National Holiday Allowance – Upward revision of rates: NFIR

National Holiday Allowance – Upward revision of rates: NFIR

NFIR
National Federation of Indian Railwaymen
3, CHELMSFORD ROAD, NEW DELHI – 110 055
Affiliated to:
Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC)
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF)

No. 1/5(g)/Part.V

Dated: 03/07/2015

The Secretary (E),
Railway Board.
NewDelhi

Dear Sir.
Sub: National Holiday Allowance – Upward revision of rates -reg.

Ref: (i) NFlR‘s PNM item No. 5/2013.
(ii) Railway Board’s letter No. E(P&A)1-2013/FE-4/3 dated 02/05/2014.
(iii) NFlR’s Letter No.1/5(g)/Part.V dated 12/12/2014.

****

While discussing NFlR’s PNM item No. 5/2013 in the PNM meeting, the Official Side stated that the Federation’s reply dated 12/12/2014 has been examined by the Board, but however, it has been found that the demand of the Federation to compute NHA by taking into account DA in addition to Basic Pay and Grade Pay and at one and halftime the normal rate prevalent till 1968 is not feasible of acceptance.
In this connection. Federation desires to state that the view taken by the Railway Board is not acceptable to NHR as it does not contain justified and valid reasons. The Federation places below following facts which are required to be taken into consideration for giving justified decision.

(a) The decision of the Railway Board is a clear departure from its original decision which was based on the concept that the Railway employees who are not permitted to avail National Holiday in the exigencies of services have to be compensated by payment of additional amount equal 11/2 times of pay (pay in pay band + grade pay) and dearness allowance thereon. The quantum of compensation was clearly laid down which cannot be changed unilaterally by the Railway Board.

(b) The Vth Central Pay Commission though did not favour the continued payment of National Holiday Allowance. had recommended that the staff who are required to be booked on holidays to perform duties. may be paid Over Time Allowance at the prescribed rates.

NFIR therefore requests the Railway Board to review and accept one of the two options mentioned at (a) or (b) above and grant revision of rates. In case there is still reservation on the part of Railway Board. a meeting may be converted for separate discussion.

Yours faithfully

(Dr. M. Raghavai)
General Secretary

Source: NFIR
[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B40Q65NF2_7UN3lrWGR5bnBWaUk/view]

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Bank Staff: Higher House Rent Allowance as per 2011 Census

Bank Staff: Higher House Rent Allowance as per 2011 Census

AIBEA Circular

Date : 6th July, 2015

Dear Comrades,
HOUSE RENT ALLOWANCE AS PER 2011 CENSUS

Recently Government of India has issued the Gazette notification for the Census as of 2011. It is the 15th Census in India beginning from 1872 and 7th since our independence.

Some data from the Census:

• Population as per this Census in 2011: 121,01,93,422
• Rank: No. 2 with 17.5% of world population ( 1st is China: 19%)
• No. of Districts: 640
• Most populace State : UP
• Least populous State: Sikkim
• Most populated metro : Mumbai : 1,84,14,288
• Most Literate State : Kerala ( 94 %)
• Least Literate State : Bihar ( 64 %)
• Sex Ratio : 940 Female : 1000 Male
• Literacy of Male : 82.14 %
• Literacy of Female : 65.46 %
• Highest populace District: Thane, Mumbai
• 100 % Literacy District : Palakkad, Kerala
• 100 % Banking State : Kerala
• 100 % Banking District : Palakkad
• Increase in population from last census in 2001 to 2011: 18.1 crore

Some disturbing facts:

• Total household: 24.39 cr; Rural households accounted for 17.91 cr (73%)
• 30 % of Indian rural households doesn’t have land and depend on casual labor for subsistence.
• As many as 2.37 crore (one in eight) families in villages live in houses of one room with ‘kaccha’ walls and roof.
• 23.52 % rural families have no literate adult above 25 years
• 74 % of the rural households survived on a monthly income of less than Rs 5,000 of its highest earner
• 51 % of the households are engaged in casual, manual labour and 30 % in cultivation.
• 7 in 10 homes in rural live on less than Rs 200 a day
• 18.06 lakh people are still engaged in manual scavenging
• Households with destitutes or those living on alms is over 6.68 lakh
• As many as 4.08 lakh households rely on rag-picking.

Higher HRA for bank employees: Employees in the below-mentioned upgraded centres would get the revised/higher HRA rates and receive the arrears from 2011.

45 lacs and above HRA will be paid at 10%	Surat, Pune
12 to 45 lacs HRA will be paid at 9%	Asansol, Vijayawada, Rajkot, Faridabad, Srinagar, Jamshedpur, Kannur, Trivandrum, Mallapuram, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Jabalpur, Vasai-Virar, Nasik, Allahabad, Meerut, Ghaziabad,
5 to 12 lacs HRA will be paid at 7.5%	Nellore, Kollam, Gulbarga, Ujain, Nanded Waghala, Malegaon, Sangli, Rourkela, Erode, Saharanpur, Noida, Firozabad, Jhansi, Siliguri, Durgapur.

In addition, in various towns and cities, number of small places in the outskirts have been brought as part of the bigger town/city/UA and such places would also attract the higher HRA of the concerned town/city/Urban Agglomeration.

Source: http://banknewskumar.blogspot.in

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Reassessment of CVO positions in CPSEs and the pay, incentives, allowances etc. related issues

Reassessment of CVO positions in CPSEs and the pay, incentives, allowances etc. related issues.

No.325/10/2015-AVD-III
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training
*****

North Block, New Delhi
Dated the 7th July, 2015

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Reassessment of CVO positions in CPSEs and the pay, incentives, allowances etc. related issues.

The undersigned is directed to refer to the minutes of the meeting of the Selection Committee held on 24 th June, 2015 and to say that a Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary (S&V) to consider the issues related to reassessment of CVO positions in CPSEs and review of the extra pay, incentives, pay structure and allowances etc. of CVOs in CPSEs.

2. All Ministries/Departments are requested to furnish the following information about the CPSEs under their control within 15 days of receipt of this O.M.:-

i. Whether full time CVO is required in particular organization.
ii. Whether the post of CVOs of two or more organizations can be clubbed together.
iii. Whether the post of CVOs is required to continue with the current

posts or wishes to upgrade/downgrade or to abolish the posts in view of the workload and requirement of vigilance related matters.

iv. Staff strength and volume of vigilance work involved in the CPSEs, turnover of organizations in last 5 years etc.

(M. M. Maurya)
Under Secretary to the Government of India
Tel. No. 23094541

To
All Ministries/Departments of Government of India.
Copy to:-
1. The Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission, Satarkata Bhawan, GPO
Com , INA, New Delhi-110023.
2. NIC Section with the request to upload on public domain/Guard file.

Click to check the original order

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FAQs WITH REPLIES/INFORMATION, IN RESPECT OF LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTAS ACT, 2013

FAQs WITH REPLIES/INFORMATION, IN RESPECT OF LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTAS ACT, 2013

1. Whether the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 has come into force?	Yes, vide Gazette Notification No. S.O. 119(E) dated 16-01- 2014, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (1 of 2014 has come into force from the said date. However, the institution of Lokpal is yet to become functional, since the Act needs some amendments, inter alia, so as to resolve certain issues relating to appointment of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal, etc. in the absence of a Leader of Opposition recognized as such in the Lok Sabha. For this purpose, a Bill has been introduced in Parliament and is currently under consideration of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice.
2. What are the Rules and Orders notified under the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013?	The Rules and Orders notified under the Act so far, are as follows:- (a) The Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 [notified vide Gazette. Notification No. G.S.R. 501(E) dated 14-07-2014 amended vide Notification No. GSR No. 638(E) dated 08-09-2014] (b) The Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Second Amendment Rules, 2014. [notified vide Gazette Notification No. G.S.R. 9I8(E) dated 26-12-2014] (c) Search Committee (Constitution, Terms and Conditions of appointment of members and the manner of selection of Panel of Names for appointment of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal) Rules, 2014. [notified vide Gazette Notification No. G.S.R. 31(E) dated 17-01-2014]. (d) Search Committee (Constitution, Terms and Conditions of appointment of members and the manner of selection of Panel of Names for appointment of Chairperson and Members of Lokpal) Amendment Rules, 2014. [notified vide Gazette Notification No. G.S.R. 620(E) dated 27-08- 2014] (e) The Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014 [notified vide Gazette Notification No. S.O. 409(E) dated 15-02-2014 with subsequent amendments having been made vide Notifications No. S.O. 1840(E) dated 14-07-2014, No. S.O. 2256(E) dated 08-09-2014 and No. S.O. 3272(E) dated 26-12-2014] The rules and orders as referred to above can be accessed by clicking on the links above.
3. What is the jurisdiction of Lokpal in respect of Inquiry?	Please see Section 14 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (I of 2014).
4. Whether the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 is applicable to the employees of State Governments?	In terms of provisions of section 14 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 the employees of the State Government are not covered unless they have served in connection with the affairs of the Union. The jurisdiction of the Lokpal will extend on the following categories of employees only after obtaining the consent of the concerned State Government. [proviso under section 14(1)(f) refers] inter alia, over the following categories of public servants referred to in section 14(1)(d) & (e): “(d) any Group ‘A’ or Group ‘B’ officer or equivalent or above, from amongst the public servants defined in subclauses (i) and (ii) of clause (c) of section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 when serving or who has served, in connection with the affairs of the Union; (e) any Group ‘C’ or Group ‘D’ official or equivalent, from amongst the public servants defined in sub-clauses (i) and (ii) of clause (c) of section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 when serving or who has served in connection with the affairs of the Union subject to the provision of sub-section (1) of section 20;”. Thus, it may be seen that the employees of the State Governments are not under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal. Further, under section 63 of the Act, the States are under an obligation to establish an institution of Lokayukta, by a law enacted by the State Legislature, if not already done so, within a period of one year from the coming into force of the Act. Employees of the State Government are, inter alia, to be covered under the jurisdiction of the respective Lokayuktas.
5. Whether the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 is applicable on All India Service officers working under the control of the State Government?	Yes, as they are public servants within the meaning of clause (o) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Act, read with sub-section (1) of section 14 of the Act. However, consent of the State Government would be necessary before Lokpal orders an Inquiry in respect of such an officer if he is employed in connection with the affairs of a State Government. Please see proviso after clause (f) of subsection (1) of section 14.
6. Under what provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act and Rules, the information in respect of the Assets and Liabilities is to be furnished by Public Servants.	Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 and the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and annual return containing declaration of Assets and Liabilities by public servants and Limits for Exemption of Assets in filing Returns) Rules, 2014 notified on 14th July 2014 as last amended by the amendment Rules notified on 26th December, 2014, the information in respect of the Assets and Liabilities is required to be furnished by all Public Servants. (For links to the rules referred to above please see S. No. 2 above)
7. What is the difference between the declaration of assets by public servants under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 and the filing of property returns by public servants under the applicable Conduct Rules?	The provisions relating to filing of assets and liabilities by public servants are contained in section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. Under the said section, a public servant is required to furnish to the competent authority the information relating to — (a) the assets of which he, his spouse and his dependent children are, jointly or severally, owners or beneficiaries; and (b) his liabilities and that of his spouse and his dependent children. As against this, the general requirement as contained in most of the applicable Conduct Rules for government servants (AIS Conduct Rules, CCS Conduct Rules, etc.), require the public servant to submit a return, giving the full particulars regarding :- (a) the immovable property owned by him, or inherited or acquired by him or held by him on lease or mortgage, either in his own name or in the name of any member of his family or in the name of any other person; (b) shares, debentures, postal Cumulative Time Deposits and cash including bank deposits inherited by him or similarly owned, acquired or held by him; (c) other movable property inherited by him or similarly owned, acquired or held by him; and (d) debts and other liabilities incurred by him directly or indirectly. Further, till such time, the relevant Conduct Rules are aligned with the Lokpal law, only those categories of Government servants are required to file their declarations/annual returns under such rules, which are presently covered under them. Under these rules, public servants are generally required to submit annual property returns as on the January of the year, on or before 31′ January of that year. The Lokpal Act [section 44(4)], on the other hand, requires the filing of annual returns as on the 31″ March of the year by each public servant on or before 31′ July of that year. Thus, the requirements of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 and the relevant Conduct Rules are different in the manner of filing information also.
8. (a) Whether Government has prescribed any formats for the submission of information regarding assets and liabilities by public servants under the Lokpal law? (b) Where can the forms be accessed? (c) What are the timelines for furnishing such information specific to the years 2014 and 2015, as also for subsequent years?	The form and manner in which information regarding assets and liabilities are required to be furnished by public servants have been prescribed under the Public Servants (Furnishing of information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and Limits for exemption of assets in filing Returns) Rules, 2014, as amended from time to time. A complete set of the formats and clarifications as regards the timelines for filing of such declaration and returns have been provided in this Department’s OM No.407/12/2014-AVD-IV-B dated 18-03- 2015. The timelines for annual returns required to be filed for different years is as follows: (a) The first return (as on 1 at August, 2014) under the Lokpal Act should be filed on or before thel5th October, 2015; (b) The next annual return under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 for the year ending 3Ist March, 2015 should be filed on or before thel 5th October, 2015; and (c) The annual return for subsequent years as on 31′ March every year should be filed on or before 31″ July of that year.
9. To whom is the information in respect of assets and liabilities required to be furnished? Is it necessary to forward copies of such information to the Lokpal or to the DoPT?	Section 44 of the Act mandates that the information regarding assets and liabilities is to be submitted by each public servant to his/her own competent authority (as defined in the Act). There is no requirement for submission of copies of such informationby individual officers to the Lokpal or to DoPT other than those working in DOPT or Lokpal.
10.Is there any requirement that all applicable Conduct Rules for different categories of public servants have to be amended in line with the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act? Please provide complete details.	Section 56 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 reads as under:- “56. The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in any enactment other than this Act or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any enactment other than this Act.”. The above provisions mandate that even if there are any provisions in any existing law (which, inter alia, includes relevant Conduct Rules framed under Article 309, etc.) which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, the provisions of the said Act shall have effect, notwithstanding such inconsistency. Thus, the provisions regarding filing of information/annual returns regarding assets and liabilities by public servants under section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act shall have effect, notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith in the applicable Conduct Rules. In other words, the filing of information/annual return under the Lokpal law in the manner prescribed by rules made under that Act, is a mandatory requirement, and the same cannot be dispensed with under any circumstances, except by an amendment of the Act itself. Attention in this regard is also invited to section 57 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act which reads as under:- “57. The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other law for the time being in force.”. A combined reading of section 57, along with section 44 of the Act, would make it clear that the requirement of filing returns regarding assets and liabilities under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act is in addition to, and not in derogation/supersession of the requirement of filing similar returns under the existing Conduct Rules. In view of this, the requirement of filing of property returns under the existing Conduct Rules is an independent requirement under the applicable rules and the same can be dispensed with, only by amending those rules. In other words, the requirement of filing returns of assets and liabilities under the applicable Conduct Rules has to continue, till such time as the provisions of those rules are harmonised with the relevant provisions of the Lokpal Act and the rules framed thereunder, by carrying out appropriate amendments in them. Attention is further invited to the Central Government’s notification, S.O. 3272(E) dated 26-12-2014], further amending the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014, for the purpose of extending the time limit for carrying out necessary changes in the relevant rules relating to different services from “three hundred and sixty days” to “eighteen months”,from the date on which the Act came into force, i.e., 16th January, 2014. In view of this, all Ministries/Departments/cadre authorities are required to complete the necessary exercise for harmonising the provisions of relevant Conduct Rules with the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act and the rules made thereunder, within this extended time of eighteen months. All Ministries/Departments and other cadre controlling authorities have been appraised about this requirement separately through D.O. letters dated 8thSeptember, 2014 and 29″ December, 2014 issued by this Department. In view of this, it is incumbent upon all Ministries / Departments/cadre controlling authorities to ensure that the relevant conduct rules relating to services administered/controlled by them are brought in harmony with the provisions of the Lokpal Act and rules made thereunder within this extended time limit of eighteen months.
11.Whether a public servant/ Government Servant has to submit the Annual Property Return as required under the Conduct Rules applicable and also furnish the details of his Assets and liabilities and also his/her spouse and dependent children under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013	Yes, till such time the applicable Conduct Rules are attuned with the relevant provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
12. Government proposes to amend the provisions of section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act? If so, the details thereof?	Government has introduced a Bill, namely, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas and other related law (Amendment) Bill, 2014, in the Lok Sabha on 18th December, 2014. The said Bill contains, inter alia, a proposal to amend section 44, in order to provide for a scheme wherein the filing of information by public servants under the provisions of the section are proposed to be brought in harmony with the provisions of the respective Acts, Rules or Regulations, as applicable to different categories of public servants. It is also proposed to amend sub-section (6) of section 44 in order to enable the Central Government to prescribe the manner in which information furnished by public servants of different categories is to be published, keeping public interest in view, by the respective competent authorities. The said Bill now stands referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, for consideration and report.
13. In case, the spouse is also a public servants, whether both, the husband and wife have to file the returns indicating the assets and liabilities of the other spouse, under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.	Yes. Sub-section (1) of Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 makes it mandatory for every public servant to make a declaration of his assets and liabilities in the manner as provided by or under this Act, i.e. as per provisions of section 44(2) of the Act. The requirement is binding on each public servant, irrespective of whether the spouse of the public servant is also a public servant or not.
14. In case, the spouse of a public servant, has assets procured by his/her own income, or has his/her own property, whether, in such a case also, the public servant has to indicate the assets and liabilities of the spouse in the returns under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.	Yes. Clauses (a) and (b) of Sub — section (2) of Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013 does not make any exception in respect of assets procured by the spouse of the public servant by his/her own income.
15. Whether the assets and liabilities of spouse of a public servant, who is an employee of a private company/ organisation, are to be reflected in the return of the assets and liabilities to be filed by the public servant, under the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.	Yes. Clauses (a) and (b) of Sub — section (2) of Section 44 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013 does not make any exception for not not furnishing the declaration, in respect of assets procured by the spouse of the public servant by his/her own income.
16. Whether a public servant, who has a share in an undivided property of Hindu Undivided Family, is required to furnish such information and in what manner?	Yes. Please see the Note 2 of APPENDIX—I of the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and annual return containing declaration of assets and liabilities by public servants and Limits for Exemption of Assets in filing Returns) Rules, 2014 [Notification No. G.S.R. 501(E) dated 14-07-2014]. It states that “if a public servant is a member of Hindu Undivided Family with co-parcenary rights in the properties of the family either as a “Karta” or as a member, he should indicate in the return in Form No. III the value of his share in such property.” The same principle will also have to be followed in respect of movable property belonging to a HUF.
17. In what manner the value of his share in the undivided property of Hindu Undivided Family, is to be indicated by a public servant, particularly if it is not possible to indicate the exact value his share?	The approximate value of his share may be indicated with explanatory note wherever necessary, if it is not possible to indicate the exact value of his share.
18.What happens if a public servant fails to furnish information in respect of his assets	If a public servant willfully or for the reasons which are not justifiable, fails to declare his assets or gives misleading information in respect of such assets and is found to be possession of assets not disclosed or in respect of which misleading information was furnished, then, such assets shall, unless otherwise proved, be presumed to belong to the public servant and shall be presumed to be assets acquired by corrupt means. [Please see section 45 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013]
19. Whether the Information furnished by the public servants will be put in public domain?	Yes. As per provision of Section 44(6) of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. “The Competent authority in respect of each Ministry or Department shall ensure that all such statements are published on web site of such Ministry or Department by 31′ August of that year.”
20.Whether the Public Servants who retire before 15.10.2015 ( Extended last date for submission of revised Returns for 2014 and 2015) are required to file returns of Assets and Liabilities under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013	All the Public Servants who held the office as such on the date of commencement of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,2013 i.e. 16.01.2014 are required to file the returns of Assets and Liabilities on or before 15.10.2015

Disclaimer: The above clarifications are for general information and guidance and do not interpret legal provisions of the Act nor tender any legal opinion on issues.
[ File No.407/12/2014-AVD-IV(B) Pt]

Original Order

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Grant of Special Casual Leave to Railway employees from Hudhud Cyclone & J&K Flash floods effected : Railway Board Order

Grant of Special Casual Leave to Railway employees from Hudhud Cyclone & J&K Flash floods effected : Railway Board Order

RBE No. 72/2015
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

No. E(G)2015/LE 1-1

Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, dated 30-06-2015

The General Manager(s)
East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar.
Northern Railway, Baroda House, New Delhi.



    Sub: Grant of special leave to the Railway staff who remained absent from duty to Hudhud Cyclone that affected badly coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha States (EcoR) and the flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir State.


The matter regarding grant of Special Casual Leave to Railway employees who could not attend duty due to hudhud cyclone which badly affected the coastal areas ofAndhra Pradesh and Odisha States in the 2nd week of October, 2014, and the flash floods in the State of Jammu and Kashmir, was taken up by All India Railwaymen's Federation(AIRF).

The issue has been carefully considered by the Board and it has been decided that Special Casual Leave upto a maximum of three days may be granted to the affected employees who stay at places far away from their Headquarters, as a result of which they have to commute a long distance to their office, and due to dislocation of traffic arising out of the aforesaid natural calamities they were not able to undertake the journey and report to the Headquarters for duty.

This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Dte. of Ministry of Railways.

(D. Joseph)
Dy. Dir. Estt. (Genl.)

Source: http://www.airfindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/RBE_72.pdf

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Minister of Railways: 50000th Coach manufactured by Integral Coach Factory

Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu releases 50000th Coach manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, a production unit of Indian Railways. He also dedicates the New LHB Coach Manufacturing Unit in ICF itself to the nation.


Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu released 50000th Coach manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, a production unit of Indian Railways. Shri Prabhu also dedicated the New LHB Coach (Modern Passenger Coach) Manufacturing Unit in ICF itself to the nation at a programme held here today.ICF has achieved the distinction of being the only coach manufacturer in the World to have manufactured 50000 coaches. ICF coaches have moved India for the last about 60 years and will continue to do so for many years to come. The programme was conducted between Rail Bhawan, New Delhi and ICF factory premises Chennai through Video Conferencing. The persons present on Rail Bhawan side included Chairman Railway Board Shri A. K. Mital and other Railway Board members. The persons present on the Chennai side included Shri V. K. Saraswat, Member NITI Aayog, Shri Hemant Kumar, Member Mechanical, Railway Board, Shri Ashok K. Agarwal, General Manager, ICF.

Speaking on the occasion, The Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu said that it is a proud moment for Indian Railways when the 50,000th coach manufactured by ICF has been released. He said that when in future we release 1,00,000th coach, we expect it to be the most modern coach going even beyond our present imagination. He said that we need to setup Global Standards in manufacturing rolling stocks. He said that Indian Railway has already signed an MOU with National Institute of Design (NID) to improve internal design of the coaches for better comfort and convenience of the passengers. He said that now dustbins are being provided even in non AC coaches. Regarding LHB coaches, the Minister pointed out that Indian Railways will accelerate production of these modern coaches which have better safety features, higher ride comfort, superior passengers’ amenities and high speed potential. Referring to the quality, The Railway Minister said that there is a need to focus on materials and hence Indian Railways is collaborating with academic institutions like IITs, BHU, Mumbai University etc. to undertake research on these matters and consequently come out with appropriate solutions. Referring to improvement in Loco technology, the Minister said that we should develop triple fuel locos like electricity, Diesel and CNG.The Minister also said that Indian Railways soon will roll out Solar Powered Passengers Coaches.

The Chairman Railway Board Shri A. K. Mital in his address said Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, set up in 1955 ranks amongst industrial temples of modern India. The variety of coaches manufactured by ICF is astounding. It ranges from General second class coaches to latest air-conditioned coaches , air-conditioned EMUs, MEMUs, High Horse power DEMU Train sets etc. One of the current prestigious challenges before it is to produce a 160 kmph AC DEMU train sets which would be upgradable to 200 kmph. First train set is expected in the year 2016-17. Developing new products and ideas has been its strength. ICF is today capable of manufacturing about 1700 coaches a year, putting it amongst the majors in the World. ICF has not only supplied coaches to Indian Railways but also exported to other countries like 20 DEMU stainless steel train sets to Sri Lanka and built a brand for itself.

In his welcome address, Member Mechanical Shri Hemant Kumar said that ICF has produced 50,000 coaches since its inception in 1955 in approximately 500 different designs. ICF has turned out a record outturn of 1704 coaches during the year 2014-15 consisting of 44 variants involving high technological inputs, meticulous planning and execution.

Advisor Mechanical Railway Board Shri G.C. Agarwal, proposed vote of thanks.

ICF is credited with introducing several innovations over the years like provision of Braille signages in the coaches for the benefit of visually challenged persons, provision of CCTV cameras in the coaches, provision of bio-toilets in the coaches etc. ICF is also a fully green coach manufacturer as its entire power requirement is generated by its windmills located in Tuticorin. In fact it has a surplus power balance.

A new LBH manufacturing unit has been established at ICF for a cost of about Rs. 252 Crores to manufacture LHB type stainless steel coaches. This unit is equipped with the most modern machines like Laser cutting and welding machines, Welding robots and fixtures and different types of CNC machines, some of which only exist at this unit in the Country. This unit is a major contribution by Indian Railways in the “Make in India” drive. The new unit has a capacity to manufacture 300 LHB coaches per annum. The first LHB coach was turned out in Sept. 2014 and the plant is now fully stabilized and ready for enhancing its production over coming months. It is planned to completely switch over to LHB type coaches within next four to five years. LHB coaches provide world class features including safety, higher ride comfort and superior passenger amenities. Some major features of LHB coaches are listed below:

• Improved safety through better crashworthiness.

• Provision of Centre Buffer Couplers (CBC) for anti climbing feature.

• Higher Speed Potential as LHB coaches are running at 160 Kmph.

• Better passenger comfort due to improved riding quality.

• Reduction in noise level inside the coach through improved sound insulation.

• Use of environment friendly toilets.

This new unit has now been dedicated to the Nation by Minister for Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu.

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Department of Heavy Industry to fund Projects Worth Rs. 1000 Crores Under the Capital Goods Scheme

Department of Heavy Industry to fund Projects Worth Rs. 1000 Crores Under the Capital Goods Scheme

The Centre has asked the industry to avail of the benefits of the recently launched Capital Goods Scheme which would help in acquiring or developing new technology. Speaking at the inauguration of a workshop in Mumbai today, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Shri Anant Geete expressed concern over increasing imports of Capital Goods. He said the technology gap between the developed countries and developing countries is widening in the Capital Goods Sector. The workshop on “Technology Development for Capital Goods: Constraints and the Way Forward,” was jointly organized by the Department of Heavy Industries and FICCI.

The Minister said “the technological capabilities of large number of players, especially in the SME sector, are limited in India and as a result India has become one of the largest importers of capital goods in the world. This has adversely affected the indigenous capital goods industry and we want to change this now” he added.

Shri Geete informed that his Ministry is committed to bring ‘Achche Din’ for the Capital Goods Sector and informed that his Department would set up Technology Adoption Fund to promote Research and Development in the industrial sector.

The Capital Goods Scheme launched under the Make in India initiative of Government of India provides support to the industry to acquire technology, set-up technology development centres in collaboration with Institutes, and create common infrastructure for the capital goods industry. A unique component of the scheme is technology acquisition fund where government is giving support upto 25 per cent of the cost of technology subject to the limit of Rs. 10 crore.

The Capital Goods Scheme is expected to be particularly helpful for the industry in Maharashtra as a large number engineering and capital goods clusters covering textiles machinery, machine tools, plastic machinery and engineering products are located in the state.

Shri Divakar Raote, Maharashtra Minister for Transport, Dr. Rajan S. Katoch, Secretary, Department of Heavy Industries, were also present on the occasion.

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EPFO Celebrates Digital India Week: Unveils New Website

EPFO Celebrates Digital India Week: Unveils New Website

EPFO Emerging as Centre for Excellence in Governance – Shri Shankar Aggarwal

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is on way  of becoming a centre for excellence in governance. This was stated by Shri Shankar Aggarwal, Secretary, Labour & Employment here today while inaugurating EPFO’s new revamped website as a part of ‘Digital India Week’. Shri Aggarwal reiterated various initiatives taken by EPFO in the recent past to bring about a transformative effect on the benefit delivery mechanisms by adopting IT enabled tools and techniques. He further said that EPFO will become truly paperless and extremely subscriber/citizen friendly in the days to come.

On the occasion, a booklet detailing the various digital initiatives taken by EPFO in the recent past was also released. In the recent past, EPFO had taken giant strides in improving its benefit delivery methods and mechanisms. Leveraging Information technology, a host of measures were introduced for greater customer satisfaction:

Universal Account Number (UAN) – The launch of UAN has enabled PF members to access a bouquet of services like dynamically updated UAN card, updated PF passbook including all transfer-in details, facility to link previous members’ ID with present ID, monthly SMS regarding credit of contribution in PF account and facility for auto-triggering transfer request on change of employment.  Already, more than 4.64 crore UAN have been allotted and 58 lakh EPF members have activated their UAN. During the UAN campaign, approximately2.42 crore bank account details, 99 lakh PAN details and 58 lakh Aadhar / NPR numbers of PF members were captured by EPFO.

With the launch of Inoperative Account Helpdesk on the EPFO website, tracing out old or dormant Inoperative Account of PF members has become easy.  Already, more than 42,500 cases registered with the helpdesk have been disposed.

With the introduction of centralized software for generation of certification of coverage (CoC) for international workers, it has been possible to issue more than 63,000 certificates of coverage to members migrating for employment to countries having social security agreement with India.

Online Transfer Claim Portal(OTCP) has made transfer of PF accumulations from one account to another quick and online. Members can file their requests online and there is zero paper movement between the concerned offices of the organisation. More than 5.71 lakh claims have been handled through this facility.

Electronic return for exempted establishment has made the process of submitting the monthly return by exempted establishments easier and hassle free. 1,600 exempted establishments have made use of this facility.

Centralized Monitoring of Compliance related functions has enabled online monitoring by field offices and Head Office. It provides data on defaults by establishments covered under the Act and enables the Organisation to track the status of assessments including levy of damages and also status of recovery and legal cases.

Online Registration of Establishments (OLRE) has made registration of establishment with EPFO web based.  PF code allotment letter is also made available online and more than 53,000 employers have benefited since the introduction of this facility in June, 2014.
Mobile platform based Short Code SMS Service was also launched which could be accessed by PF members who have activated their UAN.  Using this service, member can send SMS to a specific number i.e 7738299899. The format of the SMS is EPFOHO UAN followed by first three characters of the preferred language.

SMS alerts are sent to members   for remittance, withdrawals, interest credit etc.Also, SMS is sent to employers for non deposit of dues.

Central MIS portal has introduced a system of Dashboards which ensures uniformity and consistency in data and results in greater efficiency in monitoring.

Auto-updation of members’ accounts has enabled the organization to update more than 14.5 crore accounts for the year 2014-15 in the beginning of the financial year itself.

In addition to the above, EPFO has lined up a slew of digital initiatives for the future like introduction of centralized pension system, integration with external entities such as UIDAI, steps to ensure direct extension of services to members, initiation of Big Data analytics and progressive introduction of service delivery measures through hand held devices.

Earlier Shri K K Jalan,CPFC welcomed the guests. Shri Harish Gupta, EPF Appellatet Tribunal Senior officers from the Ministry and EPFO were present.

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Dopt instructions regarding timely issue of Charge-sheet

Dopt instructions regarding timely issue of Charge-sheet

“The reasons for suspension should be communicated to the Government servant concerned at the earliest, so that he may

be in a position to effectively exercise the justify of appeal available to him under Rule 23 (i) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, if he so desires. The time-limit of forty five days for submission of appeal should be counted from the date on which the reasons for suspension are communicated.”

G.I., Dept. of Per. & Trg., O.M.F.No.11012/17/2013-Estt.(A), dated 3.7.2015

Subject: Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965 – instructions regarding timely issue of Charge-sheet – regarding.

The undersigned is directed to refer to DoP&T O.M. of even no. dated 2nd January, 2014 regarding consolidated instructions on suspension and to say that in a recent case, Ajay Kumar Choudhary vs Union of India Civil Appeal No.1912 of 2015 dated 16/02/2015 the Apex Court has directed as follows:
We, therefore, direct that the currency of Suspension Order should not extend beyond three months if within this period the Memorandum of Charges/ Chargesheet is not served on the delinquent officer/ employee;

2. It is noted that in many cases charge sheets are not issued despite clear prima facie evidence of misconduct on the ground that the matter is under investigation by an investigating agency like Central Bureau of Investigation etc. In the aforesaid judgement the Hon’ble Supreme Court has superseded the direction of the Central Vigilance Commission that pending a criminal investigation departmental proceedings are to be held in abeyance.

3. In this connection, attention is invited to this Department O.M. No.35014/1/81- EsttA dated 9.11.1982 which contained the guidelines for timely issue of charge-sheet to Charged officer and to say that these instructions lay down, inter-alia, that where a Government servant is placed under suspension on the ground of “Contemplated” disciplinary proceedings, the existing instructions provide that every effort would be made to finalise the charges, against the Government servant within three months of the date of suspension. If these instructions are strictly adhered to, a Government servant who is placed under suspension on the ground of contemplated disciplinary proceedings will become aware of the reasons for his suspension without much loss of time. The reasons for suspension should be communicated to the Government servant concerned at the earliest, so that he may be in a position to effectively exercise the justify of appeal available to him under Rule 23 (i) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, if he so desires. The time-limit of forty five days for submission of appeal should be counted from the date on which the reasons for suspension are communicated.

4. All Ministries/ Departments are requested to bring the above guidelines to the notice of all concerned officials for compliance.

Click to view the order
Authority : www.persmin.gov.in

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Clarifications sought by Chairman & Members of 7th CPC during oral evidence by IRTSA

CLARIFICATIONS SOUGHT BY CHAIRMAN & MEMBERS OF 7TH  CPC DURING ORAL EVIDENCE & PRESENTATION BY IRTSA ON 12-12-2014 AT JODHPUR

 

Inter-action by the Chairman, Secretary & the Members of 7th  CPC with IRTSA and clarification placed by IRTSA delegates during the Presentation.

 

1. Ques. (by Chairman 7th CPC) You said that Senior Technicians are taking instructions from JEs; while the Chief OS (Office Superintendent) took instructions from SSE and you also told that it is Office of Senior Section Engineer which controls all activities and all of them working within that – It appears that there is clear command line available, How it interferes in your Grade Pay?

 

Ans. i. Principle recommended by 6th CPC, which was also accepted by Govt, that, the senior post should be given Higher Grade Pay need to be followed duly considering duties, responsibilities, accountabilities, etc. but the same is being violated by placing the JEs in the same Grade Pay of Rs.4200 as that of Senior Technician whom they supervise and by placing SSE (Senior Section Engineers) in same Grade Pay of Rs.4600 as that of Chief OS whom the SSE supervise. This is against the settled law that an equal cannot be over an equal.

 

ii. 5th CPC recommendations & Supreme Court Judgement supports this argument.

 

iii. Take an example: A senior technician welder working in Bogie Frame manufacturing section is responsible to the extent of welding done by him, where as a Technical Supervisor is responsible for the quality & quantity of output of not only of that welder but for entire section which may contain 20 to 30 Technicians besides others.

 

iv. More than that man, material, machine, other infrastructure etc, are controlled by Technical Supervisors, which possess higher responsibility & accountability than other posts.

 

v. Similar is the case of certification of train, P.Way, Bridge, Power Distribution, Locos, etc.

 

vi. Categories like Ch.OS don’t have direct responsibility on performance & safety of Railways, whereas JE/SSE and their counterparts (CMT, Store) in all Technical Depts. bear direct responsibility in core activities of Railways.

 

2. Ques. Is all 4 tier of Technicians work under your category in all areas?

 

Ans. Yes. In all areas 4 tier of Technicians, along with one Group ‘D’ category besides clerk, material / stores clerk, OS, Ch.OS work under our category.

 

3. Ques. Who writes ACRs for Ch.OS who are working in office of SSE?

 

Ans. Respective AMWs/AEs/AEEs etc.

 

4. Ques. Why can’t SSE write ACRs for Ch.OS who are working in their office?

 

Ans. SSEs who are in the same GP of Rs.4600 cannot write the ACRs for Ch.OS.

 

5. Ques. Who writes ACRs of Senior Technicians who work under JEs?

 

Ans. Senior Technicians’ ACR are written by SSEs

 

6. Ques. What would be the reason for non application of common multiplication factor of 3.25 to SSE (S-13) scale by 5th CPC?

 

Ans. i. 5th CPC had applied common multiplication factor of 3.25 to all scales except to SSE (S-13) scale.

ii. This had been done merely to accommodate a new scale in Gazd scale (Rs.7500-12000) above S-13.

iii. SSE scale had been kept Rs.50 below than Rs.7500, ie.Rs.7450.

 

7. Ques. How the disadvantage of non-application 3.25 multiplication factor carried through to 6th CPC?

 

Ans. i. Initially 5th CPC recommended Rs.7000-11500 to SSE compressing it to accommodate the newly introduced Gazetted scale.

 

ii. If 3.25 multiplication factor had been followed by 5th CPC, the scale would have been placed in 8000-12000 by the 5th CPC and correspondingly Rs.5400 GP in 6th CPC.

 

iii. After the implementation of 5th CPC recommendations, based on demand from staff side when Govt. decided to modify the scale of SSE (S-13) instead of placing it in scale 8000-12000, it had been decided to modify minimum of the scale from Rs.7000 to Rs.7450 to keep it below newly created scale of Rs.7500-12000.

 

iv. Since corresponding increase of Rs.450 had not been done for maximum of scale, Span of the scale has been reduced to 18 years which was 20 years for all other scales.

 

v. The principle of 6th CPC to calculate the Grade Pay as 40% of maximum of the fifth pay commission scales put SSE scale in further disadvantageous position since maximum of scale was low because of 18 years span & non application of 3.25 multiplication factor.

 

8. Ques. You said that there were proposals sent to Finance Ministry from Railway Ministry to upgrade the Grade Pay of SSE from Rs.4600 to Rs.4800 and that have been returned back without throwing proper light into it, can you produce copy of the proposals?

 

The proposals and communications between both the Ministries were very well available with Railway Board. (Later Secretary Pay Commission confirmed availability of Railway Board proposals sent to Fin. Ministry) (Copy of it is also attached herewith as Annexure – 14/2)

 

9. Ques. Is there any link available between the cadre of Group ‘C’ and ‘B’?

 

Ans. No. Promotional avenue from Technical Supervisors in Group ‘C’ to Group ‘B’ is restricted to the vacancies arising from 4200 Group ‘B’ posts, which may be around 0.5% only.

 

10. Ques. As you said, Previous Pay Commissions recommended Group ‘B’ status to your scale DoPT also given their orders, it is only Railway Ministry not followed the classification, is it not Railways to take decision?

 

Ans. i. It is true that Railways have not implemented the classification of posts recommended by Pay Commissions & DoPT orders.

 

ii. We bring to your notice, submission made by DoPT before 5th CPC that even though there were some exemptions in following the classification rules, but the effort was to ensure that posts carrying similar functions were given the same classification.

 

iii. Similarly placed posts in departments like CPWD, Ordinance Factory, MES, Department of Telecom etc, are all classified as Group ‘B’ Gazetted.

 

v. State Governments which are following central pay commission pattern have also followed DoPT orders in classification of posts.

 

v. Railway Board also agreed on the need to increase the managerial posts (from the senior supervisor) on functional justification, but didn’t implement.

 

vi. Hon’ble 7th CPC is requested to give specific instruction for Railways not to deviate from classification rules recommended for all Government Departments.

 

11. Ques. What are all the reasons for lack of promotion to your category?

 

Ans. i. Recruitment happens in the apex scale of Group ‘C’ in the Grade Pay of Rs.4600 with Graduate in Engineering qualification and Railways is the only dept which recruit Engineering Graduates in Group ‘C’.

 

ii. Available Group ‘B’ posts are very meagre to the extent of 4200.

 

iii. For example in Mechanical department of Integral Coach Factory sanctioned cadre strength of Group ‘B’ is only 16. Cadre strength of Technical Supervisors in Mechanical Department (JE & SSE) is 1200. There are roughly 60 Engineering Graduate entrants available many of them completed 20 years of service. There is not enough opportunity available because of meagre Group ‘B’.

 

iv. Confining Cadre Restructure within each Group C, B & A was the main cause of stagnation in Group C.

 

v. Combined cadre structure for Group ‘A’, ‘B’ & ‘C’ is not available in Railways.

 

vi. Apex scale of SSE never received the benefit of Cadre Restructuring.

 

vii. Upgradation from Group ‘D’ to Group ‘C’ and from Group ‘B’ to Group ‘A’ is being done in Railways, but no upgradation done from Group ‘C’ to Group ‘B’.

 

viii. Ratio of Group A& B Gazetted officers vis-à-vis Group C are the lowest on the Railways as compared to all other Departments.

 

ix. During previous 8 years number of Group-B employees in Central Govt Departments have increased by 36% even though employee strength reduced by 25%, But Railways never increased Group ‘B’ posts.

 

x. Gazetted posts were not increased in tune with increase of Railways performance including financial performance. Railways outlay was increased from Rs.60,600 crores during 10th plan to Rs.5.5 lakh crore during 12th plan Railways. Many of increased activities / work load are being managed by outsourcing, since there is negative growth in staff strength.

 

Source: http://www.irtsa.net/pdfdocs/Supplementary_Memorandum_to_7th_CPC.pdf

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