According to the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index, India ranks at 106 out of 145 countries on the ‘giving index’ meaning giving charity, helping strangers, volunteering for good cause etc. India’s , Mneighbour Myanmar ranks first in the list.
It is a sad commentary on the people of India. With a great civilisation of hospitality, friendship etc., India is still in the back yard. We certainly have to improve.
Is reforms mean that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) should be brought in all sectors, including defence and other crucial sectors? It seems the thinking of the Modi Government.
In order to divert the attention from the dismal defeat in the Bihar elections, the government has declared easing FDI norms in 15 sectors including defence, retail trading, construction, broadcasting etc. The MNCs and corporates have been pointing out lack of governance and the NDA government has immediately reacted to pacify them, who are the real masters.
The FDI has been increased to 100% in Construction, Broadcasting, ground handling in air-ports, Plantation etc. It is raised to 74%/ 49% in defence and other sectors. Now the corporates will stop criticising Modi for the Bihar debacle, since they got what they wanted.
It is also relevant that every time the Prime Ministers (including Dr.Man Mohan Singh) leave for US or UK, they take advance bail by announcing many favourable decisions for the MNCs. You can not blame anybody, if they say that the Indian Government has joined the band wagon of the USA & UK.
To appease their foreign masters the Modi government is rushing with these proposals bypassing the Parliament and even the Cabinet.
Advanced broadband technologies like G. Fast and Vectored VDSL are being introduced in BSNL’s Broadband services. This was announced in a press release by shri Anupam Shrivastava, CMD BSNL. The new advanced broadband technologies of G. Fast and Vectored VDSL can provide 1Gbps of high speed data on copper at short lengths. This will enable BSNL to utilise it’s unique precious asset of copper cable for provisioning of high speed internet data to it’s esteemed customers. For this, BSNL plans to use nearest BSNL Locations like GSM BTS sites etc. for installation of Broadband Equipments like DSLAM.
(courtesy: BSNLEU Website)
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Subjects committee of NCCPA 3rd Triennial AIC is concluded on 7th November, 2015.Representing AIBDPA, Coms.V.A.N.Namboodiri and M.R.Das participated in the discussion. Policy and Programme resolution and various resolutions adopted unanimously. Resolved to extend solidarity to CG Employees 19th November programme. Decided to meet after submission of 7th CPC report to plan our action.
The AIC elected unanimously a team of office bearers as follows:
Patrons: 1.VAN.Namboodiri; 2. R.L.Bhattacharjee. Chairman: Shiv Gopal Mishra Wkg.Chairman: S.S.Roy Vice Chairman:… 1.C.L.Mathur; 2.D.V.Dhaktod; 3.H.N.Joshi; 4.T.S.Parameswaran; 5.S.Rahman. SG: KKN.Kutty Dy.SG: 1.Pavitra Ranjan Chakraborty 2. K.Ragavendran Asst.SG: 1.K.G.Jayaraj; 2.Prabakharan Nair; 3.S.K.Sharma; 4.C.P.Shobana; 5.I.S.Dabas. Treasurer: H.L.Sidhu. Asst.TRR: S.Laha Org.Secretaries: 1.M.A.Karlekar; 2.T.I.Sudhakaran; 3.N.Somaiah; 4.Geetha Goshal; 5. K.P.Sharma; and 6.G.R.Verma. Internal Auditor: A.K.Ghosh.
The All India Conference of NCCPA started at ‘S.K.Vyas Nagar’ at Kolkata on 6 November 2015. A massive procession of pensioners was organised in the morning. The National Flag was hoisted by Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, veteran P and T Trade Union leader and Chairman Reception Committee. NCCPA Flag was hoisted by Com.R.L.Bhattacharjee, President, NCCPA.. The Inaugural session was presided by Com.R.L.Bhattacharjee . It was inaugurated by Com. Ashim Das Gupta, former W.Bengal Finance Minister, who congratulated the central pensioners for forming the organisation. He severely criticised the neo- liberal policy of the Modi govt. which has only benefitted the rich and corporates. Com.K.K.N.Kutty (Confederation), V.A.N.Namboodiri(TUI (P and R), S.S.Rai( Reception Committee) and other leaders also addressed.
A largely attended meeting of AIBDPA Calcutta Telephones was held at union office premises on 5 November 2015. Com.Supriyo Mitra, Circle President, presided. Coms. Ananta Bhattacharjee, All India President, D.Basu, AGS, Swastika Dasgupta, Org.Secretary, Sanjiv Banerjee, Circle Secretary, AIBDPA and other leaders were present. Com.VAN Namboodiri, Advisor, AIBDPA addressed the meeting and explained the various demands of the BSNL Pensioners. He also mentioned about the meeting with VII CPC, 78.2% IDA Merger etc.
While taking stock of the various developments in EPFO during the month of October, 2015, Shri K.K. Jalan, CPFC noted that several important decisions have been taken in the past one month.
Addressing the concerns voiced by the Standing Committee on Labour, a drive for ensuring compliance in respect of Public Sector Undertakings has been initiated. Special emphasis is laid on extension of the benefits of the Act and schemes to the eligible employees working in PSUs like Bombay Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, BSNL, MTNL, ONGC, NHAI, Indian railways and CPWD. Likewise, the extension of benefits to the workers engaged in the construction industry has also been the focus of the organization this month and a strategy has been firmed up to initiate formal interaction with CPSUs, SPSUs and other state govt. departments and trade unions with a view to bring all the eligible employees engaged in the industry under the ambit of the Act so that social security benefits are extended to all of them.
The month of October also saw a slight modification in the constitution of the Central Board of Trustees (EPF) as Shri Balasubrahmanyam Kamarsu has been nominated to the Board as an employers’ representative against the vacancy arising out the demise of Dr. Ram Tarneja. The Sub Committees on Contract Workers, Pension and EDLI Implementation Committee, Finance, Investment and Audit Committee of CBT, EPF were also reconstituted.
Vigilance Awareness Week (26 to 30th October 2015) was celebrated in all the offices of the organisation across the country. This year, going beyond undertaking activities within the office, an effort was made to sensitize young minds to vigilance and corruption related issues by organizing speech competitions, discussions at schools and colleges in many cities like Delhi, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Faridabad, etc.
With a view to popularize Jeevan Pramaan Patra (Online Life Certificate) instructions have been issued to the field offices of the organisation to equip reception counters of the field offices with biometric devices and PC with Jeevan Pramaan Patra software installed for the ease and convenience of EPS pensioners. EPF helpdesk in major pension disbursing bank branches are also being contemplated. It is also decided to organize mobile camps in selected areas for enabling EPS pensioners to upload their life certificates.
In a major step, the organization has clarified those student trainees who are paid stipend during on the job training while pursuing course in technical /professional educational institutions would not come under the definition of employee for the purpose of EPF &MP Act. This removes the ambiguity surrounding the eligibility of such student-trainees for enrolling as members of the Fund and is expected to bring about greater clarity among employers and also reduce litigations.
In a major step to assess the position of the accounting procedures in EPFO, it was decided to have a study conducted on the accounts issues of organization. It was also decided that Inoperative Accounts of less than Rs. 1,000 shall be transferred to the reserve account.
The organization has settled more than 70 lakh claims in the current fiscal and 42% of the same has been settled within 03 days while 80% has been settled within 10 days and 97% within the mandated 20 days. Likewise grievance redressal has also been progressing at a brisk pace and more than 18,000 grievances were settled in the month of October alone.
However, experience of various account holders say a different story than the tall claim of settlement of 70 lakh cases in a fiscal.!