Government may table 4 GST bills in Parliament today: Minister

Government may table 4 GST bills in Parliament today: Minister

New Delhi: The government may table four GST supplementary legislations in Parliament today, a union minister said.

We can do it today as well. A meeting on GST will be chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said when asked about tabling of the four GST bills in the Lok Sabha.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an infrastructure event here.

The Cabinet on Monday cleared the four GST related bills to enable roll out of the Goods and Services Tax from July 1.

The four bills are: the Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017, the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017, the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 and the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017.

A source had told that the bills would be introduced as money bills in Parliament this week.

Yesterday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that he was hopeful of rolling out GST from July 1 which will create one of the world's biggest single markets and make commodities cheaper and tax evasion difficult.

Jaitley said India has "hugely" a non-tax compliant society and the government banned higher denomination notes to curb the tendency of people to deal in cash that lead to tax evasion as well as terror financing.

PTI

Central government to change the ceiling for tax free gratuity

Cabinet nod likely to double gratuity cap to Rs 20 lakh

Besides, the bill seeks to enable the central government to change the ceiling for tax free gratuity after factoring in rise in income levels by an executive order bypassing Parliament route to amend the law.
The Union Cabinet is likely to consider tomorrow a draft amendment bill which seeks to double the ceiling of tax-free gratuity to Rs 20 lakh under the Payment of Gratuity Act.

Besides, the bill seeks to enable the central government to change the ceiling for tax free gratuity after factoring in rise in income levels by an executive order bypassing Parliament route to amend the law.
"The bill to amend the Payment of Gratuity Act is likely to be considered and approved by the Union Cabinet in its meeting scheduled tomorrow," a source said.

After the amendment in the Act, formal sector workers would be eligible for up to Rs 20 lakh tax-free gratuity. Last month, the central trade unions had agreed on the proposal in a tripartite consultation with the Labour Ministry.

However, the unions had demanded the removal of conditions asking to have at least 10 employees in an establishment and minimum five years of service for payment of gratuity.

At present, as per the Payment of Gratuity Act, an employee is required to do minimum service of five years to become eligible for gratuity amount. Moreover, the Act applies to those establishments where the number of employees is not less than 10.

Trade unions had demanded that the amended provision regarding maximum amount should be made effective from January 1, 2016, as done in the case of central government employees.

Besides that rate of 15 days wages for each completed year of service be raised to 30 days wages, the unions had said during the tripartite meeting.

The proposed amendment to the Payment of Gratuity Act as circulated by the government only deals with enhancing the ceiling of maximum amount under Section 4(3) of the Act from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
The proposed amendment is being brought to bring the maximum ceiling amount to Rs 20 lakh in line with the 7th Central Pay Commission's recommendations as accepted by the government.

The relevant amendment for central government employees was notified on July 25, 2016 and the enhanced amount ceiling was made effective from January 1, 2016.

The unions were of the view that the delay of eight months for employees covered under the Payment of Gratuity Act should not result in adversely affecting the interest of the concerned employees.
The employers as well as state representatives had also agreed to the proposal of raising the amount of gratuity to Rs 20 lakh in the tripartite meeting held last month.

Source: Money Control

Was the 7th CPC Allowance Committee Report submitted to the government as early as February 22?

Was the 7th CPC Allowance Committee Report submitted to the government as early as February 22?

7th CPC Allowance Committee Report Submitted to the Government or not?

Was the 7th CPC Allowance Committee Report submitted to the government as early as February 22?
A high-level committee, under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa was constituted by the Central Government to review the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations regarding the allowances being given to the Central Government employees. According to information, the committee had already submitted its report on February 22.

Irrespective of who possesses the report now - the committee or the government - what is more intriguing is the recommendations that it contains.

One could see that the 7th Pay Commission suggested either rationalization or simplification at many places. An example is the Pay Matrix Table, which has now brought the entire Pay Structure of more than 35 lakh employees under one Table. Although there are some anomalies, the system has dramatically simplified the process of annual increment calculation and also pay fixation on Promotion or MACP.

At present 196 different kinds of allowances are being given to the Central Government employees. Some modifications have been recommended in these too as part of the rationalization and simplification drive. The Seventh Pay Commission has recommended the abolition of 52 allowances. And another 36 allowances have been abolished as separate identities, but subsumed either in an existing allowance or in newly proposed allowances.

The Commission said that the entire range of allowances is administered in broadly four ways. Fully DA indexed Allowances, Partially or Semi DA indexed Allowances, No DA indexation Allowances and Percentage based Allowances. House Rent Allowance is being under the category of Percentage based Allowances. The Commission also said that the compensation towards the housing needs of Central Government employees is covered in many ways. The Commission finally suggested that the percentage based allowances by a factor of 0.8, the Commission recommends that HRA should be rationalized to 24 percent, 16 percent and 8 percent of the Basic Pay for Class X, Y and Z cities respectively.

The big irritation, or rather disappointment to the Central Government employees was the recommendation to reduce the percentage of House Rent Allowance (HRA).

All trade unions have expressed their harsh opposition to the proposed cuts in HRA. The Central Government employees’ Federations also expressed their disappointment through various protest. Finally the Central Government accepted to constitute a high level committee to examine the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission regarding Allowances.

Now, sources claim that the committee has already submitted its report to the government.

The government can announce its final decision on the recommendations of the committee any day. But, many believe that there could be a delay in the announcements due to the state elections that are being held in various parts of the country and the election commission’s guidelines that are being enforced now.
Unconfirmed reports say that the committee has recommended the percentage rates of HRA as per 6th CPC and changes in the method of calculating Transport Allowances also.

The biggest mystery however is - will these recommendations be given retrospective effect and will arrears be given?

Three dates are currently being suggested - January 1, 2016; August 1, 2016; and April 1, 2017.
Only the Central Government has all the answers right now.

Government launches free anti-virus for PC, mobile phones

Government launches free anti-virus for PC, mobile phones

New Delhi: The IT Ministry today launched botnet cleaning and anti-malware analysis centre for Rs 90 crore to provide free anti-virus to computers and mobile phones for removing malicious softwares "I would like ISPs (Internet Service Provider) to encourage their consumers to come on board, there is a free service available. Come and use it in the event some malware has sneaked in to the system," IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at the launch of Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) will collect data of infected systems and send it to ISPs and banks. These ISPs and banks will identify the user and provide them the link of the centre, launched in name of Cyber Swachhta Kendra.

The user will be able to download anti-virus or anti-malware tools to disinfect their devices.

"The project has budget outlay of Rs 90 crore spread over period of 5 years," CertIn Director General Sanjay Bahl said.

As of now 58 ISPs and 13 banks have come on board to use this system.

The ministry also launched M-Kavach for security and anti-theft solution for mobile phones, USB Pratirodh to ensure only authorised person is able to access pen drive and AppSamvid for identifying genuine applications at the time of installations on computers.

The minister directed Cert-In to also set up National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) by June.
The government has approved Rs 900 crore for NCCC which will monitor and handle cyber attacks on Indian internet space in real time.

"Safety and security is integral. As the Prime Minister said cyber threat is akin to bloodless war. I don’t have slightest doubt cyber security is not only going to be big area of Digital Swachh Bharat but also going to be big area of digital growth, digital employment and digital commerce," Prasad said.

To encourage startups in the field of cyber security, the minister announced that government has reduced testing fee for their product by half.

At present Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), a division under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, charges testing fee in the range of Rs 8-10 lakh per case but startups in the field of cyber security will need to pay only around 4-5 lakhs.

To strengthen cyber security ecosystem in the country, Prasad said that CERTs will be set up at state level as well and 10 more STQC testing facilities will set up.

PTI

7th Pay Commission: How Jaitley saved Crores of Rupees this Financial year

7th Pay Commission: How Jaitley saved Crores of Rupees this Financial year.

It has been more than six months since the Narendra Modi government cleared the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission

Government employees are, however, yet to enjoy the full benefits of the recommendations with the decision on allowances still to be announced.

The 7th pay commission recommendations cover more than one crore government employees and pensioners. The commission recommended a 14.27 per cent hike in basic pay.

HOW MR. ARUN JAITLEY SAVED CRORES FOR THE GOVERNMENT:

1. The hike in basic pay has resulted in a marginal increase in the total salary drawn by government employees. This is because allowances form a sizeable chunk of their pay.

2. Till date, the government has not made announcements on when exactly does it plan to start giving out the allowances to its employees.

3. The government had asked the Committee on Allowances headed by Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa to review the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission on allowances.

4. The government has given the committee an extension up to February 22, 2017 to submit its report on higher allowances. In October last year, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa had said the committee was ready with its report.
However, no extension of period was asked by the committee, but still the government delayed the implementation by this extension.

5. The government’s dilly-dally on allowances has largely been attributed to demonetisation and the Assembly elections in five states. The 7th Pay Commission has recommended scrapping 53 of the 196 allowances, and merging a few others.

6. The hiked salary, as per the recommendations of the pay commission, is given in two parts. The increase in the basic salary is calculated from the time the government implements the recommendations of the commission, i.e. on a back date basis. As a result, employees are eligible for arrears on their basic pay.

7. The increase in allowances, however, is applicable from the date the government decides to disburse it. Therefore, government employees are not entitled to arrears.

8. Usually, once the recommendations of the pay commission are approved, the increase in basic pay is followed by an increase in allowances.

9. It is widely believed that the government will decide on a hike in allowances once the Assembly elections are over. In other words, employees can expect to get allowances from April, which marks the beginning of the new financial year.

So, finally the government has acted smart, the government has effectively saved a lot of money this financial year by not making an announcement on allowances. Government employees, on the other hand, have expressed their disappointment over being denied the full remuneration for a long time, but who cares about it!

Source: India Today

Government Hopeful of Passing GST Bills in next phase of Budget Session

Government Hopeful of Passing GST Bills in next phase of Budget Session

New Delhi: Government is hopeful of getting the supporting legislations of Goods and Services Tax (GST) passed by Parliament in the second phase of the Budget session for rolling out the new indirect tax regime by July.

Replying to a question on GST bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on Thursday said, “That is on the plate. GST council is meeting on 18th and it will be decided after that, but we are hopeful that supporting GST bills will be passed in the next phase of the session.”

The government is hopeful of getting Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) draft legislations approved at the next GST Council meeting on February 18 and bring them in the second half of the ongoing Budget Session along with GST Compensation Act.

While the CGST will subsume central taxes of excise, central sales tax and service tax, IGST is to be charged on movement of goods and services from one state to another.

States will also have to enact SGST or State Goods and Service Tax laws with minor variation incorporating state based exemptions.

Also, a GST Compensation Act needs to be approved by Parliament to provide for compensation to states that lose revenue because of implementation of GST in the first five years.

The GST bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha during the monsoon session last year.

PTI

Recommendations of the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee - Raise in the Retirement Age of Jawans by Two Years

Defence panel raises retirement age of soldiers by TWO years to 'cut new recruitment cost

Recommendations of the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee were submitted to defence minister Manohar Parrikar

The report also touches upon the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff

In order to enhance their combat capabilities, a key defence ministry panel has made several recommendations including increasing the retirement age of jawans by two years, doing away with manpower in non-combat arms and shutting down military farms.

The recommendations of the Lt Gen Shekatkar Committee were submitted to defence minister Manohar Parrikar almost three weeks ago.

The report also touches upon the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff - who would be the single point contact for the military with the government.

The main aim of the committee was to suggest means to cut down on useless expenditure and use the savings to acquire and enhance fighting capabilities of the army.

One of the most important recommendations of the committee was to increase the retirement age of jawans by two years, which will help the army save a significant amount on pensions and training of personnel.

Army jawans retire after serving a minimum of 17 years and depending upon their promotion while in service.

'If the recommendations are accepted, jawans and junior commissioned officers till the rank of subedar major will get two more years of service,' ministry sources told Mail Today.

'This will reduce the cost of training new jawans along with the problem of providing them reemployment. Of the one million jawans in the army, almost 60,000 retire every year.

'For two years, the forces can also save on recruiting new manpower,' they said.

The Shekatkar committee has also suggested ‘optimising’ non-combat support arms in the army such as supply corps, ordnance and electrical and mechanical engineers who service cars and heavy vehicles.

'Even in remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, one can get private agencies close to the border to service and repair army vehicles,' the sources said.

Same applies for certain functions of the supply and ordnance corps like supplying rations and clothes to the forces.

Their roles can be limited to during war and other critical assignments.

The committee has also recommended abolishing military and dairy farms, where several thousand army personnel and a considerable number of officers are involved in mundane tasks like cattle rearing and growing vegetables.

The committee has also called for downsizing the remount veterinary corps, which looks after horses and mules for ceremonial as well as operations in the higher Himalayan regions of J&K and Arunachal Pradesh.

'With helicopters and road networks allowing vehicles to reach the last points of border areas and mountains, there is no need to maintain such a large force of mules,' the sources said.

The NCC is also on the radar of the Shekatkar committee as a large number of officers from the Army are sent there.

'The committee feels that retiring personnel can be trained and sent there as re-employment. This will save the army the regular personnel for operational duties,' the sources said.

Source : dailymail.co.uk

Government asks banks to obtain PAN from account holders

Government asks banks to obtain PAN from account holders

New Delh: Tightening the noose around tax evaders, the government has asked banks to obtain permanent account number (PAN) or Form-60 if PAN is not available, from all bank account holders by February 28, 2017.

"Income-tax Rules have been amended to provide that bank shall obtain and link PAN or Form No. 60 (where PAN is not available) in all existing bank accounts (other than BSBDA) by February 28, 2017, if not already done," a notification by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) stated today.

The persons who are having bank accounts but have not submitted PAN or Form No 60 are advised to submit the PAN or Form No 60 to the bank by February 28, 2017, the notification stated.

However, this rule will not apply to Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts (BSBDA), which are zero balance savings accounts, including Jandhan accounts.

The BSBDA were introduced to take care of simple banking needs of people, which come with free ATM card, monthly statement and cheque book.

Last month, RBI had mandated that no withdrawal shall be allowed from the accounts having substantial credit balance/deposits if PAN or Form No.60 is not provided in respect of such accounts.

It further said that the banks and post offices had also been mandated to submit information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016 to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016 exceeds the specified limits.

It has also been provided under the new rules that person who is required to obtain PAN or Form No.60 shall record the PAN/Form.No.60 in all the documents and quote the same in all the reports submitted to the Income-tax Department.

PTI

Air Chief asserted that One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme of the government is reasonably good

Air Chief asserted that One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme of the government is reasonably good

New Delhi: Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, on Wednesday asserted that One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme of the government is reasonably good and said that one should accept it.
"The OROP by the government is reasonably good. We should accept it. The anomalies are being resolved by one-judge committee. Some of the anomalies and the discrepancies which cropped up from the transition from the sixth to seventh pay commission have been resolved… others will also be resolved," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday accused the Congress Party of betraying the jawans by not fulfilling the long-pending OROP demand in the last 40 years.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Dehradun, Prime Minister Modi said, "My Army jawans were demanding OROP for the last 40 years, the party that ruled the country then never thought of their demands."

"In reality, the budget for OROP is over Rs. 10,000 crore. Why did they (Congress) betray the Jawans by allocating 500 crore for this," he added.

He said the Centre was always clear that from day one that the Jawans must get their due and therefore, his government always stated that OROP will be a reality.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar earlier last month said 95 percent of veterans have already got the benefits of the OROP scheme and they are happy with it.

The scheme, announced in September 2015, is meant to ensure equal pension to servicemen who retired on the same rank and after the same duration of service, regardless of the year of retirement.
However, retired soldiers have been alleging that the government has not addressed their concerns fully about disparity in pension payments.

ANI

Government Clarification on Amendment to Payment of Wages Act

Government Clarification on Amendment to Payment of Wages Act

It is seen from the media reports that there is a general impression that is being created that the Government is bringing an amendment to the Payment of Wages Act to make mandatory the payment of wages to the workers only through cheque or accounts transfers. This is not the correct position.
It is clarified that the government proposes to bring an amendment to Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act which will further provide crediting the wages in the bank account of the employees or payment through cheque along with the existing provisions of payment in current coin or currency notes.

This is being done to facilitate the employers from making payment of wages using the banking facilities also in addition to the existing modes of payment of wages in current coin or currency notes.
Also, the appropriate Government (Centre or State) will have to come up with the notification to specify the industrial or other establishments where the employer shall pay wages through cheque or by crediting the wages in employees’ bank account. It is, therefore, clear that the option of payment through cash is still available with the employers for payment of wages.

It may be understood that the Payment of Wages Act was passed in the year 1936 (eighty years ago) and the situation prevailing at that point of time has completely undergone a technological revolution. Most of the transactions now take place through the banking channels. The proposal of Ministry of Labour and Employment to bring an amendment to Section 6 of the Act is an additional facility of crediting the wages in the bank account of the employees or payment through cheque along with the existing provisions of payment in current coin or currency notes.

The above proposed amendment will also ensure that minimum wages are paid to the employees and their social security rights can be protected. Thus the employers can no longer under-quote the number of employees employed by them in their establishments to avoid becoming a subscriber to the EPFO or ESIC schemes.

It is also pointed out that the states like Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana have already come out with notifications to provide for payment through banking channels.

PIB

Government, RBI taking steps to lower digital transaction cost: FM

Government, RBI taking steps to lower digital transaction cost: FM

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government and the Reserve Bank are taking measures to bring down the digital transaction cost with an aim to move towards a less-cash economy.

Chairing the 5th Meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, Jaitley said digital transactions are a parallel mechanism, not a substitute, for cash transactions and "cashless economy is actually a less cash economy as no economy can be fully cashless".

He told the participating Members of Parliament (MPs) that the government is trying to encourage digitisation as much as possible because an excessive cash economy has its own social and economic costs and consequences.

Less cash, he said, can be gradually substituted to the possible extent through digital transactions.
According to an official release, Jaitley said the Centre has announced various incentives to attract people to shift to digital mode of payment and the response is quite positive so far in this regard.
Jaitley further said the government and the RBI have taken various steps to bring down the cost of digital transactions and specifically mentioned about MDR charges.
The Finance Minister added that 55 per cent petrol pumps in the country are accepting payment through digital means and with the government providing incentives, more people are switching to this mode.

Jaitley further said the government is conscious of the need of cyber security of high level to secure digital payments.

He told the MPs that the government and RBI are fully aware of cyber security challenges and ensuring strong firewalls around the systems.

As part of efforts to promote e-payments, the Finance Minister said the government is providing various incentives for digital transactions including on debit card use.

Regarding the availability of POS machines, he said POS machines are manufactured by two companies in China and the government has waived duties on them so that these machines become cheaper and reach the shopkeepers easily.

PTI

Implementation of recommendations of Administrative Reforms Commission

Implementation of recommendations of Administrative Reforms Commission

The reforms in the functioning of Government is a continuous ongoing process. Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana, e-Governance based services, Digital India, Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG, (DBT), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, SwachhVidyalaya, Soil Health Card, Pradhan Mantri Fasal BimaYojna, Atal Pension Yojna etc. are some of the recent initiatives in this direction.

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2nd ARC) presented the following 15 Reports to the Government for consideration:

(i) Right to Information: Master Key to Good Governance.
(ii) Unlocking human capital: Entitlements and Governance - a Case Study.
(iii) Crisis Management: From Despair to Hope.
(iv) Ethics in Governance.
(v) Public Order: Justice for each.
(vi) Local Governance.
(vii) Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution - Friction to Fusion.
(viii) Combating Terrorism.
(ix) Social Capital - A Shared Destiny.
(x) Refurbishing of Personnel Administration - Scaling New Heights.
(xi) Promoting e-Governance - The Smart Way Forward.
(xii) Citizen Centric Administration - The Heart of Governance.
(xiii) Organizational structure of Government of India.
(xiv) Strengthening Financial Management System.
(xv) State and District Administration.

Barring the 8th Report on the subject of  'Combatting Terrorism' all other 14 reports were considered by the Government. In these 14 reports there were 1514 recommendations, out of which 1183 were accepted, 228 not accepted and 59 deferred and 21 referred to other foras. Decisions on the accepted recommendations had been conveyed to all concerned Central Ministries/Departments and States/Union territories’ Government for implementation. Reforms in the public administration by nature are a continuous process and cover a wide range of activities. It may be through simplification of procedures, issue of executive instruction, enactment of laws etc.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri Harivansh in the Rajya Sabha today.

PIB

Government to come up with national policy for senior citizens soon

Government to come up with national policy for senior citizens soon

New Delhi: In order to improve the standard of living of senior citizens, the government will soon come up with a national policy, which will focus on providing benefits of health care and accommodation to the elderly people.

A note in this regard has been prepared and it will be taken up by the Cabinet soon, a source said.

The note has been prepared by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry in consultation with various ministries and departments of the central government.

The note has taken into consideration the changing demographic pattern, socio-economic needs of the senior citizens, social value system, the source added.

This new and comprehensive national policy for senior citizens is based on the National Policy on Older Persons, 1999.

As a person grows old, his or her health becomes a major issue. Therefore, in the policy, special attention is being given to this aspect. The policy also talks about accommodation facilities for the senior citizens.

Another major thrust of the policy is to make the society and its younger generation sensitive towards their elders and at the same time, involve them in taking care of them, the source said.

According to the 2011 Census, the population of senior citizens in the country is 10.38 crore, which is about 8.6 per cent of the total population.

PTI

Government considering Aadhaar Card for NRIs: Swaraj

Government considering Aadhaar Card for NRIs: Swaraj

The government is considering giving Aadhaar cards to Non-Resident Indians and a decision on it will be taken soon, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today while inviting the diaspora community to actively participate in India’s growth story.

In her address to the first limited edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Swaraj said it has been decided that women workers will be allowed to go to Gulf countries for employment only through government agencies to ensure they are not duped by recruiting agents or firms.

The PBD, webcast by almost all Indian Missions and Posts, was organised for the first time by External Affairs Ministry (MEA) after the government’s decision to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with it.

Earlier MOIA used to host the event. January 9 was chosen as the day for PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the “greatest Pravasi”, returned home from South Africa to lead India’s freedom struggle.

Asking the diaspora to participate in government’s various flagship programmes including Skill India, Digital India and Clean Ganga initiatives, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the Aadhaar card scheme to be extended to NRIs.

“So far Aadhar card has been given to those Indians who live in India. It is not for non-resident Indians. But you will be happy to know that the Prime Minister wants the card to be given to the NRIs the way it is issued to people living in India.

“He even wants it for OCI (Overseas Citizens of India card) holders. The matter is under our consideration. No decision has been taken as discussions on it are underway. I hope soon you will hear about it,” Swaraj said during an interaction following her address.

The government has so far issued Aadhaar cards to over 92 crore citizens. Under the programme, every citizen is to be provided with a 12-digit unique identification number for which biometric information is collected.

On restricting women from going to Gulf countries through the recruiting agencies, she said the decision has been taken to stop them from getting duped.

“We will send women only through government agencies,” Swaraj said during an interactive session with Indian missions abroad.

Calling upon the diaspora to be part of the India growth story, she said “It is time for you to come back to India.”

Effusive in praise of the Prime Minister, Swaraj said India’s engagement with the overseas Indians has increased manifold because of his constant endevour to reach out to the community. Swaraj also mentioned Modi’s Madison Square address in the US and at the Wembly in London.

“Your achievements in the countries of your adoption are a matter of pride… It is our responsibility to protect you and take care of you. Indeed, we are you and you are us,” she said.

PTI

OROP: Why ex-servicemen continue to protest

OROP: Why ex-servicemen continue to protest

The definition of OROP accepted by the government in Parliament has equal pension for officers retiring in the same rank with equal length of service.

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has complied with a 2008 judgment regarding the implementation of the One Rank One Pension (OROP) on Tuesday, but almost three weeks after the government announced an OROP roll out, the ex-servicemen’s agitation at Jantar Mantar is far from dying down. The ex servicemen claim that the government-announced scheme is anything but OROP.

The definition of OROP accepted by the government in Parliament has equal pension for officers retiring in the same rank with equal length of service. In his September 5 announcement, the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that OROP would be implemented with retrospective effect from July 2014 and with 2013 as the base year. What this essentially meant was that that the veterans’ pensions shall match the pensions of those retiring in 2013 and that they would be given the arrears from July 2014.

The government also announced a one-member judicial committee to address the likely anomalies in the scheme. Most importantly, the scheme, written order of which is slated to be rolled out within a month, will involve revision of pensions every five years.

The government’s interpretation of OROP is unacceptable to the ex- servicemen community. They believe that each of these clauses is a violation of the basic definition of OROP as outlined by the Bhagat Singh Koshiyari Committee in 2012.

For instance, the five-year revision of pensions implies that a veteran’s pension will remain unchanged for five years. This will create multiple pensions for officers of one rank given that for five years – the gap between two revisions – many new retirees will leave the services with different pensions.

The ex-servicemen jokingly term the government’s five-year revision proposal as One Rank Many Pensions and still demand an annual revision.

Disagreement also continues over the judicial committee, as the ex- servicemen are seeking a five-member committee rather than the proposed one-man committee — with three of their own members, one representative from the government and one nominated member.

Last but not the least, there is a strong distrust of the bureaucracy. In fact, the government’s announcement to omit premature retirees from OROP – a clause which was reversed later – was viewed by veterans as a “last minute effort by bureaucrats to create troubles” in OROP.

For its part, the government has remained silent on the subject since its announcement of the roll out on September 5. Everything now depends on its final call in the order expected in October.

Source: Indian Express

Government asks Central Public Sector Enterprises to comply with woman director norms

Government asks Central Public Sector Enterprises to comply with woman director norms

New Delhi: Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) have been asked to appoint independent women directors on their boards to comply with norms, government told the Lok Sabha today.

The remarks by Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Anant Geete came against the backdrop of many listed CPSEs failing to meet capital market regulator Sebi’s deadline for appointing at least one woman director on their boards.

Geete said his Ministry has asked all CPSEs to ensure appointment of non-governmental (or independent) women directors on their boards.

“The process for filling up the vacancies in these CPSEs has been initiated,” Geete said and assured that public sector undertaking would have required number of independent directors in the coming days.
He said appointment of all independent directors on the boards of CPSEs have been done on the basis of “merit”.

Companies should have complied with the norms, he said, adding special attention would be given to such matters in the future.

He was responding to a query that CPSEs were struggling to appoint women directors.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) had given a deadline till March 31 for listed companies to appoint at least one woman director on their boards but many entities, including CPSEs, failed to comply with the norms.

Under Companies Act, 2013, also firms are required to have women directors on their boards.
He said individuals having financial links with a public sector firm are not appointed on the board of that entity.

Meanwhile, 18 CPSEs, including Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and Cement Corporation of India, do not have requisite number of independent directors on their boards. These are entities that come under the administrative control of the Department of Heavy Industry.

While replying to a question related to NALCO, the Minister said that public sector companies are like family jewels and need to be preserved.

Responding to another query on loss-making CPSEs, Geete acknowledged that many such firms are sick and that ways are being looked on how long can they be supported by the government.

PTI

Shaheed not defined in defence or central forces: Government

Shaheed not defined in defence or central forces: Government

NEW DELHI: Government today informed the Parliament that the term ‘shaheed’ or martyr is not defined “anywhere” and there is no official order to accord the same to defence or paramilitary personnel.

“There have been demands for giving shaheed/martyr status to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Assam Rifles (AR) personnel killed in action. In the meeting of Committee of Secretaries held on September 14, 2011, Ministry of Defence indicated that shaheed/martyr is not defined anywhere and presently they are not issuing any order/notification to this effect in respect of defence personnel.

“Similarly, no status of shaheed/martyr is given to the CAPF and Assam Rifles. However, their families/next of kin are given full family pension under the Liberalised Pensionary award rules and lump sum ex-gratia compensation of Rs 15 lakh as per rules in addition to other benefits admissible,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

The CAPFs like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB and NSG have made representations to the Union Home Ministry that ‘shaheed’ salutation is being demanded by the personnel of these forces.

The Central Reserve Police Force, last year, had, however, issued in-house orders making it mandatory to use ‘shaheed’ before the name of a martyred personnel and in all communications vis-a-vis its slain men and women.

Source: EOT

State-wise number of Nursing Institutions and Admission Capacity as on 31stMarch 2014

Annexure – I

State-wise number of Nursing Institutions and Admission Capacity as on 31^stMarch 2014

S. No.	States	GNM		B.Sc.
		Number of Institutions	Admissioncapacity	Number of Institutions	Admissioncapacity
1	Andaman & Nicobar	1	20	0	0
2	Andhra Pradesh	263	11579	230	11911
3	Arunachal Pradesh	3	70	0	0
4	Assam	26	698	8	420
5	Bihar	15	676	4	160
6	Chandigarh	0	0	2	95
7	Chattisgarh	46	1645	66	2990
8	Dadra & Nagar Haveli	1	20	1	40
9	Delhi	18	725	11	575
10	Goa	1	50	3	180
11	Gujarat	99	3970	46	2100
12	Haryana	69	2830	30	1365
13	Himachal Pradesh	34	1320	16	690
14	Jammu & Kashmir	14	585	5	260
15	Jharkhand	23	825	6	270
16	Karnataka	532	24512	334	18240
17	Kerala	209	6544	128	6950
18	Madhya Pradesh	295	11535	124	5970
19	Maharashtra	221	6614	95	4275
20	Manipur	12	360	6	240
21	Meghalaya	7	195	2	90
22	Mizoram	5	140	2	65
23	Nagaland	3	90	1	40
24	Orissa	63	2500	15	740
25	Pondicherry	5	150	14	955
26	Punjab	215	10383	94	4520
27	Rajasthan	173	8160	140	6156
28	Sikkim	2	80	2	160
29	Tamilnadu	205	6145	169	9570
30	Tripura	5	210	4	180
31	Uttar Pradesh	219	10100	56	2620
32	Uttaranchal	18	620	9	450
33	West Bengal	63	2503	18	915
	Grand Total	2865	115854	1641	83192

Annexure – II

Sl.No.	State	ANM Schools (Districts)	GNM Schools (Districts)
1	Andhra Pradesh	Narsapuram	Tirupathi
		Vijaywada	Eluru
		Kakinada	Ongole
			Karimnagar
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Lohit	U.Subansiri
		Tawang	East Siang (Pasighat)
		West Siang	Naharlagun (Papampure)
3	Assam	Baksa	Bongaigaon
		Udalguri
		Chirang
		Kamrup
4	Bihar	Aurangabad	Banka
		Jamui	Buxar
		Kaimur (Bhabhua)	Jehanabad
		Khagaria	Saran
		Lakhisarai	Seikhpur
		Nawada	Vaishali
		Sheohar	Kishanganj
		Siwan	Purnia
		Supaul	Sasaram
		Darbanga	Madhepur
		Arwal	West Champaran
		Araria	Katihar
			Saharsa
5	Chattisgarh	Bijapur	Dantewada
		Kawardha	Janjgir-Champa
		Narayanpur	Kanker
		Baster	Korba
		Bilaspur	Korea
			Mahasamund
6	Gujarat	Ahmedabad	Anand
		Jamnagar	Bhavnagar
		Patan	Kheda
		Valsad	Porbander
		Tapi
7	Haryana	Chakhri(Dadri)	Palwal
		Revari	Mewat
			Kurukshetra
8	Himachal Pradesh	Kullu	Nahan
		Solan	Chamba
			Mandi
9	Jammu & Kashmir	Bandipora	Budgam
		Kargil	Gangerbal
		Kishtwar	Kulgam
		Ramban	Pulwama
		Bhadarwah	Reasi
		Billawar	Samba
		Ananthnag	Shopian
		Thanmandi	Udhampur
		Surankote	Leh
		Thathri	Kathua
		Kokarnag	Doda
		Khan Sahib	Rajouri
		Avantipura
		Handwara
10	Jharkhand	Chatra	Gumla
		Godda	Latehar
		Khunti	Saraikela
		Garwa	Hazaribagh
		Ramgarh	Palamu
			Ranchi
			Jamtara
11	Madhya Pradesh	Annupur	Mandsour
		Alirajpur	Dewas
		Ashoknagar
		Burhanpur
		Dindori
		Harda
		Neemuch
		Rewa
		Shajapur
		Sheopur
		Singrauli
		Umaria
12	Maharashtra	Pusad	Gadchieouli
		Washim	Washim
		Sindhudurg	Nandurbar
			Ratnagiri
			Sindhudurg
			Bhandara
			Amravati
			Gondia
13	Manipur	Nil	Bishnupur
			Chandel
			Senapati
			Tamenglong
			Thoubal
			Ukhrul
14	Meghalaya	Nil	East Garo Hills
			Ri Bhoi
			South Garo Hills
			West Khasi Hills
15	Mizoram	Lawngtlai	Champhai
		Mammit	Kolasib
		Aizwal	Saiha
			Serchhip
16	Nagaland	Zunheboto	Mon
		Kohima	Phek
		Mokokchung	Tuensang
17	Orissa	Boudh	Nabrangpur
		Subarnapur	Kalahandi
		Gajapati	Sundergarh
		Raigada	Khandhernal
		Malkangiri	Dhenkanal
18	Puducherry	Mahe	Karaikal
		Yanam
19	Punjab	Kapurthala	Rupnagar
			Bhatinda
			Gurdaspur
			Sangrur
			Patiala
20	Rajasthan	Pratapgarh	Baran
		Alwar	Bikaner
		Udaipur	Nagour
			Jhunjhun
			Chittorgarh
21	Sikkim	East Sikkim	Nil
		West Sikkim
22	Tamil Nadu	Namakkal	Nil
		Theni
		Shiv ganga
23	Tripura	West Tripura	Nil
24	Uttarkhand	Bageshwar	Haridwar
		Champawat	Nainital
		Rudraprayag	Roorkhi
		Uttar kashi
		Haldwani
25	Uttar Pradesh	Auraiya	Ambedkar Nagar
		Balrampur	Bundaun
		Bulandshahar	Farrukhabad
		Chandauli	Firozabad
		Mahamaya Nagar	Hardoi
		Jyotiba Phule Nagar	Jalaun
		Kanpur Dehat	Kannauj
		Kanshiram	Mahoba
		Kaushambi	Siddharth Nagar
		Kusinagar	Unnao
		Lalitpur	Kheri
		Maharajganj	Mainpuri
		Sant Kabir Nagar	Faizabad
		Sant Ravidas Nagar	Rampur
		Sharavasti	Balia
		Sonbhadra	Gonda
		Amethi	Morarabad
		Fatehpur Sikri	Jhansi
		Sambhal	Barabanki
		Etah	Aligarh
		Mau	Raibrali
		Jounpur	Etawa
		Sultanpur	Ghazipur
26	West Bengal	Utari Dinajpur	Ghatal
		Chanchal	Barasat
		Nadia	Maldha
		South Paragnas	Jangirpur
			West Madinpur
			Hawrah
			Kolkata N
			N. Paragnas
Total		125	133

Above annexures was attached with reply of undermentioned Lok Sabha Question:-

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1238

ANSWERED ON 18.07.2014

NURSING INSTITUTIONS

1238 . Shri CHANDRAKANT BHAURAO KHAIRE
Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:-
(a) the number of nursing schools and colleges in the country along with their admission capacity, number of seats therein, State/UT-wise;
(b) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to open new nursing educational institutions in the country, location and State/UT-wise;
(c) whether the Government has received a number of proposals from the States/UTs for setting up/upgradation of nursing institutions;
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the proposals cleared and still pending for clearance indicating the reasons for their pendency during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise; and
(e) the fresh measures being taken by the Government for standardization of nursing education and meet the shortage of nurses in the country?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a): The number of nursing schools and colleges in the country is enclosed at Annexure – I. [as above]
(b) to (d): Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Strengthening/ upgradation of Nursing Services (ANM/GNM), the Government has sanctioned certain districts in various States for opening of Auxillary Nurse Midwife (ANM)/General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) Institutes, as per statement at Annexure – II [as above]. Opening of Institutes under the said scheme depends on proposals received from the States as per the scheme guidelines.

(e): INC has taken a number of steps which include revision of syllabus for various courses, development of Ph.D., Nursing Curriculum, establishment of national curriculum for Ph.D. (Nursing), development of quality assurance model, framing for syllabus for different speciality nursing programme etc. The norms for opening of new courses and nursing institutions have been relaxed by the Indian Nursing Council.

Source: Loksabha Q&A Annexure:
http://164.100.47.132/Annexture_New/lsq16/2/au1238.htm