17th All India Postal Carrom Tournament 2012-13 - participation of circle team and coaching camp thereof.

Department of Posts, India

Office of the Chief Postmaster General, Odisha Circle

Bhubaneswar-751001

No .S. Cell/1-22/2012-13                                                                                                    Date: 29.01.2013

To

The DA(P) Cuttack/ Manager P.P.P. Bhubaneswar

The S.S.P.Os/SPOs,  Cuttack City Dn./ Bhubaneswar/ Bhadrak Dn

Sub:		17th All India Postal Carrom Tournament 2012-13 - participation of circle team and coaching camp thereof.

            This is to intimate that the following officials are selected to attend carrom coaching camp at PRC, O/O CPMG, Bhubaneswar from 08.02.2013 to 15.02.2013.  After completion of Coaching Camp Team will move to Patna for participation in the above tournament which is scheduled to be held at Patna  from 18.02.2013 to 22.02.2013.

1.		Shri J .K. Routray, SPM, Pipili S.O
2.		Shri Deepak Raj Samal, Waterman, A.D. Market, MDG Cuttack
3.		Shri Jiten Kumar Mohapatra, PA, Bhubaneswar Dn
4.		Shri Rajendra Kumar Sahoo, Jr. Accountant, DA(P), Cuttack
5.		Shri Uttam Kumar Moharana, PA, Bhadrak HO
6.		Shri Amosh Ch. Pradhan, PPP, Bhubaneswar.

Officials from Sl. No. 1 to 5 may be granted Special C.L. from 08.02.2013 to 22.02.2013, plus actual journey time to attend coaching camp at C.O. Bhubaneswar and return from Patna after completion of All India Carrom tournament on 22.02.2013 to their respective Hq.  Official at sl. No.6 Shri Pradhan may be granted Spl. C.L. from 08.02.2013 to 15.02.2013.

All above players should note that soon after completion of the camp on 15.02.2013, Circle Carrom team will proceed to Patna. Hence all players come prepared to proceed with the team directly from Bhubaneswar. Nobody is allowed to report late or leave camp at any point of time during the camp. Practice will be held from 10A.M. to 6 P.M.  daily.

The Climate in Patna during the month of February will be cold. It is suggested to bring woolen cloths, Blankets etc.

All the players should note that they must take their I. Card with them to the camp. Without I. Card nobody is allowed to proceed with the team. All are requested to maintain discipline during camp and at the time of All India tournament at Patna. The team will be escorted by Shri P.K. Patnaik, Jr. Artist, P.P.P.,Bhubaneswar as Manager.

All expenses for team participation in All India Tournament & Coaching Camp will be borne by the participants, which will be reimbursed after receipt of Additional Annual Grant of Directorate.

		Asst. Director(Sports) and Secretary, OCPSB For Chief P.M.G., Odisha Circle Bhubaneswar-751001

Copy for information to-

Shri P.K. Patnaik, Jr. Artist, P.P.P. as Manager cum Coach

 All Officials concerned.

		For Chief P.M.G., Odisha Circle,Bhubaneswar-751001

Now, get theme-based postage stamp released

ALLAHABAD: Now, get a stamp released based on a theme of your choice. The postal department has come up with a special scheme to make this wish a reality.

Giving details, postal services director, Allahabad region, Krishna Kumar Yadav said India Post is inviting suggestions of the public for new themes to be depicted on the commemorative postage stamps.

The suggestions can be given on any theme related to art, culture, national heritage, flora and fauna, sports, wildlife, nature, historical monuments, children oriented subjects and world heritage.

The theme should be such that can be depicted on the stamps in a visually appealing manner so that it interests stamp collectors.

Yadav clarified that suggestions given regarding personalities, institutions, and events will not be considered. This poll with the name "Suggest a Stamp" will remain open up to February 15 and suggestion may be sent to email address -- stamppoll@gmail.com.

He said the best three suggestions, chosen at the national level will be recommended for inclusion in stamp issue programme of 2014 with credits given in the information brochure for suggesting the selected theme.

Yadav added that before submitting the entry, the catalogue of stamps issued, available on India Post's website -- www.indiapost.gov.in -- may be perused so as to avoid any repetition in the themes.

Postal department is also writing letters to other departments, institutions, schools and colleges for wide publicity of the scheme.

Source : The Times of India, 31 Jan, 2013

Editorial of Postal Crusader, February - 2013

WE ARE NOT going to surrender.

Join the two daYs strike on February 20 & 21

               We, the Postal employees, have a proud and inspiring history of participating in the freedom struggle of our country against the British imperialism and in the post-independent India against the onslaughts of the retrograde policies of the Government of India.  Many of our leaders and comrades have sacrificed their life for the cause of the coming generation.  Job security, wages, pension and other service benefits are all the outcome of the struggle and sacrifice of hundreds and thousands of such comrades.  They faced dismissal, removal, suspension, increment cut, transfer to remote places, break-in-service and other severe victimisations.  Dies-non was not at all a punishment for them.  They never complained about wage-cut due to dies-non.  Not even  a single benefit was given by the Government without struggle and consequent heavy victimisations.  1st to 6th Pay Commissions were appointed by the Government only after the united struggle of the employees, each time.

               Now we are facing a very crucial and critical situation.  The ill-effects of the neo-liberal economic policies of the Central Government has become the greatest threat to the survival of the entire working class, especially Central Government employees including five and a half lakhs Postal, R M S and Gramin Dak Sevaks.  The question before us is -Are we able to protect our job security and hard-earned benefits?  Are we ready to fight or are we going to surrender before this attack?  The answer is - No. We are not going to surrender.  We will continue our fight till the imperialist globalisation policies are thrown to winds, just as we have thrown the British imperialism out of our country.   We are not alone, crores and crores of workers and employees are with us in this fight.  We are ready for sacrifice.   We are not going to run away from  our responsibilities.  We shall face the challenge and continue our fight to change the system in our favour.  Ultimate victory will be ours.

               It is this uncompromising spirit and the readiness for sacrifice, that made National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) to join the two-days historic strike of the working class on 2013 February 20, 21.  The strike is being organised by the entire trade unions including INTUC, BMS and the left trade unions.  In the Postal, the strike is organised by Central JCA, including NFPE and the INTUC affiliated FNPO.  This is the first time in the history of India a cent per cent united strike of 48 hours by all the Unions and Federtions is taking place.  More than ten crores workers will participate in the strike.  The working class of India, in one voice, demand the UPA Government to change the imperialist globalisation policies.

               Central Government employees are the first victims of the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the Central Government from 1991 onwards.  During the last twenty years about eight lakhs posts are abolished.  Still five lakhs posts are lying vacant in various departments.  Many departments are closed or privatised.  More and more casual and contract workers are engaged.  Social security schemes, including statutory Pension scheme are given a go-bye.  Instead, share market oriented contributory Pension scheme is introduced.  Three lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks of the Postal department are denied of their legitimate rights.  Casual, Part-time, contingent employees are not given their due wage revision.  Even compassionate appointments are denied imposing arbitrary restrictions.  Bonus ceiling not raised.  Further the Government has declared the National Postal Policy 2012 which is nothing but a road-map to privatisation of Postal Services by granting licences to the multi-national courier services. 

               The demand for appointment of 7th Pay Commission is not yet accepted, inspite of the thundering success of the 12th December 2012 strike organised by Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers.  As an impact of the strike, all the Central Trade Unions have submitted a memorandum to the Finance Minister to announce constitution of 7th CPC in the February 2013 budget itself.  Still the Government is silent on Pay Commission and merger of 50% DA.  February 20, 21 strike is a continuation of 12th December strike.

               The steep rise in prices of essential commodities, disbanding of the public distribution system, deregulation of petrol and diesel prices , disinvestment of public sector, rise in unemployment, shrinking of employment opportunities, proposed move to amend the labour laws in favour of the employers, attack on social security, denial of assured pension for all, introduction of contract and casual labour system in all sectors, denial of minimum wage of Rs.10,000/- to industrial workers, refusal to remove bonus and PF ceilings etc. are all due to this neo-liberal economic policies.

               The attack is all round.  To save the Postal, to save the Central Govt. departments, to save the public sector, to save the common people and workers of our country including Postal employees the only way out is to fight back these policies.  Let us wholeheartedly join this struggle and make it a historic success.

Calling for nominations for training programme at APPC, Bangkok for the calendar year 2013.

With Entry/e-mail

Most Immediate

Department of Posts, India

Office of the Chief Postmaster General

Odisha Circle, Bhubaneswar-751001

No. ST/2-38/2012                                                                                 Dated at Bhubaneswar, the 29-01-13

To

                        The  Postmaster General, Sambalpur / Berhampur Region

The SSRM, RMS N Division, Cuttack

All SSPOs/SPOs in HQ Region

Sub:            Calling for nominations for training programme at APPC, Bangkok for the calendar year 2013.

            A copy of Directorate letter No. 10-27/2012-Trg, dated 28-01-13 regarding above subject is sent herewith for information and necessary action.

             I am directed to request you to nominate one official for each training programme from appropriate level to enable this office to select suitable nominations from the Circle.

            While nominating officials for training courses, the stipulations as mentioned in para 3 & 4 of Directorate letter referred to above may be kept in view.

            Information in respect of nominated officials may be submitted separately for each training in the prescribed proforma  attached with Directorate’s letter so as to reach this office latest by 07-02-13 without fail.

            This may be accorded top priority.

            (A K Panda)

Asst. Director(Staff)

O/o the Chief PMG, OdIsha Circle

Bhubaneswar-751001

 

 

 

 

UPU News : From direct mail to direct marketing

30.01.2013 - Why has the UPU’s Direct Mail Advisory Board changed its name to the Direct Marketing Advisory Board?

Although direct mail still makes up a significant part of letter-post volumes, the 2012 Doha Congress decided the UPU should branch out by embracing all innovative postal products and services and all means of direct marketing used by postal clients.

Technological developments over the last two decades have led Posts to combine the traditional direct-mail product with other forms of direct marketing, in a multimedia environment.

“It was important for the UPU to reflect the new reality. Several Posts today can support integrated multi-channel campaigns that go beyond direct mail,” says Raquel Ferrari, manager of the UPU’s direct marketing and stakeholder relations programme.

The UPU will help Posts expand their knowledge of direct marketing and develop strategies to diversify their offerings with innovative products and services. Posts will work to position themselves as key players in the direct marketing process, and contribute to the segment’s economic and commercial growth.

Several Posts have already created digital media divisions, or have acquired subsidiary companies specializing in direct marketing. For example, Canada Post is expanding into digital media offerings, with a focus on the collection and use of data. Norway’s Posten has acquired client relations agency Bring Dialog to plan campaigns from start to finish, including the distribution of items through various digital channels.

The Direct Marketing Advisory Board has 47 members, including Posts and private companies and associations. Its first meeting will take place in April 2013 during the UPU’s Postal Operations Council session. 

Source :  http://news.upu.int/nd/from-direct-mail-to-direct-marketing/

C C S ( Pension ) Amendment Rules, 2012

 Amendment in Rule 5(2), 29, 29-A, 30 ,31, 32(1), 37, 37(A), 48A(5),48(B) and 48(C) of CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972
Click here to view Notification dated 21st December, 2012 issued by Department of Pension and Pensioner's Welfare.

Differential treatment in fixing pension unfair, rules SC

Tamil Nadu GO classifying pensioners into those who retired before and after June 1, 1988 struck down

In fixing pension, no differential treatment can be made among government employees who retired in different periods while taking into consideration their ‘dearness pay’, the Supreme Court has held.

In a ruling that will benefit thousands of employees, a Bench of Justices D.K. Jain (who has since taken over as Law Commission Chairman) and J.S. Khehar quashed an August 9, 1989 Tamil Nadu Government Order to the extent that it extended to employees who retired on or after June 1, 1988 a lower component of ‘dearness pay’ as against those who had retired prior to June 1, 1988, holding that the GO was violative of Articles 14 (equality before law) and 16 (equality in matters of public employment) of the Constitution.

The Bench said there was no valid justification for the government “to have classified pensioners similarly situated as the appellants — the Kallakurichi Taluk Retired Official Association, etc [who retired after 1.6.1988] — from those who had retired prior thereto.”

Writing the judgment, Justice Khehar said inflation would have the same effect on all pensioners, whether they retired prior to or after June 1, 1988.

“The purpose of adding the component of ‘dearness pay’ to wages for calculating pension is to offset the effect of inflation…Therefore, the classification in the impugned GO placing employees who retired after 1.6.1988 at a disadvantage, vis-à-vis the employees who retired prior thereto, by allowing them a lower component of ‘dearness pay’, is clearly arbitrary and discriminatory.”

The Bench said: “In a situation where the State government had chosen that a particular component of ‘dearness allowance’ would be treated as ‘dearness pay’, it could not discriminate between one set of pensioners and another, while calculating the pension payable to them.”

In the instant appeals, a single judge of the Madras High Court granted relief to the pensioners but a Division Bench reversed the order. The present batch of appeals was directed against that judgment. 

Source: The Hindu, 27 Jan, 2013

Grant of Honorarium to Inquiry Officers (IO)/Presenting Officers (PO) for conducting Departmental Inquiries

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Authorising Additional Quantum of Pension/Family Pension

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Transfers and postings of the officers of the Grade of Member (Postal Services Board), lndian Postal Service, Group A

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Transfers and postings of Junior Administrative Grade (NFSG) officers of Indian Postal Service, Group A

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Promotion and postings in the Non-Functional Selection Grade (NFSG) of the Junior Administrative Grade officers of Indian Postal Service Group A

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Railways planning to do away with pantry cars in trains

NEW DELHI: Aiming to provide good quality food to passengers, the Railways are planning to do away with cooking arrangements in pantry cars and setting up 250 base kitchens across the country to prepare about six lakh meals and snacks per day.

There will be base kitchens at all major stations including New Delhi, Nizamuddin, Old Delhi, Howrah, Patna, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and other originating stations and junctions where meals will be prepared in hygenic conditions, said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with catering service.

"Pantry cars in trains will be no longer utilised for preparing foods and instead they will used for storing meals and snacks prepared in base kitchens," he said, adding "Only hot beverages like tea, coffee and soup will be prepared in pantry cars."

There are 302 mail and express trains having pantry cars for preparing and serving food to onboard passengers.

Currently, the Railways provide about six lakh meals and snacks in a day to passengers including 91,000 meals being served in Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi trains.

"The aim is to provide quality, hygienic food to the passengers," he said, and added, "The base kitchens will be set up on railway land near the stations."

The Railway will give land at a nominal fee of Rs 1 per sq feet to caterers for setting up base kitchens.

The total volume of food business in the Railways is estimated to be around Rs 2000 crore a year.

Meanwhile, the Railways are finalising a common bidding format across the country for providing branded food items.

The national transporter will empanel brands for certain items and make it mandatory for caterers to invest in base kitchens.

The bidding norms have provisions to prevent only a few catering firms from cornering a large share of business.

The bidding in catering service is expected to begin by May this year.

Source : The Economic Times

Sorting letters to get quicker

HYDERABAD: To sort out mail quickly, the postal department (India Post) will set up its state-of-the art automatic mail processing centre (AMPC) at Pedda Golkonda village near Shamshabad. The integrated facility will sort out letters and parcels at a central place.

On Monday, Union minister of state for communication & information technology Killi Kruparani visited a three-acre site where the AMPC would be built at a cost of Rs 40 crores over a period of two years. Hyderabad would become the third city in the country after Mumbai and Chennai to have an AMPC.

The AMPC would have two machines, one for sorting letters and another for large size articles. The letter sorting machine (LSM) would have the capacity to sort about 35,000 letters per hour, while the mixed mail sorting (MMS) machine could handle 20,000 articles per hour. In Andhra Pradesh Circle, 20 lakh mails are handled daily, with 8.2 lakh of mail pieces handled in Hyderabad city alone.

Another uniqueness feature of these machines is the latest optical character recognition (OCR)-Video Coding System (VCS) that can read address written on mail and sort them to the correct destination.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners - reg. (Revised concordance table)

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