According to Consumer Price Index released by Labour Bureau, IDA will be decreased by 0.8% from 01-07-2020 and the total IDA wil be 160.7%- 0.8%= 159.9%.

The order will be issued by DPE within a few days.

NEWLY ELECTED OFFICE BEARERS WITH CIRCLE SECRETARY.

The second  biennial District Conference of Tumkur has been held successully keeping up the Corona-19 protocol at Sai Sagar Hotel on 29-06-2020. Com.Veeranna Gowda controlled the proceedings. Com. Muddaiah, Circle Secretary inaugurated the conference and gave a good accounts of the current developments, including pension revision, nonpayment of medical bills and allowance and issues of the VRS retirees. Smt. Malini Chandrasekhar, PGM, Tumkur was the Chief Guest and greeted the conference.

Office bearers were elected unanimously with Coms. K. Nageswaraiah (President) , Vazeerjan (District Secretary) and S.Narasimhamurthy (Treaurer). 

VRS retirees ,retired under BSNL VRS-2019,  who have attained the age of 60 should give application for commutation of pension. 

Application is to be submitted to the BA from where they retired in the prescribed form 1(a).

In case, pensioners submit their application after one year of attaining the age of 60, they should have to give the application in Form.2 along with medical certificate from a medical officer of grade as prescribed under Rule 22 of CCS Commutation Rules,1981.

The Head of BA shall verify the application of commutation and sign in the space provided in the form and forward the application to the concerned CCA.

It has been brought to our notice that a vast majority of the eligible VRS retirees who have attained the age of 60, have not submitted the application. So Circle/ District Secretaries may please take necessary action to bring it to the notice of VRS retirees and ensure that the applications are submitted  early.

BSNL  Corporate office had extended the date for revalidation of medical card to 30-06-2020 vide office order dated 04-05-2020. There were many complaints from the circles that the date should be extended upto 30-09-2020, as in the case of option for outdoor medical facilities. So, CHQ took up the issue and wrote a letter to CMD, BSNL on 23-06-2020 urging for further extension upto 30-09-2020 ,considering the alarming situation prevailing in the country due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Today, 29th June, 2020, Corporate Office has issued the order in this regard fully accepting our demand and we thank the BSNL management for the same. 

<<view order>>

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AIBDPA/DOT-FP-MH/2020                                                                                      27^th June, 2020

To,

Shri Anshu Prakash

Secretary,

Department of Telecommunications,

Sanchar Bhawan, 20,

Ashoka Road, New Delhi-110001

Sir,

Sub: –     Denial of Family Pension from the eligible date, violating GOI Rules- case of Ms. Shanta Krishnappa Kumbhar, widow of late Shri. Krishnappa Balappa Kumbhar, Telecom Mechanic under GMT, BSNL, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, now residing at Plot No.12, S No292, Lingayat Nagar, Near Loyt Bus Stop, Devraj Urs Colony, Basavan Kudachi, Dist.Belagavi-591124, Karnataka – reg.

Ref:        (1) PPO No.CCA/MH-MB/ PEN/ KBK/F 3268 Dated 19-09-2019.

            (2) Government of India- Department of P& PW OM No.1(17) P &PW/86-E dated 18-02-1993.

1. We wish to bring to your kind notice a very genuine case wherein gross injustice was meted out to the widow of a Telecom Mechanic by denying Family Pension arrears for 12 years in violation of the GOI Rules.

2. A brief history of the case is narrated hereunder;

Shri Krishnappa Balappa Kumbhar, Telecom Mechanic of BSNL, Kolhapur SSA, Maharashtra went missing on 05-10-2002. A complaint was filled with the Police and FIR issued on 16-10-2002. The efforts of the Police to trace the missing official yielded no results. All these developments were duly intimated to the concerned officer of BSNL Kolhapur then and there. Shri K.B. Kumbhar was the only earning member of the family consisting of his wife and two small children. Meanwhile BSNL Kolhapur administration, instead of helping the poor family in distress, resorted to punitive measures. A charge sheet under Rule 14 of CCS(CCA) Rules, 1965 was issued against the missing official (virtually dead) for absconding, inquiry conducted exparte and awarded the punishment of dismissal…!  It is worth mentioning here that no consent of DOT, as required, was sought before resorting such a drastic action.

3. No benefits entitled as per GOI Rules were given to the family and request for Family Pension also turned down by the BSNL Kolhapur administration, putting the family into untold miseries and distress. The hapless widow, with the help of certain well wishers, preferred representations against the cruelty to the Grievance Portals of Department of Telecommunications and Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, but of no avail.

4. It was under these circumstances that the issue was brought to the notice of this Association. We promptly took up the case with BSNL Corporate Office vide our letter dated 21-06-2017. Another letter was sent to Shri. Jithendra Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Personnel, Pension and Pensioners Welfare vide our letter No. AIBDPA/MIN-PPW/2017 dated 27-06-2017. BSNL Corporate office initiated action immediately by asking CGMT, Maharashtra to send a report on wrong actions of Sholhapur SSA. But there was no positive response from the Maharashtra Circle, presumably due to the negative stand of Kolhapur administration. Thereafter, Ms. Sujata T Ray, the then Director (HR), BSNL wrote two DO letters to CGMT, Maharashtra urging for immediate relief to the victimised family. Shri. Jithendra Singh, Hon’ble Minister also forwarded our letter to Department of Telecommunications for necessary action. CCA Mumbai also initiated some action on direction of DoT, asking the Kolhapur administration as to why the family pension case is not being processed.

5. Thus, BSNL Kolhapur administration was compelled to cancel the dismissal Order, inflicted illegally on the missing official and started processing family pension case, but with a vengeance to the hapless family. As part of this, documents already submitted were asked to furnish repeatedly. They also asked for the court order dated 11-03-2014 declaring the missing official virtually dead. When this order was given, they asked to furnish death certificate from the local body. The poor widow approached the local body but was told that no death certificate is issued for missing persons. This was intimated to the BSNL Kolhapur administration through a letter and also reminding that as per existing rules, death certificate is not required in missing cases to process the family pension. But the BSNL Kolhapur administration took a very adamant stand and threatened that they will not forward the pension papers without death certificate. Unaware of the conspiracy and wickedness of the Kolhapur administration, the poor widow with much difficulty, managed to get the death certificate from the local body with date of death, 11-03-2014, the same date the court issued the order. Actually, this not a genuine certificate and therefore untenable. BSNL Kolhapur administration processed the family pension case based on this fake death certificate which was not at all warranted in the instant case, as per rules.

6. So, the order for family pension from 11-03-2014 was issued by CCA, Mumbai on 19-09-2019 without proper scrutiny of the relevant Rules in this regard referred (2) above which states as follows;

” The family can apply to the Head of. Office of the government servant for Grant of family pension and Gratuity after one year from the date of the First Information Report was lodged with the police. Family pension at normal/ enhanced rates, as may be applicable in individual cases, will be payable to the family of the missing employee retrospectively from the date of filing FIR with the police.”

7. Sir, you may kindly imagine the plight of the poor family during the long 17 years due to the cruelty meted out by the BSNL Kolhapur administration, for reasons best known to them. Finally, they have inflicted last assault by denying the family the entitled arrears of family pension for a long 12 years.

8. In view of the foregoing, we request your good self to kindly cause necessary action for extending justice to the poor family, by granting Family Pension from the eligible date of 16-02-2002, the date of filing of FIR, as per rules refereed (2) above.

Expecting an early positive action and

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely

K G Jayaraj

General Secretary

Encl: Copy of the relevant pages of the PPO.

Copy to:   (1) Shri P.K. Sinha, Member (Finance), DoT, Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001

  (2) Shri Sanjay Agarwal, Director (Estt-2 Pension), DoT, Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001.

  (3) Shri Saurabh Tyagi, Sr.GM (Estt), BSNL C.O., Bharat Sanchar Bhawan, Janpath, New Delhi – 110 001.

<<view letter>>

The Dharna , called by BSNLEU  demanding immediate implementation of revival package declared by the government in October, 2019, particularly rolling out of 4G service,  timely payment of salary to BSNL Employees, payment of wage arrears to the contract workers etc was held successfully on 26-06-2020 al over the country by observing Covid-19 protocol.

AIBDPA had extended solidarity and given call to support the Dharna according to local conditions, as elders being the most vulnerable section to the pandemic. Accordingly, in many places AIBDPA comrades also participated in the Dharna and CHQ congrtulates all the comrades for the support extended to the Dharna.