Sunday 29 January 2012

Text of the Speech of the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee Delivered at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs


                                                                                                                  
Following is the text of the Speech of the Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Chicago Council on Global on 28th January,2012:

It gives me great pleasure to be here in Chicago and have this opportunity to be in this distinguished gathering with leading business leaders from the corporate world. I thank you for your warm welcome.

2.         We meet today at a time when the world economy is passing through turbulent times. The lingering after effects of the global financial crisis have of late become more pronounced. Over the past months, deep and widespread economic concerns with a complex mix of real and financial problems have surfaced in Europe. It is a setback to the global recovery. Even the tepid economic recovery that we have seen so far in some of the advanced economies is stalling. Unemployment in these economies never quite recovered from their crisis highs. The relatively robust revival in emerging market economies is also beginning to falter. The financial markets, which had never fully recovered from the earlier crisis, are under renewed stress.

3.         The current build-up of concerns has happened despite the aggressive use of both fiscal and monetary policy tools and our collective resolve to keep markets open. This poses some serious problems for the policy makers. Going forward it limits our options in dealing with the emerging situation. While markets are wary of mounting public debt in the absence of strong growth, significant injection of liquidity by Central Banks seems to have done little to stimulate lending or borrowing. Instead we are witnessing damaging spill over consequences, especially on asset and commodity prices and more recently in the foreign exchange markets that have strengthened inflation in some emerging markets.

4.         We have seen that the real danger to the global economy lies in the rapid contagion through today’s globally integrated financial markets. Imbalances even in relatively small economies can be magnified by integrated financial markets. We cannot afford to have a piecemeal stop-go approach to address the issues confronting us.  At the same time, we need to find a right balance in the policy corrections to address both the short-term and the medium to long-term objectives for putting the global economy back on track. In this context, the opportunity provided by events such as this one, helps to reassure each other and evolve a coordinated response to further global economic stability and well-being.

5.         Let me turn to the Indian economy and share with you some of our thinking as we move forward in the current global milieu. We succeeded in engineering a rapid recovery from the global economic slowdown by registering more than 8 per cent per annum growth in GDP in the two years following the crisis impacted year 2008-09. However, for the better part of the past two years, we have been grappling with near double digit inflation. Food inflation has been an especially daunting challenge. The supply response to rising incomes and demand for some food items has been slow, despite record harvests last year and a promise of another one in the current agricultural year. We have taken several measures to address this concern, which should yield desired results in the coming year or two.

6.         For most of this period, our monetary and fiscal policy response has been geared towards taming domestic inflationary pressures. A tight monetary policy has impacted investment and consumption growth through higher cost of credit. The fiscal policy has had to absorb expended outlays on subsidies and some duty reduction to moderate the pass-through of higher prices of some items including fuel oils to the consumers. As a result, in the first half of the fiscal year, growth in private consumption and gross fixed capital formation has been moderate, resulting in some deceleration in the aggregate demand. The GDP growth in the first half of 2011-12 is estimated at 7.3 per cent as against 8.5 per cent in 2010-11.

7.         Nevertheless, we have been able to keep the adverse impact of global slowdown and uncertainty on our economy to the minimum. The key objective in the current year is to regain the growth momentum, strengthen the moderation in headline inflation that has dropped to 7.5 per cent in December 2011, rejuvenate the markets and improve the business sentiments which have been at low levels for most of the last year. The task is not easy in the present state of the world economy, especially in the Euro zone, given the downgrades in sovereign ratings and the pressure on the Indian currency, all of which have a bearing on the capital flows and trade.  There are however a lot of positives which draw on the fundamentals and resilience of the Indian economy. Policy measures have been taken to mitigate the consequences of adverse global developments and ensure sustained growth, led by domestic drivers.

8.         The Indian economy is, in some ways, better placed than many other nations to withstand a fresh round of global economic turmoil. India’s resilience results from the fact that the bulk of India’s GDP is domestic demand driven. A calibrated approach to capital account convertibility has, to a significant extent, prevented rapid surges and reversals of debt creating capital flows. India’s external commercial borrowings policy that places end-use, all-in-cost and maturity restrictions, has been successful in maintaining external debt at sustainable levels. India’s banking sector is robust and export basket is increasingly diversified with developing countries being our largest export market. We can also boast of optimal regulatory mechanisms in place that check unsustainable financial practices, thus ensuring the robustness of the financial sector.

9.         Policy measures have been taken in recent months to further ease capital controls, making available a framework for pooling of debt finances for infrastructure and various other measures which lend credence to our commitment to economic reforms.  A Direct Investment Scheme was announced on January 1, 2012 under which Qualified Financial Investors (QFIs) will be allowed to invest directly in Indian equity market. This is the first time that we have taken steps to open up direct access to our capital markets for the individual foreign investors other than the institutional investors and foreign venture capital firms.
10.       A number of steps have also been taken to simplify the FDI regime to make it easily comprehensible to foreign investors.  Ownership and control are now central to the FDI policy, and the methodology in this regard has been clearly defined. There has been complete liberalization of pricing and payment of technology transfer fee, trademark, and brand name and royalty payments.  To make the FDI policy more user-friendly, all prior regulations and guidelines have been consolidated into a comprehensive document, which is reviewed every six months. We have further liberalised FDI in single brand retail, but our efforts to open up the FDI in multi brand retail trading has not been operationalised yet. We are in the process of building up consensus among the various stakeholders to take the next steps in that regard. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows which had considerably slowdown in 2010-11 have bounced back.

11.       The Government has now put in place the New Manufacturing Policy to give a big push to the manufacturing sector with the objective of increasing its share in the GDP to 25 per cent and create 100 million jobs in the next ten years. The Policy encourages the setting-up of New Investments and Manufacturing Zones across the country. These zones would address the problems of infrastructure, would create world class urban centres and also absorb surplus labour by providing them gainful employment. We want to concentrate on building a manufacturing base with the objective of making Indian industry globally competitive. We are putting in place an enabling framework for ease of doing business, compliance based on self-regulation, ensuring availability of skills, technology and finance within a supportive environment.

12.       India is a young nation, and it has the advantage of demographic dividend over the next two decades. Empowering the youth of India with adequate skills is the key pillar in this policy and we have separately earmarked resources for this purpose by way of creating a National Skill Development Fund. We intend to impart skill and train 150 million persons over the next 10 years in partnership with Indian industry.

13.       Rapid development of infrastructure is the key to sustain high growth and strengthening the domestic growth dynamics of our economy. The Twelfth Five Plan is therefore, seeking to continue the thrust on accelerating the pace of the investment in infrastructure. India needs to invest an additional 3-4 per cent of GDP on infrastructure or about USD 1 trillion to sustain current levels of growth and to equalize its benefits over the Plan period. Private sector has a key role to play in infrastructure building. Our experiment with the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) modality for infrastructure development has shown good results. The share of Private and PPP investments in total investment during the 12th Plan (2012-17) is targeted to increase to 50 per cent from the estimated 30 per cent in the 11th Plan (2007-12). The debt requirements for the Infrastructure sector are very large. We have recently enabled a mechanism of infrastructure debt funds, as regulated entities, to channelize funds of long horizon investing entities like pension and insurance funds into the infrastructure sector.

14.       PPP route for investment in Indian infrastructure represents a commercially attractive opportunity for foreign investors. First, nearly all the infrastructure sectors allow Foreign Direct Investment to come in through the automatic route, to the extent of 100 per cent of the investment.  Secondly, India has evolved a stable and transparent regulatory regime in sectors such as power, telecommunications, ports, airports, petroleum and natural gas, with a regulator for the coal sector on the anvil.  Standardised and sophisticated contract documentation is in place and finally, we have established unique and innovative financing instruments such as a scheme to support Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for PPP projects and special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for giving long tenor loans to PPP projects.

15.       One of the major fallouts of the global crisis has been the conscious attempts by governments to take a critical look at the architecture of their financial systems with an eye on improving financial stability. There is no one-size-fits-all approach in this and while the broad principles can be agreed upon, the exact nature of reforms have to be very specific.  We have setup an apex-level Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), with a view to strengthen and institutionalise the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, macro prudential supervision and inter-regulatory coordination, without prejudice to the autonomy of regulators. As a step towards structural reforms in the financial sector, we are in the process of rewriting and cleaning up the financial sector laws and bringing them in line with the present day requirements. A Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) has also been set up which is expected to produce its report by this year end.   

16.       India, has become the 34th Country Member of Financial Action Task force (FATF). This membership is very important for India in its quest to become a significant player in the international financial system.   The FATF process will also help us in co-ordination of anti money laundering/countering financing of terror (AML/CFT) efforts at the international level and is again something which increases the attractiveness of India as an investment destination.

17.       I should mention here that we intend to bolster our efforts to make our growth more inclusive and more sustainable. Climate change and managing rising energy needs are special concerns in India and globally. As the recently concluded Durban meetings, India played a very constructive role, along with our partners including the United States to ensure that the world continues to make progress. I am aware that the Council has been a prominent voice on a sustainable future, especially in the context of the role that the Mid-West region plays. Just as you have suggested that regional and local action is needed, and that we must strive for greater energy efficiency and new technologies, so too in India, we are taking these challenges and responsibilities very seriously. India has one of the lowest per capita carbon emissions in the world. We are convinced that inclusive development is actually the most important way to achieve a sustainable future, even as we seek to reduce the emissions intensity of our growth path.

18.       The global financial crisis and its after effects have forced many of us to take a re-look at some of the basic principles of economics and finance.  It has generated a fundamental change in the national mindset and we are all witness to a new world order, which is more integrated and has a higher degree of interdependence amongst nations. While we take steps to address the resurgent immediate concerns for the stability and recovery of the world economy, we need to also move on correcting the underlying global imbalances. One way of doing that is to leverage global imbalances to address developmental imbalances. If we need to add demand to the global economy, to offset the moderation of demand in industrialized countries, a good way of doing that is to expand infrastructure investment in developing economies. This suggestion may well be extended to increasing investment in infrastructure generally, and a more liberal flow of technology to developing countries, which in turn could spur output and productivity growth in both advanced and developing countries.

19.       Looking forward, I would say that India’s growth fundamentals are strong and they look more attractive in a world challenged by problems of confidence and lack of growth. India’s robust performance in difficult times makes it a safe haven that global capital is looking for. Even as we grow and acquire economic strength we are a willing hand in the global recovery and improved financial stability. India presents opportunity at this moment that cannot be ignored. I urge you to seize this moment and contribute to our collective prosperity in the times to come.

The round table meeting was also attended by the Ambassdor of India in US Ms Nirupma Rao, Shri Bimal Julka, Additional Secretary, Department of Econmic Affairs,Ministry of Finance and Consule General of India in Chicago from Indian side. Among the business leaders from US who attended the meeting included Mr Marshall Bouton, President ,Chicago Council on Global Affirs, Mr Stephen Chipman, CEO, Grant Thornton LLP, Charles Evans, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago,Mr Rajeev Gautam, President and CEO, UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company, Mr James A Gordon, President and Founder, the Edgewater Funds, Mr Douglas Gray, President and CEO, Everett Smith Group lTD,Mr Marks S Hopalamazian,President and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation,Mr Goprdon Hunter, Chairman and President and CEO, Littelfuse,Inc. and Brian Kenney,Chairman and CEO,GATX,Mr R Paul Kinscherff, Chief Financial Officer,the Boeing Company, Mr Jennifer Scanlon, President USG Corporation among others.

                                                                     ********
DSM

Judgement in IPO Grade Pay case OA No.381/2010


Dear Friends, 
 The judgment in IPO Grade Pay case OA No.381/2010 has been published and is available on the CAT website with the following link    
  
  In the judgement, the Hon'ble CAT has categorically stated in the second last  para  No.33 that 
    ".....the case has been considered and the Tribunal is of the considered view that there is no justification in denying the Inspector (Posts) the higher Grade Pay of Rs 4600 when the same is admissible to Inspectors of other Departments with whom parity has been established by the very Sixth Pay Commission vide its report at para 7.6.14 extracted above........"

Extract of some paras of the judgement are reproduced below:


Para 26.    From the perusal of the Recommendations of the Pay Commissions it could be easily discerned that the Pay Commissions have suggested certain measures relating to introduction of element of direct recruitment which was conspicuously absent earlier and without which comparison with the Inspectors in other Departments/Ministries could not be made. Once direct recruitment has been introduced, it was to the full satisfaction of the Pay Commission, which had in fact commented, "The Commission is recommending the merger of pre-revised pay scales of Rs 5500 - 9000 and Rs 6500 - 10500 which will automatically bring Inspector (Posts) on par with Assistants in CSS/Inspectors and analogous Posts in CBDT and CBEC."
The import of this observation of the Pay Commission is that the Pay Commission was very much interested to ensure pay parity of Inspector (Post) with Assistants of CSS and Inspectors and analogous posts in CBDT and CBEC. This recommendation of the Pay Commission is in tune with the observations of the Apex Court in the case of State of West Bengal v. West Bengal Minimum Wages Inspectors Association, (2010) 5 SCC 225 wherein it has been stated as under:-
"23. It is now well settled that parity cannot be claimed merely on the basis that earlier the subject post and the reference category posts were carrying the same scale of pay. In fact, one of the functions of the Pay Commission is to identify the posts which deserve a higher scale of pay than what was earlier being enjoyed with reference to their duties and responsibilities, and extend such higher scale to those categories of posts."

Para 27.    When the question of pay scale parity is examined, as stated by the Apex court, the Court has to make analysis in respect of factors like the source and mode of recruitment/appointment, qualifications, the nature of work, the value thereof, responsibilities, reliability, experience, confidentiality, functional need, etc.    Viewed from this point, first as to the mode of recruitment. As stated earlier, it was at the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission, element of Direct Recruitment had been introduced and in fact there has been common examination in respect of inspectors in various departments, including Inspector (Posts). In fact, the statistics furnished by the applicants vide Annexure A-14 which has been rightly highlighted by the Senior Counsel at the time of hearing, would reflect that the cut off marks in respect of Inspector (Posts) is more than the cut of marks of Inspector (Central Excise). Thus, this requirement is fully met with.

Para 30.    This Tribunal need not have to labour more to arrive at the finding that the functional responsibilities of the Inspector (Posts) are certainly onerous and evidently, it is on the basis of adequate justification that the successive Pay Commissions have appreciated the need to revise the pay scale of Inspector (Posts).

Para 31.    The decision of the Ministry of Finance does not appear to have taken into account the clear recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission nor for that matter the full justifications given by the Department of Posts.

Para 32.    Thus, when the Pay Commission opined that by virtue of merger of the pays scales of Rs 5500 - 9000 and Rs 6500 - 10500, the same would "automatically bring  Inspector  (Posts)    on  par  with   Assistants  in CSS/Inspectors and analogous posts in CBDT and CBEC, what it meant was that from hence, Inspector (Posts) would sail in the same boat as his counterparts in the Income Tax Department or Central Excise or Customs Department or for that matter the Assistants in the CSS. "The difference in the grade pay is not one created by the Pay Commission but the same is due to the fact that as late as in 2009, it is the Government of India which had raised the grade pay of the pay scale 6500 - 10500 that existed as on 01-01-2006 vide order dated 13-11-2009,       whereby posts which were in the pre-revised scale of Rs 6,500 - 10,500 as on 01-01-2006 and which were granted the normal replacement pay structure of grade pay of Rs 4,200/- in the pay band PB 2 will be granted grade pay of Rs 4600 in the pay band PB 2 corresponding to the pre-revised pay scale of Rs 7450-11500 w/e/f/ 01-01-2006. And, if a post already existed in the pre-revised scale of Rs 7450-11500, the posts being upgraded from the scale of Rs 6500 - 10500 should be merged with the post in the scale of Rs 7450 - 11500/-. In fact had the above enhancement in the grade pay been recommended by the Pay Commission, it would not have omitted to consider such an increase in the grade pay of Inspector (Posts) as well.


Para 33:   Thus, within the parameters prescribed by the Apex Court in respect of the powers of the Tribunal in dealing with the fixation of Pay scale the case has been considered and the Tribunal is of the considered view that there is no justification in denying the Inspector (Posts) the higher Grade Pay of Rs 4600 when the same is admissible to Inspectors of other Departments with whom parity has been established by the very Sixth Pay Commission vide its report at para 7.6.14 extracted above. The Department of Post also equally recommends the same and as such, at appropriate level, the Ministry of Finance has to have a re-look in the matter dispassionately and keeping in view the aforesaid discussion. The ASPOs, as a result can be granted a grade pay of Rs.4800/- and the Superintendents grade pay of Rs.5400, as in the case of Superintendents of Central Excise & Customs.


Para 34.     In view of the above, the OA is allowed to the extent that keeping in tune with the observations of the Sixth Pay Commission, coupled with the strong recommendations of the Department of Post and also in the light of our discussion as above, first respondent, i.e. the Ministry of Finance shall have a re-look in the matter at the level of Secretary and consider the case of the Inspector (Posts) for upgradation of their grade pay at par with that of the Inspector of income tax, of CBDT and CBEC. This will make the grade pay of Inspector (Posts) at par with that of the promotional post of Assistant Superintendents of Post Offices, it is expedient to consider and upward revision of the grade pay of ASPs as well. All the necessary details and statistics as required by the Ministry of Finance shall be made available by the second Respondent i.e. the Director General of Posts. It is expected that within a reasonable time, the respondents shall arrive at a judicious decision and implement the same.  

            Further course of cation may be decided collectively so that the desired goal of getting grade pay of Rs.4600 from 01.01.2006 for Inspector Posts can be achieved soon. 


Postal Dept works towards Bank Permit






The department of posts will formulate a detailed project report for setting up a bank, in the XII Plan.

“The postal department has already conducted a study and has found that the proposal is feasible. DPR (detailed project report) is the next step to chalk out the exact blueprint for the model,” a senior official from the department of posts (DoP) told Business Standard.
The department will apply for a banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India. Post Bank of India may be set up with the required authorised capital of Rs 700 crore, the official added.
“The plan is to offer banking services in rural and semi-urban areas by converting our post offices into banks. The department has about 1.5 lakh post offices across the country, which is mainly located in rural areas,” a source said.
The department also operates the Post Office Savings Bank, where it has over 240 million savings accounts. It has a customer base of over 23.75 crore with an outstanding balance of Rs 6,19,611 crore as on March 31, 2011.

The postal department offers schemes such as savings account, recurring deposit, time deposit, monthly income account scheme, postal life insurance, public provident fund, Kisan Vikas Patras and National Savings Certificates.
The feasibility report has already laid out ownership, capital and organisational structure, as well as new product and services to be offered, among others.
According to working group report for XII Plan, the demand for rural banking is particularly high with only 39 per cent of households covered by institutional banking. Globally, postal organisations have transformed financial services into banks successfully. The global firms include Deutsche Post Bank, Japan Post Bank, Kiwi Bank, La Banque Postale (France).
The department is also focusing aggressively on its postal life insurance product. According to the information with the postal department, the department has about 5 million policies under postal life insurance with an assured amount of Rs 58,132 crore, while under rural postal life insurance; it has about 13 million policies with an assured amount of Rs 67,162 crore.
The PLI has been clocking an average growth rate of 32 per cent in terms of premium income while the growth rate of RPLI stood at 60 per cent in terms of premium income in 2009-10 over the previous year.

 Source : http://www.business-standard.com/  & sa post

EPFO may fix minimum pension at Rs 1,000


Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to fix the minimum pension for its subscribers at Rs 1,000 per month at the scheduled meeting the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) on February 22.

"The CBT will take a call on the proposal to fix minimum pension at Rs 1,000 per month for its subscribers in a meeting scheduled on February 22," a source said.

The meeting of CBT, the apex decision making body of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) had earlier in December deferred the decision on the matter.

Although the agenda for the meeting is yet to be finalised, sources said, the issue would come up for discussion.

According to EPFO data, as of March 31, 2010, there are 35 lakh pensioners subscribed to the retirement fund body, of which 14 lakh persons get a monthly pension of less than Rs 500.

The number of EPFO pensioners getting a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 is 7 lakh. The data reveals that there are cases where pensioners are getting a monthly pension as low as Rs 12 and Rs 38.

Although representatives of employers and employees have agreed on fixing the minimum pension at Rs 1,000 per month, there is no decision on the means of raising the additional fund requirement.

As per estimates, the decision will require an additional contribution of 0.63 per cent of subscribers' basic pay and dearness allowance.

The hike in contribution will be over-and-above the 8.33 per cent contributed by employers toward the pension account of employees, as well as the 1.16 per cent provided by the government under the scheme.
source - sa post

Hi All, VERY IMPORTANT, Share n Care!



1) Don't put your mobile closer to your ears until the recipient answers, Because directly after dialing, the mobile phone would use it's maximum signaling power, which is: 2watts = 33dbi. So
, Please Be Careful. Please use left ear while using cell (mobile), because if you use the right one it may affect the brain directly. This is a true, a fact having been confirmed by Apollo Medical Team.

2) Do not drink APPY FIZZ . It contains cancer causing agent.

3) Don't eat Mentos before or after drinking Coke or Pepsi coz the person will die immediately as the mixture becomes cyanide.

4) Don't eat kurkure because it contains high amount of plastic. If U want to confirm, burn kurkure and u can see plastic melting.
  -  News report from Times of India

5) Avoid these tablets as they are very dangerous
* D cold
* Vicks action- 500
* Actified
* Coldarin
* Co some
* Nice
* Nimulid
* Cetrizet-D

They contain Phenyl- Propanol -Amide PPA.
Which causes strokes, and mind you, these tablets are banned in U.S.

6) Cotton Ear Buds... Please do not show sympathy to people selling ear-buds on roadside or at signals....... Pl be  warned, that it is potentially unsafe to buy those packs of ear buds you get at the roadside. It's made from cotton that has already been used in hospitals.. They take all the dirty, blood and pus filled cotton, wash it, bleach it and use it to make these ear buds. So, unless you want to become the first person in the world to get Herpes Zoster Oticus (a viral infection of the inner, middle, and external ear) of the ear and that too from a cotton bud, pl don't buy them. It is safe to buy ear buds from an authorized medical store. Please forward to all your near and dear ones....!

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--

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do


 
For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)
 

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. 

 
 
Check out the things that you can do with it: 
FIRST
Emergency 


The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out. 


SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: 
 
  
If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). 

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!' 


THIRD
Hidden Battery Power 


Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time. 


FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? 


To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: 
*#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
 
 
And Finally.... 


FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells 


Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem.. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:
(800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is sponsored by McDonalds.

This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends !!!

Do you know the Signs of High Blood Sugar?


An important part of managing diabetes is recognizing when your blood glucose (sugar) becomes too high and knowing what to do about it. In this article we will talk about what is too high a blood glucose level, how this can happen, help you recognize the key symptoms of high blood glucose and give some advice on what action you can take if it happens.


So what is too high a blood glucose?


When blood glucose is higher then 180 mg/dl (in US units) or 10mmol/L (in UK units) measured two hours after food, then the blood glucose is too high. The technical term for this is hyperglycemia.


How is Hyperglycemia caused?

Hyperglycemia is often a result of when food, activity and medications are not balanced. Some of the common reasons why this balance can be altered are:

· Too much food or the wrong type food
· Not enough medication
· Not enough insulin
· Poor injection technique
· Overuse of injection sites
· Infections or illness
· Stress
· Increase in weight

A common cause of hyperglycemia in diabetics is missing dose of insulin or not taking enough. Eating too much, can also cause a rise in blood sugar levels

Signs and Symptoms of Hyperglycemia


In the early stages, there are likely to be no symptoms at all and even when symptoms do arise they may come on so slowly that they are not noticed.

You may get some of following symptoms:

· More hunger or thirst then usual
· Excessive urination
· Tiredness and lethargy
· Frequent infections
· Blurred vision
If untreated, high blood glucose may result in diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious condition due to a lack of insulin. This causes the body to try to find energy from other sources as it cannot use the glucose in the blood. Ketones and acid form as a result.

The condition is characterized by vomiting, drowsiness, smell of acetone (like pear drops) on the breath and can result in coma.
Monitoring your blood glucose regularly may help you identify when your blood glucose has become too high and recognizing the warning signs will help highlight to you that action needs to be taken.


What to do if you experience Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia can usually be treated with either oral diabetic medications or insulin. If blood glucose levels don't respond to insulin or medication, diabetics are advised to contact their GP immediately.
Remember:
· Consult your doctor
· Continue with your diabetes treatment
· Consume plenty of fluids
· Test your blood glucose levels every 2-4 hrs
· Adjust your meal plan
· Adjust your medication or insulin (only if instructed by doctor to do so)
As with many things in life, prevention is better then cure. Be aware of the causes of hyperglycemia and do what you can to prevent them.

BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT POSTMASTER CADRE

For the Officials who are going to appear in the Postmaster Grade I exam 2012

1. Seperate cadre created from LSG officials and for 5yrs service completed PA officials 

2. PM grade I, II, III officies are being carved from LSG, HSGII, HSGI offices respectively. 

3. In future all LSG/HSGII/HSGI offices will be converted as PM Grade I, II, III offices respectively. 

4. Pay fixation will be 5200-2800-20200 

5. PM grade officials will be the Office incharge thro out their career 

6. He won’t work as a subordinate to anyone in his office thro out their career 


7. He will be the sub appointing authority to GDS if he served in unit PM Grade office. 

8. All are time bound promotions after passed PM GR exam. After passed PM Grade I, examination no need to write further examinations for further promotion viz PMGrII, PMGrIII, Sr. PM 

9. 2 yrs probationary period for PM GrI, PM GrII officials 

10. After 6yrs service of PMGrI he will be eligible to serve as PM Grade-II, After 5 yrs service as PMGrII he will be eligible to serve as- PMGrIII and after 2yrs service of PMGrIII he will be eligible to serve as Senior postmaster Cadre 

11. For Senior Postmaster Cadre-75% will be recruited from Administrative line, and 25% Sr. PM officials will be recruited from PM grade officials here after 

12. Appointing authority is CPMG 

13. Circle level seniority will be maintained and Gradation list will be prepared in the same manner. 

14. Concerned Regional DPS will be the head for the DPC 

15. PM Grade officials shall be working as Root level Manager and implementing various projects of DOP. 


Courtesy : http://postmastersgrade.blogspot.com & http://sapost.blogspot.com/

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Leave Travel Concession (LTC) matters



Establishment division of Department of Personnel & Training has published an another useful ‘Frequently Asked Questions and Answers’ regarding the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) for Central Government employees.

Department of Personnel & Training Establishment (A-IV)

S.No.
Question
Answer
1.
How are the claims of LTC be adjusted in case of delayed submission?

Where advance has been drawn, the claim for reimbursement shall be submitted within one month of the completion of the return journey.
 

Where no advance has been drawn, the expenditure incurred shall be submitted within three months of the completion of the return journey.
 

Administrative Ministry/Department concerned can admit the claims in relaxation of the provisions subject to the following time limits without reference to DoPT:
 

(a) Where no advance is taken, LTC Bill submitted within a period not exceeding six months; and
 

(b) Where advance has been drawn, claim for reimbursement submitted within a period of three months after the completion of return journey (provided the Govt. servant refunds the entire advance within 45 days after the completion of the return journey. Rule 14 of CCS(LTC) Rules,1988 read with -
 

O.M. No. 31011/5/2007-Estt.A dated 27th September, 2007 
2.
Can a Govt. servant visit NER or N&K on more than one occasion on conversion of Hometown under the relaxation allowed for LTC visits to NER/J&K?

Govt. servant who has availed the benefit of Home Town conversion to NER/J&K in one block (say 2006-2009) can again visit NER/J&K in the new/next block (say 2010- 2013) subject to availability of LTC in a allowed particular block so long as the relaxation is in force.
 

1. O.M No. 31011/4/2007-Estt.(A) dated 02.05.2008 

2. O.M No. 31011/4/2007-EStt.(A) date 23.04. 2010 

3. O.M No. 31011/2/2003-EStt.(A) dated 18.06.2010 
3 .
Can a Govt. employee avail of air travel to NER/J&K in case of All India LTC if his Home town and the Headquarters are at the same place?

Both NER and J&K scheme of LTC allow relaxation for air travel on All India LTC to all categories of employees to the extent specified in the
 DOP&T’s O.M 31011/4/2007- Estt.(A) dated 02.05.2008and DOP&T’s O.M 31011/2/2003-Estt.(A) dated 18.06.2010 even if the Hometown and the Headquarters are same. 
4.

Whether Govt. servant who has already availed one Home Town LTC in the current block can avail LTC to visit NER?
 
Yes, he can avail it against All India LTC.
5.
Can a Govt. servant avail the benefit of visiting NER/J&K twice in a particular block of 4 years?

Yes, a Govt. servant can visit NER/J&K by conversion of his Home Town LTC and also by availing All India LTC subject to validity period of the scheme and fulfilling of other conditions.
 
6.
Can a fresh recruit avail the benefit of Home Town conversion to NER/J&K?

A fresh recruit Govt. servant can also avail benefit of Home Town conversion to NER/J&K against one of the three occasions of Home Town available to him in each block.
 
7.
Can fresh recruit avail of conversion of Home Town to visit NER/J&K under the relaxation allowed for visiting NER/J&K?

Any Govt. employee can avail of the relaxation for visiting NER/J&K and convert one Home Town LTC for such visit in a block of 4 years as long as the relaxations continue.
 

1. O.M No. 31011/4/2007-EStt.(A) dated 02.05.2008 

2. O.M No. 31011/2/2003-EStt.(A) dated 18.06.2010 
8.

Can a fresh recruit Govt. servant avail of All India LTC anytime during the 4 year block?
 

It can be availed only the block and not at random.
9.
Whether Carry over of LTC is allowed to fresh recruits?

Carry over of LTC is not allowed to fresh recruits as they are eligible for every year LTC for the first 8 years of service.
 
10.
Who is a fresh recruit entitled for LTC every year?

A person who has joined service for the first time is treated as a fresh recruit for the first eight years.
 

O.M. No. 31011/4/2008-Estt.(A) dated 23.09.2008. 
11.
How the LTC entitlements of fresh recruits are regulated in the first eight years?

On completion of one year, the Fresh recruit can be allowed 3 Home Town LTC and 1 All India LTC in each block of Four years in the first 8 years.
 

O.M. No. 31011/4/2008-Estt.(A) dated 23.09.2008. 
12.

Whether Dependent parents of fresh recruits can avail LTC for the journey from Home Town to Headquarters and back?
 
No, the dependent parents of fresh recruits can not avail LTC for the journey from Home Town to Headquarters and back.
13.
Whether claims for reimbursement can be allowed for road journeys by bus/taxi or other vehicle operated by private operators?

LTC Rules do not permit reimbursement for journey by a private car (owned/borrowed/hired) or a bus/van or other vehicle owned by private operators. LTC facility shall be admissible only in respect of journeys performed in vehicles operated by Govt. or any Corporation in the Public sector run by the Central or State Govt. or a local body. Rule 12(2) of CCS(LTC) Rules,1988 read with-
 

DoPT’s O.M. NO. 31011/4/2008-Estt.A dated 23 September, 2008 
14.

Whether airfare of children whose full fare is charged by the airlines is reimbursed?
 
If full fare has been charged by the airlines and paid by the Government servant, the same will be reimbursed.
15.

Can a Govt. servant use the service of travel agents for LTC purpose?
 
Yes, but it should be limited to M/s Balmer Lawrie and Company and M/s. Ashok Travels and Tours .
16.
What is the definition of family for LTC?

For LTC purpose, family consists of
 

(i) Spouse of the Govt. servant and two surviving unmarried children or Step children.
 

(ii) Married daughters, who have been divorced, abandoned or separated from their husbands and widowed daughters residing with and wholly dependent on the Govt. servant.
 

(iii) Parents and/or step parents residing with and wholly dependent on the Govt. servant.
 

(iv) Unmarried minor brothers as well as unmarried, divorced, abandoned, separated from their husbands and widowed sisters residing with and wholly dependent on the Govt. servant provided their parents are either not alive and are themselves wholly dependent on the Govt. servant.
 

Rule 4 of CCS(LTC) Rules,1988 read with
 

O.M. No. 31011/4/2008- Estt.(A) dated 23.09. 2008. 
17.
What are the dependency criteria?

A member of family whose income from all sources, including pension, temporary increase in pension does not exceed Rs.3500 from 01.09.2008 and Dearness relief thereon is deemed to be wholly dependent on the Government servant.
 
18.
Can parents/children residing at other places avail LTC to visit the Govt. servant at Headquarters and go back?

No, reimbursement of LTC claims being restricted to the entitlement for journey between Headquarters and place of visit, the , amount reimbursable in such cases is nil.
 

O.M. No. 31011/14/86-Estt.(A) dated 07.05.1987 

Courtesy : 90paisa.blogspot.com