Friday, July 31, 2020

GREETINGS ON THE EVE OF IDU’L ZUHA
ईद-उल-जुहा की पूर्व संध्या पर  शुभकामनाएं

RELAXATION OF RULE 80-A FOR PAYMENT OF PROVISIONAL FAMILY PENSION ON DEATH OF A GOVERNMENT SERVANT DURING SERVICE. (DATED 29/07/2020)  (Click the link below to view the Order)

http://documents.doptcirculars.nic.in/D3/D03ppw/Provisional_FP1_2907208f6oQ.pdf

 

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GRANT OF DISABILITY PENSION, COMPRISING SERVICE ELEMENT AND DISABILITY ELEMENT TO PRE-2006 DISABILITY PENSIONERS, WHO WERE BOARDED OUT FROM SERVICE, WITH LESS THAN 10 YEARS OF QUALIFYING SERVICE, DUE TO AN INJURY/DISABILITY, ATTRIBUTABLE TO GOVT. SERVICE. (DATED 28/07/2020) Click the link below to view the Order)  http://documents.doptcirculars.nic.in/D3/D03ppw/EOP_28072020ucOCR.pdf

 


Thursday, July 30, 2020

      UNLOCK 3 ORDER AND GUIDELINES DATED 29.7.2020
(CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE ORDER)

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

PROVISIONAL RELEASE OF RETIREMENT BENEFITS AS PER RULE 64 OF CCS (PENSION) RULES, 1972 DURING COVID PANDEMIC TIME
(Click the link below to view)
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GENERAL PROVIDENT FUND (GPF) INTEREST RATE FROM JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2020

(TO BE PUBLISHED IN PART I SECTION 1 OF GAZETTE OF INDIA)

F. NO. 5(2)-B(PD)/2020
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Economic Affairs
(Budget Division)

New Delhi, the 13th July, 2020

RESOLUTION

It is announced for general information that during the year 2020-2021, accumulations at the credit of subscribers to the General Provident Fund and other similar funds shall carry interest at the rate of 7.1% (Seven point one percent) w.e.f. 1st July, 2020 to 30th September, 2020. This rate will be in force w.e.f. 1st July, 2020. The funds concerned are:

1. The General Provident Fund (Central Services).
2. The Contributory Provident Fund (India).
3. The All India Services Provident Fund.
4. The State Railway Provident Fund.
5. The General Provident Fund (Defence Services).
6. The Indian Ordnance Department Provident Fund.
7. The Indian Ordnance Factories Workmen’s Provident Fund.
8. The Indian Naval Dockyard Workmen’s Provident Fund.
9. The Defence Services Officers Provident Fund.
10. The Armed Forces Personnel Provident Fund.

2. Ordered that the Resolution be published in Gazette of India.

(Anjana Vashishtha)
Director (Budget)



PRESS NEWS

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES RETIRING DURING COVID PANDEMIC WILL BE RECEIVING “PROVISIONAL" PENSION TILL THEIR REGULAR PENSION PAYMENT ORDER IS ISSUED: DR. JITENDRA SINGH

Posted On: 27 JUL 2020 6:35PM by PIB Delhi
Government employees retiring during COVID pandemic will be receiving “provisional" pension till their regular Pension Payment Order (PPO) is issued and other official formalities completed.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that after the Modi Government took over, the Department of Pensions had upgraded and equipped itself to deliver the PPO to the concerned employee without delay on the day of his or her superannuation. Besides this, in the last few years, taking cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on digitalization, the Department of Pension also created a Portal, which could be accessed by any government employee approaching superannuation to find out the status of his or her pension papers, he said.
However, because of the disruption in the official work due to COVID pandemic and lockdown, Dr Jitendra Singh said, some of the employees who had retired during this period may not have been provided with PPO. But, as an evidence of the present government's sensitivity towards the pensioners and the senior citizens, a decision was taken that in order to avoid a delay in the start of regular pension covered under CCS (Pension Rules) 1972, the rules may be relaxed to enable seamless payment of “Provisional Pension” and “Provisional Gratuity” till the regular PPO is issued.
As per the OM (Office Memorandum) issued by Department of Pensions, affiliated to the Ministry of Personnel, the payment of “Provisional Pension” will initially continue for a period of six months from the date of retirement and the period of “Provisional Pension” may be further extended up to one year in exceptional cases. These instructions shall also be applicable in cases where a government servant retires otherwise than on superannuation i.e. voluntary retirement, retirement under FR 56, etc.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, this decision has been taken considering that because of the constraints of pandemic and lockdown, a government servant may find difficulty in submitting his Pension Forms to the Head of Office or may not be able to forward the Claim Form in hard copy along with Service Book to the concerned Pay & Accounts Office in time, particularly when both the offices are located in different cities. This is very pertinent to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) who are constantly on the move and whose Heads of Offices are located in cities different from where the Pay & Accounts Office is located.
Vide another circular, Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DOPPW) has directed all offices maintaining GPF (General Provident Fund) Accounts to complete all credit entries including accruing interest to the employees two years before retirement and then one year before retirement so that Provident Fund is also paid accurately in time.  (Release ID: 1641560) 
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         DOPT F.No.14029/8/2019-Estt.(L) (Pt.-2)

FOUNDATION DAY BSIES

On 24th July 2020, BSIEA stepped into it's 53rd year of Foundation. On that special day they mainly focused on plantation and also hoisting of Association flag in all 14 Regional Centres throughout India. Keeping in view the safety measures due to Covid 19, a huge gathering cannot be feasible. However, their Secretary General  Com. Arup Chatterjee addressed to all and described that this Association was established in the year 1967 and joined in the strike action of Central Govt. Employees in the year 1968 without caring about punishment or others. They till continues such tradition and perticipate in all the calls of Confederation as well as trade unions. They are small in size but militants in nature. Their Secretary assured his cooperation and complete support in fights against the anti-employee policies of the Government as well as fights against selling of all profitable organisations like coal sectors, banking sectors, railways, airport and many more in all possible ways. Here are some photographs of the programme from different Regional units of BSIEA.















Sunday, July 26, 2020



Ref: Confd/Leave/COVID                                                                 Dated: 25.07.2020

To

The Cabinet Secretary,
Government of India,
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi

Sub: -   Regularisation of leave in respect of absence during Lockdown period.

Sir,

The following suggestion are submitted for regularization of leave for the absence period of Central Government Employees during lockdown period due to COVID-19:

1.      Regularisation of leave by declaring special casual leave or by declaring the unintended absence from duty as regular duty:
A.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during lockdown period.
B.     For all such essential service staffs who were not listed in the duty roaster by their head of   office during the lock down period and couldn’t attend office.
C.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during unlock period for the reason their name has not been included in the duty roaster.
D.     For all such staff who were unable to attend office duty during unlock period for derth of communication facility.
E.     All such absence should invariably be counted as duty.

2.     Reintroduction of quarantine leave for the Central Government employees who are:
a)     self-quarantined for co morbidity issue or have come across some COVID infected patients,
b)     whose friends and relatives are Covid 19 infected and are leaving in proximity,
c)     Asymptomatic patients who are self-quarantined.

Further we would like to point out the following:
a.     Quarantine Leave, as was, should not be a regular leave and akin to casual leave, it should not be treated as an absence from duty, but a leave necessitated by orders not to attend office consequential to presence of infectious diseases in the family or household of the employee.
b.     Quarantine leave was admissible earlier in cases of cholera, smallpox,
plague, diphtheria, typhus fever and cerebrospinal meningitis. Now the issue of Covid 19 infection has to be included and the Central Government has to be requested to reissue this order with certain corrections.
c.      As in case of casual leave, an employee on quarantine leave should not be treated as absence from duty and his pay and allowances are not to be intermitted.
d.     However, unlike casual leave, Quarantine leave may be combined with any other type of leave except causal leave or special casual leave.
e.     Quarantine Leave of 21 days (+ 9 days) to attend dependent in the family suffering from infectious disease should be allowed.

Sir, it may also not out of context to mention that evidences available from various pay commission reports point toward existence of Quarantine leave till introduction of CCS Leave Rules, 1972 and even today it is existing in departments like OIDB (Oil Industry Development Board) under petroleum ministry. Similar dispensation may also be brought in for all Central Government employees at this situation of Pandemic.

With greetings,

Yours sincerely,

(R. N. Parashar)
Secretary General



Ref: CONFD/CGHS/2020-21                                                            Dated: 25.07.2020

To

The Cabinet Secretary,
Government of India,
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi

Sub: -   Grant of Permission for treatment of COVID-19 infected Centra Govt. Employees in all Hospitals.
Sir,

You must be aware that the health care system in west Bengal has broken down completely to face the spread of pandemic due to COVID 19 virus. Along with common people Central Government employees too are dying for unavailability of proper treatment in time.

Most unfortunately, most of the CGHS empanelled hospitals are refusing admission under CGHS coverage, employees were forced to borrow lakhs of rupees to get themselves and their family members treated as the hospitals are charging exorbitant rates for such treatment which is quite unexpected.

Moreover, regularly our members are getting infected while in transit to and from office in public vehicles. Hence, no. of COVID 19 patients amongst Central Government employees are increasing on a regular basis. Some of our leaders from associated organizations have already died and some are struggling to find out treatment in proper hospitals.

In this circumstances we would like to request you to kindly to cause instructions to Ministry of Health and family welfare to issue instructions to all private hospitals throughout the country authorised by the state Government for COVID treatment including the isolation centres, makeshift hospitals etc. build by the sponsorship of State Governments,  municipal authorities or development authorities to allow Central Government employees and their families for treatment under Central Government Health Scheme, in addition to this a binding instruction should be given to all CGHS empanelled hospitals not to refuse a single case of admission of Central Government employees.

we fervently request you to kindly help us by giving instruction to Ministry of Health and family welfare to issue circular to the above narrated effect and oblige.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

(R. N. Parashar)
Secretary General

Saturday, July 25, 2020


REMEMBERING COM. RAJA
                                                                                     K.K.N.Kutty
                                         Vice President,  Confederation of CGE & Workers.

On 14th July, evening at about 7.00 PM my telephone rang.  The voice on the other side was of Com. Pijush Roy from Kolkata.  He phoned to know whether what has been conveyed to him about Raja was fact or not.  It was totally unbelievable and terribly sorrowful when Raja’s death was confirmed by Com. Sreekumar, President of the All India Audit and Accounts Association. Only a few days back I had a telephonic talk with him..  He appeared to be keeping fine.  On 14th he had to go to the hospital for he was having some discomfiture.  He suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed at the hospital itself.  He could not be saved despite the best efforts of the Doctor. 

During his long stay at Delhi, he had not suffered any ailments warranting hospitalization.  He was however  in constant difficulties of back-pain and got some relief from the massaging treatment he took from the Ayurvedic hospital at Trissur.  He had no known cardiac problem so long as he was at Delhi.  His untimely death was very sorrowful to his friends and his family members.  It was really sad that neither his wife nor his son could be near him when he met the death on 14th July,  evening..

Com.M.S.Raja took voluntary retirement in November, 2019, a few months before the end of his service career on superannuation.  From 2004 to 2019, he was on foreign service on deputation to work as the Secretary General of the All India Audit and Accounts Association,  New Delhi, to which position  he had been elected continuously in all the  triennial conferences held since 2004. He had been staying alone at the Audit Association’s Head quarters at Ghaziabad.   Only when his son, on completion of his education and having received employment at Gurgaon, Com.  Raja had some solace and company. 

Com.Raja came forward to take over the post of Secretary General of AIAAA in 2004 pretty well knowing that he will have to leave his family, (his wife and son )at Mumbai.   Ms.Nandini was employed at the Custom Department, Mumbai  and she was not able to go over to Delhi, having the responsibility of looking after her aged father.   Com.Raja was the natural choice of all the delegates of the all India Conference of the Association.

Com. Raja was fully aware that the position of the Secretary General of AIAAA was a seat of thorns.  By 2004,  the AIAAA which had been one of the mighty, militant and united organization of the CGEs had begun to slide down . It was a herculean task even for a leader like Com.Raja  who had the highest level of conviction, courage, dedication, mass appeal, sense of sacrifice and the capacity to work hard to bring it back to its past glory.

I came in intimate contact with comrade Raja only after his election to the position of the Secretary General of AIAAA, though on many occasions earlier,  I had the opportunity to meet and interact with  him  at Mumbai . He was an extremely straight forward person, a quality perhaps not in demand in the present day world.   He never minced words.   He had the capacity to tell what he felt without any sophistication, rather bluntly.   The very fact that such admirable character will fetch few friends and more foes did not daunt him at all.  Nor did he make any attempt to change it.  There were many factors that led to the organizational weakness of AIAAA.  Some of them were consequences of earlier decisions.  But the most important was that the Government and the C & AG administration  played   an extremely pro-active role to ensure its units are either made defunct or weakened.  Its chequered history was full of the life and struggle of quite a number of eminent persons,  to be emulated by all those who are connected with the trade union movement. 

Maharashtra unit of AIAAA was at Mumbai.  It had played a sterling role in the building up of the organization.  It is from this unit the leaders like com. E.X. Joseph rose to the eminence. He was one of the founding members of the all India Association.  When Com.Raja took over the leadership of the Mumbai Unit,  it was a pale shadow of its glorious past.  It was the sagacity, courage and leadership qualities of Com.Raja that changed the scenario..  He could bring the movement of the Audit and Accounts employees of Mumbai to its premier position.  It emerged under his leadership as one of the best performing units of AIAAA.  His sterling personality and unique position made him the natural choice for the post of the General Secretary of the Co-ordination Committee of CGEs, the state unit of the Confederation of CGE & W.   Perhaps next to Delhi and Kolkata, Mumbai had the largest number of Central Government employees as most of the GOI departments had their  offices at Mumbai.  This apart, the biggest unit of Atomic Energy Commission, BARC was located in Mumbai.  Being the biggest urban agglomeration in the country, Mumbai had its peculiar problems.  In the united struggle of the working class, initially against the LPG and later against the neo-liberal economic policies, the Audit  Employees movement under the leadership of Com. Raja had played a vital role.   He was closely associated with all the Central Trade Union Centres  at Mumbai and had a warm relationship with the movement of State Government employees  and Railway workers.  He was a well known figure amongst the leaders of all organizations of Mumbai.

It was with that rich experience he landed at Delhi.  Within no time, however,  he could realize that working from the CHQ , divourced from the exhilarating  crowd support, that are ever present at the work spots in the field formations,  was a different cup of tea.  The demonstration of the  sheer strength of the movement often opens the doors of even unwilling authorities  at the field formations for a meaningful negotiation.  The discussions with an adamant bureaucracy at the apex level were mostly procrastinating and fruitless.  As an astute person, he realized that unless the units which are varied both in size and attitude  are brought into a minimum level of functioning, insurmountable though, it was difficult to bring the organization to its past glory.  It was to accomplish this daunting task he spent most of his time  as the Secretary General of the All India Association. He undertook extensive tours to know the reality of the situation obtaining in various Units and mobilize them to ensure that the collective decisions are uniformly carried out.  He succeeded to a great extent is borne out of the extensive participation of the employees and officers in the mass casual leave programme  organized in 2010.

His tenure as the Secretary General of the Association had been turbulent.  The C&AG administration unleashed the worst form of victimization.  It appeared that the Govt. and the C& AG Administration had jointly decided to wipe out the organization.  Even peaceful demonstration to express resentment of the employees was met with stern, strong and unheard of reprisals.  The extensive victimization giving charge sheet to about 12,000 employees must have been an unprecedented action.  The utter un-tenabilty  of many of the vindictive  actions  could be seen from the way  these cases were got quashed  by the courts in the country.  But the purpose ostensibly was to create a fear psychosis and terror in the minds of the ordinary employees and thereby weaken the organized functioning of the Association.  It must be said to his credit that he could and did withstand the onslaught  with conviction, courage and determination. Pretty well knowing that the response from the members and units in the given situation might not be good,  he thought it  right  and need of the hour to commit the organization to the path of struggles   while endorsing the call of the Central Trade Unions for strike action against the neo- liberal economic policies of the Government.   On a quite number of occasions  I was witness to the sheer lack of appreciation for his efforts both from his colleagues and undoubtedly  from his permanent critics.  That however, did not dither him nor did he waver from the chosen path.   The organizational weakness which surfaced especially after the heavy doze of victimization unleashed by the authorities  had its adverse impact on the financial stability too. His stay at Delhi leaving his family behind was also beset with financial difficulties and he had not been able to draw his salary every month.  That had been the nagging problem till his retirement. 

He had been a tower of strength for all of us, especially for me, in the day to day functioning of the confederation.   Beset with innumerable problems and financial difficulties, he found time to work for the confederation.  The place Com.Vyas was living, some time at Mandir Marg, then at North Avenue and lastly at Feroze Shah Road, was the centre for all of us to meet and discuss  the issues concerning the CGE movement.  Com.Raja unlike others had to travel quite a distance to reach the city as he was living in Ghaziabad.  It used to take not less than 2 hours to traverse the distance.  It was only when the Metro was extended to Vaishali,  his travel problems eased to some extent.  Despite all these problems he used to attend the meetings and contribute immensely to the decision making process.

At the time of preparation of the memorandum to the 7th CPC,  the centre of activities was shifted to Manishinath Bhawan, Rajouri Garden,  where the ITEF CHQ  had been located .  Com.Raja stayed there on a number of days as  most of the discussions had to be conducted during night sessions.  After the death of Com . Vyas,  Com.Raja succeeded him to the Standing committee of the Staff Side in the JCM., National Council.  His contribution during the preparation  and formulation of issues, while tendering evidence before the Commission and later at the negotiation with the Government  had all been praiseworthy. 

One of the special and sterling qualities, I could notice in him and wanted to imbibe but failed miserably, was his ability to tell what he felt without any sophistication and follow it up with a wonderful laugh to make  the ambience normal and jovial.  Like his mentor Com.Vyas,  Com.Raja was also fond of preparing good food. I do not know whether it was by compulsion of circumstances or really he enjoyed it.  I had on innumerable occasions stayed with him at his residence in Ghaziabad.  In fact I had found solace in his company and those were really unforgettable days.   It is during those days, I could get a fair picture of his life, his family and the ambience in which he spent his childhood.   Having born in a feudal landlord family of Kerala, he was supposed to have a wonderful and joyful childhood.    That was not the case was the truth.  He  was a very active participant in student movement of Kerala.   From  St. Thomas College, Trissur, he was elected as a councillor to the Calicut University.   He was also a member of the District Committee of SFI during his college days.   His commitment to the ideology, which he realized to be the best for the humanity, had been his forte.   He never dithered at any point of time,  and also had no hesitation to express his differing opinions and views on contemporary issues quite bluntly. 

He had often expressed his wish to settle down at his native village,  construct a house on the plot which he had inherited, to be in the midst of  his old friends and spend the evening of his life away from the maddening crowd  of cities and towns. He was to begin the construction of that dream house. He went over to Trissur with that in mind but got bogged down due to corona Virus .  Those remained as mere wishes.

His death has saddened all those with whom he had come in contact and established friendship.   It is quite impossible for them to obliterate his image from their minds as he had such a strong and pleasing personality. His immortal and inimitable style of loud laughter to dispel the smog of despair in the ambiance shall linger on as an indelible impression of his personality, perhaps without death. It is only with sorrowful tears I can bid adieu to you, comrade.