Shri.K.C.G.K.Pillai, Retired Director (Finance), BSNL has joined All India BSNL DOT Pensioners Association. He has become the life member and paid Rs.510 to Coms.V.A.N.Namboodiri, Advisor and Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary on today,the 8th December, 2014. Shri.Pillai discussed certain basic issues of the pensioners and appreciated AIBDPA for its initiatives in this regard.

CHQ wholeheartedly welcomes Shri.K.C.G.K.Pillai as the proud member of AIBDPA family.

The total subscriber base in the country at the end of October, 2014 is 962.63 million. In wireless segment, it is 937.35 million and in wireline 27.28 million. There has been an addition of 5.02 million in the month of October.

The market share of private telecom companies is 90.55% and the PSUs share is only 9.45% ; BSNL share 9.09% and MTNL- 0.36%.

How ever in the wireline, BSNL continues its dominant position with 63.13% and MTNL has retained the second position with 12.93% and Bharati Airtel has 12.41% share.

In the Broadband segment also BSNL is still in first position with 24.15% but Bharati Airtel is just behind BSNL with 21.85% market share.

The above figures are as per data released by TRAI. 

The Department of Telecom has selected an agency for conducting the e-auction of spectrum in various bands proposed to be held in February, 2015. The agency is M/s mjunction Services Ltd, Kolkata.

It has been reported by the media that the loss of BSNL for the year, 2013-14 is Rs.6933.25 crore. Three circles have made profit, Kerala- Rs.396.80 crore, Jammu & Kashmir – Rs.9.37 cr and Odisha  – Rs. 5.16 crore.

Shri.Prachish Khanna, Director (Estt), DOT has confirmed to Com. K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary that the cabinet note for extending the benefit of 78.2% IDA merger to BSNL pensioners has been prepared and submitted to Internal Finance, DOT for ratification.

The National Protest Day on 5th  December, 2014, called upon by the Central Trade Unions against the anti worker and anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi government became a resounding success with huge participation of workers. In New Delhi tens of thousands of workers participated in the Dharna held at Jantar Mantar. The anger and resentment of the workers reflected in not only their massive participation but also their determination to fight against the onslaught of the government. All the General Secretaries of the 11 Central Trade Unions, including Com. Tapan Sen , General Secretary, CITU addressed the Dharna. Protest Action was organized at all the state capitals also. 

A Task force on leveraging the post offices network of the country among others had suggested setting up of three subsidiaries as a part of a holding company under the Postal Department under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology for extending services in the fields of banking, insurance and e-commerce. The Report of the Task Force headed by former Cabinet Secretary Shri T.S.R. Subramanian was submitted to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi today.

In all five subsidiary companies will be called Strategic Business Units (SBU)..Two other subsidiaries are for distribution of 3rd party products and services like providing e-services for general public for bill collections and providing of application forms, documents and certificates on commercial basis. Another subsidiary is for .delivery of government services like Aadhaar ration cards, Vikas patras, etc. on agency basis. It was also proposed that each SBU will have a separate independent board to operate commercially as a profit centre. Each one of the SBU over the time may go for public participation through public issue. It was proposed that a new postal law may be enacted to give statutory basis for these operations.

After receiving the Report, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that there will be a structured response to the recommendations of the Task Force on priority basis. He said after having felt the need to rediscover the potential of the postal department in the country, he had made a request to the Prime Minister to which Shri Narendra Modi had readily responded by constituting this Task Force. He hoped that the vast connectivity of the Postal Department would be fully exploited to be a part of the e-commerce boom in the country. The Minister said that not a single employee of the postal department will be removed as a part of any reformation of the Department. He also said that there will not be undue increase in the price of the post card and other postal services that are mostly used by the poor.

Earlier the Chairman of the Task Force Mr. Subramanian said that as banking and financial services are not available in most of over six lakh villages of the country, it was felt that a ‘Post Bank of India’ which is professionally organized should contribute for a financial inclusion of the rural poor. He also hoped that there could be a creation of over five lakh new jobs over next 3-5 years. He pointed out that State Governments are also keen on the prospects of implementation of the recommendations of this Task Force.

The Task Force was constituted on 21st August this year had the following members:-

1. Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Retd. Cabinet Secretary – Chairman 2. Shri T.V. Mohandas Pai, Bangalore – Member 3. Dhri G.N. Bajpai, Mumbai Former Chairman, SEBI – Member 4. Dr. Ravindra H.Dholakia, IIM, Ahmedabad – Member 5. Shri R S. Sharma, Secretary (E&IT),Govt.of India – Member 6. Shri L.C. Goyal, Secretary, Deptt. of Rural – Member Development, Govt. of India 7. Shri Rakesh Garg, Secy. Deptt. of Telecom,G.O.I – Member 8. Ms. Kavery Banerjee, Secretary, Deptt. of Posts – Member 9. Shri Kamleshwar Prasad,Member (O),Deptt.of Posts- Member 10. Shri Vasumitra, CPMG,Delhi Circle,Deptt.of Posts -Member Secretary

For the full report of the Task Force pls. click the link below

http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Pdf/Task_Force_on_leveraging_the_Post_Office_Network.pdf

Private telecom companies, Bharati Airtel and Vodafone are in a confrontation with Department of Telecom on the issue of transfer of airwaves even after the expiry of licences on 29th November, 2014. The operators are unwilling to return the spectrum citing connectivity disruptions to more than 20 million customers. The companies have sought an extension of 45 days to migrate to new frequencies. They are not bothered  if the government imposes fine for the lapse which they are confident to challenge in court and they expect to win such a case .

In all such cases, it is always the private companies who dictate terms and finally win also.

( Source: The Economic Times )

CAG EXPOSES PROFITEERING IN THE NAME OF SEZs- RELIANCE,ESSAR IMPLICATED IN REPORT.

Several hectares of land acquired for SEZs invoking public purpose were later sold off or used for other purposes. Among the groups that diverted land acquired for SEZs are Reliance Industries and Essar Steel. CAG said that the SEZs of Essar Steel in Hazira and Reliance in Jamnagar, Gujarat denotified an area of 247.522 ha and 708.13 ha respectively.

In case of Sricity in Andhra Pradesh, the audit found that 2070.12 ha of allotted land was not used for the intended purpose. This denotified land was allotted by the SEZ operators to private companies such as Alstom, PepsiCo, Cadbury, Colgate, Kellogg’s etc.

Land appeared to be the most crucial and attractive component of the scheme. Out of 45635.63 ha of land notified in the country for SEZ purposes, operations commenced in only 28486.49 ha (62.42%) of land. Many developers approached the government for allotment of vast areas of land in the name of SEZ. But only a fraction of the land so acquired are notified for SEZ and later denotifications was also resorted to within a few years to benefit from price appreciation.

(source: Times of India)

This is a startling revelation by the Comptroller and Auditor General, thoroughly exposing the greedy corporates and employers. They avail so many other concessions in tax,electicity,water etc in the name of SEZs and are also exempted from the labour laws, cruely exploiting its work force. It is in addition to these, now the profiteering from the land. So long as the government is for them, these are all natural to happen.