The first phase of the agitational progrmme called upon by the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations, Demands Day on 11th December, 2014 is implemented with huge participation all over the country. In almost all places, AIBDPA members also joined in the demonstrations.

At BSNL Corporate Office, a lunch hour demonstration was organised in which hundreds of employees of NTR and Corporate office participated enthusiastically and raised slogans against anti_BSNL measures of the government and BSNL management. The powerful demonstration was addressed by Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, Convenor, Forum, Com.C.Singh, General Secretary, NFTE BSNL, Com. P. Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU, Com. A. A.Khan (SNEA), Com. Prahlad Rai, General Secretary, AIBSNLEA, R.S.Chauhan, Circle Secretary,BSNLEU,NTR and Com.K.G.Jayaraj, General Secretary, AIBDPA.

The second phase is a 3 days Dharna on 6-8, January, 2015, 3rd phase- Parliament March on 25th February, 2014 and after which the Indefinite Strike from 17th March, 2015. Another salient program is collection of 1 crore signature from the people before the Parliament March.

AIBDPA members should participate enmasse in all these programmes, particularly in collecting the signatures from the people. 

The JCM National council Staff Side Organisations are holding a National Convention at MPCU Shah Auditorium, New Delhi  from 12 to 4PM on 11th December, 2014. Organisations of Railway, Defence and Confederation will participate in the convention. The convention will decide future course of agitational programme to achieve the important demands of the central government employees.

The following are some of the demands raised.

1. Effect of wage revision on 7th Pay Commission be from 01-01-2014.

2. Grant interim Relief and merge 100% DA.

3. Include Gramin Dak Sevaks in the ambit of Pay Commission.

4. Scrap PFRDA Act.

5. No labour reforms.

6. No ban on recruitment.

7. No FDI in Railway and Defence and no privatization/ outsourcing of services.

17^th December is observed as Pensioners’ Day every year. It is on this day in 1982, that the famous Judgment in Nakara case was delivered by the Supreme court, which is treated as Magna Carta by the Pensioners.

What is the essence of the judgment?  A portion from the judgment itself will be the explanation, which is given below: 

“From the discussion, three things emerge: (i) that pension is neither a bounty nor a matter of grace depending upon the sweet will of the employer  and that it creates a vested right subject to 1972 Rules which are statutory in character because they are enacted  in exercise of powers conferred by the proviso to Art. 309 and clause (5) of Art. 148 of the Constitution; (ii) that the pension is not an ex-gratia payment but it is a payment for the past service rendered; and (iii) it is a social welfare measure rendering socio-economic justice to those, who in the heyday of their life, ceaselessly toiled for the employer on an assurance that in their old age they would not be left in the lurch….”. 

The judgment also stated that the persons retired earlier should not be put to a disadvantage in their old days compared to the later retirees. This judgment resulted in the Recommendations of the IV Central Pay Commission (1984) for pension Revision, whenever there is a pay revision through Pay Commission. 

The Petitioner of the case, Shri D.S.Nakara, was a retired Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Finance and the case is called Nakara Case accordingly. The day of the judgment is observed as “Pensioners’ Day” by the various organisations of the Pensioners. 

Observe the Pensioners’ Day on 17^th December 2014 by holding General Body Meetings and explaining  the importance of the day with maximum participation.

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