DEPARTMENT OF POSTS, POSTAL DIVISION, PATIALA-147001 Punjab

Philatelic Exhibition

2012-01-23T07:08:00.002+05:30

Seventh Delhi State Level Philatelic Exhibition”Dharohar-2012” was inaugurated by Ms. Manjula Prashar, Secretary Department of Post Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in New Delhi today. Inaugurating the exhibition Ms. Prashar said that Philately not only helps you understand and preserve your heritage but also takes your vision abroad across borders. Speaking on the occasion Shri G. G. Saxena, Managing Director Delhi Tourism said that Delhi is competing to be declared as heritage city of the world by UNESCO and every stakeholder is to work hard for it. Dr. Rama Sarma, Director National Science Centre said that attempt must be made to inculcate an attitude for enquiry and philately helps in this endevour. Speaking on the occasion Ms. Rameshwari Handa, Chief Post Master General (Delhi Circle) said that philately helps in developing aptitude for intricate details and comes handy in times of needs. Eminent writer and columnist Ms. Sadia Dehlvi rekindled nostalgic memories of letter writing in her address to the gathering.

The exhibition is being organized at National Science Centre from 22nd January to 24th January 2012. 230 frames are at display. Three broad categories include Invitation 29 frames; Competition (Senior) 70 frames and Competition (Youth) 131 frames. The Exhibition ‘Dharohar-2012’ is being organized in collaboration with the National Science Centre.

To mark this occasion, Special Covers on National Science Centre and Dilli Haat were released by Delhi Postal Circle. During the function a Philatelic kit was also released in order to promote Philately among young kids. My Stamp facility inaugurated by Ms. Sadia Dehlvi is an additional attraction for the visitors of the exhibition.

Numerous other activities are planned during “Dharohar-2012” for the school children. These include workshop on Astronomy for kids, Workshop on Films and Philately, Painting competition, Quiz and Magic Show. The winners of Painting competition organized by Delhi circle on Children’s day on the theme “Post Office 2050” will also be rewarded with Cash prizes, Medals and Certificates. Closing ceremony will be held on Tuesday 24.1.12.

Shri LN Sharma Post Master General (Delhi Circle) and other senior officers of the Department of Post were present on the occasion.

SETTLEMENT REACHED AFTER FIVE ROUND DISCUSSIONS WITH POSTAL BOARD

2012-01-16T21:15:00.000+05:30

The Postal Federations have to serve Strike Notice to bring the Postal Board officers on negotiating table. Gist of discussions held during the course of the meeting is as follows.

1 (a) Mail Network Optimization Project

Attention of the staff side was drawn to the relevant part of the minutes of the meeting taken with JCA on 27.12.2011. Besides, with reference to the concern expressed by the staff side in the matter of high percentage of “Returned to Sender” (RTS) mail under Speed Post BNPL scheme, the staff side was informed that the existing provisions of the IPO Act do not confer any authority on the Department to charge from the customer in RTS cases. However the new tool under the project has enabled the Department realize the high instances of RTS mail and take up the issue with such customers. It was also informed that in order to address the problems relating to back routing of Speed Post, recently 21 new intra- Circle hubs have been created.

With respect to the proposed network redesign for the first class mail in terms of L1 and L2 mail offices, the Chairperson informed that the Project seeks to streamline core mail operations, expedite processing of mail and increase mail and parcel traffic. The Chairperson assured that L2 mail offices will not be closed for the next three years. L2 mail offices in metro cities (other than those in Delhi & Kolkata where AMPCs are under installation), will not be closed for the next two years. When AMPCs will be installed in these cities, the matter relating to consolidation of mail offices will be discussed with the staff Side. The staff side expressed its reservations about the proposed implementation plan for First Class mail in terms of its impact on closure of mail offices and transfer of staff. On the issue of change of administrative jurisdiction over Speed Post Centres/Sorting Hubs, the staff side was informed that instructions were issued to the circles earlier in this regard. From the report received from 20 circles, it is ascertained that 53 out of 87 Sorting Hubs are already functioning under the administrative control of an RMS Division. Proposal for change in administrative jurisdiction from Postal to RMS Division has been received from MP circle in case of two Sorting Hubs, which will be examined.

Minutes of the meeting dated 27.12.2011

Following issues were discussed in the meeting:

(i) Member (O) as Chairman explained that we need to constantly develop and improve our services. Staff side also supported and said that they are not against modernization of the department.

(ii) The Chairman agreed with the staff side that Heads of circles should honour the decision taken at apex level. He reiterated that the department doesn't want to close or change the public interface and sorting will be done by RMS staff.

(iii) Staff Side raised a number of issues of Maharashtra Circle. Since it was not possible to discuss the issues related to only one circle, it was decided to hold a separate meeting on the issues pertaining to Maharashtra Circle, some time later.

(iv) The Staff side expressed their apprehension about the implementation of network redesign for first class mail saying the L-2 mail offices will have very little mail to process and may lead to closure of these offices in future. They also expressed their apprehension that in urban areas and especially metro cities the merger may lead to closure of RMS Divisions. It was explained to the staff side that the Department would like to implement the new network design for first class mail with further assurance that no L-2 mail office will be closed till the completion of the MNOP Project. It was further assured that no staff will be transferred from one city to another unless some officials are themselves willing to move to bigger stations. It was also assured to staff side that the merger of mail offices will be put on hold in Mumbai and Chennai till the new sorting machines are in place.

(v) It was also informed that for the mail offices under the revised network, the Department is going to train the officials of the RMS to handle the new business . Training will also be given in areas of investigation of frauds and monitoring of frauds. It was also assured that in case the new network leads to any back routing of mail, the Department would be open to reassess the arrangements based on the volume of mail that is being back routed.

(vi) The Staff side pointed out that the orders issued by the Directorate vide No. 6-5/2011-D dated 20.10.2011 regarding the administrative control over speed post centres/sorting Hubs have not been implemented by the Circles.

(vii)The Chairman assured that Heads of Circles would be reminded to submit their compliance report on Directorate O.M. dated 20.10.2011 within a week's time. The same will also be monitored through Video Conference. It was decided to discuss this issue with Heads of Circles in the VC scheduled to be held on 12.01.2012.

(viii)Instructions regarding putting in complete address of the addressee in the system at the booking point have already been issued , but the same are not being followed in many circles. It was assured to reiterate the instructions.

(ix) The Chairman agreed for providing department transportation for the staff deployed at AMPC, Delhi to and from Dhaula Kuan. Suitable instructions have already been issued. to CPMG Delhi Circle.

1 (b) Closure/merger of Post offices

The staff side drew attention of the Chairperson to the variance that existed between what was minuted as a result of discussions held in June/July 2011 and what has been circulated amongst the Heads of Circle vide letter No. 40-6/2011-PLG(Pt.) dated 25.08.2011. The Contention of the staff side was that merger of a post office with another post office actually tantamount to closure of Post office to which they cannot agree. The matter regarding rationalization of Postal network was discussed. Staff side agreed that post offices may be shifted in cases of litigation and poor condition of buildings. Staff side also agreed that closure of post office should be accompanied by simultaneous relocation of the same to other areas. However, the staff side stated that there should not be temporary merger of Post offices. The matter was discussed and it was agreed that there was a need for rationalization of postal network instead of resorting to temporary merger of post offices, Circles will identify areas where new post offices are required and would also identify post offices that do not meet the norms and do not have sufficient work. Circles will submit a report to the Directorate for examination.

2(a) Grant of Central Civil Servants status to Gramin Dak Sevaks

Attention of the staff side was drawn to relevant portion of the minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011. In the matter of scrapping the new recruitment rules for promotion of Postmen, the staff side was explained the view point of Department of Personnel and Training regarding prescribing some minimum quota of direct recruitment element, all recruitments to be made at the level of either MTS or Postmen, and was asked to give suggestions in the light of the above for further consideration by the Department.

2(a) Grant of Central Government Civil Service Status to Gramin Dak Sevaks

Minutes dated 27.12.2011

The staff side was apprised of the background of instruction of EDA/GDS system in the Department of Posts, especially in the context of their conditions of engagement which are totally different from regular Government employees. Special mention was made about their part time nature of work and the additional source of income which were the basic conditions for their engagement. While commending the role of Garmin Dak Sevaks in the functioning of Department of Posts, Member (Personnel) as Chairperson of the committee explained to the staff side the improvements which have taken place in their engagement conditions over the years.

Minutes dated 10.01.2012

2 (b) In the matter of enhancement of bonus ceiling Gramin Dak Sevaks to Rs.3500/- the staff side was apprised of the position as reflected in the minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011. It was further made clear that as per decision taken in the meeting held with the staff side earlier, the matter was examined in consultation with Integrated Finance Wing where it failed to find favour.

2 (c) The issue of withdrawal of upward change in norms for cash handling etc. was decided to be relooked into, as per minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011. Further the issue of stopping reduction of TRCA in case of reduction of work load will be reviewed in the light of decision taken on the issue of norms for cash handling.

Note: - Minutes dated 27.12.2011

2(e) Withdrawal of tightened norms for cash handling

The Chairperson agreed to have a relook into the matter.

(NB: The basic issues such as Civil servant status, Bonus etc. will be further discussed in the Minister’s meeting)

2 (d) Compassionate appointment of GDS

The System of awarding marks for making compassionate appointment in case of GDS will be examined in the light of the proposal given by the staff side.

2 (c) Filling up of GDs Mailmen posts in RMS

As recorded in the minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011 the feasibility of redeployment of mail men posts in new areas eg. Employment in IAP areas will be examined.

The Staff side desired the following issues to be examined:

(a) supply of chappal (b) repairs/replacement of fans (c) review of cash conveyance allowance. It was agreed to look into these.

3. Revision of wages of casual labourers

The staff side was apprised that a committee had been constituted under the Chairpersonship of CPMG Assam Circle to look into the issues pertaining to casual labourers and it is likely to submit its report shortly. The staff side was advised to give additional inputs, if any, to the Committee which would be taken into account while finalizing the recommendations.

4. Revision of OTA rates

As recorded in the minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011, it was decided to examine the proposal keeping in view the OTA rates that are being observed in the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Defence. The operational requirements of the Department were highlighted by the staff side which were duly appreciated during the discussions. In the matter of punishment of officials due to non performance of OTA duty, earlier instructions of the Department were reiterated on 09.01.2012 and the staff side was supplied a copy of it.

5. Implementation of assurance made on 12.07.2011

The following issues were discussed in the meeting:

(a) Counting of special pay to PO and RMS accountants by implementation of judgment of High Court of Karnataka.

The judgment of High Court of Karnataka in the matter of treating special allowance for fixation of pay etc. was quoted by the staff side with a request not to file an SLP in the matter particularly when the Ministry of Law and Justice opined against it. The staff side was informed on the action taken in the matter in the form of calling for relevant information from the circles to be examined in consultation with the Integrated Finance wing.

(b) Restriction on tenure posting in single/double handed Post offices.

The Staff side was informed that an order relaxing the restriction in the matter referred to above is under issue.

It was informed that instructions already exist on the subject which would be got reiterated.

(d) Protection of pay of defunct PO and RMS Accountants

The Staff side requested to extension of benefits as decided in the case of Natha Singh, Punjab Circle. It was agreed to circulate the clarification given to Punjab Circle to the remaining circles also.

(e) Discontinue the fidelity Bond to SPM/Treasurers

The matter will be looked into.

(f) Arbitrary and forcible allotment of staff quarter

The view point of the staff side was well taken. It was informed that the information regarding vacant staff quarters lying in various circles had been called for in the light of which policy guidelines will be formulated covering inter alia forcible allotment of quarter including post attached quarters especially where such post attached quarters is outside the premises of the post office building, as pointed out by the staff side.

(g) Non supply of balance statement every year to officials covered under NPS.

The contention of the staff side was that the issuing of the balance statement to officials covered under New Pension Scheme was not being attended to with the result that they are not aware of details of their credits etc. The staff side also mentioned that in the earlier meeting, the Department made a commitment to start issuing balance sheet by 31.03.2011. In this context, the staff side was apprised of the issue of password to the members of the scheme which would be enable them to approach the main server for this purpose. Further instructions will also be issued for issue of balance statements to all members of the scheme.

(h) Enhancement of financial powers LSG, HSG II and HSG I

The matter is under examination.

(i) Recovery of over payment on account fixation of pay, and allowances to Postmen/bonus to GDSs

The view point of staff side was that recovery should not be made from the salary of APM Accounts/Accountants due to over payment made to Postmen in the process of implementation of Fifth Pay Commission recommendations. The Staff side however contended that the Department should have filed an SLP against the judgment of High Court to avoid making recoveries from the salary of APM Accounts/Accountants. Stressing on the point of making recoveries from Postmen’s salary who got over paid, it was stated that in case it was not possible, the excess paid amount should be got written off.

The Staff side apprised the Secretary that huge amounts are being recovered from Accountants/APM Accounts and, therefore, requested her to decide the cases from humanitarian angle. Secretary assured that the matter will be examined in Directorate.

(j) Honorarium for invigilators engaged in Departmental Examinations

The matter is already under process for considering enhancing the honorarium.

(k) Allowing the physically handicapped candidates for appearing in IPOs examinations

The Staff side was informed that the matter has been taken up with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment the nodal Ministry for the purpose. All information required by the nodal Ministry has been supplied and the matter is being favourably considered.

(l) Grant of cash handling allowance to PO Treasurers at par with Cashiers and the grant of allowance to all irrespective of their position in MACP

The matter regarding bringing Treasurers at par with Cashiers will be examined. As regards payment of cash allowance to Treasurers irrespective of benefit extended under MACP, the issue has been the subject matter of a Committee appointed for examination of various allowances in the Department and report of the committee is under examination.

(m) Holding of Department council (JCM) meetings.

The staff side was assured of holding of timely Departmental Council (JCM) and periodical meetings. It was decided that the meetings would be held regularly beginning from February 2012. The Staff side made a suggestions for having a standing committee meeting before holding of the Departmental Council meeting and the suggestion was agreed to. The meeting of the standing committee will be held prior to the Department Council meeting (JCM).

6. Immediate finalization of cadre restructuring

As recorded in the minutes of the meeting held on 27.12.2011 the proposal is under consideration of a Committee under the Chairmanship of DDG (P). The staff side expressed their concern about undue delay in finalization of the proposal on whichthe Chairperson desired finalization of this process by 31^st March 2012. It was assured that the time lines would be adhered to. As regard restructuring of Postal Accounts officials, it was informed that the proposal was cleared by JS&FA and stands referred to Secretary (Posts). It was also decided to have separate committee under the Charipersonship of Ms. Sandhya Rani, PMG (BD), Andhra Pradesh Circle with Director (MV) as the other official member and S/Shri Giriraj Singh and D. Theagarajan as staff side members, to consider cadre restructuring of MMS Staff. The Committee will submit its report within three months from the date of formation.

7. Decentralization of PLI/RPLI

The staff side was explained in detail about the competition being faced by the Department in the field of PLI/RPLI and the benefits to be derived by decentralizing the functions. The staff side expressed apprehension about relocation of staff due to the process of decentralization. Member (PLI) explained as to how the role of DPLI was going to be redefined by making the job more productive and the fact that job description for each category of staff had been worked out and the staff of PLI will play an important role in increasing the business and providing after sale service. The request of the staff side to permit the Circle/Regional Office branch of PLI to accept, process and service the policies relating to their Headquarter cities where they were located was accepted to.

The issue relating to payment of incentive though not discussed in the meeting will be examined by CGM PLI as it form a part of Charter of Demands.

8. Filling up of all vacant posts including GDS posts.

The Staff side was informed of the mass scale recruitment of regular employees made in the year 2010-11. The staff side was further apprised of the suitable instructions regarding filling up of GDS Posts issued by the Department vide letter No. 17-103/2007-GDS dated 17.02.2011. The instructions were reiterated vide letter of even number dated 06.01.2012. in regard to the proposal of the staff side to redeploy of 2/3 posts for the period up to 2008 kept in skeleton, it was informed that the posts were decided to be abolished by an Inter Ministerial Committee and hence it was not possible to redeploy the same.

9. Ensure 100% filling up LSG, HSG – 2, HSG -1 promotional posts before implementation of Post Masters cadre. Eligibility of Post Masters cadre official for appearing in IPOs/PSS Group ‘B’ examination as also the accounts line officials.

The staff side was explained of the difficulty in filling up of HSG I posts on regular basis due to non finalization of revised rules of recruitment. It was also assured that the matter will be taken up with UPSC, to finalise the same on priority. As regards, filling up of LSG & HSG-II Posts, the staff side was apprised that the instructions were issued to all the circles to fill up vacant posts. This was subsequently followed up by a DO reminder from Member (Personnel) also. As regards, eligibility of officials for Postmaster cadre to appear in the IPs/PSS Group ‘B’ examination, it was decided to reexamine the issue. The eligibility of POs/RMS accounts officials for opting for Post Master cadre will also be considered.

10. Creation of a separate cadre for System Administrators

The issue is a part of the subject matter being considered by Cadre Restructuring Committee. The staff side explained in details the nature of duties of System Administrators which inter alia include acting as a trainer and demanded for grant of travel allowance as per SR 25 and Road Mileage in the event of their moving out of station. The Committee has given its recommendations. Appropriate orders will be issued shortly.

11 (a) Combination of beats/double duty, stop harassment of staff by insisting on 100% delivery under Project Arrow etc.

As a follow up of the minutes recorded for the meeting of 27.12.2011, the composition of the committee which was appointed to consider issues relating to Postmen was revised and an order to this effect was issued on 09.01.2012. The Committee has been given one month time to submit its recommendations.

The Staff side expressed their concern about supply of good quality uniforms and other kit items.

The following decisions were taken in this regard:

(a) A proposal will be sent to the Department of Personnel & Training to revise the rates of uniforms, kit items etc. which were fixed in the year 2002.

(b) A clarification will be sought from the DOP&T on the rate of trouser cloth fixed at Rs. 86 per meter and then linking it up with the DGS&D rate contract.

12. Fixing norms for newly assigned works of Multi Tasking Scheme (MTS). Allow to decline Postmen promotion for MTS under seniority quota without loosing MACP promotion:

The duties to be performed by MTS have been clearly defined by the Department. The issue of allowing MTS to decline promotion to Postmen cadre under seniority quota without loosing MACP promotion will be looked into.

13. Grant of promotion to Drivers/Artisans at par with Railways/Defence.

The view point of the staff side was that MMS Drivers are plying heavy vehicles with more onerous responsibilities that staff car drivers and therefore they should be compared with drivers of the transport departments. The Chairperson agreed to examine the issue in details keeping in view the practice followed in Ministry of Railways and Defence, State transport or any other Government department where drivers have to drive similar vehicles.

As regards artisans, the staff side was apprised of the sincere efforts already made by the department in consultation with Ministry of Finance. The proposal did not find favour on the grounds that the cadre of charge hand stands merged with that of Artisan Grade-I. However, it was agreed to have a further relook into the issue.

14. Declare SBCO staff as divisional cadre and stop harassment under Contributory factors.

The existing system of transfer of SBCO staff for rotational transfer within the cluster of divisions will be reiterated. In exceptional circumstances Director HQrs., in consultation with AO/ICO (SB) may consider movement of officials outside the cluster. As regards the issue of recovery under contributory negligence factors the proposal of the staff side will be examined.

15. Filling up of Civil Wing Posts

CE (Civil) was asked by the Chairperson to initiate urgent action to fill up all vacant posts. The staff side raised question of lapse of a number of posts due to these remaining vacant for more one year. CE (Civil) informed that the proposal for revival of all those posts was referred to DDG (Establishment).

As regards creation of new offices of Civil Wing the staff side was informed that it would not be feasible.

The demand for transfer of existing staff within jurisdiction of the Postal circle, the staff side was informed that there were very limited number of posts in Civil Wing and even out of these around 40% posts were lying vacant and, therefore, it was not feasible to examine the proposal. However the position will be reviewed when all the administrative posts in the Civil Wing are filled up. The staff side brought to the notice of the Chairperson the need for restructuring of Civil Wing cadres and finalization of the pending rules of recruitment. It was agreed to pursue the same on priority.

16. Functioning of Postal Accounts offices

It was explained to the staff side that DAP offices in Guwahati and Shillong, have been established. The question of providing facilities for the staff Raipur will be looked into by DDG (PAF). As regard Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, the proposal will be examined after introduction of technology.

The question of grant of Group ‘B’ Non-Gazetted status to Senior Accountants will be considered as per the decision made by the other organized accounts cadres.

It was agreed to take action on priority for filling up of accounts posts in Postal Accounts Wing. The question of discrimination in promotion against the MTS officials to the cadre of LDCs after 2006 including the seniors in the Sorting cadre will be examined. The staff side was also apprised that at present there is no proposal to decentralize the Postal Accounts.

17. Counting of past service as RTPs for promotion and MACP

In the light of the Supreme Court judgment on the subject, there is no scope for further examination of the proposal.

18. Implementation of apex court judgement in case of Relaxed Rules of Recruitment (RRR) candidates.

The judgment of the apex court has been implemented in letter and spirit which clearly state that this should not be treated as precedent for the purpose of any other case or cases. In view of the above there is no further scope of re-examining the matter.

19. Stop victimizing under contributory negligence factor.

The Chairperson explained to the staff side that it would not be possible to issue any sweeping order in the matter as each case needs to be decided on its merits and the competent authority while disposing of the matter does take into account all the relevant factors including involvement of the official and the appellate channels are available.

20. Stop discrimination towards PO & RMS Accounts Cadre.

It was decided to refer the matter to the committee constituted for cadre restructuring for examination.

21. Enhancement of LR strength

It was not found possible to enhance the LR strength as demanded by the staff side.

22. Ensure prompt grant of Child Care Leave

Suitable instructions in this regard already stand issued.

23. Review of MACP clarificatory order and rectify the issues like non-drawal of special allowance etc.

The issue was referred to the Committee constituted on allowances. The committee has submitted its report which is under consideration in the Department. It was agreed to issue the following clarifications:

(a) Grant of MACP will not be deferred on the ground of contemplated disciplinary/vigilance proceedings.

(b) Instructions on review of ACRs/APARs by screening committees will be reiterated.

(c) Recovery ordered by DAP in AP and West Bengal Circles in the matter of pay fixation on MACP in case of MTS is being looked into.

(d) Cases relating to declining promotion prior to issue of MACP order (prior to 2009) would be examined and appropriate orders issued.

24. Drop FR 17-A etc.

The staff side was apprised of liquidation of arrears in the matter of Rule 9 (Pension Rules) disciplinary cases with further clarifications that all out efforts are being made to clear the pendency. As regards imposing of FR 17A, the staff side was explained that the Department’s instructions on the subject provide for involving the said provisions only in case of incitement, violence etc. the instructions were reiterated on 09.01.2012.

25. Legitimate right to avail holidays etc.

The staff side expressed their serious concern about deputing of officials at odd hours in the name of organizing melas etc. Instances were brought to the notice when officials were called as late as 8 to 9 pm and 1.30AM for holding meetings/melas etc. Special mention was made by the staff side about Karnataka Circle. It was agreed to call for a report from the Karnataka Circle based on which suitable action will be taken.

In view of the detailed discussions held and decisions taken, the staff side was requested to call off the proposed strike.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.

2012-01-01T10:57:00.003+05:30

Year End Review of Achievements and Initiatives of Department of Posts

2011-12-29T21:20:00.002+05:30

Department of Posts has the largest postal network in the world. It provides postal facilities within reach of every citizen in the country through its vast network at affordable prices. During the long journey from 1857 onward, India Post network has expanded from 23,344 post offices to 1,55,035 post offices as on 31.3.2008. Of these 1,39,173 Post Offices are in rural areas and 15,862 Post Offices in urban areas with an average post office serving 7,174 people and covering an area of approximately 21.2 sq. kms. Some of the important significant events of the Department, particularly focused at Aam Aadmi are as under:-

Enrolling the citizen for ‘Aadhar’ and dispatching the ‘Aadhar’ letters

MOU between Department of Posts and Unique Identification Authority of India - A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between Department of Posts and Unique Identification Authority of India for printing, booking, transmission and delivery of letters carrying ‘Aadhar’ numbers of the residents through Speed Post. More than 2.5 Crores of ‘Aadhar’ letters have so far been printed and dispatched by Department of Posts. Department is also working as Registrar with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for providing ‘Aadhar' enrollment service through select Post offices. During the year 2011(upto 1st week of Dec, 2011, over 41 lakhenrollments have been done.

Improving Mail processing and delivery

The Department of Posts has initiated Mail Network Optimization Project to improve the quality of mail processing, transmission and delivery. The project seeks to optimize the existing mail network of Department of Posts with a view to streamline core mail operations. It also seeks to bring in greater standardization and improvement in the operational processes relating to mail processing, transmission and delivery and proposes to introduce a more effective Performance Management Mechanism for mail operations.

Setting up of Automated Mail Processing Centre’s - The Department has undertaken a project to set up Automated Mail Processing Centers (AMPCs) in six major cities with a view to automate mail sorting.

The letter sorting machines would be able to sort approximately 35000 articles per hour whereas the Mixed Mail Sorter would sort approximately 16000 articles per hour.

The Mixed Mail sorting machines would help in faster processing of large size letters flats and packets/ parcels through the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.

Automation in mail processing would also help the department in modernization of mail network, consolidation of sorting activities and expedite mail sorting and delivery in these cities.

Creation of National Address Data Base Management System - Under this project, the Department has undertaken and initiative to put in place a national address database management system with an objective to effectively manage the address database of public/ customers, update the addresses online, and help the customers in locating correct addresses and PIN codes. The project has been completed in to two metro cities where address data up to street level has been collected and street directory prepared.

Mechanization of delivery processes - The Department has also taken steps to mechanize mail delivery in phased manner. In order to ensure better monitoring of vehicles used for mail delivery, vehicles are being equipped with the Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

Project Arrow

In this year more than 10,000 post offices are being monitored online.

The Department initiated Project Arrow in April, 2008. The project envisages up gradation of Post Offices in urban and rural areas both in terms of upgrading and enhancing the quality of service. The Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in Public Administration was received for Project Arrow-Transforming India Post-2008.

Introduction of e-enabled services

In the current calendar year, the Department of Posts supplied computer hardware and peripherals to 9,600 single handed Post Offices. By the end of December 2010, 14,415 Post Offices had been computerized in the Department. In total 24,015 Post Offices have been computerized so far.

Remotely Managed Franking System- In the wake of evolution of advanced technology in the franking system allowing not only inkjet/digital printing with more security but also creation of electronic support system facilitating remote setting of franking machines with enhanced security and transparency in accounting system, India Post have introduced Remotely Managed Franking System (RMFS) in place of existing electronic Franking Machines. Around 2,981 RMFS machines have been licensed and activated as on November, 2011.

The Department has also signed agreement with two Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to take complete responsibility of satisfactory functioning of the Remotely Managed Franking System (RMFS) server and machines associated with it.

E-Post office- E-Post office Portal was also commissioned during the current year for e-Commerce activity of the Department of Posts which provides for ‘on time sale of philatelic material.’

E-VPP (Electronic Value Payable Parcels) - E-VPP is a service made available in 1,100 post offices; herein the value of payable panel is updated and sent to the sender online by recipient, avoiding the time lag to enable him to make payment through e-payment system of the department.

eMoney Order (eMO) - The electronic money order, which has been launched in October 2008, facilitates transmission of ordinary money orders through electronic media. India Post has also signed bilateral agreement for exchange of electronic international money order service with Emirates posts, UAE.

Contributing to the financial inclusion of the rural people:

Wage disbursal under Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)- Extensive rural postal network of the country is actively engaged in disbursal of wages of MGNREGA with high levels of efficiency. During the year 2011 the Post Offices disbursed about Rs. 6,000 crore by September, 2011 through about 5.27 crore savings accounts of MGNREGA workers standing in the Post Offices. Thus, the Department of Posts significantly contributed towards the success of this unique social security arrangement of unprecedented scale.

Financial Inclusion of Below Poverty Line (BPL) Household- Department of Posts leveraged its network and outreach to financially include BPL households by targeting them for opening their savings accounts in the Post Offices and thus providing them with access to savings services. During the year 2011 more than 84.77 lakh households were financially included through this initiative by October, 2011.

Collection of Data for Computing Rural Consumer Price Indices-MOS&PI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation)approached Department of Posts for collection of relevant data from rural areas for the MOS&PI. This would directly help policymaking for rural economy on various important issues. MoU was signed between MOS&PI and Department Posts to collect data on the prices being paid by the consumers in rural areas for selected consumer goods. Due to engagement of Department of Posts it was possible for the Ministry to bring out Rural Consumer Price Index and All India Consumer Price Index in February 2011, for the first time. Since then the Consumer Price Index is being regularly computed and issued by MOS&PI in each month.

Data for Rural CPI is collected for 1181 villages across the country every month. The Branch Post Masters (BPM) concerned ct prices of 185 to 292 commodities from the local market on the weeks fixed for each village.

Other significant initiatives

RGI Logistic Project – Distribution of census materials through Logistics Post was a massive project and it is managed under a Project model. With a vast network of post offices across the country, India Post could arrange for the distribution of the materials in an effective manner. This helped Registrar General of India(RGI) to undertake mammoth task of reaching every citizen of India and conduct the census remuneration work successfully. Distribution project of the census consignments was handled in two phases.

In order to facilitate the operations, which started in last week of December 2010 and Logistics Post booking counters were established in all the printing presses and consignments were transmitted through multimodal transport system in order to effect the timely, safe and secure delivery of the census consignments.

During the phase 2 operations of the project, 9967 MT of census materials was distributed by India Post to nearly 12,000 locations across the country including Reverse Logistics services for collection and distribution of the census materials from the Census Offices in the Talukas/ Municipalities etc. to Directorate of Census Operations in each State as well as Data Scanning Centers.

A web page has also been developed in order to provide real time tracking of the census consignments and to monitor the progress of the project.

Flat Rate Parcel Service (Domestic) - With the Indian economy growing at a fast pace, the express parcel industry has been growing consistently. As a part of business strategy and with a view to restructure its parcel business, Department of Post launched Flat Rate Parcel (Domestic) Service during February 2011.

Flat Rate Parcel provides an added convenience to the customers by offering pre-paid boxes in different weight slab as per the requirement of customers. It is an air express service under the brand 'Parcel Post' and provides time bound delivery of parcels. These boxes available in three capacities viz. 1 Kg, 2.5 Kg and 5 Kg are specially designed to ensure safe and secure transmission and delivery of the consignments. Sold at identified Post Offices only these can be booked at all computerized Post Offices.

ePost - ePost, a hybrid mail service is presently available in 3998 Post offices. During the year 2011(upto Nov, 2011), 9.92 lakh of messages have been sent and Rs.81.07 lakh earned as e-post charges.

Passenger Reservation System(PRS) - In order to provide Railway Tickets through convenient locations, Railway Reservations Tickets of all classes are being sold at the Post office in association with Ministry of Railways (MOR). The service is presently available at 172 Post offices and network is being further extended. During the year 2011 (upto October, 2011), DoP earned Rs.2.04 Crores as commission by issuing 13.73 lakh tickets through Post Offices.

Sale of Gold Coins - India Post sells 24 carat Gold coins of the denomination of 0.5 g, 1g, 5g, 8g, 10g, 20g and 50g through select Post offices. The Service is presently available in 728 Post offices. During the year 2011(upto Nov, 2011), the Department earned Rs.6.25Crores as commission by selling 591.4 KG of Gold Coins.

Creating “Financial Awareness” –This year National Stock Exchange signed an MOU with India Post for installation of LCD TVs in select Post offices for creating “Financial Awareness” among the public.

Round Table Conference - A Round Table Conference on “Partnering India Post: 2012 and Beyond” was organized by the Department of Posts at Hotel Ashok in July 2011. Key stakeholders from Banking/ Insurance/ Telecom/ FMCG/ IT/ e-Commerce/ Logistics/ Publications/ Financial Institutions/ Government Ministries & Departments/ Industry Associations/ Academic Sector participated in the Conference and engaged into discussions to give shape to the India Post 2012 Project and explore strategic tie-ups with India Post.

Customer Care

Customer Grievance Redressal Mechanism- The system of acceptance/receipt of complaints in the Department of Posts is readily accessible to the public. Each post office works as a receiving point for complaints. The Department has also introduced the facility for customers to register complaints online at its website www.indiapost.gov.in from the year 2001. The reach of upgraded interconnectedComputerised Customer Care software for grievance handling is being widened and it is expected to cover 10,459 Post Offices during the current financial year (2011-12).

Implementation of RightTo Information Act, 2005 - CAPIO module developed by NIC for use of the department has been made functional in 4707 Post Offices. Offices selected under Project Arrow are being authorized to act as Central Assistant Public Information Officers (CAPIOs) in addition to the existing ones. Besides this, Department has appointed 845 CPIOs to facilitate Right to Information Act, 2005 in the Department of Posts.

International Relations

India Post successfully hosted the meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Quality of Service Fund of Universal Postal Union in July, 2011. The Board of Trustees comprising 9 elected members from different geographical regions of the world is responsible to oversee appropriate distribution and approval of projects that merit QSF funding. India Post is one of the nine elected members of the BOT.

Department of Post hosted a meeting of an Expert Group of postal administrations of SAARC countries in New Delhi on 15^th and 16^th of September, 2011 to discuss the Constitution and General Regulations of proposed South Asian Postal Union(SAPU). The meeting was convened successfully with the necessary quorum. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal could not attend the meeting. They however, expressed their strong support for creation of SAPU. A joint statement proposed by the Chairman was signed by the Expert Group requesting SAARC Chair to announce the formation of South Asian Postal Union. SAPU would promote cooperation among Postal Administrations and improve services in the region, development of common terminal charges and lower postage rates based on regional costing rather than the current system which is based on world averages, facilitate human resource development and sharing of best practices in postal sector.

The Cabinet approved the proposal to join the proposed SAPU comprising of SAARC member countries. The Cabinet also approved the setting up of an ad-hoc Secretariat for the SAPU at New Delhi which will be headed by an interim Secretary General from Department of Posts, Government of India.

Source: Press Information Bureau Release dated 28^th December, 2011.

Eligibility criteria for the posts of Postal/Sorting Assistants

2011-12-11T18:31:00.000+05:30

Eligibility criteria for the posts of Postal Assistants and Sorting Assistants…
This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology SHRI SACHIN PILOT in written reply to a question (2145 - Shri M.B.RAJESH) raised in Lok Sabha on 07.12.2011 regarding the eligibility criteria for recruitment in Postal Department.

MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR RECRUITMENT

Question :-
(a) whether the Department of Posts has specified any fresh eligibility criteria for the posts of Postal Assistants and Sorting Assistants;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons thereof;

(d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons thereof;

(e) whether the Government proposes to amend the eligibility criteria to include vocational streams; and

(f) if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard?

Answer :-
(a) Yes Madam.

(b) The educational criteria and other qualifications required for direct recruits are:

(i) 10+2 standard or 12th class pass with at least 60% marks, from recognized University/Board of School Education/Board of Secondary Education with English as a compulsory subject (excluding vocational streams), 55% for other Backward Classes and 45% for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes.

(ii) Should have studied local language of the State or Union Territory of the concerned Postal Circle or Hindi as a subject at least in Matriculation or equivalent. Earlier “Scheme of Examination” for direct recruitment provided for, short listing of the candidates to the extent of 10 times of the reported vacancies, based on the marks obtained by them in 10+2 standard or 12th class. As per the amended Recruitment Rules, all candidates having the prescribed educational qualification and are otherwise found eligible would be called for appearing in the examination. Apart from it, the candidates who had studied Hindi up to Matriculation have also been made eligible. The said amendments in the Recruitment Rules have been done to widen the field of selection.

(c) The provisions of the earlier Recruitment Rules in this regard have been retained.
(d) Not applicable in view of reply to (c).

(e) No Madam.

(f) Does not arise in view of reply to (e) above.

Recruitment Rules Postal Assistant/Sorting Assistants, 2011

2011-11-19T08:21:00.001+05:30

Department of Posts has notified Department of Posts ( Postal Assistants and Sorting Assistants) (Group-C Non-gazetted) Recruitment Rules, 2011. These have been published in Official Gazette on 3.11.2011. They come into force from the date of publication in Official Gazette.

For direct recruitment 10+2 or 12 Standard candidates with atleast 60% marks with English as compulsory subject [ excluding vocational stream], 55% for OBC and 45% for SC/ST will be eligible.

GDS should have obtained 50% marks in +2 or 12th standard and should have put in minimum 5 years service.

Gazette notification can be assessed at http://apgds.blogspot.com/2011/11/postal-assistant-sorting-assistant.html

Secretary Posts Inaugurates India Post Pavilion at IITF-2011 A Set of Two Stamps on “CHILDREN’S DAY” Which were Released

2011-11-14T21:02:00.000+05:30

India Posts is participating in India International Trade Fair – 2011 organized by ITPO from 14.11.2011 to 27.11.2011 at Pragati Maidan. Ms. Manjula Prasher, Secretary Posts inaugurated the India Post’s pavilion today set up at Hall No. 12 in Pragati Maidan. A set of commemorative Postal Stamps on Children’s Day was also released by her on this occasion.

Following are the attractions of the pavilion:-

- Project Arrow - Transformation of Rural Post Offices

- A variety of Premium Products/Services

- Tailor made solutions for your mailing needs

- Customized Business Packages for Corporate Customer

- Solution for your logistics needs

- Financial Services

- Insurance Services

- Philatelic Stamps/Stationery

- Flat Rate Parcel Boxes- Domestic & International

- Print to Post – offering services printing, pre-mailing and dispatch of mail under one

roof.
A puppet show was also organized on the occasion underlining the importance of post

offices in the life of common man.

Every Year the Department of Posts brings out special Postage Stamp on Children’s Day to mark the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru on 14th November.

Going by the tradition, Department of Posts has issued a set of two stamps on “Children’s Day” which were released by Ms. Manjula Prasher, Secretary (Posts), during a formal function organized at India Post Pavilion, IITF-2011, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

India Post, to create awareness on the tigers which are one of the most endangered species in the world and also on the verge of extinction, conducted “Design A Stamp” contest with the theme to save “The Tiger” on 12.12.2010 as one of the special events of INDIPEX-2011.

Children through their paintings had highlighted the critical areas that have caused the drastic decline of tiger population in India in a creative way. This year INDIA POST is presenting the collection of prize winning entries, at the national level on a set of two stamps, miniature sheet, First Day Cover.

Each painting is a message in itself with the plea to all of us that saving the tiger will save our ecosystem for the generations to come.

These stamps FDC, Mini sheet and cancellations were designed by Ms. Alka Sharma.

Source: PIB Release dated 14.11.2011.

Ministry of Finance decisions on Small Savings Schemes rationalization

2011-11-12T07:52:00.002+05:30

No. 6-1/2011-NS.II (Pt.)

Ministry of Finance

Department of Economic Affairs

(Budget Division)

----

New Delhi, the 11^th November, 2011.

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Sub: Decisions on the recommendations of the Committee for Comprehensive Review of National Small Savings Fund (NSSF).

The Thirteenth Finance Commission in its Report had, inter alia, recommended that all aspects of the design and administration of the NSSF be examined with the aim of bringing transparency, market linked rates and other much needed reforms to the scheme.

As a follow up of this recommendation, the Government had constituted a Committee on 8^th July, 2010, headed by Smt. Shyamala Gopinath, the then Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India for comprehensive review of NSSF. The terms of reference of the Committee included review of the existing parameters for the small saving schemes in operation and recommend mechanisms to make them more flexible and market linked; review of the existing terms of the loans extended from the NSSF to the Centre and States and recommend on the changes required in the arrangement of lending the net collection of small savings to Centre and States; review of other possible investment opportunities for the net collections from small savings and the repayment proceeds of NSSF loans extended to States and Centre; review of the administrative arrangement including the cost of operation; and review of the incentives offered on the small savings investments by the States.

2. The Committee submitted its report to the Government on 7^th June, 2011. Comments/views of Department of Posts, Department of Revenue, Department of Financial Services, Department of Expenditure and all State/Union Territory Governments were sought on the recommendations made by the Committee.

3. The recommendations of the Committee have been considered in detail, taking into account the views/comments received from other Departments, States/UTs and representations received from various agents’ associations and others. After detailed examination the following decisions have been taken:-

Rationalisation of Schemes

(i) The maturity period for Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) and National Savings Certificate (NSC) will be reduced from 6 years to 5 years.

(ii) A new NSC instrument, with maturity period of 10 years, would be introduced.

(iii) Kisan Vikas Patras (KVPs) will be discontinued.

(iv) The annual ceiling on investment under Public Provident Fund (PPF) Scheme will be increased from ` 70,000 to ` 1 lakh.

(v) Interest on loans obtained from PPF will be increased to 2% p.a. from existing 1%

p.a.

(vi) Liquidity of Post Office Time Deposit (POTD) – 1, 2, 3 & 5 years – will be improved by allowing pre-mature withdrawal at a rate of interest 1% less than the time deposits of comparable maturity. For pre-mature withdrawals between 6-12 months of investment, Post Office Savings Account (POSA) rate of interest will be paid.

Interest Rates on Small Savings Instruments

(i) The rate of interest paid under Post Office Savings Account (POSA) will be increased from 3.5% to 4% p.a.

(ii) The rate of interest on small savings schemes will be aligned with G-Sec rates of similar maturity, with a spread of 25 basis points (bps) with two exceptions. The spread on 10 year NSC (new instrument) will be 50 bps and on Senior Citizens Savings Scheme 100 bps. The interest rates for every financial year will be notified before 1^st April of that year.

(iii) Assuming the date of implementation of the recommendations of the Committee as 1^st December, 2011, the rate of interest on various small savings schemes for current financial year on the basis of the interest compounding/payment built in the schemes, will be as given below:-

Instrument Current Rate (%) Proposed Rate (%)

Savings Deposit 3.50 4.0

1 year Time Deposit 6.25 7.7

2 year Time Deposit 6.50 7.8

3 year Time Deposit 7.25 8.0

5 year Time Deposit 7.50 8.3

5 year Recurring Deposit 7.50 8.0

5-year SCSS 9.00 9.0

5 year MIS 8.00 (6 year MIS) 8.2

5 year NSC 8.00 (6 year NSC) 8.4

10 year NSC New Instrument 8.7

PPF 8.00 8.6

(iv) Payment of 5% bonus on maturity of MIS will be discontinued.

Commission to Agents

(i) Payment of commission on PPF schemes (1%) and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (0.5%) will be discontinued.

(ii) Agency commission under all other schemes (except MPKBY agents) will be reduced from existing 1% to 0.5%.

(iii) Commission at existing rate of 4% will continue for Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojana (MPKBY) agents.

(iv) Incentives, if any, paid by the State/UT Governments will be reduced from the commission paid by the Central Government.

Investments from NSSF

(i) The minimum share of States in net small savings collections in a year, for investment in State Governments Securities, will be reduced from 80% to 50%. The remaining amount will be invested in Central Government securities or lent to other willing States or in securities issued by infrastructure companies/agencies, wholly owned by Central Government.

(ii) Yearly repayment of NSSF loans made by Centre and States, will be reinvested in

Central and State Government securities in the ratio of 50:50.

(iii) The period of repayment of NSSF loans by Centre and States will be reduced to 10

years, with no moratorium.

(iv) For the current financial year the prevailing interest rate of 9.5% will continue. From 1^st April, 2012 revised interest rate will be notified.

(v) Half yearly payment of interest by the Centre and the States will be introduced.

(vi) Interest rate on existing investments from NSSF in Central Government securities till 2006-07 will be re-set at 9% and on those from 2007-08 till 2010-11 will be re-set at 9.5%.

Operational Issues of NSSF

(i) A Monitoring Group drawn from Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank of India, Department of Posts, State Bank of India, other select banks and select State Governments will be set up to resolve various operational issues like reducing the

time lag between collection and investment, etc.

4. Necessary notifications, including those requiring amendments to rules of various small saving schemes and National Small Savings Fund (Custody & Investment) Rules, 2001 will be notified separately. The above decisions will take effect from the dates to be specified in the notifications.

5. This has the approval of Finance Minister.

(Shaktikanta Das)

Addl. Secretary to the Govt. of India

1. The Secretary,

Department of Posts,

Dak Bhawan,

New Delhi.

Original Notification at http://finmin.nic.in/the_ministry/dept_eco_affairs/budget/committee_decision_NSSF.pdf

Small savings schemes to fetch better returns now

2011-11-12T07:18:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: Your investments in the small savings scheme -- post office savings scheme, National Savings Certificate, and public provident fund - will soon start earning higher interest rates that are benchmarked to market rates.

The annual interest rate available on these schemes is at present below what an investor can get from bank deposits of comparable maturity.

The government has announced a complete overhaul of the small savings scheme that has benchmarked rates of interest on these schemes to government securities, introduced a 10-year national savings certificate (NSC), increased the ceiling for public provident fund deposits to one lakh rupees every year and discontinued the Kisan Vikas Patra.

The new rules will kick in when the government issues a notification.

The decisions are based on the recommendations by a high level expert panel headed by former deputy governor of the RBI, Shaymla Gopinath.

As per the memorandum issued by the finance ministry, returns on small savings instruments will be linked to government securities of similar maturities, pushing up the current rates on all instruments by 0.2%- 1.3%.

Interest rates on postal savings will go up to 4% from 3.5% at present.

In addition, the maturity period of monthly investment schemes and national savings certificates will be reduced form six to five years.

The ceiling on annual contributions to the public provident funds will also be raised to 1 lakh from 70,000.

The reforms will address the distortion caused by the small savings schemes in the overall interest rate structure of the economy. Depending on the market rates, these schemes either saw a large inflow of the big outflow, affecting the flows into banks in particular.

When market rates are low, the high interest rates on small savings become a kind of subsidy to the investors.

In the event, as is the case now, when interest rates on these schemes are below the market rates they see a big outflow, affecting the government's fiscal management, as funds from these schemes are used by state governments and the centre.

With bank deposits yielding more than 9% per annum, there has been a net outflow from the small savings schemes, which are administered by the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF), in the current year.

This has forced the government to increase market borrowings by 52,800 crores over its budgeted fiscal target.

The benchmarking of interest rates on small savings schemes will end this distortion, and also cut the volatility in inflows into these schemes.

To reduce the cost of administration of the scheme, the government has also decided to lower the commission charged by agents that sell these schemes.

As per the memorandum, the payment of agency commission on all schemes, except the Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojana, will be either discontinued or reduced by at least 0.5%. Women agents will continue to receive 4%.

Source: Economic Times 12.11.2011

Finance ministry pushes for increase in PPF, post office rates

2011-10-10T06:47:00.001+05:30

NEW DELHI: Faced with a cash crunch, the finance ministry is moving a proposal to increase interest rates on small savings schemes such as Public Provident Fund and post office deposits but politics may play spoilsport.

Official sources told TOI that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will decide on the proposal over the next few days as small savings instruments have lost out to bank deposits that earn higher interest. As a result, the government has been forced to borrow Rs 53,000 crore more from the market by issuing bonds, a move that can increase interest rates further and also upset budgetary calculations.

If Mukherjee approves an increase in interest rates on small savings, your PPF will fetch you at least 8.2%, instead of 8% now, while senior citizens can hope to earn around 9%. In addition, individuals will be permitted to park Rs 1 lakh in PPF accounts instead of Rs 70,000 at present. Similarly, post office deposits will fetch 50-70 basis points higher (100 basis points = one percentage point).

But politics over two schemes are holding back a green light from the finance minister. Sources said the finance ministry has received several representations from individuals urging not to abolish the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), while nearly 5 lakh agents have opposed the move to cut the commission on Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojana (MPKBY) to 1% from 4%.

Officials in the tax department have complained that KVP has become one of the biggest instruments of money laundering, a concern which was even shared by a high-level committee headed by former RBI deputy governor Shyamala Gopinath. In fact, maximum instances of misuse of KVP have been found around Amritsar, pointing to the possibility of Pakistani funds entering India. So, it hasn't come as a surprise that a significant number of petitions for the scheme's continuation have come from Punjab and Haryana.

"The ministry has received representations from various sections. They have demanded that KVP should not be discontinued as it is linked to farmers while the reduction in the commission for MPKBY scheme has been opposed on the ground that it will hurt the income of women agents in rural areas," a source, who did not wish to be identified, said.

Mukherjee faces another dilemma as MPKBY was started during former prime minister Indira Gandhi's tenure which raises fears of criticism from within the party, especially because women agents will be affected. It's a different matter, however, that the agency is in the name of a woman but the person hawking the scheme is either the agent's husband or another family member.

It is likely that the finance minister, the government's key troubleshooter, will settle for reducing commission to around 2%, which will also ensure that investors do not lose out on returns as commission eats up a certain portion of the returns every time funds are deposited.

An expert panel headed by Gopinath had recommended moving from an administered price regime to a market-linked interest rate system for small savings schemes that would translate into higher returns for now.

It has recommended closure of only one existing scheme - KVP -- while recommending continuation of all other schemes with some modifications. The committee also recommended that the investment ceiling in the popular Public Provident Fund scheme be raised to Rs 1 lakh from the current Rs 70,000.

Finance ministry officials said increase in the PPF investment limit would help garner about Rs 5,000 crore in the coming quarter if the small savings reform plans were implemented. This would also help the government tide over the tight fiscal situation and reduce prospects for any further increase in its market borrowings. The government has recently raised its borrowing against the backdrop of slowing revenues and less than expected receipts from disinvestment in state-run enterprises.

The government panel had said the continued popularity of both KVP and NSC among the urban population who are not all small savers could be prompted by an incentive to avoid tax. "As compared to NSC, KVP is more popular as it is a bearer-like certificate due to its ease of transfer. It also has an in-built liquidity due to the regulated premature closure facility offered in the scheme. In view of the recent developments on Anti Money Laundering/CFT front, the committee recommends that KVP should be discontinued," the report said.

The committee had also said that 4% commission under MPKBY was very high and was affecting the viability of the National Small Savings Fund. "The committee recognises that the RD scheme requires considerable effort on part of agents in mobilizing monthly deposits. However, 4% commission is distortionary and expensive. The committee recommends that this should be brought down to 1% in a phased manner in a period of three years with a 1% reduction every year," the report said.

Latest data shows investors are opting for bank deposits due to the increase in deposit rates. Between April and August 2011, retail investors withdrew nearly Rs 5,500 crore from small savings deposit schemes in post offices and certificates such as National Savings Certificate. Small savings schemes, most of which are exempt from tax, had attracted investment of over Rs 25,000 crore in the same period last year.

Department of Posts shortlisted HP, IBM, TCS and Sify for its Rs 1,300-crore project

2011-10-10T06:45:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: India's postal department has rejected the bids of four companies - HCL Comnet, Wipro, Dimension Data and UTL - to build an IT network that connects 30,000 post offices across the country, citing the 'obsolete equipment' being provided by Cisco, the technology partner for these bidders.

After the disqualifications, the department has shortlisted HP, IBM, TCS and Sify for its Rs 1,300-crore project aimed at modernisation of the IT infrastructure of post offices, two officials with direct knowledge of the development told ET. All these companies have opted for a combination of Juniper and HP to be their technological and hardware partners for the project. Cisco is the world's largest company in networking equipment, such as routers, and customer premise equipment.

The contract will be awarded after the financial bids of these companies are examined. But the project could run into a hurdle as Cisco has approached the Communication & IT ministry against the rejection of bids of companies partnering with it. It is also learnt that Cisco has besieged the postal department not to open the financial bids of the shortlisted companies until its concerns are addressed.

Cisco denied to comment on a detailed questionnaire sent by ET. "As you would expect, several Cisco Partners participated in the RFP process. Any questions relating to that should be directed to the Department of Post," a Cisco India spokesperson said.

Department of Post officials who evaluated the bids said companies partnering with Cisco were rejected for three primary reasons. "As per Cisco's own public announcement in November 2010, a significant majority of the routers and switches it plans to supply its partners for this project, has reached their end-of-life. The manufacturing of these products would stop by 2012-end, the period when we will be awarding the contract. Besides, the software updates for these products will also end within two more years," a top official said.

This official also added that awarding the project to any company using Cisco hardware would compromise a key requirement of the project being scalable in the future due to obsolete equipment. Cisco did not reply to the allegations despite repeated attempts to reach them. Another official in the postal department explained that all bidders partnering Cisco had submitted an undertaking from the IT hardware major that it would support these products for seven years.

India Post Ties-up with MoneyGram International for Money Transfer Solutions Shri Kapil Sibal Launchs the Scheme by Paying Out First Transaction

2011-09-30T16:24:00.002+05:30

India Post, the largest distribution postal network in the world, and the MoneyGram International, the fastest growing global money transfer company joined hands today to offer convenient money transfer solutions to Indians. Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology commenced the scheme by conducting a remittance transaction through the MoneyGram service and displayed the ease in the transaction through the new system. The transaction was made from UAE to Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sibal said that more than fifty percent Indians do not have bank accounts and international inward remittances to rural areas to support financial inclusion initiatives of the Government of India. Transacting money without a bank account will make a difference in the lives of the citizens.

Starting today, 100 important Post Offices in Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu Circles will begin offering MoneyGram instant inward money transfer services. MoneyGram’s services will be extended to other Post Offices and Circles in the country in a phased manner. The service is expected to be available in 5,000 Post Offices in the country by 2014. India Post and MoneyGram have planned a joint marketing endeavor in a number of states.

Earlier Shri Sachin Pilot, Ministers of State for Communications and IT said that 30 million Indians are living abroad and this number is growing. Money remittance services have huge market potential as banks have only five percent rural presence in the country. This partnership with MoneyGram will provide valuable service to those customers, particularly in rural areas, who are not fully served by banks and other financial institutions, he added.

Ms. Radhika Doraiswamy, Secretary, Department of Posts said, “India Post has long been in international money transfer service through its traditional paper-based Money Order service to many countries The social relevance of India Post has gained momentum in the recent past through active participation of Post Offices in disbursement of wages to the rural poor under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee (MNEGR) Scheme throughout the country. We work tirelessly to extend access not only to mail services, but to financial services for all, and it is in this context that our association with MoneyGram, a leading global money transfer company, is significant. This tie-up will help India Post to provide valuable service to our customers in a fast, convenient and cost-effective manner.”

Smt. Manjula Prasher, Member (Operations & Technology) Postal Services Board said “all departmental post offices numbering around 25,000, which are already computerized, are expected to be covered under Core Banking Solution (CBS) by 2012-13. Plans are afoot to provide Rural ICT to all 1.3 lakh branch post offices in the country. India Post is undertaking diversified activities by leveraging its network to augment revenues. Our Post Offices have more than 10 years of experience in providing instant international money transfer service. This valuable experience will be of great help to make the association with MoneyGram a successful and long-lasting one.

Harsh Lambah, MoneyGram’ Senior Regional Director for South Asia said, “MoneyGram’s teaming with India Post reaffirms the company’s commitment to serving its hundreds of thousands of customers in the world’s largest remittance receive market and the value MoneyGram brings India Post’s business and customers. Bringing India Post, one of the world’s largest postal services to our network is very exciting.

MoneyGram International is a leading global money transfer company offering money transfer services worldwide through a global network of more than 244,000 agent locations—including retailers, international post offices and financial institutions—in 192 countries and territories around the world.

Removal of ceiling of maximum balance to be retained in a post office savings account- amendment to Rule-4 of the Post Office Savings Account Rules 1981 regarding.

2011-09-28T16:18:00.000+05:30

SB ORDER NO. 20/2011

No. F.No.113-23/2005-SB

Government of India

Ministry of Communications & IT

Department of Posts

Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg,

New Delhi-110001,

Dated: 27.09.2011

To All Heads of Circles/Regions Addl. Director General, APS, New Delhi.

Subject:- Removal of ceiling of maximum balance to be retained in a post office savings account- amendment to Rule-4 of the Post Office Savings Account Rules 1981 regarding.

Sir/Madam,

The undersigned is directed to say that issue of removal of ceiling of Rs.1 lac in single savings account and Rs.2 Lac in Joint Savings Account fixed in the year 2000 was under consideration in the Min. of Finance (DEA). This issue was linked to the benefit of exemption in Income Tax on the interest earned in Post Office Savings Account under Section10(15) (i) of Income Tax Act, 1961 by the CBDT and Min. of Finance (DEA). After sustained efforts on the part of this Directorate, Min. of Finance (DEA) has now amended Rule-4 of the Post Office Savings Account Rules 1981 vide G.S.R.681(E) F.No.2/5/2006-NS-II dated 15.9.2011 (copy enclosed). Some major benefits of this amendment are given below:

(i) From 1.10.2011, there will be no limit for retaining balance in single as well as joint savings account.

(ii) A depositor or depositor(s) can deposit any amount into single as well as joint savings account.

(iii) Maturity value of any savings instrument can be credited into savings account of the depositor standing in the same post office irrespective of the balance in the account.

(i) Any cheque either issued by Postmaster or any other authority irrespective of any amount can be credited into post office savings account irrespective of the balance in the account.

(ii) From the Financial year 2011-12, Interest income of Rs.3500/- in the case of single account and Rs.7000/- in case of Joint account will be exempted from Income Tax. (Section 10(15) (i) of Income Tax Act, 1961 amended vide Notification No. 32/2010 {F.No. 173/13/2011-IT A.I}/S.O.1296(E) dated 03.06.2011)

(iii) It is the duty of the depositor(s) to show the interest income earned from Post Office Savings Account(s) beyond the limit prescribed above in the Income Tax return and pay due Income Tax.

1. It is requested that all field units may be directed to give wide publicity to these changes in the shape of Public Notice and printing of leaflets.

2. This issues with the approval of DDG(FS).

Yours faithfully,

(Kawal Jit Singh)

Assistant Director (SB)

Post Offices to Provide Visa Related Services In Remote Areas

2011-09-04T10:39:00.000+05:30

India Post has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with M/s VFS Global to provide visa related services for different countries through Post Offices. Memorandum of Understanding between India Post and M/s VFS Global was signed here on 30.08.2011 in the presence of Secretary, Department of Posts and senior officers from Department of Posts and VFS Global. The MOU sets out broad understandings and intentions of both the parties to provide visa related services at places where they are not currently available.

Post Office counters will be used for fee collections, providing visa applications forms, dissemination of visa information, biometric enrollment and other visa application process related services. India Post and VFS are also planning to cooperate in utilizing India Post’s courier service, Speed Post for movements of passports to VFS offices and concerned embassies, and their delivery back to the applicants. Both the parties will also explore to provide any other service that India Post may want to provide through VFS global network on mutually accepted terms.

M/s VFS Global is in the business of visa application services and is working with 35 governments across the world with over 450 offices in 50 countries. India Post and VFS realize that there are many areas of mutual interest and synergy between India Post and VFS would benefit the public at large.

Currently visa related services are largely available in metros only and the people from smaller cities and rural areas have to travel long distances in order to avail these services. Lack of information is also a major area of concern as this allows unscrupulous elements to cheat unsuspecting and vulnerable people. Engagement of India Post towards provision of visa related services is expected to address this situation to a large extent.

Source : PIB release dated 2.09.2011

Measures to Popularize Small Saving Schemes

2011-09-04T10:34:00.000+05:30

Central and State Governments take various measures from time to time to promote and popularize small saving schemes through print and electronic media as well as holding seminars, meetings and providing training to the various agencies involved in mobilising deposits under these schemes.

A website of the National Savings Institute under Government on India, Ministry of Finance has also been launched to facilitate interface with the public through wider investors grievances. The website address is nsiindia.gov.in.

The Committee on National Small Savings Fund has observed that 4% commission under Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojna (MPKBY) is very high and is affecting the viability of National Small Savings Fund (NSSF). The committee has recognized that the Recurring Deposit Scheme requires considerable effort on part of agents in mobilising monthly deposits. However, 4% commission is distortionary and expensive. The Committee has recommended that it should be brought down to 1% in a phased manner in a period of three years with a 1% reduction every year.

Recommendations of the committee have been referred to State Governments and concerned Ministries/Departments of Central Government for their comments.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Namo Narain Meena in written reply to an Unstarred Question in Lok Sabha today.

Source: PIB Release 2.09.2011

सभी डेढ़ लाख डाकघरों को बैंकों में बदलेगी सरकार

2011-07-31T21:25:00.004+05:30

सरकार का इरादा देश के डाकघरों को बैकों में बदलने का है, जिससे ज्यादा से ज्यादा लोगों तक बैंकिंग सुविधाएं पहुंचाई जा सकें। देश में 1.5 लाख डाकघर हैं। सरकार डाकघरों को बैंकों में बदलने के लिए जल्द बैंकिंग नियामक भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक से संपर्क करे।

दूरसंचार मंत्री कपिल सिब्बल डाकघरों के जरिये गांवों में आम लोगों तक अत्याधुनिक बैंकिंग सुविधाएं पहुंचाना चाहते हैं। सिब्बल ने कहा कि हम डाक विभाग का व्यावसायीकरण चाहते हैं। हम सभी डाकघरों को बैंकों में बदलने के लिए रिजर्व बैंक से लाइसेंस मांगेगे।

देश के ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में बैंकिंग सुविधाओं के अभाव तथा ग्रामीणों की अपनी ऋण की जरूरत के लिए महाजन जैसे अनौपचारिक क्षेत्र पर निर्भरता को देखते हुए सरकार ने डाकघरों को बैंकों में बदलने का लक्ष्य बनाया है।

सिब्बल ने कहा कि भारतीय स्टेट बैंक देशभर में सभी जगह शाखाएं नहीं खोल सकता। डाकघर देशभर में हैं। उनकी शाखाएं पहले से हैं, इसलिए बुनियादी ढांचे पर खर्च करने की जरूरत नहीं होगी। ऐसे में हम कम लागत पर बैंकिंग सुविधाएं दे सकते हैं, जो लोगों के लिए काफी लाभकारी होंगी।

डाक विभाग फिलहाल कई वित्तीय सेवाएं मसलन डाकघर बचत बैंक, पोस्टल लाइफ इंश्योरेंस, पेंशन भुगतान और धन स्थानांतरण सुविधा देता है। डाक विभाग की आमदनी 2010-11 के वित्त वर्ष में 11 प्रतिशत बढ़कर 6,954.09 करोड़ रुपये पर पहुंच गई, जो इससे पिछले वित्त वर्ष में 6,266.70 करोड़ रुपये थी।

Inspector Posts Examination 2011

2011-07-19T06:01:00.000+05:30

Directorate vide No. a 34012/04/2011-DE dated 14.07.2011 read with Notification dated has decided to conduct the competitive examination for promotion to the cadre of Inspector Posts to be held on 3^rd and 4^th September, 2011.

The cut off date for accessing the eligibility to appear in Inspector Posts Examination as per Rule 279/1 of P&T Manual Vol IV is 30^th June of the year in which the examination is conducted. Therefore the cut off date has been fixed as 30^th June, 2011.

Directorate vide letter No. 7-14/2011-SPB-II dated 9-3-2011 has circulated revised Pattern and Syllabus for Limited Department Competitive Examination for the post of IPs for filling up 66.66% vacancies in the Department. The examination will now be held without the aid of books. Revised Pattern and Syllabus is as under:

Sl. No.	Heading	Existing Syllabus and Pattern	Revised Syllabus and Pattern
1.	No. of Papers	5	4
2.	Syllabus	Paper I – Postal Manual Vol. V, Postal Manual Vol. IV, Postal Manual Vol II, CCS (Conduct) Rules, Postal Manual Vol. III, MTT	Paper I – (1) Acts/Rules/ Guidelines Instructions relating to Inland & Foreign Posts, Mail Operations, Money Remittances, Savings Bank Schemes and Certificates Rural and Postal Life Insurance. (2) Organization of Department, Office Procedure and Material Management for optimum utilization of network, Establishment and Administrative Matters.
		Paper II – Postal Manual Vol VIII, PO Guide Part I and II, Postal Manual Vol VI (Part I, II AND III) POSB Manual Vol. I & II Postal Manual Vol. VII	Paper II – CCS (Conduct) Rules, CCS (CCA) Rules, Accounts, FRs & SRs and FHBs.
		Paper III – FHB Vol. I & II, FRs and SRs, CCS (Pension) Rules, CCS (Leave) rules, CCS (Joining Time ) Rules	Paper III (1) Constitution of India (2) Short title, extent, commencement and definitions of CPC & Cr PC. (i) Cr PC: Proclamation for person absconding attachment of property of person absconding, claims and objections to attachments, release, sale and restoration of attached property. (ii) Indian Evidence Act: Short title, extent and commencement Of the relevancy of the facts: Evidence may be given of facts in issue and relevant facts, relevancy of facts forming part of the same transaction, facts which are the occasion, cause or effect of facts in issue; motive, preparation and previous or subsequent conduct. Facts which need not be proved: Of oral evidence: Of documentary evidence (iii) Indian Penal Code: General Explanation: Of Punishments Of offences by or relating to public servants Of contempt of the lawful authority of public servants Of the criminal breach of contract of service (3) RTI Act and Consumer Protection Act
		Paper IV – Indian Post Office Act., Government savings Bank and Certificate Acts, IPC, Evidence Act, Cr. PC, CAT, Consumer Protection Act	Paper-IV: English Language General Knowledge & Reasoning/ Intelligence
		Paper V – Essay, General Knowledge, Computer Basics and Intelligence Test.
3.	Marks	Each paper carries 100 marks	Each appear will carry300 marks
4.	Duration	Duration for each paper is 3 hrs.	Duration of each paper would be 3 hrs.
5.	No. of Questions	Subjective type Questions	150 Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) in each paper with the use of carbonless [duplicate] Optical Mark Reader [OMR] Answer Sheets.
6.	Qualifying marks	40% marks in each paper subject to an overall average of 45% for general category and 33% marks in each appear subject to an overall average of 38% for SC/ST	No change
7.	Assessment of APAR / ACR	Not included	The Competent Authority will ensure and certify the following before recommending the application of the official for examination: (i) No disciplinary action is pending or contemplated against the applicant (ii) No punishment is current against the applicant (iii) No adverse entry in the APAR/ACR in the last five years.

India Post to lose its monopoly; govt. forces courier cos to charge double rates

2011-07-09T17:17:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: A planned overhaul of a 113-year-old postal law proposes to end government monopoly completely in the next decade and a half, but, ironically, sets the clock back for courier companies, which are governed by a different policy at present. The draft Post Office Bill 2011 aims to open the letter mail segment to the private sector in 15 years by withdrawing all exclusive rights to India Post and removing all pricing curbs on private courier companies. The Department of Posts has sent the draft bill for cabinet approval to replace the archaic Indian Post Office Act 1898. The amendment will also provide greater legitimacy to the courier industry.

"Considering the role of couriers in the present economy, opening up the letter mail sector to them will not only accord legitimacy to the private operators but also would be recognition of market reality," said an official in the department privy to the cabinet note. Courier companies are not celebrating, though. They say the transition regime proposed is too harsh and could end up killing the over Rs 7,000-crore domestic industry that engages nearly one million workers and pays Rs 1,200 crore in service tax.

In the run-up to the complete deregulation , the draft bill has proposed to open the express mail segment (EMS) with a "reserve area" of 50 gm for all articles at a price multiple of twice the government EMS rate. That is, a courier firm will have to charge at least Rs 50 for a package weighing up to 50 g, which is twice the Rs 25 charged by India Post for its Speed Post service for a similar package. At present, couriers are allowed in the EMS segment without any restriction or price, making the market fiercely competitive. The reserve area regulation will give India Post time to prepare for a more competitive regime.

"The proposal to have a reserve area for EMS is unfair and will lead to anti-competitive behavior by the postal department," said Vijay Kumar, chief operating officer, Express Industry Council of India . It could lead to the extinction of the courier industry, he said. Introduced in 1986, Speed Post is the only EMS service provided by India Post. The department has strongly defended the proposal to impose a reserve area by citing international examples. Globally, postal deregulation has been in phases and exclusive rights for state-run postal business still exist in many countries. In India, the courier industry has run ahead of the postal laws because it was allowed under the foreign direct investment regime, which allows 100% overseas investment in the business. International courier companies, such as DHL, TNT, FedEx and UPS, secured FIPB approval under the 100% FDI route.

The bill will now recognize them under the postal law, but the proposed transition turns the clock back somewhat by imposing restrictions that did not exist earlier. "Over 60% of the business for small- and medium-sized courier business in India is dependent on document delivery, which is typically within the 50 gm weight segment," said RK Saboo, deputy managing director, First Fight Couriers. The proposal was retrograde and would force small courier firms to close down, he said.

The private industry is also not enthused by the entry in the normal mail business, or letter mail segment , where the draft bill has fixed a reserve area of Rs 150 gm for all registered couriers at a price multiple of Rs 2 times the postage of letter mail. The industry says India Post service is highly subsidized, which industry says will make it difficult for it to compete. The bill, which is likely to be introduced in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament, has also proposed to simplify registration and licensing of couriers without charging any fees. Most large domestic courier companies in the country like DTDC, First Flight and Skypak are all registered with the Registrar of Companies

Source: Economic Times 9^th July, 2011

Govt to help develop skills of rural ''Dak Sewaks''

2011-07-07T21:50:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, June 27 (PTI) Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal today said the government will help 3.25 lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks develop skills as well as capacity through a time bound Rural Entrepreneurship Programme.

"Skill and capacity of 3.25 lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks will be developed through a comprehensive and time bound Rural Entrepreneurship Programme. This program is being finalised by Department of Posts and Ministry of Human Resource Development together," Sibal said.

He conferred the Meghdoot Awards on postal employees for 2009 and 2010. The Minister expressed the confidence in the ongoing transformation projects that will help India Post to match the evolving technologies and changing lifestyles.

Addressing the gathering, Gurudas Kamat, Minister of State of Communications and IT stressed upon the importance of the role of Post Offices in the implementation of the schemes meant for common man, be it disbursement of wages, pension or Unique Identification Number.

The scheme of National awards known as ''Meghdoot Awards'' was instituted in 1984.
The awards, which include Rs 11,000 are given for outstanding contribution in the sphere of official work in eight individual categories.

NREGS helps India Post make money

2011-07-06T21:25:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: India Post is sailing through a revival, all thanks to the flood of post office accounts opened by those employed through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to receive their payments has led to a virtual revival of the department. Close to five crore workers have opened accounts with the post offices.

India Post revenues had declines sharply following the last decade’s boom in telecom and internet communication, but since 2008-09, things have changed for the better.

Budget figures show that the net revenue of the department of posts rose 42% from Rs 3,824 crore during 2008-09 to R5,463 crore during 2009-10. In 2010-11, the rise was 18%. The department’s net receipts were languishing at R1,373 crore in 2006-07.

Due to the rush for payment of NREGS wages, the department has been hiring temporary staff to help the existing workforce manage the large number of accounts.

Although a senior postal department official.. said that they do not earn ‘enough’ out of these ‘no-frills’ savings accounts, the finance ministry is reimbursing the postal department R130 per account annually for incurring costs in maintaining the accounts. This implies a net income of R650 crore annually to the postal department.

Close to one lakh post offices mostly in rural areas are handling 4.94 crore NREGS accounts for timely wage disbursements. The performance of post offices in managing so many accounts has been 'satisfactory, said the department official.

“We are slowly building the savings habit in a large section of rural poor families by including them in the formal banking system,” the top postal official told FE.

Since the launch of the mega job guarantee scheme in February 2006, the UPA government has been flooded with several complaints about non-payment or partial payment for NREGS workers, and there have even been several reports of ‘ghost’ workers siphoning off the.. wages of genuine workers.

The MGNREGA, 2005 was amended in February, 2009 to enable payment of wages through banks and post office saving accounts of the workers. A rural development ministry official said that more than 84% of the total wage payment under the employment guarantee scheme had been made every year through banks and post offices. Last fiscal, close to R 25,000 crore of NREGS wages were paid through these saving accounts.

Source: Financial Express 6^th July, 2011

Industry Heads Eager To Join Hands With India Post

2011-07-06T21:13:00.002+05:30

Banking, telecommunication, logistics, IT firms and business associations expressed a wish to join hands with India Post to market their products.

While public sector banking institutions talked about retailing of loan products, mutual funds and other novel age financial products, the logistics division sought to offer services to semi-urban and rustic regions for consumers.

Central administration ministries and state administrations hinted that post offices be utilized to deliver social security plans including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Communications Minister Kapil Sibal stated that this will assist the department of posts to build up the future biz model and its incorporation with the technological structural design of the country.

India Post 2012 Project aims at altering department of posts into a technology permitted, independent market head.

UIDAI is joining hands with Department of Posts (DoP)

2011-07-03T21:34:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: In a bid to achieve the Aadhaar's enrollment target of 60 crore citizens by 2014, UIDAI is joining hands with Department of Posts (DoP) to launch its ambitious enrollment project with the help of over 5,000 post offices across the country.

"The enrollment project will be launched on July 19. We have an opportunity to use post offices for inclusive growth through this partnership. If we understand the road ahead, the post offices will be the centre for empowering people," a top telecom ministry official said.

The new partnership will add to the existing infrastructure of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which has over one million enrollment centres in nine states.

UIDAI aims to leverage DoP's existing infrastructure to reach out to masses for providing 'Aadhaar' numbers. "DoP doesn't have to adopt camp-based model (setting up enrolment units in urban or rural areas), which otherwise is expensive. It can use DoP's infrastructure," the official added.

The tardy pace of implementing 'Aadhaar' enrollment project prompted UIDAI to forge partnership with DoP. Many vendors complained of state governments awarding bids to the lowest bidders.

The low bidding led to the pullout of many firms in the government's multi-crore citizen service centres scheme. "This delayed the process of Aadhaar enrollment," he said.

Another reason for UIDAI tying up with DoP is the problem of duplication of enrollments as multiple agencies were hired in one district or a block. One more glitch is the wrong entry of demographic data as was done in election card, he added.

"No enrollment agency is interested in correcting data entered wrongfully because they don't get money to correct the information," the source said.

The UIDAI aims at allotting the unique identification number to one billion people. Three crore people have been enrolled so far. A further one crore unique identification numbers are ready to be assigned.

As many as 18 lakh cards had already been issued. The UIDAI will issue 10 lakh unique identification numbers daily from this October.

For enrollment in Aadhaar, personal details such as name, address, date of birth and gender will be sought. Besides, applicant's photograph, impression of retina and thumb will also be recorded.

डाकघर बेहद रोचक और किफायती उत्पाद बेच रहे हैं

2011-06-21T19:25:00.001+05:30

अगर आप लंबे समय से डाकघर नहीं गए हैं तो इसमें अचरज की कोई बात नहीं है। चिट्ठियों की जगह ई-मेल ने ली है, ऐसे में लोगों को न तो डाक टिकट खरीदने की जरूरत पड़ती है और न ही लिफाफे और अंतर्देशीय पत्र खरीदने की। पिछले 15-20 साल में बड़ी संख्या में कूरियर कंपनियों ने अपना कारोबार फैलाया है, इससे डाकघर की स्पीड पोस्ट और पार्सल सेवाओं को तगड़ी प्रतिस्पर्धा मिल रही है। ऐसे में इस बात की संभावना बढ़ जाती है कि आप पोस्ट ऑफिस न गए हों। हालांकि, बदलते वक्त के साथ इंडिया पोस्ट ने अपनी सेवाओं में बड़े स्तर पर बदलाव किया है और इस समय डाकघर बेहद रोचक और किफायती उत्पाद बेच रहे हैं, ऐसे में अगर आप डाकघर जाएं तो यह आपके लिए फायदेमंद हो सकता है। ईटी ने डाकघरों में मिलने वाले वित्तीय उत्पादों का जायजा लिया और दूसरे संस्थानों के मिलते-जुलते उत्पादों से उनकी तुलना भी की।

कर मुक्त बैंक ब्याज

बैंक के सेविंग अकाउंट (बचत खाता) में जमा नकदी पर मिलने वाले ब्याज पर भी आपको कर देना होता है। हालांकि, अगर आप डाकघर में बचत खाता खोलते हैं तो उस पर मिलने वाले ब्याज पर कोई कर नहीं लगता है। आप अगर अपने बैंक अकाउंट में औसतन 50,000 रुपए का बैलेंस बनाए रखते हैं तो उस पर आपको सालाना करीब 2,000 रुपए ब्याज मिलता है। अगर आप कर के सबसे ऊंचे दायरे में आते हैं तो आपको 30 फीसदी (करीब 600 रुपए कर के रूप में देने होंगे) के हिसाब से कर चुकाना होगा, ऐसे में आपको सालाना केवल 1,400 रुपए की बचत होगी। वहीं, अगर आपका खाता पोस्टल सेविंग बैंक अकाउंट होगा तो आपको ब्याज पर कोई कर नहीं देना होगा। डाकघर में सालाना आधार पर कर मुक्त ब्याज हासिल करने की सीमा 3,500 रुपए है। अगर खाता संयुक्त है तो यह सीमा 7,000 रुपए सालाना है। कर मुक्त ब्याज की यह सीमा तर्कसंगत है, क्योंकि बहुत कम ही लोग 1 लाख रुपए से ज्यादा की राशि अपने बचत खाते में रखते हैं।

कम न्यूनतम बैलेंस

पोस्टल सेविंग अकाउंट खोलने के दूसरे फायदे भी हैं। इन खातों में आपको 5,000-10,000 रुपए का औसत तिमाही बैलेंस मेंटेन नहीं करना होता है। पोस्टल सेविंग अकाउंट में अगर आप 500 रुपए बचाकर बाकी रकम निकाल लेते हैं तो भी कोई परेशानी नहीं होती है। रेकरिंग डिपॉजिट के मामले में भी कम लागत वाली बात लागू होती है। अगर आप किसी बैंक के साथ रेकरिंग डिपॉजिट खोलते हैं तो आपको हर महीने कम से कम 500 रुपए जमा करने होंगे जबकि पोस्ट ऑफिस में आप रेकरिंग डिपॉजिट की शुरुआत 10 रुपए से भी कर सकते हैं। यह अपने बच्चों में बचत की आदत डालने का एक आदर्श विकल्प है। पोस्ट ऑफिस के रेकरिंग जमा में आपको 7.5 फीसदी तिमाही चक्रवृद्धि ब्याज मिलता है, कई मामलों में यह बैंकों से बेहतर है। इसमें इकलौती अड़चन यह है कि पोस्ट ऑफिस का रेकरिंग डिपॉजिट न्यूनतम पांच साल के लिए होता है। हालांकि, एक साल के बाद आप जमा राशि का 50 फीसदी हिस्सा निकाल सकते हैं।

बेहतर सुविधाएं

डाकघरों को लेकर लोगों के जेहन में ऐसी तस्वीर बनी हुई है कि लोग यहां पर जाकर लंबी लाइनों में खड़े रहते हैं और यहां काम करने वाले कर्मचारी हाथ से ही पास बुक भरने का काम करते हैं। कुछ मामलों में यह बात सही भी है, लेकिन बदलते वक्त के साथ डाकखानों की सूरत बदल रही है। इंडिया पोस्ट फिलहाल कोर बैंकिंग सॉल्यूशन पर काम कर रहा है, जिससे ग्राहकों को कई तरह की सहूलियतें मिलेंगी। ग्राहकों को मिलने वाली सहूलियतों में एटीएम, नेट बैंकिंग, डेबिट कार्ड और ई-पेमेंट सर्विसेज शामिल हैं। डिप्टी डायरेक्टर जनरल (फाइनैंशल सर्विसेस) ए एस प्रसाद ने बताया कि साल के आखिर तक डाकघरों के खाताधारक एटीएम के जरिए अपने एकाउंट तक पहुंच बना सकेंगे।

खरीदें सस्ते इंश्योरेंस

जीवन बीमा उत्पाद किसी भी व्यक्ति की वित्तीय योजना का अहम हिस्सा होते हैं। डाकघरों में जीवन बीमा उत्पाद मिलते हैं। हालांकि, यह केवल केंद्र सरकार, राज्य सरकार, सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र की कंपनियों और अर्द्ध सरकारी संस्थानों के कर्मचारियों के लिए ही होते हैं। अक्टूबर 2010 में इंश्योरेंस रेगुलेटरी ऐंड डिवेलपमेंट अथॉरिटी (इरडा) ने डाकघरों को निजी कंपनियों के कर्मचारियों को भी इंश्योरेंस बेचने की अनुमति दी है। यह इंश्योरेंस इंडस्ट्री और इंडिया पोस्ट के लिए बेहतर कारोबारी मौका है। हालांकि, इस कारोबारी योजना को रफ्तार नहीं मिल सकी है, क्योंकि इंडिया पोस्ट किसी दूसरी कंपनी की लाइफ इंश्योरेंस पॉलिसीज को बढ़ावा देने के बजाय अपने खुद के पोस्टल लाइफ इंश्योरेंस पर ध्यान केंद्रित करना चाहता है।

खोलें एनपीएस एकाउंट

इंडिया पोस्ट, न्यू पेंशन स्कीम (एनपीएस) का डिस्ट्रिब्यूटर भी है। ऐसे में आप अपनी सहूलियत के हिसाब से डाकखाने की निकटवर्ती शाखा में एनपीएस खाता खोल सकते हैं। हकीकत यह है कि इस लो कॉस्ट स्कीम में कमिशन बहुत मामूली होने के कारण बहुत थोड़े एजेंट ही इसे बेचने में दिलचस्पी दिखाते हैं, जबकि पोस्ट ऑफिस एनपीएस का सबसे बड़ा विक्रेता है। इंडिया पोस्ट ने अभी तक करीब 20,000 स्वैच्छिक एनपीएस खाते खोले हैं, जो कुल स्वैच्छिक टियर 1 एनपीएस खातों का एक तिहाई हिस्सा है। यह स्कीम देश की करीब 800 पोस्ट ऑफिस शाखाओं में उपलब्ध है।

खरीदें सोने का सिक्का

अगर आप सोने में निवेश करना चाहते हैं तो पोस्ट ऑफिस में जाकर 24 कैरट का गोल्ड क्वायन खरीद सकते हैं। डाकघरों में सिक्के तीन आकार में उपलब्ध हैं: 500 मिलीग्राम, 1.5 ग्राम और 8 ग्राम। डाकघरों से खरीदे जाने वाले सिक्कों में शुद्धता को लेकर आपको चिंतित होने की जरूरत नहीं है। इन सिक्कों का आयात स्विट्जरलैंड से किया जाता है।

पैसा भेजें या पाएं

डाकघरों के जरिए आप सबसे अधिक किफायती तरीके से रकम भेज सकते हैं। मनी ट्रांसफर सर्विसेज के कई जरिए हैं, जिनमें वायर ट्रांसफर और इंटरनेशनल मनी ऑर्डर शामिल हैं। डाकघर टेवलर्स चेक जारी करने और विदेश यात्रा पर जाने वाले लोगों को 22 मुल्कों की मुद्राएं देने का काम करता है। इसके अलावा डाकघर सात करेंसीज में प्री पेड फॉरेक्स कार्ड मुहैया कराता है, जबकि 11 करेंसीज में डिमांड ड्राफ्ट जारी करता है। इसके अलावा 13 मुद्राओं में वायर ट्रांसफर की सेवाएं देता है।

प्रिया कपूर,इकनॉमिक टाइम्स 21 Jun 2011, 1009 hrs IST

Seven Tax-efficient financial services in the post office

2011-06-21T06:35:00.000+05:30

When was the last time you visited a post office branch? It's been over a decade that the e-mail replaced the written word, so there's no need to buy stamps, envelopes or inland letters. Besides, thousands of private couriers have mushroomed in the past 15-20 years, giving stiff competition to speed post & parcel.

But you should because the bouquet of services offered by India Post has some very interesting and cost-effective products. ET Wealth looks at the financial services that can be availed of at a post office branch and how these compare with similar products from other organisations.

Tax-free bank interest

The interest your balance earns in a regular savings account with a bank is taxable. But if you open a savings account in a post office, the interest is tax-free. If you maintain an average balance of Rs 50,000 in your bank account, you would earn roughly Rs 2,000 as interest income in a year. In the highest tax bracket, the taxman will shave off 30% (or Rs 600) from this income, leaving you with only Rs 1,400.

However, if it is a postal savings bank account, the interest earned is tax-free. There is, of course, a ceiling of Rs 3,500 per account on this exemption in a year. In case of joint accounts, the ceiling is higher at Rs 7,000 a year. But this is a reasonable limit because very few people would keep more than Rs 1 lakh in their savings account.

Lower minimum balance

There are other benefits of opening a postal savings account. You don't have to lock up Rs 5,000-10,000 in maintaining an average quarterly balance. The post office does not mind if you have emptied out your account as long as you leave Rs 500 as balance.

This low-ticket convenience works in case of recurring deposits as well. If you open a recurring deposit with a bank, the minimum monthly deposit is Rs 500. In the post office, the monthly contribution can be as low as Rs 10, making it an ideal option to start your child on the savings habit. The 7.5% interest is compounded quarterly and compares well with what banks offer. The only hitch is that the post office deposit is for a minimum of five years. However, you can withdraw 50% of the balance after one year.

More facilities on the anvil

Even so, the very mention of the post office conjures images of a stodgy organisation with long queues and obdurate babus filling up pass books manually. That's true to a certain extent, but things are fast changing. India Post is working on a core banking solutions project that will offer state-of-the-art facilities to customers, including ATMs, Net banking, debit cards and e-payment services.

A.S Prasad, deputy director-general (financial services), told ET Wealth that by the end of the year, account holders will be able to access their accounts at any ATM across the country ( India Post's AS Prasad on how to transform into a dominant financial services player ).

Buy cheap insurance

Life insurance is the lynchpin of a financial plan. The post office offers life insurance, but it is open only to employees of the Central and state governments, public sector undertakings and semi-government organisations. In October 2010, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority allowed the post office to sell insurance policies of private companies.

It was a tremendous opportunity for both the insurance industry as well as India Post. The industry suddenly had access to India's largest distribution network of 1.55 lakh offices while India Post could stand to earn good commission from selling insurance policies. However, the proposal has not taken off because the India Post does not want to push policies of other companies and instead wants to focus on its own Postal Life Insurance.

The Rural Postal Life Insurance can be bought by any citizen of India provided he is residing in a rural area, which is any location outside the limits of a municipality. India Post has sold 1 crore RPLI policies since they were launched in 1995. But almost 40% of these are micro insurance policies where the life cover is less than Rs 25,000. That's just enough to take care of a middle-class urban family for about a month.

Open an NPS account

The India Post is also a distributor of the New Pension Scheme. You can open an NPS account at designated post office branches. In fact, with very few agents interested in selling the low-cost scheme because of the niggardly commission it offers, the post office has become the biggest seller of the NPS. It has opened almost 20,000 voluntary accounts till now, which is almost a third of the total voluntary Tier I NPS.

The scheme is available at nearly 800 post office branches across the country. Incidentally, the India Post has stopped selling mutual funds after the entry load was removed in August 2009. Says Prasad: "If Sebi brings the upfront selling commission of 2.25% back, we would sign a memorandum of understanding to sell mutual funds again."

Buy gold coin

Want to invest in gold? The yellow metal is set to soar higher as uncertainty returns to the capital markets and inflation goes through the roof. You can buy 24-carat gold coins at the post office.

The coins are available in three sizes: 500 mg, 1.5 g and 8 g. Don't worry about the purity issues.

These coins have been imported from Switzerland and have the backing of the World Gold Council.

There is no price advantage if you buy from the post office or from a bank or jeweller.

Send or receive money

At the post office, you can transfer money in the most cost-effective manner. It is an agent for a range of money transfer services, including wire transfers and international money orders.

It issues travellers' cheques and offers 22 foreign currencies to those travelling abroad.

It also offers prepaid forex cards in seven currencies, demand drafts in 11 currencies and wire transfer in 13 currencies. What's more, you can apply for your passport through the post office.

Source: Priya Kapoor, ET Bureau

Post Office savings accounts to be taxed from current fiscal

2011-06-16T20:51:00.002+05:30

NEW DELHI: The government has decided to levy tax on the interest obtained on Post Office savings schemes from the current financial year.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT )) has brought out a notification in this regard recently, which stipulates that any interest earned beyond Rs 3,500 (in case of individual accounts) and Rs 7,000 (in case of joint accounts) will be taxable from the running fiscal.

The CBDT-- which is the administrative authority of the Income Tax Department-- has issued the notification to all the tax collection ranges across the country for implementation.

Taxpayers will have to reflect this investment on their income tax returns.

"Taxpayers who now invest in the post office saving accounts schemes will now have to show the interest earned on this scheme while filing their income tax returns. Interest upto Rs 3,500, in case of single accounts and and Rs 7,000 in case of joint accounts, is exempted," a senior I-T official said.

The Assessing Officer (AO) will compute the tax on the interest earned, beyond the exemption limit, accordingly, he said.

The current interest rates for Post Office savings deposits is 3.5 per cent per annum.

The minimum investment limit in this scheme is Rs 50 while the maximum limit is Rs one lakh for an individual account and Rs 2 lakh in case of a joint account.

Source: Economic Times dated 16^th June, 2011

Only 12604 post offices computerized so far.

2011-06-15T20:43:00.000+05:30

Infosys Technologies, India’s second-largest information technology (IT) services company, is understood to have bagged the first of the Department of Post’s IT modernisation contracts.

The Bangalore-based company pipped its bigger domestic rival, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), to clinch India Post’s ‘rural information and communications technology (ICT) system integrator (SI)’ contract, worth about Rs 100 crore.

Infosys declined to comment, while the India Post official concerned could not be reached despite repeated attempts. India Post is embarking on a massive IT modernisation programme under the ‘India Post 2011’ plan. As part of this, the department has split the programme into eight projects.

According to highly-placed sources, the department has already issued requests for proposals for six contracts. The ‘rural ICT SI’ contract is said to be the first of the eight contracts. According to the terms of the contract, Infosys will be responsible for enabling the Gramin Dak Sewak post office to perform e-transactions.

The department has the largest postal network in the world, with 155,669 post offices. About 89 per cent of these are in rural areas, according to its website. So far, only 12,604 head post offices and sub-post offices have been computerised.

Ever since Infosys established a separate business to focus on the domestic IT outsourcing market, it has been aggressively participating and winning government contracts. It is working with the income tax department in managing the centralised processing centre that processes all electronically-filed returns and a part of the paper filings.

The project recently bagged the Gold award in “excellence in government process re-engineering” at the 14th National e-Governance Conference. India contributes about two per cent to Infosys’ total revenue.

Meanwhile, the bidding process for India Post’s Rs 1,000-crore ‘core system integrator’ contract is on.

This is touted as the largest of the eight contracts. Capgemini, Accenture, IBM, HP, TCS, Infosys, HCL and Wipro are some companies believed to be participating in the contract, expected to be finalised in two months.

India Posts’ IT modernisation initiative is expected to create over Rs 5,000-crore opportunities for IT services and hardware companies.

Source : Business Standard June 14, 2011, 1:07 IST

Give higher returns on PPF, post office savings: Panel

2011-06-08T07:12:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI: There is some good news for millions of investors who depend on small savings instruments such as post office savings and public provident fund scheme.

A committee set up by the finance ministry has recommended that the annual PPF limit be enhanced from the present level of Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh besides changing the interest rate structure. Unlike the present system where rates have not changed during the UPA regime, the panel headed by RBI deputy governor Shyamala Gopinath has suggested the return on all small saving schemes, other than post office savings account, be linked to the rate paid on government securities.

So, in a rising interest rate environment like at present, investors would benefit and would not merely have to pay higher EMIs.

The committee, which submitted its report to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, has recommended that the rate of interest be at least 25 basis points higher than the g-sec yield. For senior citizens the spread should be at least 100 basis points higher. If the proposal is accepted, based on the present interest rate, PPF accounts would be close to 8.5%, instead of 8%. In case of senior citizens, the returns would be 9.25%. In both cases, it would be tax free.

For post office savings accounts, the interest rate is proposed to be enhanced from 3.5% to 4% to bring it in line with the returns on savings bank accounts with banks.

The panel has recommended that these rates may be notified by the government at the start of the financial year based on the average yields on government securities in the previous calendar year.

Along with higher returns, the committee has also recommended the abolition of commission payment to agents on PPF and Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme. The standardized agency commission is proposed to be halved to 0.5% as part of a plan to reduce the overall cost of the small savings fund run by the government.

There is, however, bad news for those investing in Kisan Vikas Patras, as the instrument is proposed to be discontinued.

For those parking funds in National Savings Certificates there is good news as well as bad news. First the bad news, the tenure of the standard product is proposed to be cut from six years to five. The good news is there will be a new product with 10 year maturity with interest rate which is 50 basis points higher than g-sec with a similar maturity. So, the interest rate on offer would be 8.3% based on the 10-year benchmark government bond.

In addition, the committee has also suggested that states be burdened with only half the funds they raise under small savings schemes instead of 80% at present.

While there have been several committees that have looked at restructuring the small savings schemes, the recommendations were rejected as they would have upset popular sentiment. But unlike the previous reports, the present one actually recommends a market-linked interest rate regime, which would be more palatable for the investors as well as the government.

Source TOI 8th June, 2011

Unique Identification Numbers (Aadhaar)

2011-05-23T22:51:00.000+05:30

The goal of the UID Mission is to deliver Unique Identification Numbers (Aadhaar) to every resident in the country. In addition, it aims to establish a cost-effective, ubiquitous authentication infrastructure to easily verify these identities online and in real-time.

Today there are a large number of residents, especially the poorest and the most marginalized, who face challenges in accessing various public benefit programs due to the lack of possessing a clear identity proof. The Aadhaar number will ease these difficulties in identification, by providing a nationally valid and verifiable single source of identity proof.

The UIDAI will ensure the uniqueness of the Aadhaar numbers through the use of biometric attributes (Finger Prints and Iris) which will be linked to the number. This will help agencies and service providers across India clean out duplicates and fakes from their databases. The elimination of duplicate, ghost and fake identities across various schemes is expected to substantially improve the efficiency of the delivery systems by ensuring that the leakages are reduced and the benefits reach the right people.

The Aadhaar number will also enable the delivery of various services at the grass root level in a cost effective and efficient way. An example of such an Aadhaar-enabled service is in banking for the poor. With the Aadhaar number, residents will be able to easily fulfill the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements of banks. They will be able to verify their identity through the Aadhaar number to banks both in person or remotely, using a mobile device. As a result, banks will be able to provide branchless banking services to hard-to-reach rural regions, and the use of electronic transactions will further bring down costs. Similarly, electronic transfers of benefits and entitlements can be enabled through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

India will be the first country to implement a biometric-based unique ID system for its residents on a national scale. The launch of Aadhaar will herald a new chapter in the efforts of the Government in enabling inclusive growth and bringing in greater efficiency and transparency in governance. Aadhaar has the potential to fundamentally transform the service delivery and governance in the country.

For further guidance please visit http://uidai.gov.in

POSTAL DEPARTMENT CAN HELP BRING ABOUT FINANCIAL INCLUSION--SACHIN PILOT

2011-05-09T13:46:00.002+05:30

Liz Mathew

New Delhi: As junior minister for communications and information technology, Sachin Pilot is closely involved with telecom policy, besides overseeing the 150-year postal department. In an interview, the 33-year-old Congress parliamentarian from Ajmer spoke about the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's plan for the postal department, and its new telecom policy that will allow for mergers and acquisitions in the sector and for sharing and trading in air waves. Edited excerpts:

How is the postal department making use of the progress in communication technology for services beyond delivering letters, such as for money transfers?

The department of post is a very old department, a very crucial part of our cultural heritage, our nationalism. As of today, we have 155,000 post offices, and a majority of these post offices, in fact 90% of them, are in rural areas.

With 800 million Indians using mobile phones, Internet services and new forms of technologies, the traditional volume and revenue streams of the department are on a steady decline. We need to re-innovate, explore new avenues for our earnings.

The network is crucial. We are trying to computerize it. We are also offering services —insurance services and financial services. We are trying to make sure that utility bills can be paid from there, railway tickets can be issued from there, to increase its foothold. The idea is to make it a strong, economically dynamic organization. We are working on re-training the skills of the people in post offices.

How do you see the postal department playing a role in the UPA government's goal of achieving financial inclusion?

Initiating changes: Pilot says the new telecom policy will allow for mergers and acquisitions in the sector. Ramesh Pathania/Mint

India is a country that has grown in the last decade at 9% GDP (gross domestic product) and the need of the hour is financial inclusion. It's probably not practical for all the banks to have branches in the 650,000 villages we have today for equitable distribution of financial goods and services.

Post offices have a physical presence in every nook and corner of the country. We are trying to synergize between the financial services sector and the trust and the faith and the sanctity the department carries... So the department of post, with its presence and skilled employees, can become the agent of change to bring about financial inclusion. So, financial inclusion, expanding the scope of these institutions to have banking systems inculcated in our services, is the objective of the department.

Ten years down the line, what do you see as the role of the postal department, given the advances in communication technology?

We will probably be doing more services in a digitized format. India has 22 official languages. In my ministry, information technology, we have encouraged people to have the local content, local language and those software applications can be used to deliver these services—financial banking, postal services, etc. The department of post is very well placed to reap the benefits of the culmination happening in ICT (information and communication technology).

As the presence of the postal department is so wide, we can use them not just for NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) payment, which currently happens through post offices in some villages, for other social sector schemes, too.

There is a growing anger against politicians, especially among youngsters. What role can a politician like you play here?

The perception about politicians certainly needs to change. We will have to encourage people who are upright, honest and who are working with some conviction (in politics). I believe as politicians, we will have to live as examples. We have to inculcate faith in the political system. Younger people taking up that role helps in establishing that faith...

I don't think there is anything wrong in having a transparent system. If it brings out the not-so-good side of our system, so be it. Let's not be in denial. Let's fight it (corruption), let's confront it and uproot it. That's the message we want to convey. As far as the government is concerned, it's been our policy that if anyone is found in any wrong conduct, misconduct or omission, he or she would be taken to task.

The telecom ministry is in the news for the wrong reasons (controversies over the irregularities in second-generation spectrum allocation). What are the other initiatives the ministry has taken in the recent past?

What we have been able to do is to provide the cheapest call rate on the planet. What we have been able to do is to add 18 million subscribers every month. What we have been able to do is create the world's second largest telecom market. What we want to do and we will do is to have a new telecom policy... The new telecom policy will come out in a few months. We have been making sure that all the stakeholders are brought for discussion.

The government must realize reasonable revenues for its resources, which is spectrum. Very soon, we will decide on a mechanism to price it. We must also ensure robust growth for the industry. We don't want to kill the industry with our new policy. The third and most important aspect is that our people should have the best quality of services at the cheapest price. These three will form the pillars of the telecom policy.

It will be transparent, above board and will have everyone's interests in mind. We are going to allow mergers and acquisitions to take place. But we have mandated that each circle should have at least six players to operate to allow good competition. We have talked about spectrum sharing, spectrum trading, uniform spectrum charges. We will soon take a decision.

Courtesy: liz.m@livemint.com

THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS, GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS (CONDUCT AND ENGAGEMENT) RULES, 2011

2011-04-27T21:32:00.000+05:30

No. 21-8/2010-GDS

Government of India

Ministry of Communications & IT

Department of Posts

(GDS Section)

Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg,

New Delhi-110001

No. 21-8/2010-GDS Dated: 18 Apr 2011

All Chief Postmasters General

SUBJECT: THE DEPARTMENT OF POSTS, GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS (CONDUCT AND ENGAGEMENT) RULES, 2011-REGARDING

Sir,

The existing Department of Posts, Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Emplacement) Rules, 2001 as amended from time to time have been suitably amended/revised. In supersession of the existing Department of Posts, Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Employment) Rules, 2001, the revised rules called the Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2011 are hereby circulated.

2. In brief, revisions/amendments/insertions made in the existing rules are as follows:-

(i) The rules called "Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2011" containing 31 rules are issued replacing the existing set of rules called the "Department of Posts, Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Employment) Rules, 2001 containing 31 rules. Rule 3-A, 5-A & 29-A have been inserted as new rules in the "Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2011"

(ii) Non-existent categories of Gramin Dak Sevaks such as Gramin Dak Sevak Sub Postmaster, Gramin Dak Sevak Mailman & Gramin Dak Sevak Mail Messenger have been deleted under Rule 3(c) with a suitable note below.

(iii) The word 'Employment/Appointment' wherever appears in the existing rules has been replaced with word 'Engagement'.

(iv) Note II earlier appearing below Rule 3 has been replaced by new Rule 3-A with title "Terms and Conditions of Engagement" with appropriate changes in sub para (vii) relating to applicability of the condition of residence to the Gramin Dak Sevaks.

(v) New Rule 5-A has been incorporated in connection with entitlements of Time Related Continuity Allowance for the Gramin Dak Sevks on the basis of workload as per standards of assessment decided by the Department.

(vi) Rule 6 has been amended with regard to entitlement of GDS to ex-gratia gratuity.

(vii) Rule 7 has been amended by incorporating the admissibility of 20 days paid leave in a year without accumulation.

(viii) A note below Rule 9 has been incorporated to clarify that recovery under Rule 9(iv) can be enforced fully without any restriction.

(ix) Existing Rule 19(1)(i) has been modified to make it clear that revision petition would now lie to Regional PMG if the GDS is working in a Region and in other cases to the Head of the Circle.

(x) Existing Rule 20 has been modified by inclusion of time limit of preferring review petition as two years as also the authority competent to decide the review petition of GDS on behalf of the President.

(xi) A new Rule 29-A has been incorporated providing for prohibition regarding engaging in any business detrimental to the business of the post office.

(xii) Recruiting Authority laid down in the schedule referred to in Rule 4 relating to GDS BPM has now been modified, which include JAG officers also.

(xiii) The Conduct and Engagement Rules, 2011 shall be applicable to all the existing categories of GDS including those GDS categories which have been declared as wasting cadres as long as they remain in service.

3. You are requested to ensure that the enclosed revised set of Rules called the Department of Posts, Gramin Dak Sevaks (Conduct and Engagement) Rules, 2011 is further circulated to all the Postmaster General (Regions)/Postal Training Centers/Other Recruiting Authorities in your Circle at the earliest and sent confirmation to the office within a week's time.

4. The receipt of this letter may kindly be acknowledged to the undersigned.

Hindi version will follow.

sd/-

(Surender Kumar)

Assistant Director General (GDS/PCC)

http://www.sahuliyat.com/index.php?categoryid=29&p2003_sectionid=1&p2003_fileid=195

ग्रामीण डाक संपर्क के आधुनिकीकरण पर राष्‍ट्रीय गोलमेज सम्‍मेलन

2011-04-14T18:55:00.001+05:30

अपने आकार और देश भर में पहुँच के साथ डाक संपर्क एक ऐसा अनोखा संस्‍थान है, जिसमें ग्रामीण समुदाय की सेवा करने की क्षमता है । डाक घर ग्रामीण समुदाय का एक लघु रूप है और वातावरण में होने वाले परिवर्तनों के प्रति संवेदनशील है । इसलिए डाक विभाग को इस नये वातावरण में डाकघर की भूमिका को स्‍पष्‍ट रूप से पुनर्परिभाषित करने एवं नवीनीकृत करने की आवश्‍यकता है । (आज नई दिल्‍ली में ग्रामीण डाक संपर्क के आधुनिकीकरण पर राष्‍ट्रीय गोलमेज सम्‍मेलन का उद्घाटन करते हुए केन्‍द्रीय संचार एवं सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्री श्री कपिल सिब्‍बल ने यह बात कही । उन्‍होंने कहा कि डाक विभाग पहले ही सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी को शामिल करने की दिशा में अग्रसर है । उन्‍होंने कहा कि प्रौद्योगिकी मंजिल नहीं है), बल्‍कि सुशाशन एवं बेहतर सेवा जैसे लक्ष्‍यों को प्राप्‍त करने का साधन है । श्री सिब्‍बल ने कहा कि भारतीय डाक को प्रौद्योगिकी के माध्‍यम से रूपांतरण के प्रति दृढ़ संकल्‍प दिखाना चाहिए । उन्‍होंने कहा कि ग्रामीण डाक सेवाओं को वित्‍तीय समावेश का वाहन एवं अंतिम लक्ष्‍य को प्राप्‍त करने एजेंट के रूप में विकसित करने के लिए उनको सक्षम बनाया जा रहा है । भारतीय डाक विश्‍व का सबसे बड़ा डाक नेटवर्क है, जिसका एक बड़ा हिस्‍सा ग्रामीण भारत में स्‍थित है, जिसमें 1,39,000 डाक घर शामिल हैं ।इस सम्‍मेलन में संचार एवं सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी राज्‍यमंत्री श्री सचिन पायलट,योजना के सदस्‍य श्री मिहिर शाह, ग्रामीण विकास सचिव श्री बी के सिन्‍हा, सचिव (डाक) सुश्री राधिका दोरईस्‍वामी के अलावा कई अन्‍य गणमान्‍य व्‍यक्‍ति भी उपस्‍थित थे ।