Archives-News
RUMOURS IN PLENTY
The 7th Pay commission is given an extension of 4 months, up to December 2015, to submit its report to the government. But, much before the said date, rumours are floated by many corners about the probable recommendations.One is about Health Insurance for Central government employees and Pensioners. It is the death knell for CGHS. A news item appeared in the internet is reproduced hereunder.
Please mind: It is only a rumour, not a confirmed information. Future of CGHS will definitely affect the BSNL pensioners as well.
"......... Health insurance would be available for central government employees and pensioners till death, the insured employees and pensioners will have to pay 50% of the premium from their salaries and pensions and the remaining 50% premium may be paid by the central government.
The CGHS is financed mainly through the Centre’s tax revenues. Though beneficiaries do contribute a share of their wages towards premium, ranging from Rs 600 to Rs 6,000 a year depending on their pay scale, this accounts for just about 5 per cent of the total expenditure. The government shells out the remaining 95 per cent. Now the Government is looking for ways to end the CGHS in its current form and to move to an insurance based health scheme to cut costs...."
ALL PENSIONERS MUST SUBMIT THE LIFE CERTIFICATE TO THE BANK/POST OFFICE IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.
LIFE CERTIFICATE CAN BE SUBMITTED TO ANY BRANCH OF THE RESPECTIVE BANK ANYWHERE IN INDIA.
The new format of Life Certificate is attached.
life-certificate-new-format.pdf
There is some result of our continuous efforts:
BSNL Corporate Office has issued an instruction to all Circles on 23-10-2015
that the medical claims by pensioners should be settled within one month.
On future pension revision of BSNL retirees, applying the formula to be recommended by the 7th CPC, we sent a representation to Shri Ananth Kumar, Honourable Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers. It was promptly forwarded to Communications Minister by Shri Ananth Kumar. Communications Minister has intimated in a reply to Shri Ananth Kumar that the Department of Telecom has sent their comments on our memorandum to Pay Commission on 17th August 2015.
letter-from-shri-ananth-kumar.jpg
In a significant move that will benefit over 6.50 lakh employees and pensioners of the state government, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to implement Cashless Health Insurance scheme in lieu of the existing policy of reimbursement of the medical expenses.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Cabinet in its meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here at Punjab Bhawan this evening.
Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Ministers Office said that the facility of cashless treatment would be provided to Government employee/pensioners and their dependents in more than 250 empanelled public and private hospitals in Punjab, Chandigarh and NCR (Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida) adding that under this scheme all the benefits would be granted to the employee as per Service Rules (Medical Attendance Rules 1940).
The expenses on treatment if taken outside the state would be reimbursed to the employees by the insurance company within 15 days of submission of medical claim. As per the scheme, the expenditure on treatment of patient admitted in hospital and 246 kinds of “day care” procedure (in which treatment was provided in less than 24 hours) and treatment of chronic diseases in OPD would be provided to patient without spending any money.
The OPD expenses other than those related to chronic diseases would continue to be met through fixed medical allowance. The scheme would cover pre and post hospitalisation benefits up to seven days and 30 days respectively, which were not available under the prevailing rules.
Though the insurance company cover was Rs 3 lakh per family, however, the scheme would cover a family for an unlimited amount. The scheme would be made compulsory to employees and pensioners it would be optional for All India Service Officers, serving and ex-MLAs, serving and ex-Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE
Department of Expenditure (Finance Ministry) has issued fresh instructions on 16-10-2015 to all banks to accept the Life Certificates from pensioners at any of their branches in India and issue an acknowledgement receipt to the pensioners. [Copy of the order is available in IMPORTANT ORDERS of this Website.]
SUCCESSFUL KERALA CIRCLE CONFERENCE
The third biennial Circle conference of Kerala was held very successfully and brilliantly at Calicut (Kozhikode) on October20, 2015. 497 Delegates from all the eleven SSA units attended the meeting.Com. P S Ramankutty (President), Com. A P Saraswathy (VP), Com. G Natarajan (General Secretary) and Com. S Gunasekaran (Treasurer) representing the CHQ attended and addressed the conference.Com. Natarajan inaugurated the conference.Shri N K Sukumaran, GMT, Calicut greeted the delegates in addition to leaders of SNEA, AIBSNLEA, NFTE-BSNL, NUBSNLW, BTEU and veteran leaders like S/s M K Beeran, K S Venugopal and T V Balan.
Com. R N Pada Nair is elected as President.Com. T P George is the new Circle Secretary. Com. (Smt) N Shancy is re-elected as Treasurer of the Circle Association unanimously.
S/s T V Balan, R N Pada Nair(CS), P K Gopala Pillai (Circle President), P S Ramankutty (AI President), N K Sukumaran(GMT), S Gunasekaran and Smt A P Saraswathy (AI Vice President) are seen on the front row, sitting.
A view of the delegates attending Kerala circle conference; 20-10-2015
A section of Delegates in Kerala Conference at Calicut on 20-10-2015
Another view of the Delegates in Kerala conference on 20-10-2015 at Calicut
Negotiation between the Management and Staff Unions in LIC on pay revision is in progress. An Agreement is expected soon. One demand under active considerations is about Cash Medical Benefit should be raised to Rs 25000 per year to all employees.
But, Pension revision is not a topic in the talks.
The retirees are paid pension by LIC from its own fund. Unions have not demanded Pension Revision this time too.
78.2% case is unnecessarily delayed.There is no reason to delay this case.The benefit was given to serving staff 28 months ago.
The Cabinet Note was prepared long back.It was sent to the four nodal ministries for their concurrence.Three ministries have approved it.Only the Ministry of Finance wanted some data.Data was already prepared by Internal Finance Wing of DoT. It was sent to Establishment section.Now, they have sent it back to Finance!!. Even after these exercises undergoing for months and months, DoT could not supply the data to Finance Ministry.
Why this delay?
During the discussion we had with him, in first week of August2015,the Chairman of Telecom Commission gave an impression, that the Cabinet Note would be sent to the Cabinet soon.But, it is not yet done.
Our branches all over the country should record their emphatic protest against this
Unwanted,
Undue,
Unnecessary delay on the part of Department of Telecom.
ORGANISE PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS AT SSA HEAD QUARTERS ON 5-11-2015. SEND A MEMORANDUM TO THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER INVITING HIS ATTENTION TO THE ISSUE. THE FORMAT OF MEMORANDUM IS SENT TO ALL BY CHQ ALONG WITH CIRCULAR No 22.
[At some places the elections may take place on the day. In such cases, the date can be adjusted according to local conditions. But, do not delay it much. ]
We are happy to announce formation of a new Circle Unit of our Association in Kolkata Telephone District Circle in a meeting held on 14, October 2015.
Following are elected as office-bearers of the ad-hoc body:
President: Com. Kalyan Chakraborty
Vice President: Com. Sushil Kumar Halder
Vice President : Com. Gora Chandra Halder
Circle Secretary: Com. N N Goswami
Asst. Circle Secretary: Com. Nirmal Chakraborty
Asst. Circle Secretary: Com. Pradip Kumar Bose
Treasurer: Com. Dulal Chandra Dey
CHQ welcomes the new Circle Unit.
The Finance Ministry has issued orders today granting ad-hoc bonus (Non Productivity Bonus) to all central government employees, not covered by any PLB scheme. One employee will get 30 days pay as the ad-hoc bonus. For calculating the bonus the pay shall be taken as Rs 3500.00 p.m.
In other words, every employee will get a sum of Rs 3454.00 as ad-hoc bonus, no matter the department/institution earns any profit or not.
Unfortunately, this order is also not applicable to BSNL staff.
The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare has issued a fresh order reiterating that they should be consulted in all cases, involving a policy, before filing an appeal against a court order or before implementing the court order.
The Central Trade Unions, barring BMS, organised a general strike on 2-9-2015. Before that, the Government had some negotiations with the TU leaders. Government assured then that it would consider favourably the demand for raising ceilings for grant of Bonus. The calculation ceiling was Rs 3500. It would be raised to Rs 7000.
But, when the orders were issued for grant of bonus to Railway workers etc. the old ceiling of Rs 3500 is retained.
Now, it is understood that the Government will announce raising the calculation ceiling limit from Rs 3500 to Rs 7000. The announcement will be made after Bihar elections are over.
The File on 78.2% case has moved from DDG (Est.) to Member (Service) and then from Member(S) to Member(Finance). Further movement will be ascertained next week.
… R L Kapoor, New Delhi
Today, on 9th October 2015, about 60 BSNL pensioners of Belgaum district in Karnataka circle have joined our Association.
Com. G A Majali, Com. G B Kittur and Com. M K Waingade are elected as the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the new unit. CHQ welcome the new members.
Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has issued orders enhancing rate IDA from 1-10-2015. The orders are given in the page: DA
For those who got pension revision with effect from 1-1-2007, the new rate of IDA from October 2015 is 107.9%. We have already calculated and informed this earlier.
For those who got pension revision with effect from 1-1-1997, the new rate of IDA from 1-10-2015 is 251%.
The pension anomaly case filed by our Association is again postponed to Third December 2015. The government advocate wanted time again to file some reply on behalf of Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Finance and Department of Expenditure. This is a usual game of government advocates to delay the case in court of law.
The principal bench of CAT posted the case to 3-12-2015.
The Cabinet has approved PLB to Railway staff. An employee will get his/her 78 days wages as Productivity Linked Bonus. But, the Wage Calculation Ceiling for payment of PLB is the same Rs 3500.00. There is no change even though there was some report about hiking this limit. A Railway employees will get Rs 8975.00 as PLi
[ PLB FOR TELECOM WORKERS?
THERE IS NO BONUS THIS YEAR TOO.....
United Forum staged demonstration on 6-10-2015 demanding adhoc Bonus.]
The Indian Bank Association is introducing a new mediclaim scheme for the existing retired bank employees at par with serving staff. It is proposed to take affect from 1-11-2015.
The annual premium to be paid by the retired officer is Rs 6573.00 plus service tax to get medical coverage up to Rs 4 lacs per year. Workmen and sub staff have to pay Rs 4930 plus service tax to get coverage of Rupees three lacs per year.
[Director HR of BSNL had indicated that the company is preparing a new scheme for medical claims for the BSNL staff and pensioners. A Committee is being constituted to review the Medical policy in BSNL. Against this background, the scheme for bank pensioners attains some significance.]