<Tele Pensioner July-September, 2020 (E-journal)>

In view of the challenges faced by taxpayers in meeting the statutory and regulatory compliances due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Government brought the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020 (‘the Ordinance’) on 31st March, 2020 which, inter alia, extended various time limits. The Ordinance has since been replaced by the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Act.

The Government issued a Notification on 24^thJune, 2020 under the Ordinance which, inter alia, extended the  due date for all Income Tax Returns for the FY 2019-20 (AY 2020-21) to 30th November, 2020. Hence, the returns of income which were required to be filed by 31st July, 2020 and 31st October, 2020 are required to be filed by 30th November, 2020. Consequently, the date for furnishing various audit reports including tax audit report under the Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) has also been extended to 31st October, 2020.

In order to provide more time to taxpayers for furnishing of Income Tax Returns, it has been decided to further extend the due date for furnishing of Income-Tax Returns as under:

(A)       The due date for furnishing of Income Tax Returns for the taxpayers (including their partners) who are required to get their accounts audited [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act is 31st October, 2020] has been extended to 31st January, 2021.

(B)   The due date for furnishing of Income Tax Returns for the taxpayers who are required to furnish report in respect of international/specified domestic transactions [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act is 30th November, 2020] has been extended to 31st January, 2021.

(C)      The due date for furnishing of Income Tax Returns for the other taxpayers [for whom the due date (i.e. before the extension by the said notification) as per the Act was 31st July, 2020] has been extended to 31st December, 2020.

 

Consequently, the date for furnishing of various audit reports under the Act including tax audit report and report in respect of international/specified domestic transaction has also been extended to 31st December, 2020.

Further, in order to provide relief to small and middle class taxpayers, the said notification dated 24th June, 2020 had also extended the due date for payment of self-assessment tax for the taxpayers whose self-assessment tax liability is up to Rs. 1 lakh. Accordingly, the due date for payment of self-assessment tax for the taxpayers who are not required to get their accounts audited was extended from 31st July, 2020 to 30th November, 2020 and for the auditable cases, this due date was extended from 31st October, 2020 to 30th November, 2020.

In order to provide relief for the second time to small and middle class taxpayers in the matter of payment of self-assessment tax, the due date for payment of self-assessment tax date is hereby again being extended. Accordingly, the due date for payment of self-assessment tax for taxpayers whose self-assessment tax liability is up to Rs. 1 lakh has been extended to 31st January, 2021 for the taxpayers mentioned in para 3(A) and para 3(B) and to 31st December, 2020 for the taxpayers mentioned in para 3(C).

The necessary notification in this regard shall be issued in due course.

UP (W) Circle has won the distinction of holding the first virtual meeting of the Circle Executive Committee on 25-10-2020.

The meeting started with paying rich tribute to the founder Circle Secretary, Com.Abdul Rashid. Com.K G Jayaraj, General Secretary inaugurated the meeting with a brief speech as the meeting was scheduled to conclude within one hour. General Secretary focused on the important issues of denial of medical facilities to the retirees in a cruel and discriminatory manner by the BSNL management and Pension Revision. He assured that decision for another phased progrm of agitation will be taken in due course. Com.S S Maurya, Circle Secretary presented the report and Com.R V Singh, Treasurer briefed on the financial position. 

Com.Mohammed Israil, Circle President controlled the proceedings. In the discussion, Comrades expressed strong resentment against the continuing denial of medical facilities.

CHQ congratulates UP(W) Circle for holding the CEC meeting online.

This time , the Foundation Day of our mighty organisation , AIBDPA was to be celebrated amid  discontentment and strong protest against denial of pension revision and medical facilities to BSNL pensioners and Covid-19 pandemic challenge. All these adverse conditions did not deter our Comrades all over the country from celebrating the Foundation Day befittingly.

Sweets were distributed in many places. In some Districts like Vellore in Tamil Nadu 5 kg rice each was distributed to 65 BSNL contract workers whose wages are not being paid for months, incurring an expenditure of Rs.11,930 to the district Branch. They also utilized the occasion to enroll 16 new members, mostly AGMs and DEs to AIBDPA. All the 8 branches under Vellore District Branch have celebrated the Foundation Day as reported by Com.Jothisudanthiranathan, District Secretary. Kolkata Telecom Factory & Stores along with BSNLEU Kolkata Telephones Circle distributed relief to BSNL Casual Contract workers and the Tea Vendors near the Telecom FActory.

CHQ heartily congratulates all our comrades for celebrating the Foundation Day of our great oragnisation in a fantastic manner.

Some of the photos received are published below;

NAGERCOIL, TAMIL NADU.

THRISSUR

PONDICHERRY

ADONI, AP

HISAR, HARYANA

KOLLAM, KERALA

FAIZABAD,UP(E)

MYSURU, KARNATAKA

DAVANGERE, KARNATAKA

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

COIMBATORE.

CHERUVATHUR, KANNUR

GUNTUR, AP

KURNOOL, AP

 

TENALI, AP

SULTANPUR, UP(E)

KOLKATA TELECOM DISTRICT

CGMT OFFICE, LUCKNOW

KOLKATA TELEPHONES

AMBALA, HARYANA

NELLORE,AP

CHENNAI TELECOM DISTRICT.

POLLACHI, TAMIL NADU

HUBLI, KARNATAKA

HOSPET, KARNATAKA

RANEBENNUR, KARNATAKA

BENGALURU

MUZAFFARNAGAR, UP(W)

HARTHAS, UP(W)

MEERUT,UP(W)

SAHRANPUR, UP(W)

SIRSA, HARYANA

KOTTAYAM

ALIGARH, UP(W)

NELLORE,AP

VARANASI,UP(E)

RAIPUR

KOLKATA TELECOM FACTORY & STORES

HYDERABAD, TELANGANA

NARSINGHPUR, MP

KADAPA, AP

BURDWAN, WEST BENGAL

EAST GODAVARI, AP

RAJAMPETA, AP

MADURAI,TAMIL NADU

VIJAYAWADA,AP

BONGAIGAON, ASSAM

BHOPAL

CHALAKUDI, KERALA

ERNAKULAM,

VELLORE

KOVILPATTY, TAMIL NADU

ALAPPUZHA, KERALA

VILLUPRAM, TAMIL NADU

GWALIOR, MP

GUNA, MP

JABALPUR, MP

PURULIA, WEST BENGAL

DINDUGAL, TAMIL NADU

TIRUPUR, TAMIL NADU

PALLADAM, TAMIL NADU

 

OOTY, TAMIL NADU

MANNARKUDI, TAMIL NADU

ERODE, TAMIL NADU

KHARAGPUR, WEST BENGAL

BOLPUR, WEST BENGAL

LUDHIANA, PUNJAB

KUMBAKONAM, TAMIL NADU

GUWAHATI

VISAKHAPATNAM

CHENNAI TELEPHONES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial

Pension Revision- New Challenges and our task.

BSNL absorbed retirees are entitled to get the pension revision from 01-01-2017. But the government has taken a negative and unjustified stand and the Hon’ble Minister for Communications, Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad has stated in the Parliament that pension revision is linked with wage revision of BSNL employees and will be considered once the wage revision is implemented.

But what are the facts ? When BSNL was formed , the government had declared that BSNL absorbed employees will be eligible to get pension from the consolidated fund of the government, as in the case of central government employees.  Accordingly, to make them eligible for pension from the consolidated fund of the government, necessary amendment in the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 was made in the form of Rule 37A. Pension contribution is being made by BSNL to the government at the maximum of the pay scale of each employee. The condition of 60:40 stipulated earlier by the government having been scrapped, the entire liability of pension and pensionary benefits to BSNL absorbed retirees lies with the government.  Thus, pension revision is not anyway connected to the poor financial condition of BSNL.

AIBDPA from the very beginning has demanded that pension revision should be granted from 01-01-2017 with 15% fitment, delinking wage revision. This was based on the last pension revision from 01-01-2007 with 30% fitment, which was the maximum recommended by the 2^nd PRC and 3^rd PRC recommending a maximum fitment of 15%. All Unions and Associations of BSNL (AUAB) also put forward the same demand vindicating AIBDPA stand on this vital issue. AIBDPA not only wrote letters , held discussions with the top officers and Minister, but also conducted several agitations for the settlement of the genuine issue.

Meanwhile the recommendation of the BSNL Board for wage revision of employees with 15% fitment from 01-01-2017, exempting BSNL from the affordability condition as per the provision in the 3^rd PRC to the effect that affordability conditions are not applicable for the government companies which are implementing government projects, was turned down by the Department of Telecommunications. Thus AUAB had  to go on a series of agitations including a 3 days strike in February, 2019. Thereafter, the Minister of State for Communications, Shri. Manoj Sinha was compelled to hold discussion with AUAB leaders  and gave categorical assurances on important demands including pension revision, delinking wage revision.  Accordingly, DoT wrote to Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare asking modalities to revise the pension without wage revision. The DP&PW in return asked DoT to forward its proposal to which DoT did not reply at all for obvious reasons. ( It is an open secret that a dominant section of the bureaucracy in DoT was  deadly against pension revision before wage revision.)

Then came the general elections in 2019 and Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad replaced Shri. Manoj Sinha as the Cabinet Minister  for Communications &IT. He took a stand similar to the bureaucracy and as stated above, that pension revision is possible only after wage revision. Some of the pensioners’ organizations, having been frustrated over this development, started talking about seeking legal remedy.

It was in this context that the Central Executive Committee meeting of AIBDPA held at Guwahati on 24-25, November, 2019, discussed the issue in details and unanimously decided against seeking legal remedy on pension revision. Instead , the CEC decided a phased programme of agitation, culminating in a Parliament March. As authorized by the CEC, CHQ took the initiative to contact other important pensioners’ organizations for a joint struggle but could not succeed. Therefore, we had no other option than go it alone.  Mobilization of pensioners in a signature campaign in the Memorandum to the Prime Minister was held successfully in December, 2019. The second phase was meeting the Members of Parliament to seek their support. Our comrades met 196 MPs, irrespective of political affiliation, including two Cabinet Ministers, Speaker of Lok Sabha and four Ministers of State and the response was very positive and encouraging. Some of them wrote letters to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Communications Minister and certain other MPs raised the issue in the Parliament. The 3^rd phase was Mass Hunger Strike at CCA offices on 12^th February, 2020 which became a stupendous success with massive participation of pensioners. However we had to postpone the Parliament March of 12^th March, 2020 due to breakout of Covid-19 pandemic, though all the arrangements were made.

Now, some of the pensioners’ associations have filed petitions in the Principal Bench of CAT, New Delhi seeking legal remedy of pension revision. While AIRBSNLEWA, SNPWA and three MTNL pensioners associations have demanded pension revision with 2.51 multiple factor, AIBSNLPWA has demanded pension revision on terms of 7^th Pay Commission. One of the important functionaries of AIBSNLPWA, in an open video chat, giving details of the petition filed, has stated that the case involves huge expenditure and unpredicatable delay and may benefit the next generation of pensioners, if the final verdict is favourable. 

The Regional Labour Commissioner (Central), New Delhi in the conciliation of the three days strike by AUAB held in February,2019, has asked the BSNL management to at least discuss and decide the wage revision of the non-executives. But the RLC has got its own limitations and pressure has to be exerted in the form of agitation in which AIBDPA is committed to participate. Recently, some of the proposals in the BSNL revival package like sovereign bond of Rs. 8,500 crore, monetization of BSNL assets etc are being implemented which are certain to ease the financial woes of BSNL.  Further, the BSNL management has to implement the wage revision to motivate the employees.

But for pension revision, the government need not wait for the wage revision as it has nothing to do with BSNL. We hope that the government may now seriously think about it and implement the pension revision with 15% fitment from 01-01-2017, delinking wage revision. Otherwise, AIBDPA is committed to launch another phased program of agitation at the appropriate time.

Modi government often claims that India is marching ahead as the most emerging economy in the world. Yes, it is a fact that Indian Corporates have amassed assets even beyond their imagination, thanks to Modi government’s all out patronage. Ambani and Adani got a steep hike in their assets in a single year with increase of 73% and 61%, respectively.

But what about the common people ? The widening gap between the poor and the richest have put their lives to poverty and miseries. This fact is being vindicated through the study of global agencies. Now, according to the Global Hunger Index, released on 16-10-2020, India ranks 94 with Sudan and behind African countries, Kenya (84) Tanzania (89), Angola (93), among the 107 countries.

Our neigbhours are far ahead of India, China (5), Sri Lanka (64), Nepal (73), Bangladesh (75) and Pakistan (88).

India has the higest prevalance of wasted children under five years in the world, which reflects acute undernutrition. The report says that the situation has worsened during 2015-19 period, when the prevalance of child wasting was 17.3%, in comparison to 2010-14, when it was 15.1% .

The report is a clear indictment against Modi government’s pro-corporate and pro-rich policies.