Confederation Of Central Government Employees & Workers: August 2024

Saturday, August 31, 2024

CONFEDERATION CIRCULAR

PRESS NEWS

AYUSH

AYURVEDIC WHOLE SYSTEM EFFECTIVE IN MANAGING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: STUDY

Posted On: 29 AUG 2024 4:22PM by PIB Delhi

A new scientific study has revealed the significant effectiveness of the Ayurvedic Whole System (AWS) in the management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting millions worldwide. This pioneering research demonstrates that AWS not only alleviates the symptoms of RA but also induces a metabolic shift towards normalisation in patients, offering a promising complementary approach to conventional treatments.

The study was conducted by a group of senior researchers from reputed research institutions, including Arthritis Treatment and Advanced Research Center (A-ATARC), Department of Kaya Chikitsa, State Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Lucknow University; Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR), SGPGIMS Campus, Lucknow; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad.

“This study is significant from the perspective of possible pathology reversal in case of RA being treated with whole system Ayurveda approach. This endorses ayurvedic concepts of ‘Samprapti Vighatan’ where a pathogenesis – disease complex is dismantled and ‘Doshas’ are brought back to normality.”, mentioned the first author Dr. Sanjeev Rastogi.

Published in the PubMed-indexed research journal, Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medicine (JAIM), the study highlighted substantial improvements in key clinical parameters among RA patients who underwent AWS intervention. There was a notable reduction in Disease Activity Score-28 Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (DAS-28 ESR), as well as decreases in both the total number of swollen and tender joints. Additionally, the Ama Activity Measure (AAM) Score, which assesses the presence of toxins in the body, also showed a significant reduction post-intervention.

The research further explored the metabolic profiles of RA patients, comparing them to healthy controls. At the study's outset, RA patients exhibited elevated levels of certain metabolites, including succinate, lysine, mannose, creatine, and 3-Hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), alongside decreased alanine levels. However, following AWS treatment, these metabolic markers began to shift towards the levels observed in healthy individuals, indicating a return to a more balanced metabolic state.

As per the researchers, this study is the first of its kind to clearly demonstrate the clinical efficacy of AWS in managing RA. The intervention not only reduced symptoms but also promoted a metabolic environment conducive to homeostasis, potentially leading to long-term benefits for RA patients.

While these findings are promising, the study's authors emphasise the need for further research to confirm these preliminary results and to better understand the mechanisms through which AWS exerts its therapeutic effects.

This breakthrough underscores the potential of integrating traditional Ayurvedic practices with modern medical approaches to improve patient outcomes in chronic conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Study Link : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11264181/

SK (Release ID: 2049763)

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MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS

UNION MINISTER DR. JITENDRA SINGH TO LAUNCH THE NEW SINGLE SIMPLIFIED PENSION APPLICATION FORM 6-A AND INTEGRATION E-HRMS WITH BHAVISHYA
Form Simplification is aimed at improving Ease of Living for Pensioners

Posted On: 29 AUG 2024 11:22AM by PIB Delhi

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) is dedicated in improving the Ease of Living for pensioners through continuous enhancements in Pension Rules and Procedures. The DoPPW had notified the CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, and these rules have been integrated with Bhavishya.

DoPPW vide its notification dated 16^th July, 2024 released New Single Simplified Pension Application Form 6-A. This form will be available in Bhavishya/e-HRMS to all the Central Government Employees who are going to retire in December 2024 and onwards. The retiring officials, who are on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A through e-HRMS (only Superannuation cases) and the retiring officials, who are not on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A in Bhavishya.

This new form is integrated with Bhavishya/e-HRMS. This New form and its integration with Bhavishya/e-HRMS will be launched on 30^th August 2024, at National Media Center, New Delhi, under auspicious presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

This is an action point of DoPPW's 100 days of Action plan for new government that has been fulfilled. Form Simplification has been an important initiative of Government's "Maximum Governance - Minimum Government" policy.

In this new form a total 9 Forms/Formats have been merged. The old Forms/Formats that have been merged are Form 6, 8, 4, 3, A, Format 1, Format 9, FMA and Zero Option Form.In order to incorporate this change, amendment to Rules 53, 57, 58, 59, 60 of CCS Pension Rules, 2021 have been made. The amendment has been notified following the due process of consultations with all the stakeholders such as Dept of Expenditure, Dept of Law & Justice, Controller General of Accounts, Comptroller & Auditor General of India, Dept of Personnel and Training.

This new form and related changes in the business process of Bhavishya, will be a game changer, on the one hand simplifies the pension form submission for the employee to a single sign only and on the other hand achieves the end-to-end digitisation of the entire process of pension processing till the start of pension payment after retirement. This paves the path towards paperless working in the whole process of pension. With a pensioner friendly User Interface, now the pensioner need not to worry about the forms which he has filled or might have missed. KSY/PSM (Release ID: 2049638)

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Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

9 FORMS MERGED INTO SINGLE FORM: UNION MINISTER DR. JITENDRA SINGH UNVEILS NEW SINGLE UNIFIED PENSION FORM FOR SENIOR CITIZENS"

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Vision Realized: Single Form to Simplify Pension Process for Elderly" says Dr. Jitendra Singh

Department of Pension adds another feather in the cap with a series of reforms such as Digital Life certificates, Pension Adalat, Anubhav Awards, PRE- retirement counselling workshops: Dr Singh

Posted On: 30 AUG 2024 4:23PM by PIB Delhi

In a significant move aimed at enhancing the ease of living for senior citizens and pensioners across the nation, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today announced the launch of a single unified form, merging nine separate forms into one “Form 6-A’ and integration of e-HRMS with Bhavishya today at National Media Centre, New Delhi.

This initiative reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to simplifying processes for senior citizens, enabling them to contribute effectively to the vision of a "Viksit Bharat" by preserving their energies and expertise while saving their valuable time.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh, emphasized the importance of this reform, stating, "The launch of the ‘Single Simplified Pension Application Form and Digital Integration of Bhavishya with e-HRMS’ is another milestone and a feather in the cap of the Department of Pension, which has consistently introduced reforms to improve the lives of our senior citizens.

Minister of State, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh congratulated both the departments for these joint efforts in order to realize PM Modi’s priority and welfare of Senior citizens. The Department of Pension has been at the forefront of introducing several landmark reforms over the years, including the Digital Life Certificates, Pension Adalats, Anubhav Awards, and Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops. These initiatives have been instrumental in ensuring transparency, efficiency, and a seamless experience for pensioners across the country.

The Minister recalled the special campaign for family pension grievances and shared that it has crossed the mark of 96% redressal rate including resolution of several long pending cases of dependent minor children, divyang daughters, widow/divorced daughters, dependent mothers and widows of war veterans.

Explaining the details the minister said “The retiring officials, who are on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A through e-HRMS (only Superannuation cases) and the retiring officials, who are not on e-HRMS, will fill Form 6-A in Bhavishya. He also added that Form submission by the Pensioner with single e-Sign (Aadhaar based OTP) will be enough.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also released Gazette Notification of New Single Pension Application Form: A vital step towards Ease of Living for retiring officials along with Compendium of Pension related Instructions.

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has developed an “Integrated Pensioners’ Portal” using Bhavishya platform as the base to provide a Common Single Window Portal for pensioners and elderly citizens. The State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India and Union Bank of India are already integrated their Pension Portals with the Integrated Pensioners’ Portal.

Today Dr Jitendra Singh launched integration of Central Bank of India Pension Portal with Bhavishya. Presently, 4 facilities viz. Monthly Pension Slip, Status of Life Certificate, Submission Form 16 of the pensioner and Due & Drawn Statement of pension arrears paid, are being provided by these Banks. The goal is to integrate all Pension Disbursing Banks with this portal for a unified user experience.

According to Dr. Singh, the newly launched unified form is designed to streamline the process for pensioners, reducing the complexity of handling multiple forms and significantly cutting down on the time and effort required. This user-friendly approach is expected to benefit millions of senior citizens, enabling them to manage their pension-related matters with greater ease and convenience.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said “Government remains committed to its vision of empowering senior citizens and harnessing their wisdom and experience for the development of the nation. This latest initiative is a testament to the continued efforts to simplify and improve the systems that directly impact the lives of our elderly population.”

Shri.V Srinivas, Secretary, DoPPW; Sh. Vivek Joshi, Secretary, DoPT, Shankari Murali, Addl CGA; Sh. Dhirendra Ojha, Pr. DG, PIB, Shri Dhrubajyoti Sengupta, Joint Secretary (Pensions) and Sh. M V Rao, MD & CEO, Central Bank of India were present for the launch ceremony. KSY /PSM (Release ID: 2050101)

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

PRESS NEWS

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS

UNION GOVERNMENT ISSUES COMPREHENSIVE GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING PUBLIC GRIEVANCES

Posted On: 26 AUG 2024 5:46PM by PIB Delhi

Union Government has issued Comprehensive Guidelines for Handling Public Grievances in line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s directions for making grievance redressal time-bound, accessible and meaningful. The Guidelines for Effective Redressal of Public Grievances seek to empower citizens, streamline process, bring greater clarity and focus to redressal of public grievances.

The key highlights of the Comprehensive Guidelines for Handling Public Grievances are as follows:

An integrated user-friendly grievance filing platform with CPGRAMS www.pgportal.gov.in being the common open platform on which grievances can be registered by citizens which will operate as a single window experience.
Appointment of Nodal Officers for Public Grievances in all Ministries/ Departments who will address grievances promptly, fairly and efficiently. Ministries/ Departments with high grievance loads to have dedicated Nodal Officers.
The Role of the Nodal Officer is effective categorization, monitoring pendency, examine the feedback for process and policy improvements, undertake root cause analysis, collation of monthly data sets and supervisory oversight of the Grievance Redressal Officers of the Ministry/ Department.
Dedicated Grievance Cells shall be set-up in every Ministry/ Department with sufficient resources having knowledge of schemes and activities.
The timelines for effective grievance redressal have been reduced to 21 days. In cases where grievance redressal is likely to take longer, citizens shall be given an interim reply.
An escalation process has been envisaged with the appointment of appellate officers and sub-nodal appellate officers in Ministries/ Departments.
The Redressal of Grievances shall be undertaken in a whole of government approach and action taken report shall be filed by the grievance redressal officers on CPGRAMS.
The feedback on disposed grievances shall be sent to the citizen by SMS and email. Every disposed grievance, feedback shall be collected through the feedback call centre and if the citizen is not satisfied he can file an appeal to the next senior authority.
Government will undertake an analysis of the feedback from citizens using the AI powered analytical tools – the tree dashboard and the intelligent grievance monitoring dashboard.
A grievance redressal assessment index for ranking Ministries/ Departments shall be issued on a monthly basis.
Training and Capacity building of grievance officers on CPGRAMS shall be conducted through 36 Administrative Training Institutes of States/ UT’s under the SEVOTTAM scheme.
Ministries/ Departments are encouraged to periodically review grievance redressal in Senior Officers Meetings and ensure adequate communication and awareness of the grievance redressal systems amongst all stakeholders.

The 2024 Policy Guidelines reiterate the Government’s commitment for Effective Grievance Redressal and manifest the technology improvements undertaken with the 10-step reform process adopted. The CPGRAMS portal has redressed nearly 60 lac Public Grievances in period 2022-2024 and has mapped 1.01 lac Grievance Redressal officers of Ministries/ Departments and States/ Union Territories. The Grievance Redressal timelines under the 2022 policy guidelines were 30 days, which have been brought down to 21 days. KSY/PSM (Release ID: 2048939)