Friday 14 September 2012

Seniority of officers holding posts/grades in grades merged in pursuance of recommendations of Sixth Central Pay Commission.

Click here to view DoP&T letter No. 20020/4/2010-Estt. (D), Dated the 13th September, 2012

Soon, the postman will knock, tablet in hand

Very soon, your friendly neighbourhood postman will bring along a tablet computer when he knocks at your door, to carry out all transactions related to delivery of cash, banking activities and a few more.
Infosys’ Vice-President and Head for India Business Raghu Cavale told Business Line that India Post is in talks with the IT major to source hardware and software for the next phase of its computerisation. This project will involve sourcing of low-cost 7-inch and 10-inch tablets and the development of apps for them. Infosys will also develop intellectual property (IP) out of its Bangalore office for these apps.
While the tablets will be used by the postman to enter data such as digital signatures and a delivery challan, the apps will be used by India Post to update its backend database in real time, helping it cut down on errors and fraud. India Post covers about 200 million customers across India and offers small savings schemes, postal life insurance, rural postal life insurance, pension payments and wage disbursements.
The postal department is looking at these solutions as a part of its modernisation drive and to increase operational effectiveness.

Growth forecast

On its part, Infosys sees its India business growing to about $1 billion in the next four years. It recently bagged a key IT outsourcing and consulting deal with India Post and another deal from the Income-Tax Department for its electronic TDS division.
At present, the India operations of Infosys contribute 2 per cent of its $7-billion revenues but the software major considers India one of its key emerging markets. This importance can be gauged from the fact that Infosys’ India business is one of the four verticals within Infosys that reports to the board directly.
The India Post project, which Infosys bagged recently, is worth Rs 700 crore. This project is aimed at spreading financial services across 1.5 lakh post offices in the country. As part of the project, Infosys will also install 1,000 ATMs for India Post to increase the effectiveness of its delivery channel. 
The Hindu Business Line, Sept 12, 2012

'Dakiya' back in 'khaki'

INDORE: Once the ubiquitous postman, whose uniform was changed from 'khaki' to blue to give him a corporate look, has been longing to go back to his original dress code. In fact, after the switch from 'khaki' uniform with a matching 'Netaji' cap, postmen feel that they had lost their 'friendly' image and wish to regain the image a 'dakiya' (popular name in Hindi for postman) through the 'khaki.'
There are 3,129 postmen in Madhya Pradesh who would now don back the khaki with the new India Post red logo. The team includes 119 women who would be supplied with khaki sarees replacing the existing blue ones. For men, the reverted khaki uniform, however, would not have the old Netaji cap.
It was in 2004 when the Union government changed the uniform of postmen from khaki to sky-blue shirts and deep-blue trousers. For women, the sky-blue sarees has a dark-blue border. The department of post personnel had been long demanding reverting the dress code.
"The blue uniform had not only nudged us out of market, but even made us look strangers," said president of postal employees association Prahlad Jaiswal, who has been spear-heading the fight to win back the almost lost-craze for the postman. "A crucial meeting on 'khaki uniform' with senior officials of the Madhya Pradesh circle will be held on September 13 at Bhopal, and we have been asking the Union government to reconsider our demand of going back to khaki," he said.
"The change from khaki to blue aimed to give a corporate touch from the drab-sounding and dull-looking khaki. However, no one realized that the change in uniform will make the postmen invisible," said the secretary of the association, Raju Yadav.
"The khaki uniform had given us the look of a government employee and made us look something different from run of the mill. Look at the uniform of forest officials and policemen, they are still the same and make them stand out from the rest of security agencies and other uniforms worn by the government employees," said Yadav.
"The decision to return back to khaki has already been taken," said a senior official of the postal department preferring anonymity. "It is a matter of time when postmen would be distributed the khaki uniform," he said.
Source : The Times of India, Sept 12, 2012

Five foreign consultants in race for ‘Post Bank of India’ project

The Department of Posts has issued request for proposals (RFP) to five top notch foreign consultancy firms for the proposed Post Bank of India project.
The five short-listed firms are Accenture Services, Boston Consulting Group, Ernst & Young, KPMG Advisory Services and McKinsey & Co.
The Department of Posts (DoP) is looking to set up a bank — Post Bank of India (PBI) — to provide banking services with special focus on rural areas.
Besides providing a platform for financial inclusion, the Post Bank of India will provide means of additional revenue generation for the DoP.
The consultancy firms chosen, out of the five short-listed ones, will as part of the assignment focus on Detailed Project Report (DPR) on creation of PBI, financial viability of PBI, proposed organisational structure of PBI in the light of RBI regulations, and relationship between PBI and Post Office Savings Bank. 
Source : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com

Officials working in the posts of PO & RMS Accountant are eligible for Special Allowance even after grant of MACP upgradation - orders of Directorate

It was ordered by Postal Directorate vide O.M F.No 1-02/2011-PAP dated 31.08.2012 that both the unqualified and qualified officials posted against the posts of PO&RMS Accountants are entitled to necessary Special Allowance on their financial up gradation under MACP Scheme. The Special allowance shall however be discontinued on their functional promotion.
These orders will apply mutatis mutandis to the officials working in the posts of Cashiers /Treasurers also.
 
Click here to view the said Directorate letter in original.

Amendment to CCS(Commutationof Pension) Rules, 1981

Click here to view the Gazette notification on amendment to Central Civil Services (Commutation of Pension ) Rules, 1981

National Anomaly Committee Meeting Minutes issued by DOPT

Department of Personnel and Training has issued detailed minutes with agenda items of the meeting of National Anomaly Committee held on 17th July, 2012.

Click the link to view the order...

DOPT issued ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) on ‘Right to Information Act’ (RTI)

DOPT issued FAQ on RTI
Department of Personnel and Training has issued an another clarifications on Right to Information Act (RTI) as in the form of FAQ. Nearly seventeen questions and answers are compiled with simple and effective information. We reproduced the contents of the FAQ and given below for your reference…

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) ON RTI (AS ON JANURARY 2012)

Q.1. What is Information?  
Information is any material in any form. It includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions,  advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data 
material held in any electronic form. It also includes information relating to any private body which can be accessed by the public authority under any law for the time being in force.  

Q.2 What is a Public Authority? 
A "public authority" is  any authority or body or institution of self government established or constituted by or under the Constitution; or by any other law made by the Parliament or a State Legislature; or by notification issued or order made by the Central Government or a State Government. The bodies owned, controlled or substantially financed by the Central Government or  a State Government and non-Government organisations substantially financed by the Central Government or a State Government also fall within the definition of public authority.  The financing of the body or the NGO by the Government may be direct or indirect.  

Q.3 What is a Public Information Officer? 
Public authorities have designated some of its officers as Public Information Officer.  They are responsible to give information to a person who seeks information under the RTI Act.

Q.4 What is an Assistant Public Information Officer? 
These are the officers at sub-divisional level to whom a person can give his RTI application or appeal.  These officers send the application or appeal to the Public Information Officer of the  public authority or the concerned appellate authority.  An Assistant Public  Information Officer is not responsible to supply the information. The Assistant Public Information  Officers appointed by the 
Department of Posts in various post offices are working as Assistant Public Information Officers for all the public authorities under the Government of India. 

Q.5. What is the Fee for Seeking Information from Central Government Public Authorities? 
A person who desires to seek  some information from a Central Government Public Authority is required to send, along with the application, a demand draft or a banker’s cheque or an Indian Postal Order of Rs.10/- (Rupees ten), payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority as fee prescribed for seeking information.  The payment of fee can also be made by way of cash to the Accounts Officer of the public authority or to the Assistant Public Information Officer against proper receipt.  However, the RTI Fee and the mode of payment may  vary as under Section 27 and Section 28, of the RTI Act, 2005 the  appropriate Government and the competent authority, respectively, by notification  in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Q.6. What is the Fee for the BPL applicant for Seeking Information? 
If the applicant belongs to below poverty line (BPL) category, he is not required to pay any fee. However, he should submit a proof in support of his claim to belong to the below poverty line. 

Q.7. Is there any specific Format of Application? 
There is no prescribed format of application for seeking information. The application can be made on plain paper. The application should, however, have the name and complete postal address of the applicant. 

Q.8. Is it required to give any reason for seeking information? 
The information seeker is not required to give reasons for seeking information.

Q.9. Is there any provision for  exemption from Disclosure of Information? 
Sub-section (1) of section 8  and section 9 of the Act enumerate the types of information which is exempt from disclosure.  Sub-section (2) of section 8, however, provides that information exempted under sub-section (1) or exempted under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 can be disclosed if public interest in disclosure overweighs the harm to the protected interest.     

Q.10. Is there any assistance available to the Applicant for filing RTI application? 
If a person is unable to make a request in writing, he may seek the help of the Public Information  Officer to write his application and the Public Information Officer should render  him reasonable assistance.  Where a decision is taken to give access to a sensorily disabled person to any document, the Public Information Officer, shall provide such assistance to the person as may be appropriate for inspection.

Q.11. What is the Time Period for Supply of Information? 
In normal course, information to an applicant shall be supplied within 30 days from the receipt of application by the public authority.  If information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it shall be supplied within 48 hours.  In case the application is sent through the Assistant Public Information Officer or it is sent to a wrong public authority, five days shall be added to the period of thirty days or 48 hours, as the case may be.  

Q.12. Is there any provision of Appeal under the RTI Act? 
If an applicant is not supplied information within the prescribed time of thirty days or 48 hours,  as the case may be, or  is not satisfied with the information furnished to him,   he may prefer an appeal to the first appellate authority who is an officer senior in rank to the Public Information Officer.  Such an appeal, should be filed within a period of thirty days from the date on which the limit of 30 days of supply of information is expired or from the date on which the information or decision of the Public Information Officer is received. The appellate authority of the public authority shall dispose of the appeal within a period of thirty days or in exceptional cases within 45 days of the receipt of the appeal. 

Q.13. Is there any scope for second appeal under the RTI Act? 
If the first appellate authority fails to pass an order on the appeal within the prescribed period or if the appellant is not satisfied with the order of the first appellate authority, he may prefer a second appeal with the Central Information Commission within ninety  days from the date on which the decision should have been  made by the first appellate authority or was actually received by the appellant.

Q.14. Whether Complaints can be made under this Act? If yes, under what conditions? 
If any person is unable to submit a request to a  Public Information Officer either by reason that such an officer has not been appointed by the concerned public authority; or the Assistant Public Information Officer has refused to accept his or her application or appeal for forwarding the same to the Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be;  or  he has been refused access to any information requested by him under the RTI Act; or he has not been given a response to a request for information within the time limit specified in the  Act; or he has been required to pay an amount of fee which he  considers unreasonable; or he believes that he has been given  incomplete, misleading or false information, he can make a complaint to the Information Commission. 

Q.15. What is Third Party Information? 
Third party in relation to the Act means a person  other than the citizen who has made request for information.  The definition of third party includes a public authority other than the public  authority to whom the request has been made.

Q.16. What is the Method of Seeking Information? 
A citizen who desires to obtain any information under the Act, should make an application to the Public Information Officer of the concerned public authority in writing in English or Hindi or in the official language of the area in which the application is made. The application should be precise and specific. He should  make payment of application fee at the time of submitting the application as prescribed in the Fee Rules. 

Q.17. Is there any organization(s) exempt from providing information under RTI Act? 
Yes, certain intelligence and security organisations  specified in the Second Schedule, are exempted from providing information excepting the information pertaining  to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations.

Source: www.persmin.nic.in