha branches have converted themselves into life members of our Association. Similarly, 16 Members of Batala branch also turned to be Life Members.
Congratulations to Punjab Team led by Saini, Bajwa, Atma Ram Verma and others.
As reported by Com. Ram Avtar Sharma, CS of our Rajsthan Circle Unit,
the CCA Office at Jaipur has cleared pension revision cases of all the 4860 pensioners, received from BSNL so far. A handful of cases are still pending with SSAs for some reasons. CCA Office is prepared to clear them also as soon received from BSNL.
We appreciate the great work done by AO (Pension) and his team of CCA office at Jaipur Rajsthan.
Yet, another inspiring news from Palakkad (Palghat) , Kerala. The District Unit of our Association has doubled its membership during the last one year. The team led by Com. K T Ramanarayanan has achieved it with systematic work.
The annual general body meeting of the District branch held at Palakad on 13-5-2017 was attended by more than 70% members. Com. P S Ramankutty inaugurated the meeting, addressed by Com. R N Pada Nair, Com. T P George and Com. S Prabhakaran, Circle leaders.
Comrades S Prabhakaran, K T Ramanarayanan and Natarajan are elected as District President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Kannur (Cannanore) SSA Unit of our Association in Kerala is facing all types or opposition and pressure from various forces. But our Kannur Comrades are determined. The Unit has enrolled maximum number of Life members during the last one year. Out of the 341 members 310 are life members.
The annual general body meeting held on 12-5-2017 was inaugurated by Com. P S Ramankutty and addressed by Comrades T P George, R N Pada Nair and T Ramchandran and others.
Coms. P Sugunaretnam, C Krishnan and M K D Nambiar are re-elected as District President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
More than 25 BSNL pensioners who were members of other organizations at Koppal in Raichur SSA of Karnataka have joined our Association on 12-5-2017 in a special meeting organised at Koppal on the initiative by Com. K G Deshpande (AI Org Secretary) and Com. R Changappa (CS KTA).
Comrades A H Desai, K G Hunugund and Gondi are elected as branch President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Calicut SSA branch in Kerala held its annual general body meeting on 11-5-2017. More than 300 members attended it. Com. P S Ramankutty (National President), Com. T P George (Circle Secretary), Com. R N Pada Nair (Circle President), T Ramchandran (Circle VP) and other leaders addressed.
A unique feature of Calicut branch, led by Smt. Anmnie Preman (DS), is that it organizes charity activities with the fund collected from its members every year. Last year, it has spent Rs. 124000 on charity work. In the meeting itself, the SSA Unit handed over cheques to Paliative Care Society of Calicut and The Ekalavya School (providing free education to adivasi students in the adjacent Wynad district).
On seeing a news item in the newspapers that a girl from a poor family in the Calicut district passed the SSLC examination with A+ in all the subjects, the District Unit invited the girl to the meeting and handed over a cheque. It was also declared that District Unit will meet all the expenses for her education for next two years. Some Members also donated liberally to the girl on the spot.
Comrades T Ramachandran, C K Surendran and C Jayanandan are elected as new District President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
A view of members attending Calicut meeting
Com. P S Ramankutty inaugurates the meeting.
Coms. Annie Preman, N Chandu, T P George, R N Padanair, KCK Nair, T Ramachandran, PNN Moosad are seen in the picture.
MANGALORE DISTRICT BRANCH OF AIBSNLPWA HAS 272 MEMBERS. ALL THE 272 ARE LIFE MEMBERS.
Mangalore District Conference was held on 5-5-2017. Com. P Gangadhara Rao (Dy GS and Circle President of Karnataka ) and Com. R Changappa (CS, Karnataka) attended and spoke in details about various issues concerning BSNL pensioners.
Comrades H Ramakrishna, K Chandramohan and U Seetharam Bhat are elected as District President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
2 photos of the conference:
As usual, wide publicity is given by the press for the Cabinet Decision on Option for Pension revision.
Details will be known only when the order is issued. Seventh Central Pay Commission had recommended two Options. Option 1 was beneficial to old pensioners, retired before 2006. Govt. had accepted it in principle but appointed a Committee of officers to examine if the Option 1 is feasible. That committee has submitted its report now suggesting a third Option.
Details will be known only when formal order is issued. However, it can be said that the new Option No 3 is much less beneficial than Option No. 1. DOT Pensioners should wait for the formal order and act upon assessing the actual benefit.
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