Govt favours discontinuing interview for appointment to various posts

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

08-September-2015 17:51 IST

Govt favours discontinuing interview for appointment to various posts

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that the Union Government is in favour of doing away with the practice of holding interviews for appointment to junior level posts. Presiding over a meeting of Principal Secretaries of General Administration Department (GAD)/Personnel from different States and Union Territories here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has initiated a serious exercise for identifying the posts for which interview for selection can be discontinued and a communique in this regard has been sent to various State Governments, State Public Service Commissions and Staff Selection Commission. He said that this follows the suggestion put forward by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the government will soon identify all those posts, particularly at junior level like Group III & IV, where an interview is avoidable and will stop this practice. He said, for a post for which an interview is not necessary to determine the capability of a candidate, the provision of interview sometimes leads to scope for manipulation, manoeuvrability and corruption. Therefore, barring such posts where an interview would help in testing special capabilities for a particular assignment, abolition of the provision of interview will not only be in larger public interest but would also offer a level playing field for even those of the candidates who lack resources and come from lower socio-economic strata, he added.

Referring to some of the revolutionary decisions taken by the DoPT during the last 15 months of the present government, Dr Jitendra Singh made a special mention of the introduction of self-attestation of certificates. This, he said, not only eliminated inconvenience caused to the youth for going around to seek attestation of certificates from gazetted officers, etc., but also sent out a reassuring message that the present government has the capacity to trust the youth of this country. Similarly, he also referred to the Pension Department’s plans to finalise Pension Portal which would help in ending the practice of producing life certificates by a pensioner.

Dr Jitendra Singh also informed that a pilot exercise undertaken for three States of Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu had proved successful wherein, for the first time, an Induction training programme was introduced for the newly inducted State-level functionaries and the same practice is now being extended to other States as well. He also referred to a landmark decision by the DoPT to revise and revisit the pattern and syllabus of IAS and other Civil Services Exam to offer a level playing opportunity for aspirants from different streams.

The meeting was attended among others by Secretary, DoPT, Shri Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Shri Devendra Chaudhry and Establishment Officer, DoPT, Shri Rajiv Kumar. 

PIB

Read more: http://www.staffnews.in/2015/09/govt-favours-discontinuing-interview.html#ixzz3lD0lFQfe
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike
Follow us: @karnmk on Twitter | cgenews on Facebook

Union Cabinet likely to approve 6% DA hike today आज महंगाई भत्ता 6% बढ़ा सकती है केंद्र सरकार

Union Cabinet likely to approve 6% DA hike 

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet is likely to consider today a proposal to increase dearness allowance to 119 per cent from 113 per cent, which if cleared will potentially benefit over 30 lakh central government employees and 50 lakh pensioners including dependents. 

“The proposal to increase dearness allowance by six percentage points to 119 per cent is likely to be taken up by the Cabinet today” as per news published by Money Bhasker

Earlier in April, the government had hiked DA by 6 per cent to 113 per cent of their basic pay with effect from January. DA is paid as proportion of the basic pay.

The proposed DA hike will take effect from July 1. As per the agreed formula, the DA rate increase is an average of 12-month consumer price index-industrial workers from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.

The proposed hike is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission.

महंगाई भत्ता 6% बढ़ा सकती है केंद्र सरकार, एक करोड़ कर्मचारियों को होगा फायदा: मनी भास्कर

नई दिल्ली। बुधवार को होने वाली केंद्रीय कैबिनेट की बैठक में महंगाई भत्ते (डीए) 113 फीसदी से बढ़ाकर 119 फीसदी करने के प्रस्ताव पर विचार किया जा सकता है। अगर इस प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी मिल जाती है तो इससे 1 करोड़ से ज्यादा सरकारी कर्मचारियों और पेंशनरों को फायदा होगा।

एक सूत्र ने कहा, ‘डीए को 6 फीसदी बढ़ाकर 119 फीसदी करने पर कैबिनेट में विचार होगा।’ इससे पहले अप्रैल में सरकार ने डीए 6 फीसदी बढ़ाकर 113 फीसदी किया था, जिसे जनवरी से लागू किया गया था।

यह बढ़ोत्‍तरी 6वें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों के अनुरूप

प्रस्‍तावित बढ़ोत्‍तरी 6वें वेतन आयोग की सिफारिशों के अनुरूप है, जिसे सरकार ने स्‍वीकार किया था। इसके तहत 48 लाख सरकारी कर्मचारी और 55 लाख पेंशनर्स लाभान्वित होंगे।

श्रोत- मनी भास्कर

Read more: http://www.staffnews.in/2015/09/union-cabinet-likely-to-approve-6-da.html#ixzz3lCzX8mE2
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike
Follow us: @karnmk on Twitter | cgenews on Facebook

‘Turant Seva’ at India Post; credit, debit cards to be accepted for Tirupati visit.

Hyderabad, July 5: 

 

  In a joint initiative between India Post and State Bank of India, point-of-sale (POS) machines will now start functioning at post offices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Inaugurating the service at the General Post Office, Hyderabad, Chief Postmaster General BV Sudhakar said “turant seva” initiative enables services like booking a speed-post delivery, paying insurance premium, and even withdrawing small amounts of cash, in 108 post offices across AP and Telangana.

  The “turant seva” counters in post offices, soon to be introduced in the rest of the 2,400-odd post offices in both States, will have the added functionality of booking TTD darshan tickets through credit or debit cards from any bank. Cash withdrawals from these POS machines, termed “chhota” ATMs, are capped at ₹1,000 over three transactions per card per day.

“India post is now technologically driven,” said Sudhakar, speaking about India Post’s new initiatives in Mobile and Electronic Money Orders, wherein money orders will directly be credited to the recipient’s savings account, thereby reducing the hassle of going to a Post Office to collect the money.CR Sasikumar, Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India, inaugurated the “MyStamp” series. Through “MyStamp”, a customer can buy stamps featuring his own photo as an alternative to stamps featuring Gandhi or Tagore, said Sudhakar. The stamps are priced at ₹300 for a sheet of twelve stamps. India Post also released a set of envelopes commemorating the golden jubilee of State Bank of India, Hyderabad circle.

Courtesy:http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

India Post Simplifies Deliveries with Technological Integration.

  It is a great time for e-commerce!  Indeed an opportune time for technological innovations! The community of online buyers and sellers is growing dramatically. And who is surfing on the crest of this huge wave?  None other than our once-familiar India Post. The journey from the mail runners to e-commerce has indeed become an exciting one.

India Post has 1.55 lakh post offices and 1.39 lakh in rural areas and is one of the partners for e-commerce customers as they have a deep reach. The network has registered a seven-fold growth since independence, with the focus of this expansion predominantly in rural areas.

 “At the moment, we are doing delivery of parcels for more than 100 e-commerce customers with four major players being Amazon, Myntra, Naaptol, Flipkart and Snapdeal,” says K.Balasubramanian, deputy director general-Technology, India Post.

 Since, e-commerce is time bound, Balasubramanian says India Post is specifically meeting the requirements of e-commerce players by offering same-day delivery at Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad. E-commerce companies want delivery information on a time bound basis. “For example, for Amazon we are giving that information right from taking their data till the final delivery confirmation reaches them,” says Balasubramanian.

 According to a Goldman Sachs report, the Indian e-commerce market is expected to grow to $300 billion by 2030.  

 India Post has more than 100 customers, but technological integration has taken place with Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra and currently in the process of integrating with Naaptol and Shopclues.

 The Game Plan: Technological integration

“We have the technology to integrate with e-commerce customers. We have developed an inhouse software called Speed Net, which provides end to end tracking. This software gives visibility to the e-commerce players,” says Balasubramanian.

 Consider this scenario: Someone places an order on Amazon, the XML data with consignment details from Amazon gets pushed to the CEPT server in Mysore which in turn directs it to the appropriate booking locations. Thus, booking will be complete from respective warehouse locations.

 E-commerce players tweak their software and accommodate India Post’s data requirements. “When Amazon delivers 100 consignments to India Post office, they give us an electronic manifest which includes XML details like article number, name, address in a row.  This data flows automatically from their system to our system. This is called integration,” says Balasubramanian.

 In addition, articles have to be delivered to various places in our country and there are different check points when the parcel is in transit. “All these events are captured and data flows automatically to Amazon through our tracking system i.e. Speed Net. This shows Amazon the status of the parcels instantly in their own system,” says Bala.   

 Speed Net is also used to internally find the percentage of mails being delivered and identify bottlenecks. “We use the data, analyze it and if required, escalate it to the appropriate management level.”

 Right now, “we are not providing analytics service to e-commerce players. We give data in real time, in whatever interval they prescribe. Updating the data base and analysis will be done by e-commerce customer,” said Bala.

 At the moment, India Post has e-commerce centers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. There are plans to introduce e-commerce centers in small cities too.

 Talking on safety of articles, Balasubramanian, says that India post is augmenting the facility of secure areas of parcels with access control and CCTV.

 Plans in the Pipeline

 “We have 1.35 lakh postmen in the country.  Our target is to provide 15000 postmen with small handheld devices as they lead to greater efficiency in operations. It records the delivery data of the parcel, the signature of the receiver regardless of it being a speed post, letter mail, e-commerce parcel. They immediately upload the data and it goes back immediately to the server,” says Balasubramanian.   

 At the same time, softwares are being created for real time delivery data updation, money remittance systems for Cash on Delivery (COD)/electronic generation and settlement of bills and interface with tracking systems of railways and airlines for discernibility.

 As a part of IT modernization initiative, India post has set up primary datacenter in Mumbai and a disaster recovery center in Mysore. Also, in days to come, all the India Post vans will be fitted with GPS so that the fleet manager is able to track the movement of vehicles.  

 “We book e-parcel shipments (COD) in the range of 5,00,000 pieces per annum. This was started in 2013. On an average, India post has delivered an average of 1500 orders daily in Bangalore.

 All said and done, this technology smart India Post is promising a dynamic, easy and a seamless journey for its consumers in order to capture a greater wallet share.

courtesy:http://www.cio.in

20th All India Postal Carrom Tournament at Saharanpur

Managers Meeting

डाक प्रशिक्षण केंद्र सहारनपुर में दिनांक07.09.15 से प्रारम्भ होने वाली 20वी अखिल भारतीय डाक कैरम प्रतियोगिता की सभी तैयारियाँ पूर्ण हो चुकी हैं |

        केंद्र के निदेशक एवं आयोजन समिति के अध्यक्ष श्री अभिषेक सिंह जी ने बताया कि प्रतियोगिता में भाग लेने के लिए 18 डाक परिमंडलों जिनमें उत्तरप्रदेश, आंध्रप्रदेश,मध्यप्रदेश, महाराष्ट्र, तमिलनाडू छत्तीसगढ़,राजस्थान, बिहार, आसाम, कर्नाटक, ओड़ीशा,पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड, हरियाणा, हिमाचल प्रदेश, पंजाब, उत्तराखंड एवं दिल्ली शामिल है, की टीमें केंद्र में पहुँच चुकी है | प्रतियोगिता में37 महिला खिलाड़ियों सहित कुल 152खिलाड़ी सोमवार से अपना  कौशल दिखाने के लिए बेताब हैं |

प्रतियोगिता के सफल आयोजन के लिए डाक प्रशिक्षण केंद्र सहारनपुर में केंद्र के निदेशक एवं आयोजन समिति के अध्यक्ष श्री अभिषेक सिंह जी की अध्यक्षता में 15:30 बजे मेनेजर्स मीट का आयोजन किया गया जिसमें विभिन्न टीमों के मैनेजर्स, उत्तर प्रदेश डाक परिमंडल खेल सचिव एवं कल्याण अधिकारी श्री आर पी सिंह,अंतर्राष्ट्रीय एंपायर एवं टेक्निकल डायरेक्टर श्री एस के शर्मा, चीफ़ रेफरी श्री जुल्फिकार अली एवं असिस्टेंट चीफ़ रेफरी श्री शराफत हुसैन के अलावा  केंद्र के उपनिदेशक श्री शंभू एवं सहायक निदेशक प्रशासन श्री पी के सिंह ने भाग लिया | इस बैठक में खेल से संबन्धित नियमों पर विस्तार से चर्चा की गई | ड्रा सिस्टम के द्वारा कल से निम्नलिखित इवेंट्स को आयोजित करने का  फैसला किया गया |
Men Singles, Men Doubles, Men Championship, Women Singles, Women Doubles, Women Championship.

अंत में बैठक के सभापति श्री अभिषेक सिंह ने सभी मैनेजरों एवं रेफरी को खेल की भावना से खेले जाने का संदेश दिया तथा पी टी सी में उनके सुखद प्रवास के लिए हर संभव प्रयास करने का भरोसा दिलाया | इस बैठक के तुरंत बाद केंद्र के निदेशक एवं आयोजन समिति के अध्यक्ष श्री अभिषेक सिंह ने प्रेस कोंफ्रेस को संबोधित किया | प्रतियोगिता का उदघाटन सोमवार को सवेरे 1100 बजे श्री वसुमित्र मुख्य पोस्टमास्टर जनरल दिल्ली परिमंडल के कर कमलो द्वारा किया जाएगा। पुरस्कार वितरण एवं समापन समारोह दिनांक 11.09.15 को किया जाएगा।

Tournament will be held at PTC Saharanpur from 7/9/2015 to 11/9/2015

SB order 10/2015 Implementation of PMJJBY and PMSBY schemes in CBS Post Offices

SB order 10/2015 Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti (PMJJBY) and Suraksh Bima Yojana(PMSBY) schemes in CBS Post Offices

• The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India has launched Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana . Both the PMSBY and PMJJBY schemes are to be implemented from 07-09-2015 in all the Post Offices which are on CBS platform and the commencement of Atal Pension Yojana will be intimated shortly.
• SO order 10/2015 deals with the implementation of PMJJBY and PMSBY schemes.
• Software solution for accepting premium under both the schemes is being deployed in Finacle application and it is availablr from 07th september 2015 in all CBS Sos/HOs.
• For these schemes Date of Birth, Gender and Nominaton are mandatory if these details are not updated then invoke the menu CMRC and modify the said details.
• For enrollment of PMJJBY and PMSBY schemes a new menu is introduced in the DOP Finacle application i,e, CPMY.
• Premium for these schemes should be transferred from POSB account only i..e, when we enter the account number in CPMY menu then system will automatically debit the premium amount( Rs 330 for PMJJBY and Rs 12 for PMSBY) from SB account.
• At present in DOP Finacle Software these schemes are enabled only for Single account holders only and for joint account holders/Atal Pension Yojana schemes are under development and will be circulated shortly.
• Accounting procedure for both the schemes is under process and will be circulated shortly.
• It is further informed that Government has given to both the schemes exemption from SERVICE TAX
• For DIrectorate SB order 10/2015 copy click the below screen shot.

Thanks to pofinacleguide

Draft Instructions/guidelines under rule 7(2) of AIS(Leave) Rules 1955 to process deemed resignation for being unauthorisedly absent after expiry of Leave/Study Leave/Foreign Assignment etc.

Source : http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02ser/11019_05_2015-AIS-III-08092015.pdf

Uniform Pension Scheme to retiring Railways employees at par with ex-servicemen Exempting from NPS: NFIR writes to PM

Uniform Pension Scheme to retiring Railways employees at par with ex-servicemen

NFIR

National Federation of Indian Railwaymen

3, CHELMSFORD ROAD,NEW DELHI – 110 055

Affiliated to:

Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

No.IV/NPS/PFRDA BILL

Dated: 06-09-2015

Shri Narendra Modi,

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
South Block,
Raisina Hills,
New Delhi.

Respected Sir,

Sub: Uniform Pension Scheme to retiring Railways employees at par with ex-servicemen – reg.

At the outset, the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) thanks the Government for conceding to the demand of ex-Servicemen for introduction of “One Rank – One Pension” for them.

In this connection, I would invite your kind attention to the case of Railway employees numbering over 1.3 million as placed below:-

• The Railway employees have been subjected to injustice as a result of introduction of New Pension Scheme (which is a contributory pension scheme) with effect from 01/01/2004. Consequently, those employees who joined railways on and after 01-01-2004 are governed by the contributory pension scheme with present nomenclature “New Pension System”(NPS).
• Presently, there are two sections of Rail Workforce – One governed by the Liberalized pension Scheme (applicable to pre 01-01-2004 appointees) and the other one governed by the contributory pension scheme i.e. NPS applicable to post 01.01.2004 appointees.
• Since 2004, NFIR has been pressing the Government of India and the Ministry of Railways to withdraw New Pension Scheme as the duties and responsibilities of Railway employees are very complex, Complicated and their working conditions are arduous as they perform duties at remote places, extremist infested areas, jungle areas, without any supply chain. Vast percentage of Railway employees cannot afford to have timely medicines, social life, schooling facilities etc.,

Pursuant to the discussions held with the Railway Ministry on our pending demand seeking abolition of New pension-Scheme in Railways, the then Railway Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge had agreed with the demand and accordingly he had sent a communication to the Finance Ministry on 29-03-2014 duly explaining the nature of duties of the Railway employees and seeking Government’s approval for exempting the Railway employees from the NPS whereby they can be governed by the Liberalized pension scheme. This issue is continued to remain unresolved.

For your kind appreciation, I mention here that according to the report of the Dr.Anil Kakodkar committee, Submitted to the Railway Ministry in the year 2012. the death rate of Railway employees in the courses of performing duties was much larger than the public. I quote below the figures given by the High Level Safety Review committee headed by Dr.Kakodkar.

	Killed	Injured
(a)    Railway employees	1600	8700
(b)   Passenger/Public	1019	2110
(c)    Unmanned Level Crossing	723	690

The above position reveals that the Railway employees killed during the period 2007-08 to 2011 were 1600 while those injured on duty were 8700. This figure would convince that the duties of Railway employee cannot be treated as less arduous in comparison with the defence and para-military forces. Like armed forces, Railway employees are expected to remain at their place of posting even during periodic rest and they cannot afford to leave the headquarters and they perform duties under open sky facing inclement weather conditions and ensure running of trains round the clock.

It would therefore, be necessary to exempt Railway employees from the New Pension System (NPS).

2. Need to provide Uniform pension Scheme or One Rank – One Pension to Rail Workforce:

The Railway employees discharges their duties round the clock by shifts and over 85% staff work in remote places where no human life exists. Their duties are safety- oriented. The are facing continuous stress and strain in the course of performing. Train passing duties causing health hazards leading to pre-mature death, medical invalidation at a scale larger than the armed/Par-Military forces. The demand for introduction of Uniform Pension Scheme to Railway employees of the same rank regardless of their date of retirement deserve consideration like that of retiring armed personnel.

I therefore, request you to kindly see that the Government accords approval, exempting Railway employees from the New Pension System for the purpose of covering them under the Liberalized Pension Scheme. I also request that “One Rank – One Pension” Scheme i.e. uniform pension for Railway employees retiring in the same rank regardless of their retirement may kindly be approved by the Government, considering the fact that Railway personnel are serving the nation, transporting military hardware and the army to the borders and ensuring uninterrupted movement of rail transport services at all times round the clock in all weather conditions.

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

(Dr.M.Raghavaiah)

General Secretary.

Source: NFIR

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40Q65NF2_7UNzdMLTlpMmVXdEhFZjlDdzhCVnVGWmVUUUNZ/view]

Read more: http://www.staffnews.in/2015/09/uniform-pension-scheme-to-retiring.html#ixzz3l8DniS9h
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike
Follow us: @karnmk on Twitter | cgenews on Facebook

'वन रैंक वन पेंशन योजना' .. देश को ए-वन करने की कोशिश

Positive India: 'वन रैंक वन पेंशन योजना' .. देश को ए-वन करने की कोशिश  by: Ankur Sharma

Positive India में हम आज बात करेंगें वन रैंक वन पेंशन योजना की.. जिसको लेकर पिछले दिनों देश में काफी बवाल मचा हुआ था जो कि शनिवार को सरकार के एक ऐलान के बाद खत्म हुआ है। सरकार की ओर से उठाया गया यह वो कदम है जिसका इंतजार चार दशकों से हो रहा था।

सेना में नौकरी केवल एक काम नहीं बल्कि यह एक देश सेवा है क्योंकि जब सरहद पर सैकड़ों की संख्या पर प्रहरी रात-दिन पहरा देते हैं तब कहीं जाकर हम लोग अपने घरों में बेफिक्र होकर सोते हैं जिसके कारण सेना के लोगों को देश में स्पेशल ट्रीटमेंट मिलनी चाहिए इसलिए 'वन रैंक वन पेंशन योजना' को लेकर आंदोलन किया जा रहा था। 

आईये इस मुद्दे पर बात करने से पहले जानते हैं कि आखिर क्या था 'वन रैंक वन पेंशन' का पूरा बवाल

•  मोदी सरकार ने चुनाव से पहले सेना के लोगों को 'वन रैंक वन पेंशन' देने का वादा किया था इस कारण इसको लेकर मोदी सरकार से बहुत सारी उम्मीदें थी 
• इसलिए सरकार के सामने यह एक कठिन परीक्षा थी जिसे कि उसने सफलता पूर्वक पार कर ली है।
• दरअसल जब दो फौजी एक पद पर, एक समय तक सर्विस कर के रिटायर होते हैं। 
• पर उनके रिटायरमेंट में कुछ सालों का अंतर होता है और इस बीच नया वेतन आयोग भी आ जाता है, तो बाद में रिटायर होने वाले की पेंशन नए वेतन आयोग के अनुसार बढ़ जाती है। 
• लेकिन पहले रिटायर हो चुके फौजी की पेंशन उसी अनुपात में नहीं बढ़ पाती। 
• जिसे लेकर पूर्व सैन्य अधिकारी और लोग दिल्ली में प्रदर्शन कर रहे थे। 

फौजियों और सिविलियन में अंतर 

• फौजियों की पेंशन की तुलना सामान्य सरकारी कर्मचारियों से नहीं की जा सकती क्योंकि एक ओर जहाँ सामान्य सरकारी कर्मचारी को 60 साल तक तनख्वाह लेने की सुविधा मिलती है। 
• तो वहीं फौजियों को 33 साल में ही रिटायर होना पड़ता है। 
• अंग्रेजों के समय में फौजियों की पेंशन तनख्वाह की करीब 80 प्रतिशत होती थी जबकि सामान्य सरकारी कर्मचारी की 33 प्रतिशत हुआ करती थी। 
• भारत सरकार ने इसे सही नहीं माना और 1957 के बाद से फौजियों की पेंशन को कम की और अन्य क्षेत्रों की पेंशन बढ़ानी शुरू की। 

इसलिए फौजियों ने पेंशन की मांग की है। 

क्या थी फौजियों की मांग? 

• फौजियों की मांग है कि 1 अप्रैल 2014 से ये योजना छठे वेतन आयोग की सिफरिशों के साथ लागू हो।
• फौजियों का कहना था कि असली संतुलन लाना है तो हमें भी 60 साल पर रिटायर किया जाय। 
• हमें तो 33 साल पे ही रिटायर कर दिया जाता है और उसके बाद सारा जीवन हम पेंशन से ही गुजारते हैं 
• जबकि अन्य कर्मचारी 60 साल तक पूरी तनख्वाह पाते हैं। 
• ऐसे में हमारी पेंशन के प्रतिशत को कम नहीं करना चाहिए। 

सरकार ने सुनी सारी बातें और लिया अहम फैसला 

• 5 सितंबर को रक्षा मंत्री मनोहर पर्रिकर ने आज पूर्व सैनिकों की करीब 40 साल पुरानी लंबित मांग वन रैंक-वन पेंशन (OROP) का ऐलान कर दिया। 
• रक्षा मंत्री ने कहा कि यह मांग चार दशकों से लंबित थी। सरकार इसे लागू कर रही है और इस पर 8 से 10 हजार करोड़ का सालाना खर्चा होगा। 
• पूर्व सैनिकों को 1 जुलाई 2014 से इसका लाभ मिलेगा। 
• सैनिकों को 4 किस्‍तों में बकाया पैसा मिलेगा। 
• हालांकि शहीदों के परिवारों को एक किश्‍त में बकाया दे दिया जाएगा। 
• वीआरएस लेने वाले सैनिकों को इसका लाभ नहीं मिलेगा। 
• हर पांच साल में पेंशन की समीक्षा होगी। 

पॉजीटिव इंडिया 

देश का सैनिक ना हो तो देश सुरक्षित नहीं रह सकता है इसलिए शहीदों की शहादत को हर किसी को सलाम करना चाहिए। लेकिन अगर एक सैनिक अपने तन-मन से देशवासियों की रक्षा के लिए कुछ भी करने को तैयार रह सकता है तो देशवासियों के दिलों में उसके लिए इज्जत और सरकार के पास ऐसी योजनाएं होनी चाहिए जिसके जरिये सब को सुरक्षित करने वाले का जीवन और परिवार भी सुरक्षित हो। इसमें किसी को शक नहीं कि सरकार की ओर से उठाया गया यह कदम पॉजीटिव इंडिया की सोच का उदाहरण है। उम्मीद जताई जा सकती है कि इस कदम के बाद हमारे युवाओं का मन सेना में जाने पर घबरायेगा नहीं और वो पहले से दूने जोश में सेना में भर्ती होंगे।

अंकुर शर्मा, सीनियर सब-एडिटर, वनइंडिया 

लेखक परिचय- मैं वनइंडिया में सीनियर सब-एडिटर के रूप में कार्यरत हूं। मैं बेहद सकारात्मक यानी पॉजिटिव सोच रखती हूं ओर उसी सोच से मैं अपने भारत को देखती हूं। इस कॉलम Positive India में मेरा लक्ष्य है अपने पाठकों के सामने एक सकारात्मक भारत की तस्वीर पेश करना। यह एक छोटा सा कदम है लोगों में सकारात्मक ऊर्जा को प्रवाहित करने का।

Read at: Hindi One India

Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Other than Govt. Sector (CG &SG), Corporate CGI NPS Lite and APY) w.e.f. 10th September, 2015

Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Other than Govt. Sector (CG &SG), Corporate CGI NPS Lite and APY) w.e.f. 10th September, 2015

PENSION FUND REGULATORY

AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

6, 1st Floor, ICADR Building, Plot NO. 6,

Vasant Kunj Institutional Area,

Phase - II. New Delhi - 110070

CIRCULAR

PFRDA/2015/21/PFM/08

Date: 02.09.2015

Subject: Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Other than Govt. Sector (CG &SG), Corporate CGI NPS Lite and APY) w.e.f. 10th September, 2015

Scheme Asset Class	Category	Investment Guidelines
G	(i)	(a) Government Securities, (b) Other Securities { ‘Securities' as defined in section 2(h) of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956} the principal whereof and interest whereon is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Central Government or any State Government. The portfolio invested under this sub-category of securities shall not be in excess of 10% of the total portfolio of the G-Sec in the concerned NPS Scheme of the pension fund at any point of time. (c) Units of Mutual Funds set up as dedicated funds for investment in Govt. securities and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India: Provided that the portfolio invested in such mutual funds shall not be more than 5% of the of the G-Sec in the concerned NPS Scheme of the pension fund at any point of time and fresh investments made in them shall not exceed 5% of the fresh accretions in the year.
C	(ii)	(a) Listed (or proposed to be listed in case of fresh issue) debt securities issued by bodies corporate, including banks and public financial institutions (Public Financial Institutions' as defined under Section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013), which have a minimum residual maturity period Of three years from the date of investment. (b) Basel III Tier-1 bonds issued by scheduled commercial banks under RBI Guidelines: Provided that in case of initial offering Of the bonds the investment shall be made only in such Tier-I bonds which are proposed to be listed. Provided further that investment shall be made in such bonds of a scheduled commercial bank from the secondary market only if such Tier I bonds are listed. Total portfolio invested in this sub-category, at any time, shall not be more than 2% of the total portfolio of the fund. No investment in this sub-category in initial offerings shall exceed 20% of the initial offering. Further, at any point of time, the aggregate value of Tier I bonds of any particular bank held by the fund shall not exceed 20% of such bonds issued by that Bank (c) Rupee Bonds having an outstanding maturity of at least 3 years issued by institutions of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation and Asian Development Bank. (d) Term Deposit receipts of not less than one year duration issued by scheduled commercial banks, which satisfy the following conditions on the basis of published annual report(s) for the most recent years, as required to have been published by them under law: (i) having declared profit in the immediately preceding three financial years; (ii) maintaining a minimum Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio of 9%, or mandated by prevailing RBI norms, whichever is higher; (iii) having net non-performing assets of not more than 4% of the net advances; (iv) having a minimum net worth of not less than Rs. 200 crores. (e) Units of Debt Mutual Funds as regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India: (f) The following infrastructure related debt instruments: (i) Listed (or proposed to be listed in case of fresh issue) debt securities issued by body corporates engaged mainly in the business of development or operation and maintenance of infrastructure, or development, construction or finance of low cost housing. Further, this category shall also include securities issued by Indian Railways or any of the body corporates in which it has majority shareholding. This category shall also include securities issued by any Authority of the Government which is not a body corporate and has been formed mainly with the purpose of promoting development of infrastructure. It is further clarified that any structural obligation undertaken or letter of comfort issued by the Central Government, Indian Railways or any Authority of the Central Government, for any security issued by a body corporate engaged in the business of infrastructure, which notwithstanding the terms in the letter of comfort or the obligation undertaken, fails to enable its inclusion as security covered under category (i) (b) above, shall be treated as an eligible security under this sub-category. (ii) Infrastructure and affordable housing Bonds issued by any scheduled commercial bank, which meets the conditions specified in (ii)(d) above. (iii) Listed (or proposed to be listed in case of fresh issue) securities issued by Infrastructure debt funds operating as a Non-Banking Financial Company and regulated by Reserve Bank of India. (iv) Listed (or proposed to be listed in case of fresh issue) units issued by Infrastructure Debt Funds operating as a Mutual Fund and regulated by Securities and Exchange Board of India. It is clarified that, barring exceptions mentioned above, for the purpose of this sub-category (f), a sector shall be treated as part of infrastructure as per Government of India's harmonized master-list of infrastructure sub-sectors: (g) Listed and proposed to be listed Credit Rated Municipal Bonds Provided that the investment under sub-categories (a), (b), (f) (i) to (iv) and (g) of this category No. (ii) shall be made only in such securities which have minimum AA rating or equivalent in the applicable rating scale from at least two credit rating agencies registered with Securities and Exchange Board of India under Securities and Exchange Board of India (Credit Rating Agency) Regulation, 1999. Provided further that in case of the sub-category (f) (iii) the ratings shall relate to the Non-Banking Financial Company and for the subcategory (f) (iv) the ratings shall relate to the investment in eligible securities rated above investment grade of the scheme of the fund. Provided further that if the securities/entities have been rated by more than two rating agencies, the two lowest of all the ratings shall be considered. Provided further that investments under this category requiring a minimum AA rating, as specified above, shall be permissible in securities having investment grade rating below AA in case the risk of default for such securities is fully covered with Credit Default Swaps (0088) issued under Guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India and purchased along with the underlying securities. Purchase amount of such Swaps shall be considered to be investment made under this category. For sub-category (c), a single rating of AA or above by a domestic or international rating agency will be acceptable. It is clarified that debt securities covered under category (i) (b) above are excluded from this category (ii). Miscellaneous Investments (Up to 5%) (a) Commercial mortgage based Securities or Residential mortgage based securities. (b) Units issued by Real Estate Investment Trusts regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. (c) Asset Backed Securities regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. (d) Units of Infrastructure Investment Trusts regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Provided that investment under this category shall only be in listed instruments or fresh issues that are proposed to be listed. Provided further that investment under this category shall be made only in such securities which have minimum AA or equivalent rating in the applicable rating scale from at least two credit rating agencies registered by the Securities and Exchange Board of India under Securities and Exchange Board of India (Credit Rating Agency) Regulations, 1999. Provided further that in case of the sub-categories (b) and (d) the ratings shall relate to the rating of the sponsor entity floating the trust. Provided further that if the securities/entities have been rated by more than two rating agencies, the two lowest of the ratings shall be considered.
E	(iii)	Equities and Related Investments Shares of body corporates listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) or National Stock Exchange (NSE), which have: (i) Market capitalization of not less than Rs. 5000 crore as on the date of investment; and (ii) Derivatives with the shares as underlying traded in either of the two stock exchanges. (b) Units of mutual funds regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, which have minimum 65% of their investment in shares of body, corporates listed on BSE or NSE. (c) Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)/lndex Funds regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India that replicate the portfolio of either BSE Sensex Index or NSE Nifty 50 Index. (d) ETFs issued by SEBI regulated Mutual Funds constructed specifically for disinvestment of shareholding of the Government of India in body corporates. (e) Exchange traded derivatives regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India having the underlying of any permissible listed stock or any of the permissible indices, with the sole purpose of hedging. Provided that the portfolio invested in derivatives in terms of contract value shall not be in excess of 5% of the total portfolio invested in sub-categories (a) to (d) above.
E/C/G	(i. ii and iii)	Money market instruments: (not exceeding a limit of 5% of the scheme corpus on temperate basis only) Provided that investment in commercial paper issued by body corporates shall be made only in such instruments which have minimum rating of A 1 + by at least two credit rating agencies registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Provided further that if commercial paper has been rated by more than two rating agencies, the two lowest of the ratings shall be considered. Provided further that investment in this sub-category in Certificates of Deposit of up to one year duration issued by scheduled commercial banks, will require the bank to satisfy all conditions mentioned in category (ii) (d) above. (b) Units of liquid mutual funds regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India with the condition that the average total asset under management of AMC for the most recent six month period of atleast Rs. 5000/- crores Term Deposit Receipts of up to one year duration issued by such scheduled commercial banks which satisfy all conditions mentioned in category (ii) (d) above

2. Fresh accretions to the fund will be invested in the permissible categories specified in this investment pattern in a manner consistent with the above specified maximum permissible percentage amounts to be invested in each such investment category, while also complying with such other restrictions as made applicable for various sub-categories of the permissible investments.

3. Fresh accretions to the funds shall be the sum of un-invested funds from the past and receipts like contributions to the funds, dividend/interest/commission, maturity amounts of earlier investments etc., as reduced by obligatory outgo during the financial year.

4. Proceeds arising out of exercise of put option, tenure or asset switch or trade of any asset before maturity can be invested in any of the permissible categories described above in the manner that at any given point of time the percentage of assets under that category should not exceed the maximum limit prescribed for that category and also should not exceed the maximum limit prescribed for the sub-categories, if any. However, asset switch because of any RBI mandated Government debt switch would not be covered under this restriction.

5. If for any of the instruments mentioned above the rating falls below the minimum permissible investment grade prescribed for investment in that instrument when it was purchased, as confirmed by one credit rating agency, the option of exit shall be considered and exercised, as appropriate, in a manner that is in the best interest of the subscribers.

6. On these guidelines coming into effect, the above prescribed investment pattern shall be achieved separately for each successive financial year through timely and appropriate planning.

7. The prudent investment of the funds within the prescribed pattern is the fiduciary responsibility of the Pension Funds and Trust and needs to be exercised with appropriate due diligence. The Trust and Pension Fund would accordingly be responsible for investment decisions taken to invest the funds

8. The Pension Funds and trust will take suitable steps to control and optimize the cost of management of the fund.

9. i. The trust and Pension Funds will ensure that the process of investment is accountable and transparent.

ii. It will be ensured that due diligence is carried out to assess risks associated with any particular asset before investment is made by the fund in that particular asset and also during the period over which it is held by the fund. The requirement of ratings as mandated in this notification merely intends to limit the risk associated with investments at a broad and general level. Accordingly, it should not be construed in any manner as an endorsement for investment in any asset satisfying the minimum prescribed rating or a substitute for the due diligence prescribed for being carried out by the fund

10. Due caution will be exercised to ensure that the same investments are not churned with a view to enhancing the fee payable. In this regard, commissions for investments in Category III instruments will be carefully charged, in particular.

11. Investments in an Initial Public Offering (IPO) / Follow On Public Offer (FPO) are allowed in the respective asset classes.

12. Following restrictions/filters are being imposed on Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Other than Govt. Sector (CG &SG), Corporate CG, NPS Lite and APY) to reduce concentration risks in the NPS investment of the subscribers:

a) NPS investments have been restricted to 5% of the ‘paid up equity capital’* of all the sponsor group companies or 5% of the total AUM under Equity exposure whichever is lower, in each respective scheme and 10% in the paid up equity capital of all the non-sponsor group companies or 10% of the total AUM under Equity exposure whichever is lower, in each respective scheme.

*‘Paid up share capital’: Paid up share capital means market value of paid up and subscribed equity capital.

b) NPS investments have been restricted to 5% of the ‘net-worth’# of all the sponsor group companies or 5% of the total AUM in debt securities (excluding Govt. securities) whichever is lower in each respective scheme and 10% of the net-worth of all the non-sponsor group companies or 10% of the total AUM in debt securities (excluding Govt. securities) whichever is lower, in each respective scheme.

#Net Worth: Net worth would comprise of Paid-up capital plus Free Reserves including Share Premium but excluding Revaluation Reserves, plus Investment Fluctuation Reserve and credit balance in Profit & Loss account, less debit balance in Profit and Loss account, Accumulated Losses and Intangible Assets.

(c) Investment exposure to a single Industry has been restricted to 15% under all NPS Schemes by each Pension Fund Manager as per Level-5 of NIC classification. Investment in scheduled commercial bank FDs would be exempted from exposure to Banking Sector.

d) if the PF makes investments in Equity/Debt instruments, in addition to the investments in Index funds/ETF/Debt MF, the exposure limits under such index funds/ETF/Debt MF should be considered for compliance of the prescribed the Industry Concentration , Sponsor/ Non Sponsor group norms.( For example, if on account of investment in Index Funds/ ETFs/Debt MFs , if any of the concentration limits are being breached than further investment should not be made in the relative Industry /Company).

13. These instructions supersede Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Other than Govt. Sector (CG &SG), Corporate CG, NPS Lite and APY) prescribed by PFRDA vide Circular No. PFRDA/2014/02/PFM/1 dated 29.01.2014 and will be effective from 10th September 2015;

14. In the interest of subscribers Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) to monitor that ‘the ceiling of exposure in Asset Class E (Equity), C (Corporate Debt) & G (Government Securities) by Private Sector subscribers at 50%, 100% and 100% respectively” is adhered

(Sumeet Kaur Kapoor)

General Manager

Source: http://pfrda.org.in/WriteReadData/Links/Investment%20Guidelines%20for%20NPS%20Schemes%201295bb93-5c58-441d-af3c-b80e41014b94.pdf

All you wanted to know about Seventh Pay Commission -The hindu Business Line

September 7, 2015:  Government offices are currently buzzing with excitement as employees await the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. While the babus may have reason to smile as they may soon have more money in the pocket, it might not be equally good news for others

What is it?
A Pay Commission is appointed by the government once every 10 years to look at the pay structure of Union and State government employees and pensioners. Typically, the commission takes 18 months to submit its report. The Seventh Pay Commission was constituted in February 2014 under the chairmanship of Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur to submit its recommendations by August 2015.

Pay commissions study the current pay scales and make recommendations on not just pay increases, but also pay structure. For example, the Sixth Pay Commission recommended that transport allowance, which was a lump-sum amount earlier, be paid along with a Dearness Allowance component. Likewise, the House Rent Allowance calculation was pegged to a percentage of pay. From the Seventh Pay Commission, there are expectations of tweaks to retirement age, performance-linked pay and flexible work hours for women and employees with disabilities, apart from pay hikes. The recommendations are expected to be effective from January 1, 2016. If there are delays, the pay revisions would be done with retrospective effect.

Why is it important?
For three reasons. One, it has an impact on government spending and fiscal deficit. For example, after the Sixth Pay Commission was implemented, the fiscal deficit that year doubled to 6 per cent in 2008-09, partly due to the resulting increases.

Currently, Central government pay and allowances account for 1 per cent of the country’s GDP. This could increase if the pay hikes are significant. Based on the medium-term expenditure framework presented to Parliament, a 16 per cent pay increase is likely from the Seventh Pay Commission. This could add 0.2-0.3 per cent of GDP by way of additional expenditure in 2016-17, estimates DBS.

Two, if the government sticks to its fiscal deficit targets, the higher outgo may entail cuts in other items of spending, including capital expenditure.

Three, pay increases granted by the commission can act as a stimulus to the economy by boosting the consumption leg of GDP. At last count, India employed 48 lakh Central government employees and 55 lakh pensioners and over one crore State and local government employees. The Fourteenth Finance Commission estimates that after the Sixth Pay Commission, pay and allowances to Central government employees more than doubled in a four-year period between 2007-08 and 2011-12.

Why should I care?
If you are a government employee, retiree or a job aspirant, you probably would be watching out eagerly for the report. As an investor, you can consider consumption as a theme to bet on — there is a co-relation between pay commission increases and discretionary spending in urban India. Higher disposable income in the hands of the people could aid automobile and property sales.

The country’s fiscal deficit is a cause for concern as it impacts tax policies.

The bottomline

Pay attention to the recommendations of this commission. It matters to the economy, to the deficit and to your portfolio.

Read at: The Hindu Business Line

7th Pay Commission will pay 15 thousand in the minimum Salary, 15 – 20% increase

The basic salary is expected to be increased to 15 thousand

The central government’s personnel is not likely to get a big gift from the Seventh Pay Commission. According to sources, the average increase in wages is likely to be between 15-20 percent. While the good news is that the minimum basic salary is expected to be increased to 15 thousand. Central Pay Commission personnel can determine the maximum term of 33 years. It could be a losing proposition for personnel.

According to highly placed sources Pay Commission completed the process of consultations with the stakeholders and is now trying to finalize its recommendations. Within the next two months, the Commission will submit its report to the government. India trusted the three issues have been reported on the Pay Commission has almost finished its opinion.

Between 15-20 percent the average salary increase

Pay Commission’s first attempt is that the average wage increase should be limited to between 15-20 percent. If you look at the SPC, the average salary increase was 60-70 per cent. But the seventh pay commission believes that the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations received after the spectacular rise of the increase is unlikely to be.
the maximum period of service of 33 years

Maximum period of service 33 years

Secondly, it is going to pay the Commission a significant recommendation that the maximum period of service of public employees 33 years may be prescribed. Means a personnel official in 20 years to find a job, he will be retired in 53 years. For others, retirement age remains 60 years. Although most memorandum to the Pay Commission has been seeking to increase the retirement age. Personnel want the retirement age to 62 years.

The minimum basic wage of 15 rupees

According to the third issue is likely to be the minimum basic wage of 15 rupees. From 3050 to 7730 it was raised last Pay Commission. Now it is likely to be Rs 15.

Travel Basic Salary

1946- First Pay Commission had fixed basic pay 35 bucks.
1959- Second Pay Commission is Rs.80
1973 – Third Pay Commission – Rs.260
1986 – Fourth Pay Commission – Rs.950
1996 – Fifth Pay Commission – Rs.3050

Source: http://www.livehindustan.com/

Input from http://www.geod.in/seventh-central-pay-commission/7th-pay-commission-will-pay-15-thousand-in-the-minimum-salary-15-20-increase/