Thursday, July 26, 2012

Convening of DPCs for promotion to PS Gr 'B'

GS writes to Secretary Posts on convening of DPCs for promotion to PS Gr 'B'. The text of the letter is reproduced for the information of members.


No. CHQ/IPASP/DPC/2012                                             Dated :        25/7/2012.
 
 
To,
Smt. Manjula Prasher,
Director General,
Department of Posts,
Dak Bhavan, New Delhi 110 001.
 
 
          Sub:     Convening of regular DPC for promotion to PS Group ‘B’.
 
 
Respected Madam,
 
 
Kindly refer to this Associations letter of even number dated 7/5/2012 regarding convening of regular and supplementary DPC for the promotion to PS Gr. B cadre.  
 
 
There are set rules and procedure to convene DPCs at regular intervals to draw up panels which could be utilized for effecting promotions/against vacancies occurring during the course of a given year. As such, department should by now initiate action to fill up the existing as well as anticipated vacancies in the respective quota as per the instructions contained in DOP&T OM No. 22011/5/86-Estt.D dated 10/4/1986. By not adhering to the standing instructions of DOPT, the department is unnecessarily dragging the members of the Association into litigation.  
 
 
It is pertinent to mention here that there remain 22 to 23 vacancies from the last DPC under 75% quota for the vacancy year 2011, so supplementary DPC for the vacancy year 2011 was required to be conducted as it is done every year before any promotion through LDCE (25% quota). But contrary to this, the department has declared the result of LDCE for PS Group “B” that too in a haste ignoring the right of Senior ASPs waiting their elevation for the last 23 to 24 years. Now, the department cannot blame members of the Association for any litigation that could arise owing to fixation of seniority for not convening supplementary DPC for the vacancies year 2011.
 
 
It is therefore once again requested that suitable orders may kindly be passed to put in place immediately for calling ACRs/APARs of eligible officers for holding DPC for the left out vacancies for the year 2011, and also for vacancy year 2012.
 
 
A positive action will be highly appreciated.
            
With regards,
  Yours sincerely,
sd/- 
(Vilas Ingale)
General Secretary


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Adhoc promotions of IPs to ASP cadre

11 IPs of the circle are promoted to the cadre of ASPs on adhoc basis vide CO letter No. ST/92-Adhoc/2012 dated 19/07/2012.

CLICK HERE to view the CO order in full.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Letter to CPMG on non payment of PLI/RPLI commission to IPs/ASPs

A letter was addressed to CPMG regarding non payment of PLI/RPLI commission to IPs/ASPs. The text of the letter is reproduced hereunder for the information of the members.


To
The Chief Postmaster General,
Andhra Pradesh Circle, Hyderabad – 500 001.

Lr No. AIAIPASP/Misc/10/2012                                           Dated : 24/07/2012

Madam,

          Sub:- Non payment of commission for procuring PLI business by IPs/ASPs 
as Marketing Officers (PLI) & non payment of commission for RPLI on
business procured by rural BPMs/SPMs – reg.
*  *  *

1.       This relates to non payment of commission for procuring PLI business by IPs & ASPs as Marketing Officers (PLI) and non payment of commission for RPLI on business procured by rural BPMs/SPMs. The circle branch of the association brings it to the notice of the Chief Postmaster General that the IPs & ASPs are very actively involved in procuring PLI business every year and most of them even have surpassed the targets allotted to them in PLI business.  This active involvement of IPs/ASPs also helped in increase of revenue for the Department also.

2.       But, it is very disappointing and disheartening to bring it to the notice of the Chief Postmaster General that the IPs/ASPs actively involved in procuring PLI business are not being paid their due commission for business procured and many hurdles and many objections are raised for release of commission.

3.       There was a system of payment of 1st instalment of  90% of commission due immediately after the policy was accepted and the remaining 10% of commission due was released as 2nd instalment only after ascertaining that 6 minimum required credits are available in a policy. But, now this is not being followed and 100% of commission is paid only after 6 months credits are available in a policy which is quite disappointing.

4.       At this juncture, it is to submit that PLI operations are fully computerized now. Even after computerization, the Marketing Officers (PLI) are being asked to prefer a commission bill enclosing a copy of advance premium receipt issued to the insurant which is not required as the commission is being paid only for the accepted policies and the business procured by a Marketing Officer (PLI) is clearly available policy wise & agent wise in the PLI web site. The circle branch of the association finds no reason to ask the Marketing Officers (PLI) to prefer their commission bill and instead the commission can straightaway be released without waiting for commission bill from any Marketing Officer (PLI).

5.       Further, the Marketing Officers (PLI) are also being asked to certify 6 credits in a policy which is quite embarrassing as PLI premium can be paid at any Post Office in the circle. As PLI is available only for salaried employees of Central/State Govt, PSUs and autonomous bodies, for whom transfers are inevitable, insurants pay their premium at different Post Offices of the circle. The Marketing Officer (PLI) is not in a position to obtain 6 credits from such insurants who were transferred from the place where policy was procured by the Marketing Officer (PLI).

6.       In this connection, the circle association brings it to the notice of the Chief Postmaster General that many IPs/ASPs got demoralized & demotivated for non payment of their due commission earned by them after a lot of struggle for business procurement and stopped procurement of PLI business which ultimately brings down the PLI business of the circle.

7.      The circle branch of the association requests the Chief Postmaster General kindly to intervene in the matter and arrange to get the commission released for procurement of PLI business by the Marketing Officers (PLI) @ 90% immediately after the policy is accepted and remaining 10% after ensuring 6 credits are available in the policy. The Chief Postmaster General is also requested to arrange to release the commission without waiting for commission bill claims from Marketing Officers (PLI).

8.       The circle branch of the association also brings it to the notice of the Chief Postmaster General that commission to IPs/ASPs for RPLI business procured in the Sub Division is not paid in many Divisions on the ground that the commission is stopped after new system of payment of RPLI commission was introduced from 01/09/2009. The association is of the information that even after introduction of new system of commission structure, the Sub Divisional heads also do have a share of commission for them for RPLI premium payment. The circle branch of the association requests the Chief Postmaster General to arrange to provide clarity on the issue and arrange to issue instructions to all concerned regarding payment of commission to IPs/ASPs on RPLI premium paid in their respective Sub Divisions.

9.       Kindly acknowledge the receipt of the letter and a reply on these issues is requested.
                                                                                              Yours faithfully,

                                                                                             CIRCLE SECRETARY

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Government plans to separate functions of India Post

The government is planning to separate the functions of policy making, regulations and operations of the over 150 year-old Department of Post (DoP).

Sources in Ministry of Communications and IT said Kapil Sibal has asked for setting up a body to oversee the unbundling of DoP's functions.

An independent body named Postal Development Board (PDB) will be responsible for the overall development and governance of the postal sector, they added. The PDB will also draw a road-map for unbundling of postal department functions.

"The idea is to develop Indian postal sector as a full-fledged market, bring in more service providers to enhance employment and contribution to nation's GDP," a senior ministry official said.

A recent review meeting of the entire sector, chaired by Sibal, found that in some European countries' the sector contributes between 0.6-0.9 per cent of their GDP.

However, the contribution of the estimated Rs 15,000-crore Indian Postal sector is much lower. Private players have been demanding unbundling of the department's functions for a level-playing field and growth of the sector.

At present, DoP -- which has around 5 lakh employees -- is the sole body responsible for policy making, regulations and providing postal service.

The over 100-year old Indian Post Office Act, which governs the sector, bars any individual or entity from delivering letter for commercial purpose.

The business of private courier companies is built around delivering documents, parcels and others items which do not fall under the category of 'letter'.

Sibal has asked DoP to create a framework to support small and medium postal operators and new models to encourage entrepreneurship in the sector.

The minister has also instructed DoP to constitute a Postal Advisory Board (PAB) which should have representation from government, industry players, academics and other stakeholders.

The role of PAB will be to provide inputs to PDB on policy matters. PDB will be set up under Secretary (Posts) and will include Secretaries of Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Commerce and two members from Postal Services Board.

Source : http://www.deccanchronicle.com

Revised Selected list of PS Gr 'B' Examination held on 03/06/2012

The Directorate has released the revised list of selected candidates in PS Gr 'B' Examination 2012 held on 03/06/2012.

CLICK HERE to view the Directorate order in full

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Congrats to selected IPs/ASPs in PS Gr 'B' Examination 2012

The circle association congrats the following IPs/ASPs who came out successful in the PS Gr 'B' Examination, 2012 held on 03/06/2012

S/Shri
1. K.Hari Krishna Prasad,  Kurnool Region
2. Syeda Tanweer, Kurnool Region
3. Syed Ansar, Vijayawada Region
4. Y.Rama Krishna, Vijayawada Region
5. W.U.Nagaditya Kumar, Hyderabad Region
6. A.Sreenivasa Rao, Kurnool Region

Monday, July 16, 2012

Central Government employee's wife death at CGHS hospital - Apex court orders compensation

The Union government has been ordered by the country’s apex consumer panel to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation to one of his employees, whose wife had died of excess bleeding in a CGHS hospital soon after giving birth to a child through cesarean section over 13 years ago.

 
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) ordered the government to pay the compensation, as the woman died of excess bleeding after surgery with no blood available in blood bank of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) maternity hospital.
The government ordered compensation for the victim’s husband Arvind Pandey holding the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the CGHS director general, the hospital and its doctor who performed the surgery, jointly liable for damages. The NCDRC held the doctor concerned, Dr Saran and the CGHS maternity hospital at R K Puram liable to pay damages saying they “failed to exercise due care on their part” leading to the death of Pandey’s wife. “The concerned doctor and the hospital had failed to anticipate problems arising out of the complications and to take precautionary measures, such as arranging for the blood or keeping an ambulance ready for shifting the patient,” the NCDRC bench presided by Justice R C Jain said.
The NCDRC’s verdict came on Pandey’s complaint alleging his wife had died right after the delivery through cesarean section due to negligence of the CGHS maternity hospital and the doctors who were present during the surgery. The CGHS hospital and the doctors had contended in their defence that the best possible treatment was given to Pandey’s wife, who was a high-risk patient, and that he was informed before hand to arrange blood or blood donors.
SourceIBN Live

Some lesser known deductions of Income Tax - A review of Income Tax

Most taxpayers are aware of the deductions available under Section 80C, the tax benefits of medical insurance and the advantages of a home loan. But there are also some inconspicuous sections of the Income Tax Act, which offer further savings to taxpayers. If you satisfy certain conditions, you can use these to bring down your tax liability.


Your family can reduce your tax
When parents invest in the name of their children, the income earned is clubbed with that of the parent who earns more and is taxed at the applicable rate. However, there is a small deduction of Rs 1,500 available per child, with a maximum limit of two children. So, if you open a fixed deposit in your child’s name, interest of up to Rs 1,500 will not be clubbed with your taxable income.
Incidentally, if you are living in your parents’ house, you can pay rent to them. If your parent has no other income or pays a lower tax, this can bring down your tax liability significantly. However, the rent will be taxable as the income of the parent after a 30% standard deduction.
This means, you can safely pay a senior citizen parent up to Rs 3.57 lakh a year without adding to his tax liability. Very senior citizens (above 80) can be paid up to Rs 7.15 lakh. If the house is jointly owned by both parents, divide the rent between the two.
Education loan interest is fully deductible
The cost of higher education is putting pressure on family budgets and forcing parents to borrow for their children’s professional education. The good news is that the interest paid on an education loan is fully deductible from taxable income under Section 80E.
Till a few years ago, this deduction was available only to the borrower. Now, even a parent or a spouse can avail of it. What’s more, this includes loans taken for vocational courses. If a parent or legal guardian takes the loan, he can claim deduction for the interest paid for up to eight successive years, starting from the year in which the interest is first paid.
So, if you take a Rs 10 lakh education loan at 10% interest for 8 years, you can save Rs 1.41 lakh in tax in the highest tax bracket. This will bring down the effective cost of the loan to 7% per annum. However, loans taken for siblings and other relatives do not qualify. Also, the lender must be a recognised financial institution; loans from employers or individuals do not count.
Interest paid on a second home loan is fully deductible
The tax benefits of a home loan are well known. Under Section 24b, one can claim a deduction of up to Rs 1.5 lakh a year for the interest paid. If the taxpayer buys a second house through another home loan and gives it on rent, the entire interest paid on the home loan during a given year can be claimed as deduction.
If you have more than one house, any one is deemed to be rented out. So the interest income on the home loan for that house can be claimed entirely for deduction, provided the rental income or deemed income is taxable. For instance, if you have taken a home loan of Rs 50 lakh at 9.5% for 20 years, your interest payment in the first year will be Rs 4.7 lakh and you can save tax up to Rs 1.09 lakh.
HRA as well as home loan benefits
This might come as a surprise to many people but you can claim both HRA exemption as well as tax benefits of a home loan. However, this applies only if the house is in another city or too far away from workplace. So, if you have taken a loan to build a house in your home town and live on rent in another city, you can claim both the HRA exemption as well as tax benefits for the interest paid on the home loan. In the highest tax bracket, a deduction for Rs 1.5 lakh will bring down your tax by Rs 46,350.
Rent is deductible even if you don’t get HRA
In metros and large cities, house rent can account for as much as 40-50% of the total household expense. This is the reason that house rent allowance (HRA) for salaried individuals is exempt from tax to a certain limit. But what if your salary does not include an HRA component or you are a self-employed professional or businessman? Under Section 80GG, you can claim deduction for the rent paid even if you don’t get HRA. Not many people are aware of this deduction.
However, there are stiff conditions to be met. The least of the following three can be claimed as deduction: rent paid, less 10% of total income; or Rs 2,000 a month; or 25% of the total income. Also, the taxpayer should not be drawing any HRA or any other housing-related benefit.
Besides, he or his spouse or minor child should not own a house in the city where he lives and he should not claim tax benefits for some other self-occupied house. If you satisfy these conditions, you can avail of the tax benefit. Though you cannot claim more than Rs 2,000 as deduction per month, it can bring down your tax by Rs 7,400 a year in the highest tax bracket.
Certain diseases get tax benefits
The treatment of a chronic illness can be a drain on the finances of a taxpayer. This is why the Income Tax Act allows a deduction of Rs 40,000 if one has a dependant who suffers from any of the ailments specified under Section 80DDB. The deduction is higher at Rs 60,000 if the patient is a senior citizen.
The illnesses include neurological diseases (dementia, dystonia musculorum deformans, motor neuron disease, ataxia, chorea, hemiballismus, aphasia and Parkinson’s disease), malignant cancers, full-blown AIDS, chronic kidney failure and haematological disorders (haemophilia and thalassaemia).
Dependants can include spouse, children, parents and siblings. However, there are a few conditions. The patient should be wholly or mainly dependent on the taxpayer and should not have a separately claimed deduction for the disability. If the amount spent is reimbursed by the employer or an insurance company, there is no deduction. If the taxpayer gets a partial reimbursement for the expenses, the balance can be claimed as deduction.
Disabilities also eligible for deduction
If you suffer from a disability, you can claim a deduction of Rs 75,000 under Section 80U. If you have a disabled dependant, you can claim Rs 50,000 under Section 80DD. Disability includes blindness, low vision, leprosy, hearing impairment, loco-motor disability, mental retardation and mental illness.
The deduction is available only if the impairment is at least 40%. If the disability is severe (80% or above), the deduction is Rs 1 lakh a year. The dependant could include spouse, children, parents and siblings. Incidentally, the deduction is offered as a lump sum and does not depend on the actual amount that the taxpayer may spend on himself or on the disabled dependant.
However, the disabled person should be wholly or mainly dependent on the taxpayer for maintenance and should not have claimed a separate deduction for the disability under Section 80U. A deduction of Rs 75,000 can cut tax by Rs 23,175 in the highest tax bracket. In case of severe disability, the tax is lower by Rs 30,900.
Donations get you tax benefits
The taxman is generous to the people who have been kind. Donations given to recognised organisations are eligible for tax deduction. This includes any amount contributed to a recognised political party. It can be claimed as a deduction under Section 80GGC (80GGB for corporates). This is a new deduction and was introduced in April 2010.
The donation can also be made to an electoral trust that works for conducting elections. Interestingly, unlike other deductions, there is no ceiling on the amount that can be claimed as deduction. Of course, this doesn’t mean one can claim deduction for cash payments. The deduction is available only if the sum goes into the party coffers.
Other donations also get you tax benefits. Donations to charitable organisations are also eligible for tax deduction and range from 50% to 100% of the amount donated under Section 80G. Donations to institutions involved in scientific research or rural development get exemption under Section 80GGA.
The quantum of deduction depends on the nature of the organisation. For instance, money given to certain establishments, such as the National Defence Fund, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund enjoy 100% deduction.
On the other hand, NGOs such as Child Rights and You, Helpage India and the National Children’s Fund give you only 50% deduction. So, it’s a good idea to find out how much deduction is available before you write out a cheque.
However, you cannot use this route to evade tax by bringing down your income tax slab. There is a ceiling on the deduction a taxpayer can claim in a year. The quantum of deduction is limited to 10% of the gross total income of the donor. Also, only cash donations are taken into account. Donations of food, clothes and medicines do not qualify for such a deduction.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Postmaster Grade-I Examination 2012 results announced

Postal Directorate, New Delhi released the results of Postmaster, Grade-I examination 2012 held on 03/06/2012. 2 (ST) candidates were selected from AP Circle and result of 1 ST vacancy will be announced later.

CLICK HERE to view the results.  Annexure-I of the Directorate contains the list of selected candidates.

Obligations of Persons deducting Income Tax at source

All deductors other than Government deductors must file their quarterly TDS statement for the quarter ending 30th June 2012, on or before 15th July 2012 and Government deductors must file their statement on or before 30th July 2012. While submitting their statements, the deductors have to choose correct and relevant form, quote correct PAN against all entries and ensure that correct CIN/BIN is quoted in the TDS statement. Non-quoting of PAN or TAN in TDS statements or delay in filing of TDS statements may lead to levy of penalty.

Filing of TDS statement with correct PAN and CIN/BIN is important because under Rule 37BA of Income Tax Rules, 1962 credit for tax deducted at source is given to the deductees on the basis of TDS statement furnished to the Income-tax Department by the deductor. Filing of TDS statements with incorrect PAN or other details of the deductee would, therefore, cause inconvenience to the deductees (taxpayer).

In case the income on which tax has been deducted at source is assessable in the hands of a person other than the deductee, the deductee must file a declaration with the deductor that credit for the TDS shall be given to the other person and not to the deductee. The declaration filed by the deductee must contain the name, address, Permanent Account Number of the person to whom credit is to be given and reasons for giving credit to such person. The deductor must, in the TDS statement, report the tax deduction in the name of such other person and also issue the TDS certificate in the name of the person in whose name credit is shown in the TDS statement.

TDS certificates for deductions on income other than salary income (Form 16A) for the quarter ending 30th June 2012 should be issued on or before 30th July 2012.

Source: Press Information Bureau

Change in Railway Taktal Reservation scheme

The Ministry of Railways has further streamlined the delivery of tickets under Tatkal Scheme and the new amendment in the scheme will come into effect from 10th July 2012.

Under the new amendment the booking of Tatkal tickets will start at 10.00 hours on the previous day of journey from train originating station instead of 0800 hours at present. For example, if a train is to depart from the originating station on the 2nd of the month, the Tatkal quota booking both through Internet (IRCTC Website) and reservation counters for that particular train shall open at 1000 hours on the 1st of the month. In addition, it has also been decided that no authorised agents, including agents of IRCTC and RTSAs/RTAs will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets from 1000 hours to 1200 hours from counters as well as from Internet.

At the Zonal Railway and the Divisional Railway level, the local Railway administration is also making arrangements at the reservation counters for orderly implementation of the amendment in the scheme like segregation of Tatkal buyers through separate queues, separate counters etc. as per the local requirement and feasibility. The travelling public is being informed about the new arrangements through Press Releases, Press Advertisements, Announcements and Notice Boards. Moreover, installation of CCTVs in all major booking centres to monitor any unusual activities, inspection of the reservation centres by the senior officers, display of helpline numbers for complaints, raids by the vigilance squads are some of the measures being taken to prevent misuse of Tatkal facility. The requirement of indicating Mobile number of the passenger in the application form is also being insisted to cross verify the genuineness of the passenger.

These new measures are in addition to the previously taken measures to revamp Tatkal system from November 2011. In November 2011, the following measures were introduced to reduce/minimize the possibility of booking of tickets by touts/miscreants and which are still continuing:

1. Advance Reservation Period of Tatkal scheme was reduced from two days excluding the day of journey to one day excluding the day of journey.

2. Refunds are not granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of special circumstances like late running of train by more than three hours, cancellation of trains etc.

3. Duplicate Tatkal tickets are not issued under normal circumstances. In exceptional cases Duplicate Tatkal tickets can be issued on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges.

4. Tatkal tickets are issued only on production of self attested photocopy of one of the 9 prescribed proofs of Identity mentioned in the scheme, at the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter. While booking e-ticket, the passenger has to indicate the number of identity card in the system. The passenger is required to carry the same proof of Identity during the journey.

5. A restriction of booking of a maximum of four passengers per PNR on Tatkal ticket has been imposed.

The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways which manages Railways e-ticketing website namely www.irctc.co.in has also implemented following additional steps to streamline Tatkal ticket bookings:

1. High capacity Database servers have been installed.

2. Internet Bandwidth has been increased from 344 mbps to 450 mbps

3. Single user registration on one e-mail ID with email verification has been implemented.

4. Mobile validation of users and single user registration on one mobile number has been implemented.

5. Web service agents have been permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on internet after 12.00 A.M.

6. Individual users are permitted to book only two tickets between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M.

7. Only two tickets can be booked per IP address between 10-12 AM. IP address check has helped in preventing multiple bookings from same office complex/internet café etc. This also helps in facilitating bookings by genuine users and prevents bookings for commercial gains.

8. Single session per user ID check has been implemented. With this step, a user on irctc.co.in will be able to open his account for booking of e-tickets only once. Multiple sessions with single user ID cannot be opened thereby enabling maximum users to access website and reduce congestion.

9. Captcha has been put and strengthened for booking in the ‘Plan My Travel’ to check fraudulent booking through automation software.

(CAPTCHAs is a technology used in attempts to prevent automated software from performing actions which degrade the quality of service of a given system)

10. Quick Book Option and Cash Cards option has been stopped between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M.

11. An IT-Anti Fraud Squad has been created at Internet Ticketing Centre to detect cases of fraud and fraudulent activity and also for constant cyberspace surveillance to detect possible threats to the system.

12. Upon receipt of complaint against the sub-agent, the user –id is deactivated and the sub-agent is black-listed. The details of the black-listed agent are put on the IRCTC website. All the Principal Agents have been instructed not to take on such black-listed agents.

13. For any complaint, against the e-ticket agents, one may contact agentcomplaint@irctc.co.in (011-23745962) or care@irctc.co.in (011-39340000)

14. The Ministry of Railways has also initiated steps to augment e-ticket handling capacity of its website through short term and long term measures. Both IRCTC and CRIS are working jointly in this direction. Due to these steps, the present e-ticket capacity will increase from existing about 3.5 lakh bookings to around 5 lakh bookings per day in about four months period in the short term which will further be increased to about 8 lakh bookings per day in the long term plan.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

GS Visited Postal Directorate on 09/07/2012

President, General Secretary, Ex-General Secretary and Circle Secretary Punjab Circle visited the Postal Directorate on 9th July, 2012. They attended meeting on Organisational Restructuing in Department of Posts  called for by the Department. Views / suggestions already submitted on 4th June 2012 by our Association were discussed in length with the Committee. The approach of the Committee headed by the CPMG, M. P Circle was  positive towards IP/ASP cadre.
Following  issues were also discussed with the concerned officers during informal meeting :-
1. Amendment in the Constitution of All India Association of IP/ASP Association to revise Article 38 and 44.

    Orders are likely to be issued by the SR Division in this week.  
2. DPC for promotion to PS Gr. B.

    ACRs/APARs will be called for soon. Vacancies are yet to be calculated by SPG  Division..
3. Supplementary DPC for PS Gr. B for the year 2011.

    Postal Directorate will not convene supplementary DPC as regular DPC is already due.
4. Up-gradation of GP of IP from Rs. 4200/- to Rs. 4600/-.

     Representative from the Department has discussed the matter with the concerned officer in MOF. File is likely to be submitted again to the MOF.
5. PS Gr. B and PM Grade-I Examination for 2012.

     Results of both the examinations are likely to be declared soon.
6. Sr. PM Examination.

    Six CAT cases are pending in various benches. Hence, there is no hope for holding of  Sr. PM Examination in near future.

7. Periodical Meeting with the Secretary (Posts).

     Date of meeting will be fixed shortly by the Postal Directorate. Agenda for meeting has already been submitted to the Department on 10/4/2012.

Source :-  CHQ

Friday, July 06, 2012

India Post to network all officers across country

CHENNAI: The India Post, on an IT modernization drive, will embark on a major technical project to network all post offices in the state. Tamil Nadu has been chosen for the pilot project in the country, chief postmaster general Shanti Nair said. The project will be unveiled in six other states later.

She said the project would be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art software, which would help the department reach out to post offices even in villages. Postmasters in villages will be given handheld devices enabling them to perform e-transactions. The device can be used to collect payments and the recipient of a money order or a registered post can either put his signature or provide a thumb impression.

Nair said the department would soon take up core banking solutions and set up 94 India Post ATM's in post offices across Tamil Nadu and introduce debit cards for its customers. "India Post ATMs is at an advanced stage and the postal department has already joined hands with vendors on this front," she said. The post offices presently provide financial services like savings accounts, postal life insurance, pension payments and money transfer services.

She said an automatic mail processing unit will be set up near the Chennai airport. "The machine will be able to sort out mails based on the pincode and deliver directly to the destination post office rather than the mail going to a post office and then being directed to a sub post office'' Nair said.