Payment of Productivity Linked Bonus at revised calculation of Rs. 7000 – NFIR writes to Railway Minister

Payment of Productivity Linked Bonus at revised calculation of Rs. 7000 – NFIR writes to Railway Minister

 NFIRPayment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) to the Railway employees at revised calculation of Rs. 7000/- p.m.- GS/NFIR WRITES TO MINISTER OF RAILWAYS

NFIR

National Federation of Indian Railways

No. I/10/Part IV

Dated: 21/10/2015

Shri Suresh Prabhu,
Hon’ble Minister for Railways.
Railway Bhavan,
New Delhi

Respected Sir,
Sub: Payment of Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) to the Railway employees at revised calculation of Rs. 7000/- p.m.-reg.
Ref: (i) Item No. 4 of 55 Point Charter of Demands of NFIR.
(ii) NFIR’s letter No. I/10/Part IV dated 08/09/2015 & 07/10/2015 addressed to Hon’ble MR.
(iii) Railway Board’s letter No.E.(P&A)ll-2015PLB-4 dated 07/10/2015.

Kind attention is invited to NFIR’s communication dated 08/09/2015 to the Hon’ble MR to take action for removal of calculation ceiling of Rs. 3500/- p.m. for payment of PL Bonus to the Railway employees in view of Government’s announcement dated 1st September 2015 for relaxing calculation ceiling limit to Rs. 7000/- p.m.

Now the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on October 21, 2015 has decided to amend the Bonus Act, 1965 for enhancing the calculation ceiling from Rs. 3500/- to Rs. 7000/-.

NFIR, therefore, requests to kindly see that Railway employees are paid P.L. Bonus with revised calculation ceiling of Rs. 7000/- p.m.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

sd/-

(Dr.M.Ragavaiah)

General Secretary

Source : NFIR

BENEFITS OF OPENING OF SAVINGS ACCOUNT IN CBS POST OFFICE

Open Savings Account In A CBS Post Office To Avail All Benefits / Instant Alerts

• Instant cash withdrawal and view of all financial transactions under one passbook / statement
• Instant Issue of ATM cum Debit Card Free of Cost
• Instant Issue of Cheque book free of cost.
• No annual charges for ATM Card and Cheque books are also FREE of Cost.
• No Need to visit Post Offices and Stand on queue for withdrawal of interest and more..

 Courtesy : http://atppost.blogspot.in/

Indian retirement system ranks last in global pension index: Mercer report

Indian retirement system ranks last in global pension index: Mercer report

The Indian retirement system has been ranked last in the global pension index, according to a Mercer report. Denmark has been rated as the country with the best retirement system globally, while Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK have increased their pension age to offset the increase in life expectancies.

India's index value fell from 43.5 in 2014 to 40.3 in 2015, primarily because of a recent review conducted by the Economic Intelligence Unit that showed a material reduction in its household savings rate.

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI) report 2015 is now in its seventh year, and has measured 25 retirement income systems against more than 40 indicators, under the sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity. The report covers almost 60% of the global population, and also suggests how governments can provide adequate and sustainable benefits that protect their citizens against longevity risk, ie. the risk of their aging population outliving their savings. This year's MMGPI looked beyond the annual rankings to observe changes over the last seven years and assess which pension systems will continue to deliver and which ones are at risk.

"The National Pension System (NPS) is gradually gaining popularity in India. Continuing to improve education and communication will help increase coverage of pension arrangements for the working population in the organised sector, particularly popularising the corporate model of NPS among Indian employers," said Anil Lobo, India business leader for retirement, Mercer India.

Author of the report and senior partner at Mercer, David Knox, said, "Implementing the right reforms to improve pension systems and provide financial security in retirement has never been more critical for both individuals and societies."

The Index is used internationally both to highlight the relative strengths of pension systems and to identify opportunities and options for improvement.

Suggested measures to improve India's system include introducing a minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals, increasing coverage of pension arrangements for the unorganised working class, introducing minimum access age so that it is clear that benefits are preserved for retirement purposes, and improving the regulatory requirements for the private pension system.

The Index looks objectively at both the publicly funded and private components of a system as well as personal assets and savings outside the pension system. It is published by the Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS) in conjunction with Mercer and is funded by the Victorian State Government.

Source : The Economic Times

Implementing OROP, 7th Pay Commission recommendations will not lead to cash crunch: Jayant Sinha

Implementing OROP, 7th Pay Commission recommendations will not lead to cash crunch: Jayant Sinha

The Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, has said that implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme for military pensioners and the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission will not bankrupt the nation.

The Union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley had a meeting with the financial experts in New Delhi yesterday. Following the meeting, Mr. Jayant Sinha spoke to the mediapersons. He said –

“We are managing the country’s finances very well. Experts have appreciated our efforts. The government’s financial condition is very stable. Therefore, there wouldn’t be a cash deficit even if the government implements the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. Similarly, the government can very well manage the additional cash burden incurred by implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme for the military.

Implementing the OROP will result in additional expenses of Rs.8000-10,000 crores this year. The 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations will be submitted to the government in December this year. Giving increments to the Central Government employees will result in additional expenses to the Government. He confirmed that the government can comfortably manage these expenses.

A lot of important issues, including financial burdens, increasing employment opportunities and agricultural outputs, were discussed at the pre-Budget consultation. Some of the leading names in financial management in India had participated in the meeting. It is normal for governments to hold such meetings prior to the annual budget, but it is unusual that such a meeting was held with six months to go before the next Budget is due. Sinha said that the valuable suggestions that were given by the experts have made the meeting worthwhile, and have convinced them that holding such meetings in advance was a good move.

A number of useful suggestions were given on the schemes that have to be implemented in the current and the next Financial Years. The meeting also paved way for the joint implementation of many a schemes, he said.

Discussions on agriculture and the issues related to it took up most of the time at the meeting. “We discussed a number of suggestions on how to improve our agricultural production. We talked about financial deficits and ways to reduce expenses and austerity measures. We had also discussed public investment options and the importance of making them profitable.

“The other most important topic that we had talked about was the Ministry of Finance. We had discussed the need for increasing the loans offered to farmers, and to the micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the necessity for increasing job opportunity for youngsters. We had also discussed the steps that need to be taken to boost the large-scale and production-based industries, which are among the biggest sectors that offer employment.”

Source: centralgovernmentemployeesnews.in

Review of payment of Group Insurance of All India Services on E-payment

Review of payment of Group Insurance of All India Services on E-payment.

F.No. 11024/56/2012.AIS-II
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training

North Block, New Delhi – 110001
Dated: 21/10/2015

To
All the Chief Secretaries of State/UT Government,

Subject: Review of payment of Group Insurance of All India Services on E-payment.

Sir,
In continuation of this Department’s letter No, 11024/56/2012-AIS-II dated 09/09/2015, it is to state that to facilitate E-payment of Group Insurance to the beneficiary under All India Services (Group Insurance) Rule, 1981, Mobile Number of the beneficiary has become one of the mandatory column for registering while processing the bill through Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for facilitating E-payment of the Group Insurance.

2. Therefore, in addition to the bank details of beneficiary as called for in the aforesaid letter of this Department, all the State /Union Territory Governments, Ministries/Departments etc are requested to provide the Mobile Number of the beneficiary along with bank details (duly attested on separate sheet) while sending the claim of Group Insurance of retired All India Services to the respective cadre controlling authorities for settlement.

Your faithfully,

Under Secretary to the Government of India

Source: http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02ser/11024_56_2012-AIS-II-21102015.pdf

Odisha Government Sanctions 6% enhanced DA for State Employees effective 1st July 2015

Odisha Government Sanctions 6% enhanced DA for State Employees effective 1st July 2015

Payment of enhanced D.A. @ 119% with effect from 1st July, 2015 to the State Government Employees and Employees of Aided Educational Institutions drawing pay under ORSP Rules, 2008 will be at par with D.A. sanctioned by Government of India.

Odisha Sanctions 6% enhanced DA for State Employees – D.A. in accordance with this Memorandum will also be admissible to the State Government Employees who were in service on the 1st July, 2015 but have ceased to be in service at the time of sanction of this enhanced D.A.

Ahead of the Dusshera festival, the Odisha Government announced a hike in the dearness allowance for its employees by 6 per cent.

With this increase, the DA is now 119 per cent compared with 113 per cent earlier. The new DA will benefit about four lakh government employees and pensioners. The State Government is estimated to take an additional burden of Rs. 305 crore by increasing the DA rate to 119 per cent, the sources said.

Sanction of Dearness Allowance @ 6% to the State Government Employees with effect from 01.07.2015.

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHA
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
*******

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

No. 27766/F., dated 17.10.2015
FIN-CS-II-(ALW)0001/2015

Sub: Sanction of Dearness Allowance @ 6% to the State Government Employees with effect from 01.07.2015.

Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure in their Office Memorandum No.1/3/2015-E-II(B), dated 23.09.2015 have enhanced Dearness Allowance payable to the Central Government Employees from existing 113% to 119% with effect from 01.07.2015.

2. Now, considering the overall financial resources and fiscal target stipulated under Odisha Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2005, the State Government have been pleased to release additional dose of D.A. @ 6% enhancing the same from the existing rate of 113% to 119% on the Basic pay and Grade Pay taken together with effect from 01.07.2015 in case of State Government Employees, who are covered under the ORSP Rules, 2008. The Additional dose of D.A. will be paid in cash and can be drawn in the Pay Bill of October, 2015 payable in November, 2015 and onwards. Arrear from the month of July, 2015 to September, 2015 on account of the enhanced D.A., shall not be drawn before the date of disbursement of salary of October, 2015.

3. Payment of enhanced D.A. @ 119% with effect from 1st July, 2015 to the State Government Employees and Employees of Aided Educational Institutions drawing pay under ORSP Rules, 2008 will be at par with D.A. sanctioned by Government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure Office Memorandum No.1/3/2015-E-II(B), dated 23.09.2015.

4. This additional dose of D.A. @ 6% on Basic Pay and Grade Pay taken together with effect from 01.07.2015 and the manner of payment to the State Government Employees as above is also applicable to the following category of employees covered under ORSP Rules, 2008.

All India Service Officers serving in the affairs of the State Government for which General Administration Department will issue Orders separately.

The Teaching and Non-Teaching staff of Universities who are in receipt of regular scale of pay from whom the State Government is bearing full salary cost. These also include teachers of Universities who enjoy AICTE/UGC scale under ORSP (College Teachers) 2010 and Medical College Teachers under ORSP (Medical College Teachers) Rules, 2010.

Subordinate Judicial officers drawing their pay in accordance with Law Department Resolution No. 8318/L dated 02.08.2010.

Work-Charged Employees drawing in regular scale of pay under the ORSP Rules, 2008; and
Job Contract Workers of Consolidation and Settlement Organisation who are in receipt of fixed pay in regular scale of pay under ORSP Rules, 2008 and D.A. sanctioned thereon from time to time.

5. D.A. in accordance with this Memorandum will also be admissible to the State Government Employees who were in service on the 1st July, 2015 but have ceased to be in service at the time of sanction of this enhanced D.A.

6. The bill for drawal of enhanced D.A. @ 6% with effect from 01.07.2015 to the State Government Employees and Employees of Aided Educational Institutions, drawing pay under ORSP Rules-2008 will be submitted to the Treasuries/Special Treasuries/Sub-Treasuries alongwith Pay Bill for the month October, 2015 payable in November, 2015 onwards.

By Order of Governor

Special Secretary to Government.

Source: Business Line

Mobile app for Public Grievances portal launched by Dr. Jitendra Singh

Dr. Jitendra Singh launches Mobile app for Public Grievances portal

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 launched the Mobile Application for the Centralized Public Grievances Redress & Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) here today.

In this direction a further step has been taken by providing M-access to citizens through mobile phones. A Quick Response (QR) code has been provided on the pg-portal which can be scanned on to the smart phone after which grievances can be sent from the smart phone directly on to CPGRAMS.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said this is another step towards translating the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “ART of Governance” as spelt out by him, with A for Accountability, R- Responsibility and T- Transparency, forming the bedrock of the Government. He said the goal is that the Administration should be citizen centric, transparent and responsive. Dr. Jitendra Singh said more than six lakh public grievances have been settled since the NDA Government assumed office. This data will form the resource material to improve the Governance, he added.

Dr. Jitendra Singh hoped the common public will make maximum use of the mobile app since the mobile phone has emerged as the easiest way of communication from anywhere across the country.

In his address, Secretary, DARPG and Secretary, Department of Pensions & Pensioners’ Welfare, Shri Devendra Chaudhary said the mobile app will not only allow lodging of grievances, but the people can also track the status of the redress of their grievance. The DARPG is also carrying out analysis of the grievances and a systematic response is being worked out on how best to address the grievances, he added.

Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, Shri Sanjay Kothari was also present during the launch function.

The Mobile App for the CPGRAMS is another innovative initiative of the DARPG, the nodal agency to formulate policy guidelines for citizen-centric governance in the country, redress of citizens’ grievances, being one of the most important initiatives of the department. The DARPG has been making endeavours to bring excellence in public service delivery and to redress grievances of citizens in a meaningful manner by effectively coordinating with different Ministries and Departments of the Government and trying to eliminate the causes of grievances.

CPGRAMS is a Government of India portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform for redress of their grievances. Grievances received on this platform are redressed by the concerned Ministry/Department/State. CPGRAMS was launched by DARPG in technical consultation with NIC in 2007. More than 16 lakh grievances have been lodged since January 1, 2012. In last 12 months nine lakh grievances have been lodged and 6.47 lakh disposed off.

PIB

And also download  our Central Government News Android  App to get the latest happenings. Download here..  Central Government News App

Government approves hike in bonus ceiling from Rs. 3500 to Rs 7000

Government approves hike in bonus ceiling from Rs. 3500 to Rs 7000

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet decided to double the wage ceiling for calculating bonus to Rs 7,000 per month for factory workers and establishments with 20 or more workers.

“The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to enhance the monthly bonus calculation ceiling to Rs 7,000 per month from existing Rs 3,500 was approved by Union Cabinet here,” a source said after the Cabinet meeting.

The amendment bill will be made effective from April 1, 2015. Now the bill will be tabled in Parliament for approval.

The bill also seeks to enhance the eligibility limit for payment of bonus from the salary or wage of an employee from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 21,000.

The Payment of Bonus Act 1965 is applicable to every factory and other establishment in which 20 or more persons are employed on any day during an accounting year.

The bill also provides for a new proviso in Section 12 which empowers the central government to vary the basis of computing bonus.

At present, under Section 12, where the salary or wage of an employee exceeds Rs 3,500 per month, the minimum or maximum bonus payable to employees are calculated as if his salary or wage were Rs 3,500 per month.

The last amendment to both the eligibility limit and the calculation ceilings under the said Act was carried out in 2007 and was made effective from April 1, 2006.

This amendment in the Act to increase wage ceiling and bonus calculation ceiling was one of ssurances given by the Centre after 10 central trade unions went on one-day strike on September 2.

The government had hinted at meeting workers’ aspirations on nine out of 12 demands submitted by the unions.

Source : AIRF

Punjab Announces Cashless Insurance for Government Employees & Pensioners

Punjab Announces Cashless Insurance for Government Employees & Pensioners

Punjab Announces Cashless Insurance for Govt Employees & Pensioners – The scheme would be made compulsory to employees and pensioners it would be optional for All India Service Officers, serving and ex-MLAs, serving and ex-Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

In a significant move that will benefit over 6.50 lakh employees and pensioners of the state government, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to implement Cashless Health Insurance scheme in lieu of the existing policy of reimbursement of the medical expenses.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Cabinet in its meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here at Punjab Bhawan this evening.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Ministers Office said that the facility of cashless treatment would be provided to Government employee/pensioners and their dependents in more than 250 empanelled public and private hospitals in Punjab, Chandigarh and NCR (Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida) adding that under this scheme all the benefits would be granted to the employee as per Service Rules (Medical Attendance Rules 1940).

The expenses on treatment if taken outside the state would be reimbursed to the employees by the insurance company within 15 days of submission of medical claim. As per the scheme, the expenditure on treatment of patient admitted in hospital and 246 kinds of “day care” procedure (in which treatment was provided in less than 24 hours) and treatment of chronic diseases in OPD would be provided to patient without spending any money.

The OPD expenses other than those related to chronic diseases would continue to be met through fixed medical allowance. The scheme would cover pre and post hospitalisation benefits up to seven days and 30 days respectively, which were not available under the prevailing rules.

Though the insurance company cover was Rs 3 lakh per family, however, the scheme would cover a family for an unlimited amount. The scheme would be made compulsory to employees and pensioners it would be optional for All India Service Officers, serving and ex-MLAs, serving and ex-Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Source: Business Line

Modification in Life Certificate of Pensioners – Acknowledgement to be issued

Finance Ministry advises Banks to issue duly signed acknowledgement to the pensioners while submitting Life Certificate

Department of Expenditure has advised Banks to issue the acknowledgement at the time of submission of Life Certificates by the Pensioners in the prescribed format given below.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE

CENTRAL PENSION ACCOUNTING OFFICE

TAIKOOT-II, BHIKAJI CAMA PLACE,

NEW DELHI-110066

PHONES: 26174596, 26174456, 26174438

CPAO/IT &Tech/Scheme Booklet/2015-16/1666

16.10.2015

Office Memorandum

Subject:- Modification in the format of Life Certificate -Issue of Acknowledgement to pensioners.

Attention is invited to this office OM No.CPAO/Tech/Simplification/2012-13/325 dated-18.02.2013 directing the banks to allow pensioners/family pensioners to submit the life certificates as well as other certificates to any branch of the bank through which their pension are being disbursed. In this context, several instances of stoppage of payment of pensions have been reported citing non-receipt of life certificate even though the pensioners had submitted their life certificates to the bank, due to misplacement of the life certificate at the bank branches concerned. Instances of some pension paying banks not accepting life certificates given to them by pensioners and directing pensioners to submit the life certificate to CPPC have also been reported causing great inconvenience to pensioners, which results in either stoppage of payment of pension or delay in payment of pension.

In this context, to alleviate the hardship faced by the pensioners, RBI has also instructed all the Agency Banks handling government pension payment, vide Notification No. RBT/2014-15/ 587 DGBA. GAD No. H-5013/ 45.01.001/2014-15 dated-07.05.2015 that on receipt of life certificate submitted in physical form, banks to issue duly signed acknowledgement to the pensioners and to enter the same in their CBS immediately and issue a system generated receipt to serve the twin purpose of acknowledgement to the pensioners as well as real- time updation of records.

To facilitate the bank authorities, CPAO has prescribed a modified format of life certificate providing therewith acknowledgement of the receipt of the life certificate vide Correction Slip No.24 to the Scheme for Payment of Pensions to Central Government Civil Pensioners by Authorized Banks. The acknowledgement is a part of the format of Life Certificate, which can be detached and given to the pensioner by the receiving bank. The format (Annexure) has been circulated to all concerned and the same has been made available on CPAO’s website ‘www.cpao.nic.in’ at the link
“For Banks”–> Guidelines for Master data.

The Chairmen/Chief Executive Directors of Authorised Banks are requested to ensure that their paying branches follow the above instructions scrupulously without fail.

This issues with the approval of Competent Authority

(Vijay Singh)

Sr. Accounts Officer (IT & Tech)

ANNEXURE-XVIl

(See para 15.1page11 of CPAO’s Scheme Booklet)

Part-A (Every year)

LIFE CERTIFICATE

(To be submitted by Pensioner once a year in November)

Certified that I have seen the pensioner Shri/Smt./Ms._______(Name of Pensioner)
holder of Pension Payment Order No.________ and that he/she is alive on this date.

1. Present address of the pensioner/family pensioner.
2. Telephone/Mobile number (if any).
3. E-mail Address (if any).

Name
Place:

Date:

Designation of Authorised Officer

Seal

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Life Certificate of Pensioner /Family Pensioner of Shri/Smt/Ms.__ (Name of Pensioner) holder of Pension Payment Order No.____ has been
received.

Date :-

Signature .

Name·····················

Stamp of the receiving Bank branch

Download Finance Ministry letter No.CPAO/IT &Tech/Scheme Booklet/2015-16/1666 dated 16.10.2015