Two days strike 20th and 21st February, 2013

Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers will go on two days strike on 20th and 21st February, 2013

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

PART – I

1. Take concrete measures to contain Price rise.
2. Take concrete measures for linkage of employment protection with the concession / incentive package offered to the entrepreneurs.
3. Ensure strict enforcement of all basic labour laws without any exception or exemption and stringent punitive measures for violation of labour laws.
4. Universal social security cover for the unorganised sector workers without any restriction and creation of a National Social Security Fund with adequate resources in line with the recommendation of NCEUS and Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour.
5. Stoppage of disinvestment in Central and State PSUs.
6. No Contractorisation of work permanent/perennial nature and payment of wages and benefits to the contract workers at the same rate as available to the regular workers of the industry / establishment.
7. Amendment of Minimum Wages Act to ensure universal coverage irrespective of the schedules and fixation of statutory minimum wage at not less than Rs.10,000/-.
8. Remove all ceilings on payment and eligibility of Bonus, Provident Fund; Increase the quantum of gratuity.
9. Assured statutory Pension for all.
10. Ensure Compulsory registration of trade unions within a  period of 45 days and immediate ratification of the ILO Conventions Nos.87 and 98.

PART – II

1. Revise the wages of the Central Government employees including Gramin Dak Sewaks with effect from 1.1.2011 and every five years thereafter by setting up the 7^th CPC.
2. Merge DA with Pay for all purposes with effect from 1.1.2011 including for Gramin Dak Sweaks.
3. Remove restriction imposed on compassionate appointments and the discrimination on such appointments between the Railway workers and other Central Government Employees.
4. [a] Departmentalise all Gramin Dak Sweaks and grant them all benefits of regular employees; End Bonus discrimination and enhance bonus ceiling to 3500/-; Withdraw open market recruitment in Postman / MTS cadre; Revise cash handling norms; Grant full protection of TRCA; Grant Time Bound Promotion and Medical Reimbursement facility etc.

[b] Regularise the daily rated, contingent, casual workers and introduce a permanent scheme for periodical regularization. Pending regularization, provide them with pro-rata salary at 6th CPC rates.

1. (a) Revive the functioning of the JCM. Convene the meeting of the Departmental Councils in all Ministries/Departments. Settle the anomalies raised in the National Anomaly Committee as also in the Departmental Anomaly Committees. Hold National Council meetings as specified in the JCM constitution. (b) Remove the anomalies in the MACP Scheme.(c) Grant recognition to all Associations/Federations, which have complied with the formalities and conditions stipulated in the CCS(RSA) Rules.
2. Fill up all vacant posts and creates posts n functional requirements.
3. Stop downsizing outsourcing, contractorization, corporatization and privatization of Government functions.
4. Stop Price rise; Strengthen the PDS.
5. (a) Stop the proposal to introduce the productivity linked wage system; (b) discard the performance related pay structure; (c) introduce PLB in all Departments; (d) remove the ceiling on emoluments for bonus computation.
6. Revise the OTA, Night duty allowance and clothing rates.
7. Implement all arbitration awards.
8. Make the right to strike a legal and fundamental right of the Government employees on par with the other section of the working class.
9. Grant Five promotions to all employees as is provided for in the case of Group-A services.
10. (a) Withdraw the PFRDA Bill. (b) Rescind the decision to allow FDI in pension sector;(c) Scrap the new contributory pension scheme (d) Extend the existing statutory defined pension scheme to all Central Govt. employees irrespective of their date of entry in Government service.
11. Vacate all Trade Union victimisation, and more specifically in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department.

Retirement Benefits under New Pension Scheme

Retirement Benefits under New Pension Scheme

It was informed by Minister of State (PERSONNEL,PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS) that Central Govt. employees covered under New Pension Schemeare entitled for DCRG Benefits viz., Death Cum Retirement Benefits, in cases where a Government employee covered by NPS is retired on invalidation/disability and in the case of death of a Government employee covered by NPS in service, on the same rates as are applicable under the old pension scheme, i.e. CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL,PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1903

ANSWERED ON 05.12.2012

RETIREMENT BENEFITS

Query:

Will the Minister of PERSONNEL,PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Union Government employees recruited after January, 2004 are not eligible for retirement benefits such as pension, GPF and gratuity;

(b) if so, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether not providing gratuity, pension and GPF facility is a discrimination with employees recruited after January, 2004 as the same is being provided to the employees of private sector;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the Government proposes to provide all retirement benefits including gratuity to the Government servants recruited after January, 2004; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

Answered by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office. (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)

A new restructured defined contribution pension system for the new entrants to Central Government service, except to the Armed Forces, replacing the system of defined benefit pension including GPF, was notified on 22nd December, 2003. The Government employees appointed on or after 1.1.2004 and governed by the New Pension System can withdraw 60% of their Pension Fund as a lumpsum when they retire and the balance 40% of their wealth is used to purchase an annuity scheme from a lifeinsurance company of their choice, which will pay him/her a monthly pension for the rest of his life. In casethe employees leave the New Pension Scheme prior to age 60, the mandatory anuitization would be 80% of the pension wealth.

The monthly annuity under the New Pension Scheme is only a replacement of pension on retirement and family pension on death after retirement. The benefits of Death-cum-Retirement Gratuity (DCRG) and pension/family pension have been provisionally allowed, vide Department of Pension & Pensioners` Welfare OM No. 38/41/06-P&PW(A) dated 5.5.2009, in respect of the Central Government servants covered by the New Pension Scheme in cases where a Government Servant is retired oninvalidation/disability and in the case of death of a Government servant in service, on the same rates as are applicable under the old pension scheme, i.e. CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

The details of DCRG payable to employees of Central Government under NPS are as under:

(i) The retirement gratuity is payable to the retiring Government servant. A minimum of 5 years qualifying service and eligibility to receive service gratuity/ pension is essential to get this one time lump sum benefit. Retirement gratuity is calculated @ l/4th of a month`s Basic Pay plus Dearness Allowance drawn before retirement for each completed six monthly period of qualifying service. The maximum retirement gratuity payable is 16 XA times the Basic Pay, subject to a maximum of Rs. 10 lakhs.

(ii) If the Government Servant dies while in service, the death gratuity shall be paid to his family at the rates furnished in the table below:

S.No.	Length of Qualifying Service	Rate of Death Gratuity
1.	Less than one year	2 times of emoluments
2.	One year or more but less than 5 years	6 times of emoluments
3.	5 years or more but less than 20 years	12 times of emoluments
4.	20 years or more	Half of emoluments for every completed six monthly period of qualifying service subject to a maximum of 33 times of emoluments.

Maximum amount of Death Gratuity admissible is Rs. 10 lakhs w.e.f. 1.1.2006.

Advances to Government servants

Advances to Government servants – Rate of interest for purchase of conveyances during 2012-2013

F.No. 5(2)-B(PD)/2012
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Economic Affairs

New Delhi, the 7th January, 2013

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject : Advances to Government servants — Rate of interest for purchase of conveyances during 2012-2013.

The undersigned is directed to state that the rates of interest for advances sanctioned to the Government servants for purchase of conveyances during 2012-2013 i.e. from 1st April, 2012 to 31st March, 2013 are revised as under:

Rate of interest
per annum

(i) Advance for purchase of conveyance other than motor car (viz. motor cycle, scooter etc.) 9%
(ii) Advance for purchase of motor car 11.5%

(A.K. Bhatnagar)
Under Secretary (Budget)

http://www.finmin.nic.in/the_ministry/dept_eco_affairs/budget/RoIPurchConvey12.pdf

LONG WEEKENDs IN 2013

2013 to be lucky for weekend Holidayers

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(For those planning weekend…)

NEW DELHI: For those planning weekend getaways, 2013 will prove particularly bountiful. And of all the months, August is the best bet — it has a three-day weekend, a five-day weekend and an extra day off.

In all, the year has five extended weekends. Five gazetted holidays — Eid-un-Nabi, Good Friday, Valmiki Jayanti, Id-ul-Fitr and Ram Navmi — fall on a Friday. If you are lucky, there might be seven more extended weekends in store as Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Dusshera, Chhat Puja, Onam, Pongal Bihu and Ganesh Chaturthi, all restricted holidays, fall on either Fridays or Mondays.

There is also the possibility of two five day-weekends if one can manage a day off in the middleof the week. Holi is on March 27 which is a Wednesday while Good Friday is two days later. Bakr-Id falls on October 16, which is a Wednesday, followed by Valmiki Jayanti. In both cases, if one were to take the Thursdays off, it would result in an easy five-day break.

Also, three gazetted holidays fall on Thursdays. If one can take the subsequent Fridays off, it makes for three more four day-weekends.

August to have most extended weekends

For those planning weekend getaways, 2013 will prove a particularly bountiful year. And of all the months, August is the best bet — it has a three-day weekend, a five-day weekend and an extra day off.

There is a flip side, though. Of the 18 gazetted holidays, five fall in weekends. That might take the sheen off Dusshera and Diwali this time around. The list starts with Republic Day, which falls on a Saturday and is followed by Buddha Purnima on May 25. Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 17 is the last of the holidays lost to the weekend.

There is no escaping manic Monday this year either with not a single gazetted holiday falling on the first day of the week.

The entirely relentless working months are February, June, July and September, without a single gazetted holiday. June is without any restricted holiday. May, with its only gazetted holiday Buddha Purnima falling on the 25th, has lost it to the weekend.

However, the extended weekends are spread out equally. In the first half of the year, January, March and April each have extended weekends. In the second half, while August hogs the limelight, October and November also have long weekends.

PROMOTION IN BSF

High court issues order against existing promotion system in BSF

The Agartala bench of Guwahati High Court today issued an interim order in favour of executive level officers of Border Security Force(BSF), while directing Union Home Ministry and Director General(DG) of BSF to review the existing promotion system in the force.

A two-member bench of the High Court heard the case, filed against BSF's top brass, who were from Indian Police Service, (IPS) by a group of junior level officers of the force.

According to the report, one Ashok Choudhury and four other BSF officers had filed a case challenging the ongoing promotion practice of the BSF and reservation of the posts in the ranks of DIG to Director General(DG) in September 2005.

The petitioner apprised the Court that IPS cadres had been depriving the BSF officers so far as promotion was concerned and as per the norms about 40 per cent posts of DIG, 66.66 per cent posts of IG and cent per cent post of Additional DG and DG were reserved for IPS cadres who neither have the knowledge of border management nor the experience of working at field level.

Terming the present practice of promotion as "unconstitutional" and in "violation of the fundamental rights" of the field level eligible officers, petitioners complained that by making reservation at policy making level for BSF, the government was compromising with efficiency in the organisation as well as national security.

Demanding assurance of at least 50 per cent posts being opened up for the BSF officers at DIG, IG, ADG and DG level, the petitioners maintained, "Even though the cadre strength of both forces is almost the same, BSF cadres have only six posts for IG and 43 posts for DIG but no posts in the ADG or DG-level in the force, whereas IPS have 388 posts of DG, 564 posts of IG and 492 posts of DIG." "The IPS cadres are coming only at supervising level and have no experience of border management or training, which amounts to compromising on national security on the one hand and triggering conflict between policy makers and executives of the force on the other," petitioner pointed out.

Earlier, IIM Kolkata in 1993 and Bureau of Police Research and Development in 1994 had conducted study on the efficiency of BSF and suggested to keep the higher posts in the force out of reservation, the petitioners said, adding that the recommendation of Sixth Pay Commission had also contemplated allotment of the higher posts to BSF cadres.