Archives-News
MEDIA REPORTS; NOTHING OFFICIAL
Some media reports say that the Empowered Committee of Secretaries, headed by Cabinet Secretary, which was asked to study the VII CPC report and advise the Cabinet, has met on 14-6-2016. Media further reports that the Empowered Committee wanted to see more data from the Implementation Cell before taking a final view on the matter.
At the same time, the media reports give an impression that Empowered Committee is in favour of raising the minimum pay to Rs 24000 against Rs 18000 recommended by the CPC. Similarly the CPC recommended maximum pay of Rs 2,50,000 ( for Cabinet Secretary). The Empowered Committee favours raising it to Rs 2,70,000.
Will this hike benefit all?Details are not known now. It is all speculations by media.
The government has not yet taken a final decision on the report of 7th CPC submitted in November 2015.Empowered Committee which looked into the recommendations met on 14th June 2016.The outcome is not yet disclosed. Therefore, these are the field days for rumour mongers.
National Joint Action Committee of central government employees organisations has served the notice for indefinite strike from 11th July, 2016, historic day for central government employees in India.
Some of the demands in the charter pertain to pension.They are:
(a) Parity between the past and present pensioners to be brought about on the basis of the 7th CPC recommendations with the modification that basis of computation to be the pay level of the post / grade/ scale of pay from which one retired; whichever is beneficial.
(b) Pension to be 60% of the last pay drawn in the case of all eligible persons who have completed the requisite number of years of service.
(c) The family pension to be 50% of the last pay drawn.
(d) Enhance the pension and family pension by 5% after every five years
(e) Commuted value of pension to be restored after 10 years or attaining the age of 70, whichever is earlier. Gratuity calculation to be on the basis of 25 days in the month as against 30 days as per the Gratuity Act.
(f) Fixed medical allowance for those pensioners not covered by CGHS and REHS to be increased to Rs. 2000 p.m.
(g) Provide one increment on the last day in service if the concerned employee has completed six months or more from the date of grant of last increment.
14 Exclude the Central Government employees from the ambit of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and extend the defined benefit pension scheme to all those recruited after 1.1.2004.
WE SUPPORT THEIR DECISION FOR NATIONAL STRIKE. OUR MEMBERS ARE CALLED UPON TO EXTEND ALL POSSIBLE HELP TO MAKE THE STRIKE A GREAT SUCCESS.
The Central Pension Accounting Office under Ministry of Finance has issued a new clarification on 13th June 2016 making it very clear that
1. All those pensioners who were drawing monthly pension after completion of 10 years qualifying service before 1-1-2006 are eligible for benefit in term of OM dated 6-4-2016.
2. These orders are not applicable to those absorbee pensioners who had got 100% lump-sum in lieu of their monthly pension on absorption in PSUs etc during 1973-1995. (No such people in BSNL).
3. Absorbee pensioners who are receiving full monthly pension would continue to be covered by the OM dated 1-9-2008 and 6-4-2016. (This includes BSNL retirees)
Hence it is now very clear that all the pensioners who retired with less than 33 years of qualifying but with at least 10 years service are eligible to get full normal pension, even if they were getting more than the minimum pension.
.BSNL retirees are also eligible to get it. There is no doubt in the above order from CPAO as DoT created some doubt in its OM dated 3-6-2016.
Click here to see the CPAO order dated 13-6-2016: 33-years-cpao-1.pdf
11.25 AM; 14-6-2016
Com. R L Kapoor, Legal Committee member reports
Honouring the assurance he gave to our leaders in Bangalore on 9th June 2016,
Secretary (T) cleared the File yesterday evening and sent to Member (F). From there it moved to Member (Services) today and at present it is in the Estt. branch in Directorate for further action.
A VIEW OF THE AUDIENCE
DIST PRESIDENT SHREEMANNARAYANA SPEAKS
WE WANT A PERMANENT ARRANGEMENT FOR FUTURE PENSION REVISION
The Department of Public Enterprises has constituted Third Pay Revision Committee:
Retired Justice Satish Chandra is the Chairman. Retired IAS officer Jugal Mohapatra, Economist Prof. Manoj Panda and retired NTPC Officer Shailendra Pal Singh are members. PRC has to submit report within six months and same will come to effect from 1-1-2017. Good.
......
We have very correctly predicted that PRC would suggest PAY REVISION only; not Pension revision. The Pay revision through PRC is only for Executives in CPSUs; not for Non –Executives.
The brains which worked against our attempt to get the benefits of seventh CPC for BSNL Pensioners should now wake up and shake up their head.They have done great damage to BSNL pensioners.
On the request from some of our friends, we are giving in the attached file, given below, some information about Digital Life Certificate registration facility.
Click here: jeevan-pramaan-page-1.jpg
On 10th June 2013, the serving staff of BSNL got the benefit of 50% IDA merger in pay for their pay revision - effectively amounting to 78.2% IDA. Pensioners are still awaiting the same benefit for pension revision.
Secretary (T) told our Delegation yesterday in Bengaluru that he is dealing the case with topmost priority. He assured that he would immediately clear the file pending for his signature since 1-6-2016. Let us hope that he will honour his assurance next week, as soon as he comes back to New Delhi.
Number of pensioners bid farewell to this world without getting the benefit during the last three years.
Ministers are changed, Secretaries are changed. But, we the pensioners are the same people, still alive, waiting and waiting. Patience too has a limit.
Today at 4.45 PM a Delegation of AIBSNLPWA, consisting of Com. P Gangadhara Rao (Dy GS), Com. G Babu (Vice President), Com. R Changappa (CS, Karnataka) and B Murthy (ACS Karnataka), met Shri J S Deepak IAS, Secretary (Telecom) and Chairman of Telecom Commission who was in Bangalore. Our Delegation handed over a letter to Secretary requesting him to clear the file on 78.2% immediately.Secretary (T) was very courteous while informing the leaders that our case is being dealt on top most priority. He assured that he will clear the file immediately.
Secretary further requested the Delegation to advocate digital Life Certificate by all our members.
In JCM a decision was taken in 2003 to grant one extra increment to those Grade III officials who did not get promotion to Grade IV. The benefit was given with effect from 1-6-2003.The order was very specific.The extra increment thus granted would be counted for fixing pension. But, seven CCA offices refused to count the extra increment quoting certain rules. Kerala CCA was one among them.
After all attempts to have a settlement failed, Kerala Circle Unit of AIBSNLPWA along with five affected members filed a case in CAT Ernakulam. Justice Mr P R Raman gave very strong judgement on 15th March 2012 asking the DoT to revise the pension of the applicants counting the said extra increment as pay.
Department refused to honour the judgement and filed an appeal in High Court of Kerala.High Court rejected the appeal.Still the DoT refused to honour court order.Then Our Circle Association filed a Contempt of Court Petition.It is accepted in the file by Court.It will come up soon for hearing.
Sensing another defeat, the Directorate finally has asked the CCA Kerala to grant the benefit to only those five Pensioners who were applicants in the original Petition. Some of them got the revision order today.
Few hundreds pensioners in seven Circles are affected by the wrong attitude of CCAs and Directorate.It seems the Directorate wants all the affected people should file cases in CAT.Our Association has already taken the case with Directorate for issuance of general orders. They have to issue a general order because AIBSNLPWA is the first Applicant in the Case.
Com. R C Malhotra, AGS reports from New Delhi:
"On 7-6-2016, R C Malhotra, D P S Sisodia and Prem Lal went to Sanchar Bhavan and enquired about the status of the 78.2% Case. The file is still with Secretary, Telecom for signature."
The Department of Telecom has issued a fresh clarification on 3-6-2016 stating that the de-linking of 33 years of qualifying service for grant of full pension is applicable to BSNL/MTNL pensioners also.
So, there should not be any doubt about applicability of the DOP&PW OM dated 6-4-2016.
The clarificatory order is given below
Kolkata Civil District branch held a general body meeting on 6-6-2016.
Comrades G Natarajan, K Muthiyalu, T S Vittoban and Ranjit Mukherjee addressed the meeting.
Two photos :
Our Calicut district branch held its annual general body meeting on 2nd June 2016.
Com. P S Ramankutty inaugurated the meeting, addressed by Circle President Com. Pada Nair, Circle Secretary Com. T P George and others. Calicut branch has multifarious activities. Comrades of Calicut are engaged in number of charity work. They have distributed food and other articles worth of Rs 1.4 lakh last year alone to poor and destitute people. In the annual general body meeting the Branch donated some amounts to the Palliative Care Society, Vanavasi Welfare Society, Nanma Charitable Trust and Seva Bharati who are doing yeomon service to the society.
Two photos of the annual general body meeting are given below
Com. R L Kapoor reports from Delhi:
The file has reached Secretary, Telecom today for his signature.
Relevant portions from the Circular issued by National Joint Council of Action of Central Government employees organisations are reproduced hereunder:
" As there had been no response from the Government to our communication dated 2nd May, 2016, we decided to seek an appointment with the Cabinet Secretary. Accordingly a delegation consisting of the following members of the NJCA met Cabinet Secretary, Shrl P.K. Sinha on 26. May 2016.
Com. Shiva Gopal Misra Com., Guman Singh and Corn. K.K.N. Rutty
From the discussions, it appears that, the Empowered Committee has made up their mind to recommend to the Government a slight increase in the Minimum Wage. No indication was however given as to the consequential revision of the Fitment Formula and Pay Matrix. There had also not been any hint about the need to restore the percentage of the HRA, which the 7th CPC has recommended for reduction. On Advances and Allowances, abolished, the Government might be advised to set up a committee to go into the matter and make suggestions. In the matter of the New Contributory Pension Scheme also, the Government might refer the demand to a committee.
On the question of pension benefit to the retired personnel, who are covered by the defined benefit pension scheme, the Cabinet secretary indicated that, both the Department of Pension and Defence Ministry were of the firm view that the first option recommended by the 7th CPC to bring about the parity with the past pensioners being infeasible and impracticable (due to the non-availability of the requisite records) might not be accepted and acted upon."
The All India Consumer Price Index for April 2016 is 271 points.
It was 268 points in March 2016.
At this rate, we can expect a small increase in the IDA rate from July 2016.
For exact information we must wait till evening of 30th June 2016.