Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988 – Fulfillment of procedural requirements: Dopt Orders on LTC

Dopt Orders on LTC: Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988 — Fulfillment of procedural requirements.

No. 31011/3/2015-Estt (A.IV)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
Establishment A-IV Desk

North Block, New Delhi-110 001
Dated: February 18, 2016 

 OFFICE MEMORANDUM 

Subject:- Central Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 1988 — Fulfillment of procedural requirements.

This Department is in receipt of a number of references regarding the procedural difficulties faced by the Government employees in application and settlement of the LTC claims. Sometimes, the Government servants claim that failure to follow the correct procedure was on account of a lack of knowledge of the rules/instructions. It is alleged that in some cases, processing of LTC claims takes unduly long time, particularly when the employee and the sanctioning authorities are located at different stations.

2. To remove these bottlenecks, it has been decided to simplify the procedure of application and make the procedure of processing of LTC claims time bound. The following time-limits shall be followed while processing the LTC applications/claims of  the Government servants.

*(a) Additional 3 days transit-time may be allowed in cases where the place of posting of the Government employees is away from their Headquarters, The Government employee may proceed on LTC after action on S.No. 1 .

(b) Efforts should be made to reduce the duration of processing of LTC applications/claims at the earliest. The maximum time limit should be strictly adhered to and non —compliance of time limit should be adequately explained.

3. Under CCS (LTC) Rules, the Government servants are required to inform their Controlling Officer  before the journey(s) on LTC to be undertaken. It has now been decided that the Leave Sanctioning Authority shall obtain a self-certification from the employee regarding the proposed LTC journey. The proforma for self-certification has been annexed with this O.M.

4. In addition to the above, it has been decided that whenever a Government servant applies for LTC, he/she should be provided with a copy of the guidelines (enclosed) which ne ds to be followed while availing LTC.

5. Employees ay be encouraged to share interesting insights and pictures, if any, of the destination he/she visited while availing LTC in an appropriate forum.

Enclosures:
1) Proforma fo self-certification
2) Guidelines

(Surya Narayan Jha)
Under Secretary to the Government of India 

To
The Secretaries
All Ministries / Departments of Government of India
(As per the standard list)

Proforma for self-certification by the Government employee 

I Sh./Smt./Kr. ----------------------------------------- (Name of the Govt. servant) wish to confirm that I am availing  ----------------------------------- (Home Town/ Any Place in India) LTC in respect of self/ family member(s) for the block year  --------------- to visit ---------------------  (Place of visit) during  (dates of journey). It is stated that I or the family member for whom I wish to avail LTC has/have not availed of the same before in the present block.

2. The Particulars of members of family in respect of whom the Leave Travel Concession is being claimed are as under:

3. It is certified that the above facts are true and any false statement shall make me liable for appropriate action under Rule 16 of CCS(LTC) Rules, 1988 and the relevant disciplinary rules.

* N.B.: The Government employee may share interesting insights and pictures, if any, of  the destination visited while availing LTC on an appropriate forum.

Guidelines 

1. Please ensure that you have applied for leave and submitted the self-certification form to your Administration before the LTC journey is undertaken.

2. Please check your eligibility before applying for LTC. LTC to Home Town can be availed once in a block of two years and LTC to Any Place in India may be availed once in a four year block. If not availed during these blocks, the LTC may also be availed in the first year of the following block.

3. Please note that the current two year block is 2016-17 and the current four year block is 2014-17.

4. In case of fresh recruits, LTC to Home Town is allowed on three occasions in a block of four years and to any place in India on the fourth occasion. This facility is available to the fresh recruits only for the first two blocks of four years applicable after joining the Government service for the first time. (For details, please refer to DoPT's O.M. No. 31011/7/2013 -E stt. (A-IV) dated 26.09.2014 available on www.persmin.nic. in' << `OMs & Orders'<< ' Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on LTC entitlements of a Fresh Recruit')

5. A Fresh recruit may at his option choose to avail LTC under the normal LTC rules as applicable to other Government employees. In this case he/she will not be allowed to avail other LTCs as admissible to the fresh recruits in that block of four years.

6. The retiring Government employees are eligible to avail LTC as per their entitlement provided that the return journey is performed before their date of retirement. LTC is not allowed after retirement.

7. The Journeys on LTC are to be undertaken in the entitled class of the Government servant in public/Government mode of transport.

8. Travel by private modes of transport is not allowed on LTC, however, wherever a public transport is not available, assistance shall be allowed for the private transport subject to the certification from an Appropriate Authority that no other public/Government mode of transport is available for that particular stretch of journey and these modes operate on a regular basis from point to point with the specific approval of the State Governments/Transport authorities concerned and are authorised to ply as public carriers.

9. If a Government servant travels on LTC upto the nearest airport/ railway station by authorized mode of transport and chooses to complete rest of the journey to the declared place of visit by 'own arrangement' (such as personal vehicle or private taxi etc.), while the public transport system is already available in that part, then he may be allowed the fare reimbursement till the last point where he has travelled by the authorised mode of transport. This will be subject to the undertaking from the Government employee that he has actually travelled to the declared place of visit and is not claiming the fare reimbursement for the part of journey performed by the private  owned/operated vehicle

10. Government servant may apply for advance for himself and/or his family members sixty five days before the proposed date of the outward journey and he/she is required to produce the tickets within ten days of the drawal of advance, irrespective of the date of commencement of the journey.

11. Reimbursement under LTC scheme does not cover incidental expenses and expenditure incurred on local journeys. Reimbursement for expenses of journey is allowed only the basis of a point to point journey on a through ticket over the shortest direct route.

12. The time limit or submission of LTC claim is :

• Within thre months of completion of return journey, if no advance is drawn;
• Within one month of completion of return journey, if advance is drawn.

13. Government employees entitled to travel by air are required to travel by Air India only in Economy Class at LTC-80 fare or less unless permitted to do so by any general or specific provision.

14. Government employees not entitled to travel by air may travel by any airline, however, reimbursement in such cases shall be restricted to the fare of their entitled class of train/transport or actual expense, whichever is less.

15. In all cases whenever a Govt. servant claims LTC by air, he/she is required to book the air tickets either directly through the airlines or through the approved travel agencies viz: M/s Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd/ M/s Ashok Tours & Travels Ltd/ IRCTC. Booking of tickets through any other agency is not permissible.

16. Travel on tour packages is not allowed, except in the case of tours conducted by Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), State Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). In such cases, only the fare component shall be reimbursable provided ITDC/STDC/IRCTC separately indicate the fare component and certify that the journey was actually performed by the Government servant and his family members for which he/she claiming the Leave Travel Concession.

17. Please ensure that your LTC claim is as per the instructions to avoid rejection of your claim.

"Have a pleasant journey and a happy holiday"

Authority: www.persmin.gov.in

Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata gets Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital

Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata gets Raksha Mantri’s Trophy for Best Service Hospital

Ministry of Defence

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar presented the Raksha Mantri’s Trophy and citation for the Best and Second Best Service Hospital in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) here today. The trophy for the Best Service Hospital went to Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, which was received by its Commandant Major General TS Ahluwalia. The trophy for the Second Best Hospital was presented to INHS Asvini, Mumbai, which was received by its Commandant Surgeon Rear Admiral AA Pawar.

Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister praised the yeoman service being rendered by the AFMS over the years both in war and peace. He complimented all the members of Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata, INHS Asvini, Mumbai and the entire AFMS for their excellent work in provisioning of contemporary and comprehensive healthcare.

The Director General AFMS and Senior Colonel Commandant Lt Gen BK Chopra in his opening remarks highlighted the modernisation programme of the Medical Services and reassured that the AFMS is fully prepared to meet any challenge.

The Raksha Mantri’s Trophy was instituted in 1989 to create a healthy competition among the Command Hospitals of the Army and its equivalent hospitals in the Navy and Air Force. The Best and Second Best Hospital are adjudged on the basis of a number of objective criteria by a Committee headed by Director General Health Services (Armed Forces). The Joint Secretary (O/N), Ministry of Defence is also a member of the Committee.

The function was attended by all the three Service Chiefs, Defence Secretary and other senior officers from the Services and the Ministry of Defence.

PIB News

Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate workshop on Anubhav and Sankalp tomorrow

Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate workshop on ‘Anubhav’ and ‘Sankalp’ tomorrow

‘Anubhav awards’ to retired Government servants for Best write-ups

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the workshop on ‘Anubhav’ and ‘Sankalp’ here tomorrow. The purpose of the workshop is to reach out to large number of retiring employees and to encourage participation in ‘Anubhav’ and ‘Sankalp”. Dr Jitendra Singh will also give awards for best write-ups received under ‘Anubhav’.

The Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare launched an online software ‘Anubhav’ on the directions of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. It was launched for showcasing outstanding work by retiring employees and sharing their experience with the Government. Another initiative called ‘Sankalp’ has also been launched by this Department to channelize the experience and skill of retired Government servants towards meaningful interventions in society.

The Department has provided a platform ‘ANUBHAV’ for the retiring Central Government Employees to showcase commendable work done during service. It is envisaged that this would provide satisfaction to the retiring employees and also act as a motivator for serving employees. This would also be a wonderful opportunity to garner the resource of retiring employees for voluntary contribution to nation building post retirement. For this purpose an online system viz “Anubhav” has been developed and necessary instruction for use of this application by the retiring employees/Head of Offices/Head of Departments in the Ministries / Departments were issued by this Department in February and March, 2015. The Department has already received more than one thousand write-ups under this initiative.

With a view to give greater impetus to this activity, this Department has also launched an Award Scheme for best write-ups which may have potential of contributing to the efficiency / economy /effectiveness or mentioning any innovation leading to improved work culture including any contribution considered significant by the retiring employee. The authors of best write-ups will also be given awards during the above event by the Minister.

The SANKALP is a project to channelize the skill, experience and time available with Central Government Pensioners into meaningful social intervention. The project has started on pilot basis for 2,000 pensioners. The Department has so far registered more than 1500 pensioners and 19 Pensioners’ Associations under this project. The Department has also registered 16 NGOs to involve Central Government Pensioners in social activities. With a view to create awareness amongst retiring employees about this project and a smooth transition from active life to lead a healthy and purposeful retired life, this Department has been organizing Pre-Retirement Counselling (PRC) Workshops. The Department has, so far conducted 28 such PRCs involving about 1700 participants. The Department has also been conducting workshops to create a pool of trainers, for which Training of Trainers (TOT) are being conducted for personnel of Central Armed Police Forces. So far 7 workshops on TOT involving 502 personnel have been conducted.

PIB News

The All India Services (PAR) Rule, 2007 – annual health check-up of IAS Officers

The All India Services (PAR) Rule, 2007 – annual health check-up of IAS Officers

No. 11059/01/2014-AIS-III

Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training
New Delhi, the 17th February, 2016

Subject: The All India Services (PAR) Rule, 2007- annual health check-up of IAS Officers.

Sir,
I am directed to invite your attention to this Department’s letter of even number dated the 16th February, 2015 on the above mentioned subject, wherein it was requested to continue the arrangements for annual health check-up of IAS officers for subsequent year which was initially started in your hospital vide this Departments letter No. 11059/18/2002- AIS-III dated 11 th January, 2008. It is again requested that the arrangement mentioned therein may be continued for the year 2016 and subsequent years also, unless revised by this Department.

2. It is further informed that Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has approved the revised rates i.e. Rs. 2000/- for men and Rs. 2200/- for women may also be allowed to be reimbursed in respect of AIS Officers as is being reimbursed in case of Group ‘A’ officers of CCS.

3. The Chief Medical Superintendents of the approved Government and private hospitals are therefore, requested to kindly ensure that the system works smoothly and the individual officer does not face any inconvenience. All the prescribed tests may please be conducted on a single day and the report provided to the officers concerned on the next day.

Yours faithfully,
(Rajesh Kumar Yadav)
Under Secretary to the Government of India
Tele: 23094714

Source:  ccis.nic.in

Filling up of the post of Joint Secretary, National Commission of Women, New Delhi under the Ministry of Women & Child Development

Filling up of the post of JS NCW New Delhi under Ministry of Women and Child Development

No.04/04/2016-EO(SM-I)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training
[Office of the Establishment Officer]

New Delhi, 17th February, 2016

To
1. The Chief Secretaries, All State Governments.
2. The Secretaries of all the Ministries/Departments of the Government of India

Subject:- Filling up of the post of Joint Secretary, National Commission of Women, New Delhi under the Ministry of Women & Child Development – reg.

Sir/Madam,

It is proposed to fill up the post Joint Secretary, National Commission of Women, New Delhi a non-CSS post, under the Ministry of Women & Child Development in the pay band of Rs,37,400 – 67,000 (PB-4) and grade pay of Rs10,000/- on deputation basis,

2. Names of willing and eligible officers, who have been em panelled to hold Joint Secretary or equivalent posts at the Centre under the Central Staffing Scheme, may be recommended to this office
along with cadre clearance, vigilance clearance, detailed bio-data, viz, name, date of birth, service, batch, contact telephone number, email address, educational qualifications, complete experience/posting details etc, CR dossiers/certified ACRs for the last five years and details of debarment & cooling off in respect of past central deputation, In case the officers are currently on Central deputation, the nomination may be forwarded with the approval of the Minister-in-charge concerned,

3, The post is a Non-Central Staffing Scheme post to be filled up through the Civil Services Board (CSB) procedure. It may be noted that no ‘Mandatory Posting Certificate’ for aliotmenUretention of Government accommodation would be issued by this office to the officer appointed on the above referred post. However, those officers who have served and are currently serving on Central Staffing Scheme post in Delhi for at least four years and require to retain Government accommodation, would be issued a certificate to the effect that the officer concerned has served for at least four years in CSS post and she/he needs to retain Government accommodation for her/his tenure on non-CSS post.

4, It is requested that the applications of the eligible candidates may be forwarded so as to reach this Department within one month from the date of issue of this circular,

Yours faithfully,
(Nandini palieal)
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India
Tel. No. 011-2309 2187

Source: ccis.nic.in

Freedom 251 Smartphone Officially Launched : First Look

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 runs on Android 5.1, with a 4-inch display, a quad-core 1.3GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (expandable to 32GB).

Freedom 251 Smartphone Officially Launched : First Look

At an event presided by BJP MP Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, India’s Rs. 251 smartphone the Ringing Bell Freedom 251 was officially launched. The themes of Digital India, Skill India, and Make in India were given a lot of importance at the launch event, as the potential use cases of the phone to empower citizens in rural and semi-urban areas were highlighted.

The company did not share too many details, but stated the although the chipset will be imported from Taiwan at present, the rest of Freedom 251 would be made in India; the goal is to make up to 75 percent of the hardware in India by the end of one year, and to raise this to 100 percent over time, said Ringing Bells President Ashok Chadha. To accomplish this, the company is looking at investing in two manufacturing plants – in Noida and Uttaranchal – immediately as a pilot project at an estimated cost of Rs. 500 crore, with a targeted capacity of 5 lakh units each per month, with a goal of having five manufacturing centres in total over time, Chadha added.

He also confirmed that there is no government subsidy for the phone, and nor is there any involvement from the government, beyond a long time friendship with MP Murli Manohar Joshi, who provided “vision and guidance” for the Freedom 251 project.


The eventual goal, according to the company, is to sell over 1 crore units per month. At the launch, Chadha also confirmed that if the number of orders crosses 2.5 lakhs, the company will have to stop taking further orders.

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 runs on Android 5.1, with a 4-inch display, a quad-core 1.3GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (expandable to 32GB). The phone, which can be booked online until Saturday, is priced at an amazingly low Rs. 251, but you may have to wait a few months to actually get the phone, as units may be delivered as late as June 30.

Speaking at the launch, MP Murli Manohar Joshi praised the phone, and talked about the importance, not just of increased digital penetration in India, but also of making products in India. “Unless India innovates and makes something new, it cannot progress,” he said. “Because if technology is expensive then it’s useless. You need technology for everyone, for fishermen and farmers and students. But technology that is cheap should also still be useable, cheap by itself is not enough.”

“The bill of materials [cost of the parts] for a phone like this is around Rs. 2,000 – by making in India we take away around Rs. 400 from that; by selling online we cut overheads and save another Rs. 400,” explained Chadha. “And as the numbers go up, we’re not talking lakhs but much more, we save another Rs. 400 from economies of scale. And then, our platform becomes big, and attractive to others, so we can then highlight products that are worth buying for our customers, and this is another source of income. We will pass all of this on to the customers, we want to make only a small profit per unit.”

This was a point Chadha repeated more than once, but although the points about making in India and economies of scale from increased manufacturing make sense, assuming a Rs. 400-500 saving through online sales seems a bit odd – while that is a saving on the total costs involved in selling phones, it doesn’t cut into the bill of materials, which is the cost of the components of the phone, and won’t be affected whether the phone is sold online or offline.

“This is just the first step, and over time we will introduce more handsets, at different price points as well. And in a year or two we want to launch a Bell SIM card which will also have some unique features,” added Mohit Goel, Director, Ringing Bells.

It’s an interesting idea, though an untried one; and as of now, all the company really has is a prototype put together from off-the-shelf parts. Although selling a phone at Rs. 251 is a huge accomplishment that could make a real impact in India, there are still some concerns about this phone, most particularly the lack of BIS certification. The company did not respond to a question about BIS certification, and only said that the phone being shown presently is merely a prototype. Licensing and certification can be major hurdles though, and could well throw a spanner in the works when it comes to the plans the company has shared thus far.

West Bengal Government allows child care leave to male government employees

West Bengal Government allows child care leave to male government employees

In a major policy decision, West Bengal Government today allowed paternity-cum-child care leave of 30 days for its male employees which can be availed either during child birth or until their children turn 18.

Announcing this at the State Secretariat Nabanna, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting today to enable male employees to discharge their parental responsibilities.

The state government had earlier allowed maternity leave for 180 days and child care leave for 730 days to female employees of the state government and Panchayat Raj, besides other local bodies, boards, corporations, undertakings, companies, state aided universities, sponsored and non-government aided schools and colleges, Banerjee said.

The scheme would be implemented with immediate effect, she added.

PTI

Government may hike service tax to 16%: Budget 2016

Government may hike service tax to 16%: Budget 2016

To shore up its revenues in order to spend more, the government may increase service tax to 16 percent from the current 14 percent, a move that would make many services costlier, according to a report by business news channel CNBC-TV18.

“In addition to the Swachh Bharat Cess of 0.5 percent already levied, sources say the service tax rate is projected to rise by 2 percent to 16 percent,” the channel reported.

If the government does raise the service tax rate, one would have to pay higher for restaurant bills, air tickets, mobile phones, to name a few, as the tax is collected from the end user.

The Swachh Bharat cess of 0.5 percent was levied with effect from 15 November, 2015, on all services that attract service tax.

The government is hard pressed to shore up its revenues for a probable hike in social welfare spending in view of the upcoming state assembly polls in Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam, which are crucial for the ruling BJP at the Centre to increase its tally in the Rajya Sabha.

On Wednesday, the government estimated a shortfall of about Rs 40,000 crore in direct tax collections, though it said that the same would be managed by a rise in indirect tax collections. The total taxes collected stood at Rs 10.66 lakh crore, 73.5 percent of the budgeted estimates of Rs 14.49 lakh crore for FY2016, it said in a statement.

The government has utilised the fall in crude oil prices to raise excise duty on petrol and diesel during the past three months to mop up an additional Rs 17,000 crore during the current fiscal.

The Union Budget for FY2016-2017 will be presented by union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Feb. 29, 2016. The budget session of Parliament commences on Feb. 23, 2016.

Online Subscriber Registration and contribution under NPS using eNPS platform

Online Subscriber Registration and contribution under NPS using eNPS platform

In light of Prime Minister’s “Digital India” campaign on promoting e-governance for providing last mile connectivity through extensive use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) platforms, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been pursuing the development and operationalization of online transaction facilities for the prospective as well as existing subscribers of NPS.

PFRDA introduced eNPS online portal whereby PAN (Permanent Account Number) and savings bank account of new subscribers to NPS who are already customers of the banks are accepted as KYC with active participation of the banks acting as POPs for opening of accounts under NPS.

PFRDA has received feedback from prospective subscribers and other stakeholders that those who voluntarily seek to use Aadhaar as their document of identity for availing of the eNPS online platform to join NPS should not be deprived of this eNPS facility.

As the identity and address for such account holders is established through e-KYC facility with the express consent of the subscriber through One Time Password (OTP) and as Aadhaar is a unique number, its use as a KYC document rules out the possibility of opening duplicate retirement (PRAN) accounts. PFRDA has accordingly revisited the issue and believes that enabling eAadhaar in addition to PAN and bank account based KYC for the eNPS platform can reduce the cost and time of operation and ensure wider coverage to the citizens of India under the old age income security schemes and thus help in fulfilling the mandate given to it under the provisions of the PFRDA Act, 2013.

PFRDA has accordingly modified the eNPS functionality to accept PAN and bank account or eAadhaar as the KYC document for online registration of subscribers under NPS. With the operationalization of this modified eNPS platform, the subscriber will now have the following options for opening of account:

• Opening of account through any of the Points-of- Presence- Service Provider (POP-SP).

• Opening of account online using PAN and net banking of the selected bank. In this case KYC verification is done by the Bank. The PRAN gets activated only after KYC verification by bank.

• Opening of account online using Aadhaar No. and OTP received from UIDAI. In this case, the subscriber can instantly get their PRAN generated and can contribute.

The eNPS platform using Aadhaar based KYC verification is one of the options for any prospective subscriber to join NPS and it is optional and purely voluntary on the part of the prospective subscriber.

To register under NPS through eNPS using Aadhaar, the prospective subscriber needs to have Aadhaar Number/Card with access to the mobile number registered with Aadhaar.

With the use of this Aadhaar based KYC verification, the subscriber would be able to open his NPS account online. The Prospective subscriber will require to follow the undernoted process for opening of NPS account:

• The prospective subscriber will go to eNPS platform hosted on NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in and enter Aadhaar and validate the same using OTP (Sent on the mobile number registered with Aadhaar).

• Then he will be required to fill up the mandatory details like choice of Pension Fund, Investment Scheme, nominations etc.

• Address and Date of Birth details will be auto-populated from details available with Aadhaar.

• He will be required to provide a mobile number and email ID (Mandatory requirement).

• He will be required to Scan and upload the signature. Subscriber may also upload a scanned photograph, in case he/she wishes to replace the photo obtained from Aadhaar, if the Aadhaar photo is blurred or hazy.

• He will be required to make online payment (Minimum amount of Rs 500/-).

• After completion of this process, the PRAN will be generated instantly.

Subscriber will be required to print the form, paste photograph, affix signature and submit the physical form to CRA within a specified period of time while continuing contributing online.

A prospective subscriber can visit NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in and select NPS Online menu to register and contribute to NPS.

The complete information about eNPS is available on PFRDA website www.pfrda.org.in and also on NPS Trust website www.npstrust.org.in .

Through this facility, it is expected that the subscriber will have multiple advantages like seamless onboarding experience where he need not visit a Point of Presence and can register from anywhere through an internet connection, contribution with minimum cost of transaction and reduction in errors resulting from various manual activities.

PIB

Amendment in SC/ST Act is need of hour –Gehlot

Amendment in SC/ST Act is need of hour –Gehlot

Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot today said that amendment in SC/ST act is the need of the hour. Expressing concern in a meeting held here to review and amend the provisions in the Protection of Civil Rights {PCR} Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989, he said that objective behind this amendment is not only to identify more cases of atrocities which were left unreported earlier but also to increase the successful ending and conviction in this issue so that controlling these kind of small incidents will lead to a just and equal society.

The Minister said that despite the deterrent provisions made in the PoA Act, continuing atrocities against the members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) had been a cause of concern. High incidence of occurrences of offences against members of SCs and STs also indicated that the deterrent effect of the PoA Act was not adequately felt by the accused. It was, therefore, considered appropriate to strengthen the Act and make the relevant provisions of the Act more effective. Shri Gehlot added that based on the consultation process with all the stakeholders, amendments in the PoA Act were proposed to broadly cover five areas namely (i) Amendments to Chapter II (Offences of Atrocities) to include new definitions, new offences, to re -phrase existing sections and expand the scope of presumptions, (ii) Institutional Strengthening, (iii) Appeals (a new section), (iv) Establishing Rights of Victims and Witnesses (a new chapter) and (v) strengthening preventive measures. The objective of these amendments in the PoA Act is to deliver members of SCs and STs, a greater justice as well as be an enhanced deterrent to the offenders. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2015 to effect amendments in the PoA Act as passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 04.08.2015 and 21.12.2015 respectively and assented to by the President on 31.12.2015, has been notified with effect from 26.01.2016.

Article 17 of the Constitution of India abolished ‘untouchability’, forbade its practice in any form and made enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability as an offence punishable in accordance with the law. An Act of Parliament namely the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989, which falls within the provisions of Article 17 of the Constitution was enacted for preventing atrocities against members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, to provide for Special Courts for the trial of such offences as well as relief and rehabilitation of the victims of atrocities. The PoA Act extends to the whole of India except Jammu & Kashmir, and responsibility for its implementation rests with State Governments.

A Committee under the Chairpersonship of Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment with members from Ministries of Home Affairs, Tribal Affairs, Law and Justice, Department of Justice, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and three non-official members( two amongst SCs and one amongst SC) , which was set up in the year 2006 on a recommendation of the Parliament Committee, to devise ways and means to curb offences of atrocities and ensure effective administration Acts of Parliament namely the Protection of Civil Rights{PCR} Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes(Prevention of Atrocities){PoA} Act, 1989, was held meeting to review implementation status of PCR and PoA Acts in States and Union Territories.

The aforesaid meeting has a special significance in view of amendments made in the PoA Act as it has cast a greater responsibility on the concerned State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to augment the infrastructure and human resource for its implementation.

Representatives from various states and union territories presented their opinions and suggestions in terms of successful implementation and practice regarding these acts in their respective states. Shri Gehlot presided over the meeting. Minister of State Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Vijay Sampla also addressed the august gathering.