PFRDA BILL LIKELY TO BE TAKEN UP IN PARLIAMENT ON 2nd SEPTEMBER 2013.

 PFRDA BILL LIKELY TO BE TAKEN UP IN PARLIAMENT ON 2nd SEPTEMBER 2013. 

ORGANISE TWO HOUR WALK OUT AND NATIONWIDE PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS

It is reported that PFRDA Bill will be take up in Parliament for discussion and adoption on 2nd September. Confederation National Secretariat once again calls upon all Central Government Employees to organize 2 hour walkout and nationwide protest demonstration on the day if bill is taken up or on the next day if information received late.

(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General

Source: ConfedarationHQ

Dopt Orders on Risk Allowance - Risk Allowance to Central Government employees - clarification reg.

Dopt Orders on Risk Allowance - Risk Allowance to Central Government employees - clarification reg.

 The order said that 'there is no need for issuing separate instructions continuing payment of Risk Allowance beyond 31.12.2012'.

No.21012/01/2010-Estt. (Allowance)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension
Department of Personnel & Training

Block No.IV, Old JNU Campus,
New Delhi, 26th August, 2013.

Office Memorandum

Subject: Risk Allowance to Central Government employees - clarification reg.

Reference in invited to this Department’s O.M. No.21012/01/2008-Estt.(Allowance) dated 18th June, 2012 wherein the grant of Risk Allowance was extended at the then existing rates beyond 30.06.2012 and upto 31.12.2012. Subsequently, vide this Department’s OM. No.21012/01/2010-Estt. (Allowance) dated October 18, 2012 the rates of Risk Allowance were revised with effect from 1st September, 2008, implying that grant of Risk Allowance would be at revised rates w.e.f. 1st September, 2008 onwards. Hence, there is no need for issuing separate instructions continuing payment of Risk Allowance beyond 31.12.2012.

This issues with the approval of Joint Secretary (Establishment).

sd/-
(S.G.Mulchandaney)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India

Source :www.persmin.gov.in
[http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02est/21012_01_2010-Estt.Allowance-26082013.pdf]

Executive Engineers in 3rd MACP with GP 7600 not entitled for NFU: CPWD Clarification

Executive Engineers in 3rd MACP with GP 7600 not entitled for NFU: CPWD Clarification
 The Executive Engineers who have already been granted 3rd Financial up-gradation in the grade pay of Rs 7600/- under MACP scheme would not be entitled for NFU to the same grade in future - Clarification by CPWD.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
CENTRAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
N1RMAN BHAWAN, NEW DELHI.

DG/Estt./15

Date:- 29/08/2013

 OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject:- Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme for the Central Government Civilian Employees-Clarification regarding grant of benefits of MACPS to Officers who have later on inducted into Organized Group A Service.


The undersigned is directed to refer to DOPT's O.M No. 35034/10/2011-Estt. dated 13/06/2013 regarding grant of 3rd financial upgradation under MACP scheme in respect of Executive Engineers who have already been inducted into Organized Group 'A' Services. In this connection, DOPT vide above OM clarified that it has been decided to allow grant of financial up-gradation under MACPs with effect from the due date to those officers who are inducted to the organized Group `A' Services when they are nearing retirement subject to the condition that only at the time of retirement an evaluation of up-gradation/promotion earned by the officer would be made. In case such officers have already attained three financial up-gradations under MACP scheme, they shall not be entitled for NFU to the same grade from a later date (Copy enclosed).

In view of above, the Executive Engineers who have already been granted 3rd Financial up-gradation in the grade pay of Rs 7600/- under MACP scheme would not be entitled for NFU to the same grade in future.

sd/-
(Suresh Chandra)
Deputy Director (Admn).

Source: www.cpwd.nic.in

Changes in the scheme of selection process for recruitment to the promotion quota of various cadres of All India Services

Changes in the scheme of selection process for recruitment to the promotion quota of various cadres of All India Services

 It has been approved in principle, to consider a few changes in the scheme of selection process for recruitment to the promotion quota of various cadres of All India Services.  As per the existing regulations, the assessment of the suitability of a candidate is made on the basis of his service records.  As per the revised scheme, it is proposed to assess the candidate on the basis of four components i.e. ‘Written Examination’, ‘Length of Service’, ‘Assessment of Performance Appraisal Reports’ and ‘Interviews’.

The above decision was taken after consulting the State Governments and the concerned Cadre Controlling Authorities (CCAs i.e., the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Environment and Forest).  Further, to implement the scheme, necessary amendments in the concerned rules/regulations are necessary.  The State Governments & the CCAs concerned have been consulted on this aspect also.  The Central Government has received certain objections from different quarters, such as that the new scheme will be detrimental to the interests of senior state services officers, the officers belonging to the categories of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; it would also undermine the element of experience viz-a-viz academic knowledge and would be against the larger public interest as the officers would prefer studying in place of doing public service, etc.   The inputs received in this regard from the State Governments and other quarters will be kept in view in firming up the regulations.

 This was stated by Shri V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office in written reply to a question by Dr. Chandan Mitra today.

****

KSD/SAMIR/sk

Annexure A

SUMMARY OF THE AFFIDAVIT BY THE GOVERNMENT

The salient features of the affidavit are as under:

a. Non Interference in Investigation
Non-interference in investigation of CBI in PC Act offence cases is already provided in the DSPE Act.

b. Appointment of Director, CBI
Appointment of  Director CBI by the President on the recommendation of a Committee consisting of Prime Minister as Chairperson, Leader of Opposition in the House of People as Member and the Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by him as Member.

c. Removal of Director, CBI
Removal of Director CBI, only by order of the President on grounds of proved misbehavior and incapacity after the Central Vigilance Commission on a reference made to it by the President has reported that the Director is guilty based on an inquiry conducted in accordance with the AIS Rules in this regard.

d. Director, CBI as member of Selection Committee
Induction of Director CBI as full-fledged member in the Selection Committee for recommending selection of officers of CBI of the level of SP and above.

e. Superintendence on Non-PC Act offences
Superintendence of the Delhi Special Police Establishment for all cases (other than Prevention of Corruption Act offences whose superintendence is with Central Vigilance Commission) has been in the Central Government, with a rider that while exercising the powers of superintendence, the Central Government shall not exercise powers in such a manner so as to require the Delhi Special Police Establishment to investigate or dispose of any case in a particular manner.

f. Timeline for prosecution of officers under Section 6(A) of DSPE Act
On the required approval of the Central Government before conducting inquiry or investigation against officers of JS level or above under Section 6(A) of DSPE Act, it has been provided that the Central Government shall take a final decision within a period of 3 months and an order declining such request would contain reasons in support thereof.

g. Appointment of Director (Prosecution)
Director of Prosecution is to be selected based on the recommendation of the Selection Committee, headed by the Central Vigilance Commissioner with Secretary DoPT, Secretary MHA, and Secretary Department of Legal Affairs as members and Director CBI as member convener. The categories of persons who shall be eligible for appointment, apart from cadre officers of the Ministry of Law & Justice, would include a person who has been in practice as an advocate for not less than 15 years and has been designated as a senior advocate. Powers and functions of the Director of Prosecution have been delineated.

h. Institutional accountability of CBI
Establishment of an Accountability Commission has been proposed to ensure institutional accountability of CBI.  The Commission will consist of three whole time Members, to be appointed by the President, from amongst the  retired judges of the Supreme Court or the High Court with the senior most judge as the Chairperson of the Commission and the CVC as an ex-officio Member. The salary and allowances and the other terms and conditions would be as may be prescribed by the Government. The jurisdiction, functions and powers of the Commission have been detailed. The Commission would entertain and inquire into allegations of misbehavior, incapacity, impropriety or irregularity on the part of officers and staff of DSPE. However the complainant has to approach the Director in the first instance.

i. Financial Autonomy:
                  Apart from functional autonomy to CBI, the financial powers of the Director shall be equivalent to the powers exercisable by the Director General of Central Reserve Police Force.

j. In accordance with Cabinet`s approval the Central Government shall introduced a Bill containing the necessary amendments in Parliament and the same shall be moved in accordance with Parliamentary procedure.

Source : PIB

Revision of Special Pay granted to Trolleyman working in Engineering and S&T Departments - reg.

Revision of Special Pay granted to  Trolleyman  working  in  Engineering and S&T  Departments - reg.

N F I R
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3,CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI - 11O055
Affillated to :
lndian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)

NO. IV/NFIR/VIth CPC/Main/10/Pt. IX

Dated: 27/08/2013

The Secretary (E),
Railway Board,
NEW DELHI

Dear Sir,

Sub:  Revision of Special Pay granted to  Trolleyman  working  in  Engineering and S&T  Departments - reg.

Ref:  (i) NFIR's PNM Item No. 34/2012.
          (ii) Railway Board's letter No. E (P&A) I-2012/FE-4/5 dated 10/07/2013.

------*-------

While going through the observations/recommendations of the Committee pursuant to the instructions of  DoP&T  (based on Vth  CPC), the Federation notes that absolutely harsh criteria has been proposed by the committee of Executive Directors, Railway Board in listing out categories for grant of Risk Allowance.

2.  In this connection, NFIR  wishes to bring to the notice of the Railway Board that the nominated Committee was required to bifurcate the categories of staff into two types of risks involved in the course of performing duties as defined by the Vth CPC. These are:

• Continuous risks: Where the employee is prone to risk fully or partially in the course of performing Railway duties and
  
• Contingent  risks:  In this category of risk the Railway employees have to face risk like one - time event and also when the event is uncertain.

3.  Federation further desires to highlight that the Committee has incorrectly denotified following  categories of  staff who face continuous risk  in the course of  performing railway duties by virtue of their job contents:-

• Gate Keepers
• Track Maintainers
• Staff handling 440 Volts & above equipments,
• Shuntman
• Shunting Master
• Shunting Jamadar
• Shunting Porter
• Trolley man
• TRD Lineman
• Welder

The contention of NFIR could be established  by the fact that every year in the Train accidents, derailments etc some of the staff of above categories get injured and more than often killed due to their nature ofjob involving continuous risk.

List of denotified categories of staff, therefore needs to revised to include at least above categories for payment of Risk Allowance.

NFIR, therefore, requests the Railway Board to  review the decision and issue suitable instructions on the above lines to settle the demand raised in the pNM meeting. Copy of the instructions issued may be endorsed  to the Federation.

Yours faithfully
(M.Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

Copy to the General Secretaries  of affiliated unions of NFIR.
Copy to the Media Centre/NFIR.
File No. 34/2012 (pNM).
File No. I/5 (9).
Copy to VII CPC file.


Source: www.nfirindia.org

Children Education Allowance

Children Education Allowance

• Children Education Allowance Scheme for reimbursement of expenditure on education of school going children has been introduced for Railway employees from 1st September,2008 by merging Children Education Allowance and Reimbursement of Tuition Fee.
• Consequent to the introduction of Children Education Allowance Scheme Para1130 of IREM Vol.I providing for advance of one month’s pay for purchase of outfit for children attending the schools is deleted.  (Ref 6)

Eligibility Conditions

• Children Education Allowance can be availed by Railway employees upto a maximum of eldest two surviving children. (Ref 1,5&7)
•  A person appointed as ‘Trainee’ on compassionate ground shall be allowed Children Education Allowance as per the admissible rates. (Ref 12)
• Children Education allowance is admissible for more than two children if the number of children exceeds two as a result of second child birth resulting in twins or multiple births. (Ref 3)
• The reimbursement of Children Education Allowance is admissible also for the first child born after failure of sterilization operation (Ref 10)
• Reimbursement of educational expenditure of children from classes nursery (2 classes prior to Class I) to twelfth studying in a recognized school /institution will be allowed subject to upper age limit of 20 years.  Recognised school/institution in this regard means a Govt. school  or any educational institution whether in receipt of Govt. aid or not, recognized by the Central or State Govt. or Union Territory Administration or by University or a recognized educational authority having jurisdiction over the area where the institution is situated.   (Ref 1,7,8& 12)
• In  cases where minimum qualifications for admission in the two years Diploma course in Polytechnic is 10th Class and the student joins the polytechnic after passing X class, the reimbursement of tuition fees shall also be allowed for the 1st and 2nd year classes of the above course. (Ref 3)
• Even if a child fails in a particular class, the reimbursement of Children Education Allowance shall not be stopped. (Ref 1). However, if the child is admitted in the same class in another school, although the child has passed out of the same class in previous school or in the mid-session, CEA shall not be reimbursable (Ref 14).
• In case both the spouses are Government servants, only one of them can avail reimbursement under Children Education Allowance.(Ref 1)
• Hostel subsidy and Children Education Allowance cannot be availed concurrently.(Ref 1)
• Reimbursement should be made on the submission of original receipts on the basis of self-certification by the Railway employee.(Ref 1)
• In case of misplacement of receipts given by the school/institution towards charges received from the parents / guardian, reimbursement may be allowed if the employee produces a duplicate receipt, duly authenticated by the school authorities. (Ref 11)
• CEA is payable for the children of all Central Government employees including citizens of Nepal and Bhutan, who are employees of Government of India, and whose children are studying in the native place. However, a certificate may be obtained from the concerned Indian Mission that the school is recognized by the educational authority having jurisdiction over the area where the institution is situated. (Ref 14)

Items permitted for reimbursement(Ref 1)

•     Tuition Fee
•     Admission fee
•     Laboratory fee
•     Special fee charged for agriculture, electronics, music or any other subject.
•     Fee charged for practical work under the programme of work experience. Fee paid for the use of any aid or appliance by the child.
•     Library fee
•     Games/sports fee.
•     Fee for extra-curricular activities.
•     Reimbursement for purchase of one set of text books and notebooks in an academic year(Ref 14).
•     Reimbursement for purchase of two sets of uniforms and one set of school shoes in an academic year (Ref 14).
•     VidyalyaVikasNidhi charged by KendriyaVidyalayas (Ref 7)
•     CEA may be allowed in case of children studying through “Correspondence or Distance Learning” also (Ref 8)
•     Development Fee/Parents’ Contribution charged by the school/institution in lieu of tuition fee(Ref 11)
•     Fee charged directly by the school/institution for catering to the special needs of the child with disabilities, duly certified by the school authorities(Ref 11)

Following are not permitted for Reimbursement

•     Expenses  on coaching classes in a Tuition /Coaching Centre would not be admissible.  (Ref 4)
•     No reimbursement is permissible for Annual Charges and Transportation fees.  (Ref 14)
•     Reimbursement of school bags, pens/pencils, water bottle, stationery etc., may not be allowed. (Ref 14)

Amount of Reimbursement

•     The annual ceiling fixed for reimbursement of Children Education allowance is Rs.15000/- per academic year. (Ref 9)
•     Reimbursement can be claimed once every quarter.
•     A Railway employee is allowed to get 50% of the overall annual ceiling in the first quarter and the remaining amount in third and or fourth quarter. Frontloading of the entire amount in the first and second quarters is not allowed. An employee can claim full amount subject to the annual ceiling amount in the last quarter.(Ref 10 & 11)
•     The above limits would be automatically raised by 25% every time the Dearness Allowance on the revised pay structure goes up by 50%.(Ref 1)
•     Any enhancement in the ceiling of reimbursement per annum due to increase in DA by 50% shall be applicable on pro-rata basis from the date of increase in DA, subject to actual expenditure during the quarter. (Ref 11)

Disabled Children

•     Reimbursement of Education Allowance for disabled children upto 22 years (having a minimum Disability of 40% ) of Government employees shall be payable at double the normal rates prescribed.  (Ref 2& 3)
•     The annual ceiling for reimbursement of education allowance for disabled children of Government employees will be Rs. 30,000/- per annum per child(Ref 2&9)
•     Children Education Allowance in case of a physically /mentally handicapped child studying in any institution aided or approved by the Central/State Govt. or UT Administration or whose fees are approved by any of these authorities shall be reimbursed irrespective of whether the institution is ‘recognized’ (Ref 3)

CEA during leave, suspension

•     Children Education Allowance shall be admissible to a Govt. servant under suspension or on leave ( including extra ordinary leave). However any period which is treated as ‘dies non’ the Govt. servant shall not be eligible for the Allowance for the period. (Ref 3)

CEA in case of new appointment, Death in service, Retirement, Removal

•     Employees who join service in the middle of academic year would be entitled to the Allowance on a pro-rata basis for each completed month per child.  (Ref 4)
•     In case of retirement, discharge, dismissal or removal from service  -CEA/hostel subsidy shall be admissible till the end of the academic year in which the Railway employee ceases to be in service due to retirement, discharge, dismissal or removal from service in the course of an academic year. The payment shall be made by the office in which the Govt. Servant worked prior to these events. (Ref 8)
•     Dying in harness - If a Govt. servant dies while in service, the Children Education Allowance or hostel subsidy shall be admissible in respect of his/her children till such time the employee would have actually received the same, subject to the condition that other terms and conditions are fulfilled. The payment shall be made by the office in which the Govt. servant was working prior to his death. (Ref 8)

References

1.   Railway Board’s letter No. E(W)2008/ED-2/4 dated 1.10.2008 (RBE No.135 /08) PC-VI No. 24
2.   Railway Board’s letter No. E[W]2008/ED-2/5 dated 13.10.2008    (RBE No. 150/08) [PC-VI No. 33]
3.   Railway Board's letter No. E[W]2008/ED-2/4 dated 18/19.12.2008 (RBE No. 197/08)
4.   Railway Board's letter No.E[W]2008/ED-2/4 dated 04.05.2009 [RBE No.78/09]
5.   Railway Board's letter No.E(W)2008/ED-2/4 dated 10.6.2009 [RBE No.100/09] PC-VI No.109/09
6.   Railway Board's letter No.F[E]Spl.2005/ADV./6/1 dtd 25.08.2009[RBE No.147/09]ACS No. 211/09
7.   Railway Board's letter No.E[W]2008/ED-2/4 dated 04.01.2010    [RBE No.01/10] PC VI No. 175
8.   Railway Board’s letter No. E(W) 2008/ED-2/4 dated 22.02.2011 (RBE No. 25/2011), PC-VI No. 249
9.   Railway Board’s letter No. E(W)2008/ED-2/4 dated 01.06.2011 (RBE No. 78/2011) (PC-VI 261)
10. Railway Board’s letter No. E(W)2008/ED-2/4 dated 28/09/2011 (RBE No. 132/2011)
11.  Railway Board Letter No:   E(W)2008/ED-2/4 dated 04.04.2012 (RBE No:   45/2012)   PC-VI No.288
12. Railway Board’s letter No. E(NG)I1/1998/RC-1/64 dated 14.09.2012 RBI NO. 102/2012
13. Railway Board Letter No:   E(W)2008/ED-24 dated 31/08/2012      PC-VI No. 298/2012 (RBE No:  93/2012)
14. Railway Board’s letter No.E(W2008/ED-2/4        Dated          07.06.2013 (RBE No.  55/2013) PC-VI No.319

Source:  http://indianrailwayemployee.com/content/children-education-allowance-cea