MODEL QUESTIONS FOR IPO & PM GRADE 1 EXAM (Qn 51 to 75)

(Postal Manual Volume VI Qn 51 to 75)

51.       Preliminary sorting of mails is done by

            a)         Mail Office                                         b)         Returned Letter Office

            c)         Post Office                                        d)         Head office                           Ans:c(84)

52.       The postman returns undelivered unpaid articles to

            a)         Treasurer                                           b)         Deposit PA

            c)         The Postmaster                                d)         Delivery PA                           Ans:c(123)

53.       An article bearing “OIGS” addressed to the officer of Central Govt Service bearing his name & designation is delivered to

           

            a)         Name                                                 b)         Designation

            c)         Incharge of the office                      d)         None of these                       Ans:b(101)

54.       To ascertain the punctual clearance of letter box, the postmaster

            a)         Post test letters                                 b)         Post trial Cards

            c)         Post test Cards                                 d)         All the above                         Ans:a(73)

55.       Delivery beat list are prepared by

            a)         Sub Divisional Head                       b)         Supdt of Post Office

            c)         Postmaster of concerned PO         d)         Head Postman of concerned beat

                                                                                                                                                Ans:c(102)

56.       Window delivery tickets are meant for receiving

a)                 Regd/Unregistered mail at the window of the PO

b)                 Fully prepaid unregistered mails for the addressee across the window

c)                  Fully prepaid unregistered mail in a locked bag

d)                 All the above                                                                                                 Ans:c(100)

57.       In case of inward unpaid foreign mails, the article can be taxed

            a)         By any post office                           

            b)         by only the Head Post office

            c)         By the office of exchange in India           

            d)         By the RMS office only       Ans:c(115)

58.       Accounts and branch office bags received in mail bags should be transferred to

            a)         The Sorting PA                                 b)         The sub account PA

            c)         The PM/SPM                                                d)         The treasurer                        Ans:d(106)

59.       The unpaid station bundle addressed to the office should be

a)                 Opened by the delivery PA                       

b)                 Taken by the Postman for delivery

c)                  Made over, unopened , by the delivery PA, to the Postmaster

d)                 None of these                                                                                               Ans:c(108)

60.       The paid unregistered article to be transferred to the deposit department at the time of delivery will comprise

a)                 Article to be redirected

b)                 Articles to be deposited

c)                  Articles the addresses of which are not known/articles with undecipherable and incomplete addresses/articles with fictitious address

d)                 All the above                                                                                                 Ans:d(113)

61.       Particulars of window delivery ticket issued should be entered in

a)                 Postmaster Order book                  

b)                 Postmaster Daily dairy

c)                  Register of window delivery tickets(MS 23)

d)                 All the above                                                                                                 Ans:c(100)

62.       Window delivery ticket prepared in form

            a)         MS 23                                                 b)         MS 22

            c)         MS 24                                                 d)         MS 11                                     Ans:c(100)

63.       Post boxes and bags entitling the renders to receive delivery of all

a)                 Fully prepaid Parcels and VP parcels

b)                 Any letters

c)                  Fully prepaid unregistered letter, ILC, PC,

d)                 All the above                                                                                                 Ans:c(100)

64.       Beat instruction register prepared in form

            a)         MS 32                                                 b)         MS 31

            c)         MS 30                                                 d)         MS 24                                     Ans:a(102)

65.       Book of addresses instructions is maintained by

            a)         Deposit Assistant                             b)         Postmaster

            c)         Mail Assistant                                   d)         Sorting Assistant                  Ans:a(133)

66.       Undelivered acknowledgement cards are to be destroyed after

            a)         15 days                                              b)         One month

            c)         Three Months                                   d)         Four Months                         Ans:d(143)

67.       If an article issued by RLO either for deliver to the addressees or to return to the sender cannot be delivered

a)                 It may be redirected whenever the revised address of the addressee/sender is not known the PO

b)                 It should be again returned to RLO

c)                  It should be burnt

d)                 It should be sent to the HPO for safe custody                                        Ans:a(139)

68.       Undelivered packets containing Registered Newspaper return to sender

            a)         On the same day                              b)         After 7 days

            c)         After 15 days                                     d)         After one month                   Ans:b(143)

69.       Permanent instructions are valid for

            a)         One year                                            b)         Two years     

            c)         Three years                                       d)         Five years                              Ans:c(133)

70.       Instructions regarding authorizing Post Office to pay money order to another person are valid for

            a)         One year                                            b)         Two years     

            c)         Three years                                       d)         Five years                              Ans:c(133)

71.       If the addressee of ordinary article is not traceable and address of the sender is not noted on the article

a)                 The article is kept in office undelivered

b)                 The beat postman tries to find out the addressee once again

c)                  The deposit PA forward it RLO after passing remark in red ink after keeping in deposit for 7 days

d)                 The article may be destroyed with permission of Postmaster / Sub postmaster .

                                                                                                                                    Ans:c(143)

72.       An article for which notice of arrival has been tendered to the addressee, it

a)                 Can be redirected to a new address

b)                 Cannot be redirected to address elsewhere

c)                  Can be redirected on collection of specified fee

d)                 None of these                                                                                               Ans:b(131)

73.       Unclaimed unregistered article marked ‘ Poste restante’ should be deposited of

            a)         Two months                                      b)         After 7 days

            c)         After 15 days                                     d)         After one month                   Ans:d(143)

           

74.       I class foreign inward mail on redirections are eligible for free redirection

            a)         Up to the new address                    b)         Within India

            c)         Not eligible for air transmission     d)         Cannot  be redirected         Ans:b(137)

75.       Instruction slip means

a)                 Letter of instruction received for public

b)                 Instruction given by the postmaster to his subordinates

c)                  A document in which gist of instruction in connection with delivery / redirection of postal article from public are communicated to departments

d)                 None of these                                                                                               Ans:c(134)

 

( Prepared by AB Kantharaja Mobile 08969822340,

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Central Govt Employees Holiday Home at PortBlair

PortBlair, May 8 (PTI) : The Central Government Holiday Home here was inaugurated by additional director general of Central Public Works department R S Sheoran, official sources said today, Sheoran inaugurated the Holiday Home located in the Central Government Offices Complex in Lamabaline, Port Blair yesterday. Inaugurating the Holiday Home, Sheoran said the Holiday home will attract more central Government employees to these islands and thereby boosting up the tourism development of the region. He said the government employees find difficulties in getting comfortable accommodation at reasonable rates at Port Blair owing to acute shortage of accommodation in the administration as well as CPWD Guest houses. He hoped that with the opening of the Holiday Home, the serving and retired Government employees will be benefited to a greater extent. He also announced that the online booking of accommodation at the home will be started soon and the allotments will be given with effect from May 15. 

 

PTI COR

via- All India Association of IPs/ASPs

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For a universal old-age pension plan

With the elderly likely to constitute a quarter of India's population by 2050, there is need for a publicly-funded, universal scheme that will overcome destitution among the aged

India's social security system is woefully inadequate, when compared even to those in third world economies with no higher per capita incomes. Some States in India have fairly comprehensive social security schemes — notably Kerala, also West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — but the scale of the benefits is modest. However, the Union government has been quite lackadaisical in providing social security despite its enormous fiscal powers. Even the Unorganised Sector Workers' Social Security Act, which came into force in 2009, is merely an enabling legislation; it does not seek to put on the statute books any specific comprehensive scheme of social security.

This stinginess is particularly evident in old-age pension schemes. Some State governments have responded to the need to provide old-age pensions, but are hamstrung by their meagre resources. The Union government's Indira Gandhi Old Age National Pension Scheme (IGOANPS) covers only the Below Poverty Line (BPL) population and persons above 65 years of age; the pension amount it provides is an abysmal Rs.200 per month. Even so, an estimated 1.65 crore people access this scheme, an indication of the desperate need for succour.

Four negatives in schemes

Even if we add up all the existing pension schemes, they touch only the fringe of the problem. First, they are an assortment of specific schemes rather than an expression of a right to pension. Second, they do not provide universal coverage. Leaving aside the pension schemes of the organised sector, the others, as they are, target specific groups of unorganised sector workers; even when not tied to specific occupational categories, such as the IGOANPS, they cover only the BPL population, whose size is arbitrarily fixed by the Planning Commission at a ludicrously low level. Third, a large number of them insist on some contribution from the beneficiaries. And fourth, the amount of pension they provide, as we have already seen, is pathetically small.

This is a serious problem, and likely to become even more so in the years to come, because the increase in longevity and the fall in the birth rate will raise the percentage of the “old.” By 2050, nearly a fifth of the world's population will be above 60. In India and China, the proportion is likely to be around 24 per cent. All over the world, progressive forces are demanding the institutionalisation of a publicly-funded, universal, non-means-related, non-contributory pension scheme for the aged, to be accessed by them as a matter of right. This demand has also begun to be raised in India, as a dharna at Jantar Mantar (May 7-11) demonstrated.

So pervasive, however, is the impact of the bourgeois media in India that even many otherwise well meaning persons may not appreciate the rationale of this demand. Why, they may ask, should a pension scheme be publicly-funded when those who draw the pension were earlier employed by private employers? Why should it be universal instead of being means-related? And why should it be non-contributory? Why should people who did not pay towards a pension scheme nonetheless enjoy a right to draw a pension?

The starting point of the answer to such questions is the basic social philosophical position that underlies the argument both for the welfare state and for socialism, namely, material deprivation is the result not of individual failing on the part of the deprived but of the social arrangement within which they live. This position is not a matter of faith; it is analytically sustainable.

To overcome destitution, including that which afflicts the old, we have to change the social arrangement which produces it. The first step in this direction is the use of the State's fiscal powers. Since the essence of democracy is that everyone must have adequate means of sustenance, access to it must be a right which is guaranteed by the State, on whom falls the responsibility of adjusting the social arrangements for this purpose.

Contribution by beneficiaries towards a State-maintained pension scheme is just one way that the State can raise resources for such a scheme. But to make that a condition for pension payment, apart from being iniquitous, undermines the right to pension that must be a part of democracy. Therefore, the demand for a non-contributory scheme is derivable from the rights-based approach, as indeed is the demand for universality. Of course the “old” are not the only deprived section in our population; poverty, deprivation and hunger are rampant in our country, but that is an argument for extending the right to adequate means of livelihood to all, not for denying it to the “old.”

Adequate means

But what, it may be asked, constitutes adequate means of livelihood? Here one can follow two different approaches. The first, used in much international discussion, is to define “adequate” in the sense of avoidance of poverty, which in India is defined officially as access to 2,100 calories per person per day in urban areas and 2,400 calories (later reduced to 2,200 calories) per person per day in rural areas. The daily per capita expenditure level at which this was achieved in 2009-10 was Rs.36 in rural (for 2,200 calories) and Rs.65 in urban areas, whose weighted average (if we are to avoid different amounts of pension payments), is Rs.46. At current prices this would be equivalent to around Rs.60; in which case the monthly pension amount on this criterion should come to Rs.1,800.

The other approach, the one adopted by the Pension Parishad, which organised the Jantar Mantar dharna, sees pensioners as “workers” and hence entitled to a proportion of the wage income as pension. Based on this, the Parishad has demanded half the monthly minimum wage rate, or (in view of the differing minimum wage rates across States) a flat amount of Rs.2,000 at the current price, whichever is higher. This approach has merit. But no matter what precise figure is adopted (and the two are pretty close to one another), the point to note is that both approaches conclude that the monthly pension payment should be far higher than the current measly sum of Rs.200.

The Pension Parishad puts the pensionable age at 55 for men, 50 for women and 45 for specially deprived communities, while international discussions fix it at a blanket 60 for third world countries. The Parishad estimates that about 10 crore people belong to these age groups. With some exclusions, e.g. those who pay income tax, or those belonging to the organised sector whose pensions already exceed the stipulated amount, or if the age is increased to say 60, that would still be around eight crore people to provide for. At the rate of Rs.2,000 per person per month, the total would come to Rs.192,000 crore which, in round figures, is two per cent of the GDP.

Questions will be immediately raised on how such resources can be found. But the required resources can be put in perspective as follows: the growth rate of the economy, as the Union government never tires of repeating, has been around eight per cent, or, in per capita terms just over six per cent. The resources required will be only one third of the increase in per capita income, i.e. a third of one year's increase in the per capita income collected from the “average” Indian will be adequate to finance a universal pension scheme. The average Indian of course does not see his or her income rising at six per cent per annum in real terms, but this should make it even easier to garner the required resources from the well-to-do who corner the increases in income. In subsequent years, since the “real” pension per head will remain unchanged and the total amount will increase only at a rate slightly higher than the rate of population growth (owing to the increase in longevity), the percentage of GDP required for the scheme will keep going down, i.e. lesser and lesser proportions of the additions to annual income will have to be taken from the “average” Indian to finance the pension scheme. This surely is affordable, especially when the Centre has given away Rs.500,000 crore per annum, i.e. more than double the amount needed for a pension scheme, in the form of corporate and other tax reliefs in recent budgets.

For raising these resources, however, fresh taxes will have to be levied. The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) had suggested a set of cesses to finance a far more modest social security scheme, costing only 0.5 per cent of the GDP. In international discussions the emphasis has been on a combination of Tobin Tax (at one per cent) and profit tax (two per cent of profits) for financing such a global scheme (which is supposed to cost $250 billion, at $1 a day for all those above 65 years in advanced countries and above 60 years in third world countries). Similar tax proposals can be worked out for India as well. The crucial need is to put democratic pressure on the State for launching such a scheme.

(Prabhat Patnaik is a UGC Emeritus Fellow at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

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Steps to fill up vacancies in CBI

Steps to fill up vacancies in CBI

The vacancy positions in CBI as on 18.4.2012 is as under:-

Cadre	Sanctioned Strength	Available Strength	Vacancy
Executive	4510	3901	609
Legal	318	258	60
Technical	155	115	40
Ministerial	1,538	1,436	102
Canteen posts	70	43	27
TOTAL	6,591	5,753	838

The occurrence and filling up of vacancies are continuous processes. Despite some vacancies in CBI, speedy investigation of various cases is ensured through effective use and deployment of existing personnel.

The Central Government has approved a scheme for engagement of Special Prosecutors and Assistant Special Prosecutors on contract basis. Till date 43 Special Prosecutors/Assistant Special Prosecutors have been engaged on contract basis.

The Central Government inter alia has taken following steps to fill up the vacancies:-
·         43 Special Prosecutors/Assistant Special Prosecutors have been appointed.
·         Proposal for appointment of 75 posts in Technical Ranks on contract basis have been approved; out of which 45 Technical Experts have been appointed.
·         Proposal for appointment of Law/Pairvi Officers etc. for 741 newly created Special Additional Courts for CBI on contract basis has been approved.
·         Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has nominated 96 Sub-Inspector candidates. Out of them, 54 candidates have joined CBI.
·         Fresh requisition for 110 dossiers of Sub-Inspector in CBI has been sent to SSC.
·         78 Constables of various Central Police Organisation (CPOs)/States Police have already been selected to join CBI on deputation basis.
·         228 dossiers of Senior Clerk Steno (SCS) and 244 of Lower Division Clerk (LDC) have been received from SSC. Out of them, 124 SCS and 189 LDCs have joined.
·         All CPOs as well as State Police have been requested to send nomination of officers/officials for deputation in CBI.

This was stated by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and PMO, Shri V. Narayanasamy in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Source: pib

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The Process Involved in becoming an IAS Officer

In this article we will talk about the process involved in becoming an IAS or (Indian Administrative Services) officer!

 
IAS officer the designated name of the post is enough to raise the hackles of any Indian young aspirant who wants to start his/her career with a boom. The prestige associated with these three latter profession is unimaginable. One who is aspiring to be an IAS officer is well aware of the position he is dreaming of, but to full fill such dreams and handle the responsibilities one will have to shoulder after reaching the coveted post is easier said than done. 

To reach at that spot one has to run a breath taking race with at least three hundred fifty thousand competitors in the form of an exam taken by UPSC every year. But once you have done this you are at the apex of public services system in India. You can claim to be one of the very best even by the tag of IAS officer with you. But before competing in civil service one should be well aware of the fact that a rose is accompanied by hundred thorns. Objective behind this practical truth - importance and responsibility are two sides of the same coin-is just to aware the aspirants of Indian Administrative Services about the hardships thereby preparing them to mentally tough for the post selection responsibilities.  

For reaching to that coveted position one has to really work hard for nearly 2  to 2-1/2 years and pass through an absorbing  test comprises of  written tests followed by interview spreading  a time span  of almost a year. To remain focused for such a long time one should be full of qualities like self-discipline, patience, punctuality, commitment self-confidence and an endless desire of being one of the best among the contestants. 

IAS officer is such a person which cannot get relaxed  after getting the post infect he have to work  diligently after attaining this position of high prestige and responsibility. To handle his work in the democratic setup  where an IAS officers decision and their implementation effects the life of hundreds of people directly and indirectly on has to  be full of stamina, alertness of mind, adaptability to follow difficult time schedules along with good team spirit. This is such a career in which you are supposed to work with people of different thoughts and mindsets   so it is you who have to make your team to work hard for the society you have vowed to serve while joining this high profile career.

Eligibility to become an IAS Officer

Educational Qualification

To be eligible for becoming an IAS officer the candidate must possess a degree from an Indian University or an equivalent qualification. Those in the final year of a degree course can also appear in the Preliminary Examination.

Age

The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years on 1st August the year of examination and must not have attained 30 years of age on that date.

The upper age limit will be relaxed by 3 years for OBC candidates and 5 years for SC/ST candidates. 

The upper age limit is also relaxed in favor of certain categories of civil servants working under the Government of India and Defense Services Personnel.

Other Eligibility Conditions:

Since these services involves decision making at the upper end of Government hierarchy. So taking into account the sensitivity of the job the aspirants have to be eligible under certain specific conditions as given ahead.

For the IAS and the IPS, the candidate must be a citizen of India.

For the other services, a candidate must be either:

• a citizen of India, or
• a subject of Nepal, or
• a subject of Bhutan, or
• a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Process to become an IAS Officer

 To be an IAS officer one has to follow the below given steps:-

Step 1

As a first step the aspirant has to procure the  UPSC's Civil Services exam “Application Form” along with “Information Brochure” from any of the “Head Post Offices or Post Offices” spread throughout the country and sent the filled Application form to: 

The Secretary, 

Union Public Service Commission, 

Dholpur House, 

New Delhi - 110011.

Step 2

  

In the month of May or June the aspirants have to take the Indian Civil Services “Preliminary examinations” renamed as Civil Services Apptitue Test i.e CSAT Consisting of two papers. The papers are on:

  

Paper	Marks	Time
1. General Knowledge	200	2 Hr.
2. Comprehension and logical reasoning	200	2 Hr.

Note: CSAT is just a qualifying exam for the Final exam and scores obtained in this exam are not added to make the final result. 

  

Step 3

Those candidates who are declared qualified in the “Civil Services Apptitude Test" are supposed to take the final exam (normally held in the month of October) having following papers

1 Essay type Indian Language Qualifying Paper	(300 marks)
1 English Qualifying Paper	(300 marks)
1 General Essay type paper	(200 marks)
2 General Studies papers	(300 marks each)
4 Optional subjects papers	(300 marks each)

  

Step 4

Once you are through the final stage is the interview. The aspirants are grilled in the interview to test their personality and mental ability. Then the final list of the successful candidates is prepared and the candidates who have secured very good rank out of 400-450(approx.) selected candidates are admitted to National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie (now renamed as Lal Bahadur Sastri National Academy Of Administration, LBSNAA) to impart training to IAS probationers. After completion of their training in various fields of administrative importance they are posted as per requirements of the Central and State Governments. 

Being All India Services the new  IAS incumbant's  services are alloted to various state  cadre under Cadre System. The Cadre system is  alloted  on  a basis of lottery and the topper of each state may get a chance to get their home state if he had applied for one. 

IAS Officer Salary

 The IAS or the Indian Administrative Services officers are suppose to handles affairs of the government at the various level in its capacity. At the central level, this involves the framing and implementation of policy of the apex government. At the district level, it is concerned with affairs of the district concerned, including development functions. At the divisional level, the IAS officers look after law and order, general administration and development work of the division they are handling. Members of the Indian Administrative Service hold various administrative posts like District Collector, Heads of Departments, and Heads of Public Enterprises at the state level etc. They can also be posted on deputation to the Central Government to various posts.

Remunerations

The Government of India has fixed salary grades for Civil Servants. Although keep on changing with new pay commission presently the range of salaries drawn at various levels is as follows:

Junior Officers	Rs. 8000-275-13500
Senior Officers	Rs. 10650-325-15200
Junior Administrative Grade	Rs. 12,750-375-16,500
Selection Grade	Rs. 15,100-400-18,300
Additional Secretary	Rs. 22400-525-24500
Secretary/Cabinet Secretary	Rs. 26,000/30,000

Note:- The above scales only provide an idea of the pay scales. Different branches of the service have different scales of pay. Even personnel of same branches may have different pay according to their area of posting and responsibility they are holding at a particular time. 

  

In addition to the salary civil servants receive various types of allowances such as Dearness Allowance, City compensatory Allowance, Leave Travel Allowance, Medical and subsidized housing.

Duties and Responsibilites of an IAS Officer 

 Being on the highest level of administrative services in both the State and Central Government  the various  level of IAS officers have  almost similar duties with increasing responsibility as level increases from a Junior Officers to a much Senior of the level of  Under Secretary, District Magistrates, Directors of public enterprises and Directors of government departments to  the Secretary. Their duties involves

1.     Planning in their district, making decisions on action to be taken. 

Making plans on drawing board  and modifying them as and when required.

2.     It is the IAS Officer's responsibility to implement the policies made in best possible way and ensure rules and regulations are followed.

3.     IAS Officers must also supervise the progress of projects in a wide range, from the public to the corporate sectors.

4.     IAS officers  is also responsible to monitor funds allocation and proper utilization for various projects, assuring that the funds are used for the intended purposes.

5.     IAS officers must assess projects, make recommendations and provide relevant information about projects, especially to parliament as and when called for.

6.     Besides all these routine responsibilities IAS Officers will represent the government of India via boards of public corporations or institutions at national or international forums.

IAS officer Career prospects

Hierarchy in the Indian Administrative Services at the Central level.

Designation	Time in Service
Under Secretary	4 years
Deputy Secretary	9 Years
Director	12 Years
Joint Secretary	20 Years
Additional Secretary	30 Years
Secretary	34 Years

Cabinet Secretary (TOP MOST POST)- This is the apex of the administrative setup in India.

Hierarchy of the Indian Administrative Services at the State level.

Designation	Time in Service
Under Secretary	4 years
Deputy Secretary	9 Years
Director	12 Years
Joint Secretary	20 Years
Additional Secretary	30 Years
Secretary	34 Years

There is no equivalent post of Cabinet Secretary in the State Administration. 

1.     The time span given above is the time period to reach to the designation given against it. But surely this is not the only criteria to reach at a particular designation. 

2.     To reach at an equivalent position in the Central administration takes longer then in the State administration because there are lesser vacancies at the central level then at the state level.

Courtesy : : http://iastoppersstory.blogspot.com/ & http://sapost.blogspot.in/ & http://katiharho.blogspot.in

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