Friday 27 October 2017


National Federation of Postal Employees

1st Floor North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi-110 001
Phone: 011.23092771                                                      e-mail: nfpehq@gmail.com
       Mob: 9868819295/9810853981                       website: http://www.nfpe.blogspot.com

NO.PF-NF/2017                                                                                         Dated 24-Oct-2017

To
                   Sri. Manoj Sinha
                   Hon’ble Minister for Communications & IT
                   Govt of India, Sanchar Bhavan,
                   New Delhi-110 001.
Respected Sir,
                   National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and all its affiliated Unions/Associations representing about 70% of the Postal Employees request your immediate intervention to save the Department of Posts and five and a half lakhs employees working in the department including about three lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks.
                   As you are aware, the finance Ministry has already issued notification permitting all Nationalised Banks and three private Banks (ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank) to accept deposits for all Small Savings Schemes, viz; Recurring Deposit (RD), Time Deposits (TD), Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), Sukanya Samridhi Account (SSA), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and National Savings Certificate (NSC VIII issue) with effect from 10th October, 2017.
                   Small Savings Schemes are the monopoly of Postal Department and hence they are known as “Post Office Small Savings Shemes”.  The compensation paid by Finance Ministry to Postal Department for running the Savings Bank business on agency basis is a major source of revenue for the department.  About 45% of the revenue of Department of Posts accounts for compensation received for Small Savings business.  Permitting Banks also to operate Small savings will adversely affect the business of Post offices and revenue will fall steadily, thereby increasing the total deficit of the Department of Posts.
                   Further, about 50% of the work load of Post offices comes from the Samll Savings related work.  Outsourcing this work to Banks including private Banks will result in fall of overall workload of the Post Offices and staff becoming surplus.  Thus, in the long run the very existence of Post Offices and Postal employees will be at stake.
                   Secondly, we want to bring to your kind notice, the plight of about three lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks working mostly in the Branch Post Offices in rural villages of our country.  Their wage revision has not yet taken place eventhough the wage revision of their counterpart (departmental employees) had taken place and orders issued on 25-7-2016 itself.  The one man committee headed by Sri. Kamalesh Chandra, Retired Postal Board Member had submitted its report to the Government on 24-11-2016.  Almost one year is over and the file is still pending with Finance Ministry.  Justice to this poor, downtrodden section of employees is long overdue. 
                   Similarly, the Re-verification Membership of Gramin Dak Sevaks under Check-off system under the provisions of GDS (RSA) Rules for grant of recognition was ordered by the Department and the verification process reached in the final stage.  Recovery of subscription from pay of the officials in respect of all the Applicant Unions/Associations was made in the month of September 2017.  But suddenly Department issued an order stopping the membership verification process until further orders.  The Reverififation of Membership of GDS was due in the year 2015 itself as the recognition granted to one of the GDS Union had expired in 2015 after five years period fixed by the Government.
                   In view of the above, we most humbly request the Hon’ble Minister is personal intervention so that favourable orders will be issued in the following issues:
(1)   Stop the implementation of the Finance Ministry’s notifiation permitting Banks to do Small Savings business.
(2)  Immediate Implementation of favourable recommendations of Kamalesh Chandra Committee on Gramin Dak Sevaks.
(3)   Completing the Re-verification process of Membership under check-off system and granting recognition to eligible applicant Unions/Associations of GDS.
        With profound regards,
                                                                                                                       Yours faithfully,
                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                  (R.N. Parashar) Secretary General,

NFPE

Financial Inclusion Will Be Marketed By India Post Payments Bank


 



Manoj Sinha, the Communications Minister, this week claimed that the government is operating on setting up 650 outlets for India Post Payments Bank to make easy the financial enclosure, and revealed 2 new schemes by the postal division.

“We will be opening almost 650 outlets for India Post Payments Bank all over India. Two, namely in Ranchi and Raipur, have already commenced. The goal is that via 650 banks for post payments, we can force financial enclosure in 1.55 Lakh rural areas,” Sinha claimed to the media.


Sinha urged the postal workers to carry on reorienting themselves with disruptions and technological changes in order to drive innovative schemes to users, all the while keeping the communal values.

“Given the disruptions and with the approach technology is changing, it is fine to connect yourself with tech but values of department too have to be preserved, and that is the largest defy,” he claimed pointing out the long past of postal services in India, specifically the importance of the postman in rural area of the country.

The minister who was talking at an occasion to memorialize National Postal Week also declared 2 new schemes namely e-IPO (Indian Postal Order) and International Tracked Packet Service. The e-IPO was rolled out in denominations of Rs 50, Rs 20, and Rs 100 and now can be employed for educational institutions for fee payment and other causes. Previously, e-IPO of Rs 10 might be utilized only for RTI purposes.

The e-IPO has been launched out as a lead project in Delhi, Bihar, and Karnataka and is anticipated to be rolled out in the whole nation in the upcoming 2 Months. “Users can obtain e-IPO online from workplace or home of their own, as per their convenience. This roll out is a fraction of Digital India proposal since the transaction will be made via credit card, debit card, and net banking,” claimed Department of Post to the media in a statement.

The minister claimed that the postal department of India has undergone a huge change over the time, be it core banking, inter-operability of ATMs, or Aadhaar enrolment and providing of Passport Seva.
Source : http://columnistnews.com/

National Pension System(NPS) issue is under active consideration of the Government of India



Shiva Gopal Mishra
Secretary
National council (staff Side)
Joint Consultative Machinery for
Central Government Employees
13-C, Ferozshah Road, New Delhi-110001
E-Mail : nc.jcm.np@gmail.com
No.NC/JCM/2017
Dated: October 24, 2017

All Constituents of National Council(JCM)

Sub: Brief of the meeting held today with the Cabinet Secretary (Government of India)

Today I met the Cabinet Secretary(Government of India) and shown oru anguish for inordinate delay in finalzation of demands of the Central Government Employees, particularly National Pension System (NPS), Minimum Wage and Fitment Formula.

The Cabinet Secretary said that, he is aware of the problems of the Staff Side(JCM) raised by them from time to time and particularly to this issue and will definitely try to resolve them

Particularly on the issue of National Pension System(NPS) he said that the issue active consideration of the Government of India and we are trying to find out some solution to the problems arisen because of the NPS.

I also persuaded him to fix-up date of the meeting of the National Council(JCM), to which he said that, the agenda came, and some queries have been raised, which are still to be compiled by the DoP&T. He assured that, he will definitely fix-up the date of the meeting within a short period, and said that, before that, he will ask the Secretary(DoP&T) to hold meeting with the Staff Side.

I told to the Cabinet Secretary that, Central Government Employees are agitated because they feel that VII CPC has not done and justice with them and government is also ready to remove the issues pending before them.

This is for your information.

with Faternal Greetings!

Comradely yours,
sd/-
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)
MASSIVE LUNCH HOUR DEMONSTRATION IN FRONT OF DIVISIONAL OFFICE BHUBANESWAR (ODISHA) AGAINST  OUTSOURCING OF BOOKING AND DELIVERY OF SPEEDPOST , PARCEL AND REGISTERED ARTICLES.





PHOTOS OF NCCPA  MASSIVE DHARNA!
AT 'MEGHDOOT BHAWAN'  NEW DELHI ON 25.10.2017


Wednesday 25 October 2017

Postal JCA, Bhubaneswar writes to SSPOs, Bhubaneswar to stop outsourcing of booking and delivery of Registered, Speed Post and Parcels



Dear Comrades,

All on a sudden, SSPOs, Bhubaneswar has issued a public notice in some popular local daily newspapers regarding booking and delivery of Registered, Speed Post and Parcels etc through outsourced agencies.

In strong protest against such arbitrary decision of the SSPOs, Bhubaneswar Division, Postal JCA, Bhubaneswar is going to organize a lunch our demonstration in front of the Divisional Office, Bhubaneswar on 26.10.2017.

In this context, Postal JCA, Bhubaneswar has already registered its protest before the SSPOs, Bhubaneswar. A copy of the JCA letter is reproduced below for kind reference of our members.

As such, all the comrades of NFPE, Bhubaneswar are requested to remain present in the campus of Divisional office during lunch hour on 26.10.2017 and make the demonstration programme successful.

With struggle greetings.

Ghanashyma Panda

Secretary, AIPEU GDS (NFPE)

Bhubaneswar Division

Sudhir Kumar Swain

Secy, AIPEU, Postman & MTS

Bhubaneswar Division

Dipti Ranjan Mohanty

Secretary, AIPEU, Gr.-C

Bhubaneswar Division

Postal Joint Council of Action

National Federation of Postal Employees

(AIPEU, Group-C & AIPEU, Postman & MTS)

All India Postal Employees Union GDS

Bhubaneswar Divisional Branch


No. Postal JCA / BBSR / 2017

Dated at Bhubaneswar 25th October, 2017

To

The Senior Superintendent of Post Offices

Bhubaneswar Division

Bhubaneswar – 751 009

Sub: Request to stop outsourcing ofbooking and delivery of Registered, Speed Post and Parcels

Respected Sir,

It has come to the notice of NFPE, Bhubaneswar that a public notice has been issued in some popular local daily newspapers regarding booking and delivery of Registered, Speed Post and Parcels etc through outsourced agencies.

In this context, we would like to intimate that our staff members are smoothly performing the above duties with every sincerity and there is no reason to outsource such activities.

While NFPE, Bhubaneswar strongly opposes such proposal of the SSPOs, Bhubaneswar, sincerely requests to drop it to avoid any kind of dislocation / complicacies in future.

Expecting your immediate kind response Sir.

Yours faithfully,

Ghanashyma Panda

Secretary, AIPEU GDS (NFPE)

Bhubaneswar Division

Sudhir Kumar Swain

Secy, AIPEU, Postman & MTS

Bhubaneswar Division

Dipti Ranjan Mohanty

Secretary, AIPEU, Gr.-C

Bhubaneswar Division

Copy for kind information and necessary action to:

1.All Circle Secretaries of NFPE Unions, Odisha Circle.

2.The General Secretary, AIPEU, Group-C, CHQ, , Dada Ghosh Bhawan, New Delhi – 110 008.

3.The Secretary General, NFPE, North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi – 110 001

Ghanashyma Panda

Secretary, AIPEU GDS (NFPE)

Bhubaneswar Division

Sudhir Kumar Swain

Secy, AIPEU, Postman & MTS

Bhubaneswar Division

Dipti Ranjan Mohanty

Secretary, AIPEU, Gr.-C
CABINET DECIDED TO CLOSE DOWN TWELVE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA PRESSES.

 HOLD PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS AND DHARNAS.


            Government decided to close down 12 out of 17 Government of India Presses.


            Cabinet rejected recommendation of the Parliamentary standing committee consisting of 32 MPs not to close down any Government of India Presse  and accepted the report of Group of Secretaries to close down


            Confederation National Secretariat calls upon all C-O-Cs and Affiliates to conduct protest  demonstrations at all Centers and Dharnas in front of all Government of India Presses and  send resolutions to Prime Minister.


    M. Krishnan

Secretary General


   Confederation

Sunday 15 October 2017

7th Pay Commission: Latest news, Modi govt tells NAC to hike pay by fitment factor 3

oneindia.com

Oct 15, 2017 6:43 AM

The Union Government has directed the National Anomaly Committee to go ahead with the pay hike by fitment factor 3 following the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission.

Sources say that the the Modi government wants the fitment factor to rise from 2.57 to 3 times and has directed the NAC to implement the same
Latest updates on fitment factor

Latest updates on fitment factor

The hike of 17 per cent would also mean that the fitment factor would raised from 2.57 to 3 times. Officials who have been deliberating on this matter are convinced that the fitment factor would have to rise and the basic pay be hiked to Rs 21,000.
Latest updates on pay hike:

Latest updates on pay hike:

CG employees who have been waiting for good news can expect a 17 per cent raise in their basic minimum pay. If one calculates the hike percentage then it would mean that the basic pay would go up from Rs 18,000 to Rs 21,000.
Latest updates on implementation:

Latest updates on implementation:

Officials would take these decisions quickly. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has already agreed that the issue of pay hike should be considered. He had even ordered the setting up of an NAC to look into the anomalies rising out of the pay panel. The proposal would be placed before him and it would be immediately sent to the NAC and then to the Department of Expenditure.

Latest updates on 7th Pay Commission:

Latest updates on 7th Pay Commission:

It is now very evident that the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission brought no cheer to the CG employees. It was a phase that led to immense frustration and hardship to both CG employees and pensioners. While there is good news coming in January 2018 regarding the pay hike, both pensioners and CG employees would however not get arrears.

OneIndia News
Sunday, October 15, 2017

POST OFFICE SMALL SAVINGS SCHEMES

UNDER HEAVY ATTACK


GDS MEMBERSHIP VERIFICATION PROCESS STOPPED.


IMPLEMENTATION OF GDS COMMITTEE REPORT DELAYED FOR ONE YEAR, STILL PENDING WITH FINANCE MINISTRY.


HOLD PROTEST DEMONSTRATIONS AT ALL CENTRES AND IN FRONT OF ALL OFFICES ON 23.10.2017.


FEDERAL SECRETARIAT WILL MEET AND DECLARE FURTHER COURSE OF ACTION.


Dear Comrades,


Government has unleashed a sudden and most damaging attack on Post office Small Savings Schemes. Notifications are already issued permitting all Nationalised Banks and three Private Banks ( ICICI Bank , AXIS Bank and HDFC Bank) to accept deposits for all Small Savings Schemes viz ; Recurring Deposit (RD) , Time Deposits (TD) , Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) , Sukanya Samridhi Account (SSA) , Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and National Savings Certificate (NSC VIII issue) with effect from 10th October 2017.


         This is a great blow to the Post office Small Savings Schemes and will be a threat to the job security of Postal Employees and also MPKBY /SAS Agents. About 40% of the Revenue and about 50% of the workload of Post office depends on the Post office Small Savings Schemes. Outsourcing of POSSS work to Banks will result in steady fall in Revenue and Workload of Postal Department.


         GDS Committee Report , though submitted to Govt on 24th November 2017 , is still pending with Finance Ministry for approval. GDS Membership verification process has been suddenly stopped by the Government.


          Overall situation in Postal Department is worsening day by day and resentment of the Employees is mounting.


         NFPE CHQ views the above situation with grave concern and calls upon the entirety of Postal and RMS employees including GDS and Casual labourers to conduct mass protest demonstrations at all Centres and in front of all offices on 23rdOCTOBER 2017.


       Urgent meeting of NFPE Federal Secretariat to be held shortly will announce further course of action.


Yours fraternally,


  R.N.PARASHAR

Secretary General

    
Mass Dharna on 17th October 2017 – Charter of Demands



Mass Dharna on 17th October 2017 – Charter of Demands

17th OCTOBER 2017
ORGANIZE MASS DHARNA AT ALL STATE CAPITALS

As already communicated in Confederation CHQ circular dated 07.09.2017, all C-O-Cs and Affiliated organisation are requested to organize Mass Dharna at all State Capitals on 17th October 2017 demanding immediate settlement of 21 points Charter of Demands of Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers.

M.Krishnan
Secretary General
Confederation
Mob. & Whats App: – 09447068125
Email: mkrishnan6854@gmail.com

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

1. Honour the assurance given by the Group of Ministers to NJCA on 30th June 2016 and 6th July 2016, especially increase in minimum wage and fitment factor. Grant revised HRA at the rate of 30%, 20% and 10% with effect from 01-01-2016. Settle all anomalies arising out of implementation of 7th CPC recommendations, in a time bound manner.

2.Implement option-I recommended by 7th CPC regarding parity in pension of pre-2016 pensioners.

3.Scrap PFRDA Act and Contributory Pension Scheme and grant pension and Family Pension to all Central Government employees recruited after 01.01.2004, under CCS (Pension) Rules 1972.

4.Treat GraminDakSewaks of Postal department as Civil Servants, and extend all benefits like pay, pension, allowances etc. of departmental employees to GDS.

5. Regularise all casual, contract, part-time, contingent and Daily rated mazdoors and grant equal pay and other benefits.

6.(a) No Downsizing, Privatisation, outsourcing and contractorisation of Government functions.

(b) Stop proposed move to close down Government of India Presses

7. Withdraw the arbitrary decision of the Government to enhance the bench mark for performance appraisal for promotion and financial upgradations under MACP from “GOOD” to VERY GOOD” and also decision to withhold annual increments in the case of those employees who are not able to meet the bench march either for MACP or for regular promotion within the first 20 years of service. Grant MACP pay fixation benefits on promotional hierarchy and not on pay-level hierarchy. Personnel promoted on the basis of examination should be treated as fresh entrants to the cadre for grant of MACP.

8.(a) Withdraw the draconian FR 56 (J) and Rule 48 of CCs (Pension) Rules 1972 which is being misused as a short cut as purity measure to punish and victimize the employees.

(b) Withdraw all trade union victimisations and attack on trade union facilities.

9.Fill up all vacant posts including promotional posts in a time bound manner. Lift ban on creation of posts. Undertake cadre Review to assess the requirement of employees and their cadre prospects. Modify recruitment rules of Group-‘C’ cadre and make recruitment on Reginal basis.

10.Remove 5% ceiling on compassionate appointments and grant appointment in all deserving cases.

11.Grant five promotions in the service carreer to all Central Govt. employees.

12.Abolish and upgrade all Lower Division Clerks to Upper Division Clerks.

13.Ensure parity in pay for all stenographers, Assistants, Ministerial Staff in subordinate offices and in all organized Accounts cadres with Central Secretariat staff by upgrading their pay scales. Grant pay scale of Drivers in LokSabha Secretariat to Drivers working in all other Central Government Departments.

14.Reject the stipulation of 7th CPC to reduce the salary to 80% for the second year of Child Care leave and retain the existing provision.

15.Introduce Productivity Linked bonus in all department and continue the existing bi-lateral agreement on PLB wherever it exists.

16.Ensure cashless, hassle free medical treatment to all Central Government employees & Pensioners in all recognized Government and Private hospitals.

17.Revision of Overtime Allowance (OTA) and Night Duty Allowance (NDA) w.e.f 01.01.2016 based on 7th CPC pay scale.

18.Revision of wages of Central Government employees in every five years.

19.Revive JCM functioning at all levels. Grant recognition to the unions/Associations under CCS (RSA) Rules 1993 within a time frame to facilitate effective JCM functioning.

20.Implementation of the Revised Pay structure in respect of employees and pensioners of autonomous bodies consequent on implementation of CCS (Revised Pay) Rules 2016 and Revised Pension Rules in respect of Central Government employees and pensioners.

21.Implementation of the “equal pay for equal work” judgment of the Supreme Court in all departments of the Central Government.

Source : Confederationhq

Monday 9 October 2017

GDS. DA. ORDER wef 1/7/2017


World Post Day: The postman's still knocking on the door
October 09, 2017
October -9 is World Post Day. Yogesh Pawar pays tribute to the foot soldier of this timeless institution — the postman, whose underpaid and overworked life is rarely acknowledged
     "The proper definition of a man is an animal that writes letters."
—Lewis Carroll
Little might mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, photographer and one of the finest nonsense litterateurs of the world who has given us the all-time classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, have known how despite her digital strides India still lives a lot by what he said in the late 1800s. Although volumes of regular mail in the form of inland letters and postcards has reduced by 50 per cent in India, it is still among the highest and most widely distributed postal systems in the world. The Indian Posts and Telegraph Department (IPTD) continues to have a network of 1,55,021 post offices across the country. As many as 92.16 per cent of these (1,42,785) are located in rural areas while 7.84 per cent (12,236) in urban ones, according to the IPTD.
Keeping India connected
Abha Singh, former Postal Services director for Maharashtra & Goa circle says the Department has been India's backbone for years. "The IPTD has played a crucial role in the country's socio-economic development for 160 years. While the good, old telegram has been consigned to history, the post office not only delivers mail, passports and Aadhar cards but also touches lives by providing life insurance cover under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) and accepts deposits under Small Savings Scheme. It also provides retail services such as bill collection, sale of postal stationery, stamps, forms, etc. The Department of Post (DoP) also serves as intermediaries for benefit schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), wage disbursement and old age pension payments," says Singh, underlining how no such service across the world, except in parts of China, compares with India's postal service.
Meet the foot soldiers
Given the scope, magnitude and gamut of services of the postal network, even those among  the 1.34 billion Indians living over its 3.287 million sqkm land mass divided into 22 postal circles, who have never visited a post office, surely have interacted with the IPTD's foot soldiers, its postmen.
Navrang Singh Meena should know. A door-to-door postman since 1989, every visit of his is eagerly looked forward to by the residents of 129 homes in Rajasthan's Pali village. Most men in this village of 643 people are away in Jaipur, Ahmedabad or Mumbai working as masons and carpenters. "While they get their money sent home through informal networks since the postal money order proves expensive, they still like to send and receive letters as the cellphone network in the village is poor," says 44-year-old Meena. "Most locals can't read or write. I not only read out letters, to them but also write them for the elderly and the women. It is a good thing some school-going children are taking up this responsibility, as I end up spending too much time in each village."
Meena laughingly recounts how this occasionally puts him in a spot. "A newly married young woman in the village would draw the ghunghat (veil) over her face while I wrote to her husband in Ahmedabad. While wary of her in-laws who would rebuke her if she was caught corresponding directly with her husband, what was amusing was that even when I met her at a sympathetic neighbour's, she would be coy about saying what she wanted to convey to her husband and refused to utter his name," says this father of two. The college drop-out admits he finds the bicycle commute tedious, but likes the respect and love he receives from the villagers.
Over 900km away, in Mumbai's Goregaon suburb, postman Bal Gangadhar Gawde always carries a photograph of his family deity with him to ward off danger. After all, his work takes him through the thick forests of what is leopard country. Less than a month after the forest department trapped a leopard suspected of having attacked four children, killing one, in Aarey Milk Colony, two women were attacked by two leopards at the Chafyachapada tribal hamlet in the early hours of October 1st. "Last year, I was walking to the same village when I saw a leopard atop a tree branch barely 100metres away. Luckily for me, he snarled lazily and made no attempt to jump down. I ran in the other direction, clutching my bag of mail and took a circuitous route through the forest to deliver letters in Chafyachapada," recounts Gawde of the area he operates in delivering mail.
Given the terrain, there are lots of snakes and scorpions who take refuge inside post boxes. The one outside the remote New Zealand hostel is particularly notorious and Gawde never opens it without tapping it furiously. Despite hardships, this second generation postman has no regrets. "I'm glad I gave in to my late father's goading and became a postman like him. I love the rapport and trust I enjoy with the communities who've treated me like family for 37 years."
Abha Singh says stories like Meena's and Gawde's are the norm and not the exception. "There are complaints of delays and inefficiency, but given the challenges like inundated post offices, marooned and cut-off villages, difficult and hostile terrain, most agree postmen do a good job given their work circumstances," she says with pride and adds: "You'll notice that whether it is the heart of Naxal country in Gadchiroli or in the dacoit-infested ravines of Chambal, postmen have seldom been attacked or stopped from carrying out their duty."
All is not well
The National Federation of Postal Employees' (NFPE) union office bearers admit all is not well with the system given how understaffed and overworked it is. Delhi-based Secretary General RN Parashar took a swipe at the media.
"If a postman is caught for failing to deliver mails in Mumbai, like the errant Kurla postman who was dumping post in a watchman's cabin for more than four months, there is outrage and the media does well to articulate it. But the same media fails to highlight the abysmal conditions in which postal staff work, from old dilapidated structures, often without power, safe drinking water or toilet facilities," he says. "There have been no postman recruitments since 2014 after corruption charges in the recruitment process that year. Now people are retiring and we have a manpower shortage of over 40 per cent. The Department wants the remainder staff to take on extra work for which they get a measly Rs94 per day. Instead of moving older postmen into mail-sorting jobs at the desk as used to be the norm, some on the verge of retirement are now doing both, sorting and delivering mail. They often work 12-14 hours a day." Underlining this as the main cause of mail pendency, Parashar says many senior postmen are tired of facing the music from both bosses and the members of the public. "Fed up, they are seeking retirement in the hundreds and the government is not even paying attention to this crisis in the making." He laughs at the government's the idea of a solution to understaffing. He calls the outsourcing the work to temporary employees hired for as little as Rs 250 a day a bigger problem than solution. "Many of these temporary employees take this up with their college education and drop out the moment they find something less laborious and better paying. Nobody is grudging them that but getting to know the beat, area and people often takes a year or two. And it is such familiarity that can make or break the quality of postal services to an area. How can a collegian who comes to an area for a month or two do that?"
Postmen in culture
Given their inextricable link with communities, it is not surprising that postmen have been part of literature, poetry, art, television and cinema. Whether it is The Postmaster, by Rabindranath Tagore or the popular Hindi nursery rhyme, 'Dakiya aaya', the postman has been evoked in many works. However nowhere does this come across as strongly as in cinema. Film historian and researcher Nanda Vaishampayan reminisces how thespian Dilip Kumar played a postman with twin love interests, Nargis and Munnawar Sultana, in Babul (1950). Lavish in her praise for Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein (1977), Vaishampayan says there is a reason for its cult following. "Written by Gulzar,
Rajesh Khanna plays the protagonist postman in this film with songs composed by Lakshmikant Pyarelal," she points out. "The 'Daakiya daak laya' number (https://youtu.be/u3rOmrDdPz0) is still hugely popular."
Pyarelal of the composer duo remembers how they had found the lyrics challenging. "Gulzar wrote the lyrics based on the postman's interactions. It had upbeat moments, longing and yearning for the beloved and also tidings of deaths. There is a moment where the song goes from talking about marriages and celebrations to news of death. You should see how Kishore Kumar shifts gears in an instant to go from upbeat to sorrowful."
In fact, the conversation between the shy bride (Aruna Irani) burning in passion for her husband who is away and the postman in the next verse really captured the essence of how the postman picks up the non-verbal nuances to convey the exact message in the letter.
But Pyarelal had some experience with that with Khat Likh De Sawariya Ke Naam Babu (https://youtu.be/P0aoxZUN5gk) for Aaye Din Bahar Ke, 11 years before. "The essence of the rural woman and postman's interaction was really captured well by Anand Bakshi's words, the way Asha Bhosale has sung it and the way Asha Parekh has expressively rendered it on screen really makes this song stand out," says the septuagenarian Pyarelal.
Twenty one years later Bollywood would get its first negative postman in Ashutosh Rana's psychopath sexual predator Gokul Pandit in Dushman (1998). Vaishampayan says thoughts of Gokul Pandit delivering mail, while hungrily looking for his next target, give her the creeps  even now. The song 'Laaya Daak Babu Laya Re Sandeswa' (https://youtu.be/fCDOq3gv7Nw) by Shubha Mudgal for her album 'Pyaar Ke Geet' in 1999 had also topped the charts for long. Mudgal says her Allahabad upbringing made her comfortable with the language and context of this song. "The anticipation of the letter from the beloved, its arrival or not have been abiding themes in both semi-classical and folk genres. This song is an example of that," she says. It wasn't till 2014 that another postman came to the silver screen when Naseerudin Shah reprised an out-of-work postman in Finding Fanny where a letter he's written to his beloved remains undelivered for 46 years.
Vaishampayan underlines how postman portrayals in the West have witnessed all kinds of hues. "Agent K played by Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black II (in the MiB universe, most postal workers are aliens), Masood Ahmed (EastEnders), Henry Chinaski (Charles Bukowski's alter ego in the book Post Office), Gordon Krantz (The Postman), Willie Lumpkin  (mailman of the Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics) come to mind." Wonder if Meena or Gawde have watched any of these?


7th Pay Commission – Minimum Pay and Fitment Factor Hike may be possible says Confederation of CG Employees

October 9, 2017

There are various reports in the news media, print media & social media regarding the hike in the minimum wage of Central Government employees from the existing Rs 18,000/ – to Rs 21,000/ and fitment formula from 2.57 to 3.00, which shall be implemented from 1st January 2018. The same shall be announced in the National Anomaly Committee due on 9th of October.

Comrades , We cannot confirm this news, comrades we should concentrate on struggle path as the Confederation has given the series of programs , I hope the Government will implement the hike in minimum wage for CG employees and revise the fitment formula also from the existing 2.57 to 3.00 even though the Staff side JCM has demanded Rs 26,000/ as minimum wage and fitment formula of 3.56 , this hike should be from 1/1/2016 not 1/1/2018 as per media reports.

In fact the Central Government has to take the political decisions on the wage hike , in fact the group of ministers of the Central Government have agreed to raise the minimum wage for CG employees on 30th June 2016 . I hope the commitment of the union minsters shall be honoured now.
Secondly the economy of the country which was going very well during past three years has showed down ward trend in last one year as the GDP which was at 9.1 in 2015-16 has reduced to 5.7 in 2017-18 .The economic activity has to take place, it is also observed during the past one year, in spite of economic recessions, the Government revenue collection has increased considerably. To improve the economic activity of the country and increase the GDP the Central Government should spend its funds which is available with them .

If the Central Government increases the minimum wage and fitment formula for its employees, the Central Government employees gets back 40% of the wage increase through the Income Tax and GST . So hardly a Government servant is left out with 60% wage hike , here also he spends the amount credited to him , as such an economic activity is induced in the public which will help to create more demand and employment activity.

I hope the Central Government takes a political decisions on increase of minimum wage hike and fitment formula for more than one crore employees which will also benefit the public and the CG employees.

Issued by COC Karnataka