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Double talk of BJP on FDI

While in opposition BJP was vehemently opposing FDI in retail trade including in multi-brand retail. It organised agitational programmes and  opposed in  Parliament also.

In power at the centre, it has somersaulted. Now the central cabinet has decided for FDI in retail, both single and multi-brand to the extent of 100%.

The double-face and double talk of BJP has been once again exposed. As in the case of assurance of solving unemployment as also waiving of the loans of the farmers,bringing back the black money stashed to foreign banks and deposit Rs.15 lakh each to all,  here also the BJP and NDA have gone back.

People are not fools. After its lackluster performance in the Gujarat assembly elections,  BJP has been given  a  sharp rebuff in the Karnataka panchayath elections.

MALAPPURAM DISTRICT CONVENTION HELD WITH GOOD PARTICIPATION.

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Com.V.A.N.Nambbodiri, Advisor inaugurated a well attended Malappuram District Convention at NGO Union hall on 09-01-2018. He explained the efforts and struggles by AIBDPA, BSNLEU and All Unions and Associations for the wage revision and pension revision and appealed to participate in the upcoming agitations in large numbers for the settlement of our genuine demands and to protect BSNL. Com.P.T.A.Rahim presided over the convention. Coms.V.P.Gopidas, Dist President,Com.V.P.Abdulla, Dist Secretary,BSNLEU,Kesavadas, Dist Secretary,CCLU and P.T.Kunhippayi, Circle Org Secretary addressed.Com.VAN was honoured with Ponnada and memento by the District Patrons, Coms.Sankaran Namboodiri and V.P.Sivaraman. Com.M.N.Madhavan, District Secretary had earlier delivered the welcome speech and Com.A.Chelli proposed vote of thanks.

BSNL’S MARKET SHARE RISES TO 10.15% DESPITE CUT THROAT COMPETITION.

BSNL’s market share is 10.15%.

As per the statement of TRAI, as of 31st November, 2017, the total telephone connections in the country stood at 1186.29 million. Out of this, BSNL’s connections were 120.39 million. According to this BSNL’s market share comes to 10.15%, and BSNL is placed in the 5th place according to market share. The market shares of other operators are as follows:- 

Bharti Airtel  : 24.74% ; Vodafone : 17.80% ; Idea : 16.36%  and Reliance Jio : 12.82%

(BSNLEU website)

INDIA’S RICHEST POCKETED 73% OF WEALTH GENERATED LAST YEAR- OXFAM SURVEY.

ACHIEVEMENT OF NERENDRA MODI GOVERNMENT.
 
India’s Richest 1% Pocketed 73% of Wealth Generated Last Year:- Oxfam survey.
 
Davos: The wealth that the richest 1% of the country added to its fortune over the past 12 months — a whopping amount of Rs 20.91 lakh crore — was as much as the country’s Budget that year. A new study by Oxfam international on Sunday brought to the fore how this 1% had cornered 73% of the wealth and the income disparity the country experiences.
 
The study — ‘Reward Work, Not Wealth’ — for which Oxfam reached out to thousands of people across India, also came up with interesting reflections on the prevailing public sentiment just as the Centre is gearing up to present its last full-Budget before the 2019 General Elections.
 
Over half the people that the survey reached out to said that they would like to see this 1% of India’s rich being taxed more heavily.
 
Over 73% respondents felt that the gap between the rich and poor needs to be addressed ‘urgently’ or ‘very urgently’ while over 15% of the respondents felt that it was difficult for a person to increase their wealth despite working hard.
 
Oxfam also came up with several interesting statistics on income disparity after surveying more than 1,20,000 people across 10 countries, including the UK, US, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain and India.
 
For instance, it states that the top 1% of India bagged 73% of all the wealth generated last year and at the same time, the poorest half of the population, which is made of 67 crore Indians, saw its wealth increase by just 1% over the same period.
 
The annual Oxfam survey is keenly watched and is discussed in detail at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting where rising income and gender inequality is among the key talking points for the world leaders. Among those participating this year is India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the WEF meeting in Davos, Oxfam India urged the Indian government to ensure that the country’s economy works for everyone and not just the fortunate few.
 
The study further goes on to claim that the amount that India’s billionaires earned for themselves over the past one year — Rs 4,89,100 crore — is sufficient to finance 85% of all states’ budget on health and education.
 
Last year’s survey had showed that India’s richest 1 percent held a huge 58 percent of the country’s total wealth – higher than the global figure of about 50 percent.
 
India’s billionaires have increased their fortunes from Rs 15.77 lakh crore to Rs 20.67 lakh crore in past one year, the study claims.
 
The crowd of Indian billionaires also includes 17 new entrants, taking the total number of billionaires in India to 101, thus breaching the 100 billionaires’ benchmark for the first time. India had just 9 billionaires in 2000.
 
But as the rich get even richer, life doesn’t seem to get any better for the working class of the country, the study suggests. Sample this: one in every two workers in India’s garment sector is paid lesser than the minimum wage or the fact that it would take 941 years for a minimum wage worker in rural India to earn what the top executive at a leading Indian garment company earns in a year.
 
The study further reveals how the global economy enables wealthy elite to accumulate vast wealth even as hundreds of millions of people struggle to survive on poverty pay.
 
Oxfam India CEO Nisha Agrawal said it is alarming that the benefits of economic growth in India continue to concentrate in fewer hands.
 
“2017 saw an unprecedented increase in the number of billionaires, at a rate of one every two days. Billionaire wealth has risen by an average of 13 percent a year since 2010 — six times faster than the wages of ordinary workers, which have risen by a yearly average of just 2 percent,” the Oxfam study said.
 
“In 12 months, the wealth of this elite group has increased by $762 billion. This is enough to end extreme poverty seven times over,” the report goes on to state

COM.KHAGEN DAS PASSED AWAY.

CPI(M) Central Committee member and Chairman of Tripura’s ruling Left Front  Com.Khagen Das died of a massive heart attack at Tripura Bhawan, Kolkata on 21-01-2018
He was 79 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.
He was a former Tripura state minister and parliamentarian.

AIBDPA pays respectful homage to the departed leader and convey heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and comrades.

BSNLCCWF CEC at Raipur calls for struggle to achieve demands

The CEC meeting of BSNLCCWF was held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh on 13th & 14th January’18, with great enthusiasm. Com. V.A.N. Namboodiri, President, BSNLCCWF. presided.  Com. Dharmadas Mahapatra, State Secretary CITU, inaugurated the CEC meeting. Com.R.S. Bhatt, CS, BSNLEU, Com. S.C.Bhattacharjee, Veteran leader AIBDPA, Com. K. Mohanan, Asstt. General Secy., BSNLCCWF also spoke. Com. Animesh Mitra, Secy. General, placed report and  Com Tapas Banerjee, Treasurer, placed the accounts.

The following items were focused and discussed in the meeting by the delegates – Retrenchment of casual/ contract workers, delay in payment of monthly wage, fund curtailment, Rs 18,000/- wage of the casual laborers, Gratuity etc. The meeting with CLC held at New Delhi was reported in the house by Secy. Genl., Com. Animesh Mitra.

After threadbare discussion on the above issues by the delegates and members, a 10 points Charter of Demands was prepared and 5 points Trade Union programmes were announced which were unanimously accepted by the house.

(1) Protest Day on 7th February, 2018, 2) March to CGMT Office on 8th March, 2018, 3) Signature Campaign, 4) Submission of Memorandum to the CMD and CLC, 5) Membership campaign programme, 6) Celebration of Ten Years completion of BSNLCCWF etc.

The CEC meeting has adopted three resolutions e.g. a) extension of full support to the programme of “March to Sanchar Bhawan” by the Unions and Associations of BSNL to be held on 23rd February, 2018 b) Massive campaign amongst the members against the dreadful “FRDI bill”, c) Protest against the decision of the Government to form a “Subsidiary Tower Company”.

MAHARASHTRA CIRCLE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING HELD SUCCESSFULLY.

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The Circle Executive Committee Meeting of Maharashtra has been held at Conference hall of CGMT office, Mumbai on 20-01-2018. Inaugurating the CEC, Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri ,Advisor gave a good account of the recent developments with regard to the wage revision and pension revision, formation of separate tower company and the struggles conducted by AIBDPA. He also appealed to implement the CHQ call in letter and spirit to participate in the agitational programmes called by the All Unions and Associations of BSNL demanding wage revision and pension revision. Coms.G.G.Patil, AGS, Com.N.Nalwade, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, R.N.Patil, Circle Secretary, Ubhesaheb, Adsul (SNEA), Ganesh Hinge, Circle Treasurer, Shri. Mahabel, GM (Finance) and Shri. Aman Jaiswal, GM(HR) also addressed. Com.Suryavanshi, Circle President was in the chair.

Active discussion took place in the afternoon session in which issues of pensioners were dealt in detail. Representing the district branches, Coms. H.L.Tawari (Buldhana), Gulab Kale (Aurangabad) Suryavanshi (Pune), H.K.Patil (Jalgaon), Kashid (Kalayan) Fande (Bhandara), Pendharkar (Chandrapur), Thakre(Khamgaon), Ghadigaonkar (Mumbai) and B.P.Petkar (Nagpur) spoke. Com.R.N.Patil, Circle Secretary replied to the discussion. Com.G.G.Patil, AGS guided the meeting effectively.

The meeting took the following decisions.

(1) To support and participate in the agitations called by All Unions and Associations demanding wage revision and pension revision.

(2) To host the next Central Executive Committee Meeting at Jalgaon date of which will be decided later and

(3) Decided to take up strongly the issues of non-payment of quarterly medical allowances from April, 2017 and undue delay in settlement of medical bills.

Mumbai District Branch under Com.Ghadigaonkar, District Secretary with the active support of BSNLEU comrades made excellent arrangements for the CEC meeting.

VRIJESH UPADHYAY, GENERAL SECRETARY, BMS TO THE WAY OUT..?

RSS is planning to remove Virjesh Upadhyay, from the post of General Secretary of BMS.

Today’s Times of India has reported that the RSS is greatly annoyed with Virjesh Upadhyay, the General Secretary of BMS, and it is on the way of removing him from the post. The anti-BJP and anti-Modi government stand, being taken by Virjesh Upadhyay is said to be the reason, as per the report. However, fact remains that the BMS, which claims to be the biggest trade union in India, has dissociated with other Central Trade Unions. BMS did not join the last two General Strikes that had taken place in 2015 and 2016, opposing the anti-worker and pro-corporate policies of the Modi government. Further, the BMS also did not participate in the historic “Mahapadav” that shook Delhi on 09th, 10th & 11th November, 2017. Both these struggles were organised by the entire Central Trade Unions. The BMS did not participate in these struggles, because both the BMS and the BJP belong to the RSS family. Despite this being the fact, even one or two speeches made by Virjesh Upadhyay, General Secretary of BMS, criticising the policies of the Modi government, are not acceptable to the RSS. RSS claims itself to be a “non-political”, “cultural” organisation. As such, why it should intervene in the functioning of a trade union?

(courtesy: BSNLEU website)

CGHS Referral System Simplified for taking treatment at Private hospital

The Procedure for getting referral from wellness centres to undertake treatment at CGHS empanelled Private Hospitals simplified now. All CGHS beneficiaries (in all CGHS Cities) shall be permitted for seeking OPD consultation from Specialists at Private hospitals empanelled under CGHS after being referred by any Medical Officer/CMO of CGHS Wellness Centre

Z 15025/117/2017/DIR/CGHS/ EHS
Government of India
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
Department of Health & Family Welfare
EHS Section

Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi
Dated the 15th January, 2018

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Sub: Simplification of referral system under CGHS

With reference to the above mentioned subject the undersigned is directed to state that this Ministry has been receiving representations for simplification of procedure for CGHS beneficiaries to undertake treatment at private hospitals empanelled under CGHS. The guidelines issued earlier on referral/ permission under Office Memoranda No S 11011/6/96 -CGHS (P) dt. 11/6/97 and 02/09/99, S-12020/4/97 -CGHS (P) dt. 07/04/1999. S 1101 l/l/200-CGHS (P) dt. 10/04/2001 and RA/Cons/Hyd/09-10/CGHS-IV, dated 11/06/2010 and Z.15025/105/2017/ DIR/CGHS dt. 09/11/2017 has been reviewed and it has now been decided to revise the guidelines for consultation and treatment at CGHS empanelled private hospitals as per the details given under:

i) All CGHS beneficiaries (in all CGHS Cities) shall be permitted for seeking OPD consultation from Specialists at Private hospitals empanelled under CGHS after being referred by any Medical Officer/CMO of CGHS Wellness Centre. The referral may be mentioned on the computer generated Prescription slip. After consultation at empanelled hospitals beneficiary shall report back to concerned wellness centre, where MO/CMO would endorse listed investigation and issue medicines as per guidelines mentioned below. For unlisted investigation/treatment procedure CMO Incharge shall submit the prescription to competent authority for consideration in case of pensioner beneficiaries. Serving employees shall seek permission for unlisted investigation/treatment procedure from their department as per prevailing guidelines.

ii) The medicines prescribed by specialists shall be supplied by CGHS as per the available generic name at the CGHS Wellness Centre. In case the medicine prescribed by the Specialist is available by an alternative brand name having the same composition, it shall be supplied by the brand name available at CGHS Wellness Centre.

If, the medicine prescribed by the Specialist is not available at CGHS Wellness Centre either by generic name or alternate brand name, it shall be indented by the same brand name through Authorized Local Chemist.

iii) With reference to OM Z.15025/105/2017/DIR/CGHS dated 09/11/2017, it is clarified that the validity of the advice of Central Government /State Government Specialist / CGHS Medical officer for listed treatment procedures shall be treated as valid for three months unless mentioned otherwise and no other referral (permission) letter is required to undergo, the treatment procedure at any of the empanelled Hospitals. It is also clarified that once a specific treatment procedure (listed) has been advised by a Specialist of Central Government /State Government or a CGHS Medical officer, it is the option of CGHS beneficiary to undergo at any of the CGHS empanelled hospitals of his/her choice and it is not compulsory that Specialist /CGHS Medical officer shall refer the beneficiary for treatment to any CGHS recognized hospitals.

iv) In case of Haemo-Dialysis, the advice for treatment can be made upto six months and in such cases the advice shall be valid for upto six months.

v) In case of Radio-therapy / Chemotherapy advised by a Government Specialist the advice shall be valid for all the cycles of Radio-therapy/Chemotherapy. The specialist has to specify the specific Radio-therapy procedure. Self-attested (by beneficiary) photo-copies of the permission letter is required to be submitted.

vi) In case of post-operative follow up treatment in six conditions as specified in OM dated 10.04.2001, permission for follow-up treatment shall be required from competent authority.

vii) In case of non-listed investigations / treatment procedures permission from competent authority is required to be obtained.

2. This issues with the approval of competent authority in supersession of earlier guidelines.

[Dharminder Singh]
Under Secretary to Government of India
Tel- 011-23062666