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78.2% IDA MERGER- MEETING WITH SECRETARY, DOT.

Shri.Rakesh Garg, Secretary, Department of Telecom has stated today, the 12th March,2015 that there is nothing wrong in DoT finance’s directive to incorporate certain additional points as they want clarity in the cabinet note. He was replying to the complaints of unjustified delay in the issue raised by Com.V.A.N. Namboodiri, Advisor and Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary during their meeting with him. He however added that the Member(Technology& Services ) has been instructed to over see that the redrafting of the cabinet note involves minimum procedural delay. He also talked to the Member (Services) and asked him to meet us and apprise the correct position. Though we went to his office,we could not meet him as he was in a meeting and the time was already 1730.

FORUM SERVES STRIKE NOTICE FOR REVIVAL OF BSNL

Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations has served the strike notice to the CMD, BSNL on today, 12th March, 2015. The two days strike on 21,22 April,2015 is for the revival of BSNL. The strike notice was served after a powerful demonstration participated by the staff of BSNL Corporate office and NTR. The demonstration was addressed by Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, Convenor, Forum, Com.C.Singh, Chairman, Forum & General Secretary, NFTE, Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU, Com.Prahlad Rai, General Secretary, AIBSNLEA, Com.K.Venkitaraman, General Secretary, TEPU, Com. K.Jayaprakash, General Secretary, NUBSNLW , Suresh Kumar, General Secretary, BSNLMS and others.

Demonstrations were conducted through out the country in which AIBDPA members also participated enmasse.

78.2% IDA MERGER- MEETING WITH MEMBER(FINANCE) & CMD, BSNL.

Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, Advisor and Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary have met Ms. Annie Moreas, Member(Finance) and discussed the issue of 78.2% IDA merger to BSNL pensioners. We had reported earlier that the DOT finance wanted certain additional points to be included in the draft cabinet note prepared in this regard by the Establishment section of DOT. Today we asked her as to what are the additional points and she has replied that (1) Financial implication for the implementation and (2) The exact position with regard to the 60:40 ratio. The Member (Finance) further stated that the the cabinet note should have clarity on the points and therefore the cabinet note has to be redrafted.

The problems at the DoT Cell ,West Bengal were also discussed and the Member(Finance) assured that regular CCA will be posted with out much delay. 

 We also wanted to meet the Secretary, DOT and Member (Services)  but both were in meeting and tomorrow we will try to meet them.

There after we met Shri.Anupam Shrivastava, CMD, BSNL and brought his notice
the unjustified delay in extending the benefit of 78.2% IDA merger to BSNL pensioners
and wanted his interventiion to avoid further delay.Restoration of quarterly medical allowance to BSNL pensioners and extension of broadband concession to the DOT pensioners were also discussed. The CMD had a patient hearing and agreed to look into the issues.

RAHUL KHULLAR, TRAI CHAIRMAN TO RETIRE ON MAY 13.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is looking for a new Chairman to head it as Shri. Rahul Khullar’s term ends on May 13, 2015. TRAI has invited applications for the post of Chairman and the last date of receipt of application is April 9. Government servants wishing to apply will have to take retirement from their current positions. The tenure of the post is for a term not exceeding three years or till the age of 65.

COAL AUCTION SET TO GARNER OVER Rs. 2- LAKH CRORE.

The first round of auctions for 31 coal blocks has surpassed the Centre’s  expectations with proceeds set to cross Rs.2 lakh crore, including the royalty amounts.

The sale of of blocks belonging to two categories- those already producing (18) and those ready to produce (13)- which started on February 14 ended on March 9. Bidding through Hindalco and Ultra-Tech, the Aditya Birla group cornered the most number of blocks, five. Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Power Ltd,Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta Group and GMR won two blocks each. The surprise in the auction is that Gautam Adan’s Adani Power managed only one ready-to- produce block despite submitting bids for all power sector blocks.

Coal Secretary, Anil Swarup said that there will be around Rs.97000 crore of additional benefits from the lower electricity tariff through the reverse auction of the coal blocks for the power sector.

The CAG had reported a loss of Rs.1.86 lakh crore in the allocation of coal blocks made with out auction which warranted the intervention of Supreme Court. The apex court had cancelled the allocation made illegally by the then Manmohan Singh goverrnment and ordered for fresh allocation through auction.

INSURANCE STRIKE COMPLETE- AIBDPA CONDUCTS SOLIDARITY DEMONSTRATIONS.

The strike by the Insurance Employees on 9th March against the move of the BJP government to rise the FDI from 26% to 49% was full and the striking workers conducted rallies through out the country.

As per CHQ call to organise solidarity demonstraion in support of the strike, AIBDPA units have implemented it in almost all the places. Com.S.A.Bilagi, Circle Secretary, Karnataka has reported that demonstrations were held in all the districts. In Kozhikode,Kerala a large number of pensioners participated in the demonstration and Com.M.P.Kunhanandan, CHQ Treasurer addressed.

WORLD FEDERATION OF TRADE UNION’S MESSAGE ON THE EVE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY.

The  World Federation of Trade Unions salutes the working women worldwide and reaffirms its commitment in the struggle for the real equality against exploitation and capitalist barbarity. A struggle which unites working men and women under the banners of the class-oriented trade unions.

We pick up the struggle from the seamstresses and weavers of New York in 1857 demanding fewer working hours, equal pay for equal work, safer and better working conditions, complete liberation from the chains of exploitation.

We pick up the struggle from the labor leader Clara Zetkin and the militant women in the Copenhagen Conference in 1910 who dedicated this day to all working women in honor of the US women workers struggles.

We pick up the struggles of all working women in the 70 years of the militant and internationalist struggle of the World Federation of Trade Unions who with their strength and determination contributed for the betterment of the working women and men worldwide.

The struggle of the workers movement and the women workers movement has brought important results and gained significant rights through the decades.

We continue today 158 years after 1857 while the same rights are under attack.

We continue today because one and a half century later, the working hours are increasing contrary to the rate of scientific and technological progress. We continue today because workers and working women’s salaries are decreasing contrary to the tremendous wealth being produced by us. We continue today because still in the 21st century the right to employment, education, healthcare, social security, maternity protection, proper social services, freedom of association, collective bargaining and to real equality are yet not fulfilled.

We continue because the right to peaceful, prosperous and secure life for our families and our children is continuously under threat by imperialist mechanisms and monopolies.

We continue side by side, working women and working men, in the same struggle for all we deserve.

We fight for the lives we deserve not the lives the IMF, the World Bank, the imperialists, the monopolies and the employers want to form for us.

We fight on the side of women and men farmers and self-employed to build the social alliance against exploitation and capitalist barbarity.

 

 

INDIA FAR BEHIND IN EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, RANKS 103.

When we celebrate the International Womens Day on 8th March, 2015, the status of the women in India continues to be poor. According to the report of the Inter-Parlimentary U nion (IPU), there are only 96 women representatives in both houses of Parliament in India. So India ranks abysmally low-103rd among the world countries

India thus has only 12% women parliamentarians whereas our neighbours,  Pakistan has 19%, China-24%, and Nepal ranked high with 35% , Afghanistan has got 28%. And even some of the developed countries  are also have very low percentage of representation-USA-20%, UK- 24%.

The top ten countries with highest number of women representatives are Rwanda, Bolivia,Andorra, Cuba, Seychelles, Sweeden, Senegal, Finland,Ecudor and South Africa.

                                                                             (source: The Times of India )