Tuesday, 26 March 2013
UPU News: Youth asked to write about why water is precious
As the world marks World Water Day, the UPU is urging youth to think about water’s role on this planet as part of the 42nd edition of its global competition.
42 years and counting... the UPU letter-writing competition began in 1971.
This year the competition asks young people up to age 15 to write a letter about why water is precious. Up to 60 UPU member countries and an estimated 1.5 to 2 million youth normally participate in the competition annually.
“Coming from Africa, I fully appreciate the importance of water for our planet and the social and economic implications this resource can have in countries and the world,” says UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein, who hails from Kenya. “We are delighted that our competition is focusing attention on a very relevant global issue among millions of people around the world, and we’re looking forward to reading about young people’s perspective on the matter.”
Participating member countries are currently holding the competition at the national level. They have until 30 April 2013 to submit the letter that will represent them at the international level. International finalists will vie for the UPU’s gold, silver or bronze medals.
This year, the compositions will be judged by a jury of experts including Ivan Draganic, water programme specialist at the United Nations Development Programme Office in Geneva, Stefanie Neno, communications manager at UN-Water, Adrián Puigarnau, programme manager at the Stockholm International Water Institute, and Ryan Rowe, communications officer at The Water Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Winners are expected to be announced in August 2013.
Access to water
The 2013 competition theme was chosen to coincide with the International Year of Water Cooperation and the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015. Access to water ensures the health and well-being of humans and protects nature. According to the United Nations, the world has achieved the Millennium Development Goal of halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water. Despite this, 11% of the world population still does not have access to safe drinking water.
Since 1971, millions of young people all over the world have participated in the competition at national and international levels. The competition aims to make young people aware of the role postal services play in our societies, develop their skills in composition and the ability to express their thoughts clearly, and foster their enjoyment of letter writing.
Courtesy : http://ipasporissa.blogspot.in/
FAQ ON LEAVE –EARNED, COMMUTED, PATERNITY, STUDY, CHILDCARE AND LEAVE ENCASHMENT ON LTC
FAQ ON LEAVE –EARNED, COMMUTED, PATERNITY, STUDY, CHILDCARE AND LEAVE ENCASHMENT ON LTC.
FAQ ON CHILDREN EDUCATION ALLOWANCE, JOINING TIME RULES, HONORARIUM & SPECIAL ALLOWANCE FOR CHILD CARE FROR WOMEN WITH DISABILITY
FAQ ON CHILDREN EDUCATION ALLOWANCE, JOINING TIME RULES, HONORARIUM & SPECIAL ALLOWANCE FOR CHILD CARE FROR WOMEN WITH DISABILITY.
(CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS)
Transfers and postings of Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) officers of Indian Postal Service, Group'A'
To view the memo issued by Postal Directorate,
please CLICK HERE.
Transfers and postings of Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) officers of the Indian Postal Service, Group A
To view Directorate memo No. 1-3/2013-SPG dated 25/3/2013,
please CLICK HERE.
India Post to seek licence for all-women’s bank
The bank, probably the first of its kind in the world, will lend mainly to women and women-run businesses, and will predominantly employ women. Sources said that the suggestion is being made at the ministerial level although the finance ministry has tasked a committee to prepare a blueprint of sorts.
While Department of Posts Secretary Padmini Gopinathunderlined her department's credentials saying that country's first all-women's post office had just been launched and a second one in Delhi University is almost ready, she did not specifically comment on offering to set up the proposed bank.
Gopinath, however, told TOI that the department of posts was keen on getting the Union Cabinet to endorse the plan and would prefer to seek a licence to set up a bank after receiving legislative backing to the proposal. "We would like to have legal backing, like the other public sector banks," she said at the National Editors' Conference here on Saturday. Public sector banks are backed by the bank nationalization laws of 1970 and 1980, whileState Bank of India ( SBI) and its associate banks have been set up under separate legislations.
Just last month, RBI issued final guidelines for issuing licences to "new banks in the private sector". While Gopinath said that the department was exploring the option of approaching RBI for a licence, meeting the deadline July 1 deadline may be difficult as Ernst & Young, the consultant for the banking project, is expected to submit its report around June.
Apart from suggesting a structure, the consultant is also doing a survey to ascertain the post offices that may double up as "agents" for the bank to collect and deposit funds, especially in rural areas. "We have to decide if we want to be in cities and use post offices as agents or whether we should have branches in smaller places," she adding.
As reported by TOI on March 14, the department of posts will set up a separate entity for its banking foray to tap into its network spanning around 1.55 lakh post offices. Asked about concerns that the proposed bank may pose a threat to some of the largest players as well, Gopinath said, "Threat is not an issue. The question is whether you have the reach or not. We are present in villages across India and we can help banking reach to the farthest corners of the country."
Just last month, RBI issued final guidelines for issuing licences to "new banks in the private sector". While Gopinath said that the department was exploring the option of approaching RBI for a licence, meeting the deadline July 1 deadline may be difficult as Ernst & Young, the consultant for the banking project, is expected to submit its report around June.
Apart from suggesting a structure, the consultant is also doing a survey to ascertain the post offices that may double up as "agents" for the bank to collect and deposit funds, especially in rural areas. "We have to decide if we want to be in cities and use post offices as agents or whether we should have branches in smaller places," she adding.
As reported by TOI on March 14, the department of posts will set up a separate entity for its banking foray to tap into its network spanning around 1.55 lakh post offices. Asked about concerns that the proposed bank may pose a threat to some of the largest players as well, Gopinath said, "Threat is not an issue. The question is whether you have the reach or not. We are present in villages across India and we can help banking reach to the farthest corners of the country."
Source : The Times of India, 24 March, 2013.
Revision of Interest Rates for Small Savings Schemes With Effect from 1ST APRIL, 2013
Based on the decisions taken by the Government on the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath Committee for Comprehensive Review of National Small Savings Fund (NSSF), the interest rates for small saving schemes are to be notified every financial year, before 1st April of that year. Accordingly, the rate of interest on various small savings schemes for the financial year 2013-14 effective from 01.04.2013, on the basis of the interest compounding/ payment built-in in the schemes, shall be as under :
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PIB
(Release ID :94278)
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