Base Year Revision of Consumer Price Index (CPI) : The Central Statistics Office (CSO) releases Consumer Price Indices (CPI) for Rural, Urban and Combined, at State/UTs and all India level, w.e.f. January 2011. The Base Year of this series of CPI is 2010=100 and weighting diagrams are based on the results of Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) 2004-05.

2.Now the CSO is in the process of revising the Base Year from 2010=100 to 2012=100. The weighting diagrams have been prepared on the basis of the results of CES (2011-12). With this revision, the gap between Price Reference Year (Base Year) and the Weight Reference Year has been minimized. Apart from this, a number of methodological improvements have been introduced in the revised series, which are as follows:

Weighting diagrams have been prepared using the Modified Mixed Reference Period (MMRP) data of CES (2011-12), to make consistent with the international practice of shorter reference period for most of the food items and larger reference period for the item of infrequent consumption/purchased. In the old series (Base Year 2010=100), Uniform Reference Period (URP) data were used.

In the existing series of CPI, COICOP (Classification of Inpidual Consumption According to Purpose), an international standard classification, is being followed broadly, whereas in the revised series, it would be completely followed, except a few deviations which are necessary for Indian context.

The Geometric Mean, instead of Arithmetic Mean being used in the old series, of the price relatives with respect to base prices would be used to compile elementary/item indices.

In case of PDS items, prices of Antyodaya Anna Yojanna (AAY) have also been included in addition to Above Poverty Line (APL) & Below Poverty Line (BPL) prices being taken in the existing series.

3.Due to change in the consumption pattern from 2004-05 to 2011-12, the weighting diagrams (Share of expenditure to total expenditure) have changed. A comparison of weighting diagrams of the existing and revised series is given in the table below:

Table : Comparison of weighting diagrams of the existing and revised series of CPI

4.In the CES (2011-12), some of the items of CES (2004-05) were dropped from the schedule and a few new items were added. Market survey was conducted to identify shops, fix specifications and collect prices of the new items. Based on the availability of prices, a few new items have been included in the revised series. At the same time, some of items of the existing series have been dropped, in respect of which, prices have not been reported for quite a long period of time. Accordingly, the number of priced items has changed from 437 to 448 in rural and from 450 to 460 in urban at all India level. The number of priced items varies from State to State. If a particular item has occurred in any State, that item has been considered in the All India item basket. In the revised series, 11 new priced items have been added, without dropping any item, in rural sector at all India level. In case of Urban, 7 priced items have been dropped and 17 new priced items have been added.

5. Adopting the aforementioned improvements in methodologies, the first series (revised) would be compiled for the month of January 2015 and released on 12th February 2015. In order to estimate the old series of CPI, using the revised series, a linking factor would be provided. The year on year inflation rates for each month of 2015 would be compiled and released, with the respective press release, using the Linking Factor. From January 2016 onwards, the inflation rates would be compiled using the actual CPI of the revised series, as the indices for a given month of the year 2015 and 2

Source : www.mospi.nic.

The central government has postponed the  spectrum auction process scheduled to start on 25th February, 2015 to 4th March due to administrative reasons.

The government has also fixed the base price of 3G spectrum of 2100 MHz at Rs. 3,705 crore  per MHz. Telecom Minister, Shri. Ravi Shankar Prasad while announcing the cabinet decision stated that the government was accepting the recommendation of Telecom Commission in this regard. This price is around 11 per cent higher than what the telecom companies paid in 2000 sale.

The estimated proceeds of the spectrum auction in March is Rs. 1 lakh crore.

The Central Cabinet has decided not to appeal against the Bombay High Court ruling that Vodafone was not liable to pay tax  demand of Rs.3200 crore in a transfer pricing case. It is stated by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Communications Minister that the decision is to send out message to global investors”whose confidence in India was shaken in the past”.

The Income Tax Department had issued a show cause notice to Vodafone on 17th June, 2014 asking it to pay Rs.3,200 crore in tax for allegedly undervaluing shares of its Indian subsidiary during transfer pricing.

Vodafone is a telecom company with 100 per cent FDI which is known for frequent violations of license provisions and merger and acquisition rules inviting penalties. So the decision of the government is in full conformity with its policy of wooing the corporates and the rich at the cost of the common people.

West District (Howrah-Srirampur) of AIBDPA, Kolkata Circle biennial  Conference was held on 7th January, 2015 at Uttar Para Recreation Club, Hooghly. Com. Ranjit Das, District President presided over the conference. The biennial report and audited accounts were presented by the District Secretary and Treasurer respectively and adopted after discussion. Com.D. Basu, AGS, CHQ spoke in details the problems of the employees and the retirees and cautioned that the government is trying to weaken BSNL to privatize the company. Com. Supriya Mitra, Circle Secretary exhorted all to strengthen the organization to fight out for achieving the genuine deamands of the pensioners.

Office bearers were elected unanimously with Com. Ranjit Das (President), Com.Ajit Dey Sarkar (District Secretary) and Com. Jagabandhu Konoi (Treasurer)

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
(Department of Personnel and Training)

NOTIFICATION

New Delhi, the 22nd  January, 2015

G.S.R. 6(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 of the Constitution, the President hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Fundamental Rules, 1922, namely:-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Fundamental (Amendment) Rules, 2014.

(2) They shall be deemed to have come into force on the 27th October, 2013.

2. In the Fundamental Rules, 1922, in rule 29, for clause (2), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:—

“(2) If a Government servant is reduced as a measure of penalty to a lower service, grade or post or to a lower time-scale, the authority ordering the reduction shall specify,—

(a) the period for which the reduction shall be effective;

(b) whether, on restoration, the period of reduction shall operate to postpone future increments and, if so, to what extent; and

(c) whether the Government servant shall regain his original seniority in the higher service, grade or post or time-scale on his restoration to the service, grade or post or time-scale from which he was reduced.”

[F. No. 6/2/2013-Estt. (Pay-I)]
MUKESH

The new CMD, BSNL, Shri  Anupam Shrivastava has written to the recognized unions and associations of both executive and non-executive thanking them for the good wishes and greetings extended to him on taking over charge as CMD. While seeking their support to tide over the challenges being faced by BSNL, he has hinted the difficulty to have a good pay revision in the present context. The CMD has also asked them ‘to come forward to sacrifice self gain to regain BSNL’.!

There could be progress if sincere efforts are put by both the management and the unions,but for the anti-PSU policies of the government.