<<view letter>>

Granting pension revision to BSNL retirees w.e.f. 01.01.2017 is delayed for more than three years. There has been no increase in pension for last 13 years except increase of due DA. (It is also being denied to a section of pensioners).

Many pensioners have passed away since 2017 without getting their pension revision. Centre continuously speaks about the need to look after the aged people, especially during Covid 19. After meeting more than 200 Members of Parliament including Central Ministers by AIBDPA leaders, many of the concerned M.P.s have raised the matter in Parliament and also with Prime Minister.

It is unfortunate that the govt. is sitting tight on the issue without issuing orders. There is no other way but to continue our efforts as also struggles.

We demand the government to issue orders on Pension Revision with 15% fitment without any further delay.

AIBDPA/BSNL MRS-PM/2020                                                                                               May 2, 2020

To,

Shri Narendra Modi Ji

Hon’ble Prime Minister,

Government of India

South Block, Raisina Hill

New Delhi – 110 001

Respected Sir,

Sub: –    Medical Reimbursement and Medical Allowance to BSNL pensioners – reg.

On behalf of lakhs of BSNL pensioners, we respectfully submit the following for your kind consideration and early favourable intervention.

We thank for your address to the Nation during COVID-19 period, specifically mentioning about the extra care to be ensured with regard to the health and well being of the aged persons, who are more vulnerable to the pandemic.

In this connection, we would like to mention about the sad plight of the BSNL pensioners, who have served the Nation sincerely during long years of their service.

The medical reimbursement for hospital treatment and medical allowance for outdoor treatment are completely stopped by the BSNL Management on the plea of lack of funds. Patients suffering from chronic diseases like cancer, kidney ailments, cardiac problems etc., who require continuous tests and treatment are unable to continue treatment due to non- reimbursement, which endangers their life itself. Quarterly Medical Allowance is also stopped, causing extreme difficulties.

We had discussed the matter with CMD BSNL as also with officers of DOT. Getting no fruitful result, we wrote to Communications Minister, but so far no result.

Under these circumstances, we are compelled to approach your kindself to look in to the extreme difficulties of the BSNL pensioners and issue necessary instructions to the DOT and BSNL management to ensure that all the medical claims of the BSNL pensioners are reimbursed and the quarterly medical allowance with arrears are paid immediately.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

K G Jayaraj

General Secretary.

Copy to: Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ji, Hon’ble Minister for Communications, Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi-110001.

Destroying BSNL, one more time

Thomas K Thomas | Updated on April 30, 2020 [BusinessLine]

Objections to the telco’s 4G tenders are reminiscent of the past. But this time, BSNL cannot afford to lose its chance of survival.

State-run telecom company BSNL recently got a new lease of life after the Centre pumped in about ₹70,000 crore to revive it. It’s not even six months since this relief package was announced, and there is already an attempt to scuttle the dying telecom company’s revival plans.

On March 23, BSNL floated a new tender to procure 4G equipment in a bid to expand its mobile broadband network. The contract, valued at nearly ₹9,000 crore, included upgradation of 50,000 sites across the country that would position the telecom company to offer high-speed Internet access to its users. This project is crucial for the company, as it is already four years behind private telecom companies including Reliance Jio and Airtel in launching 4G services.

Deployment issue.

So far, BSNL has been offering 2G and 3G services, thereby losing out on the opportunity to earn higher revenues from 4G customers. To plug this gap, the Centre decided to allocate 4G spectrum to BSNL this year and the company was quick to float the tender to award a comprehensive contract for planning, engineering, supply, and maintenance of its 4G network.

Just when things were looking to be on track, the tender for purchasing the equipment came under scrutiny from the Ministry of Commerce, after an industry body raised concerns. On April 15, the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) sent a letter to various government departments, including the Ministry of Communications and the Prime Minister’s Office, alleging that the tender conditions set by BSNL flouted procurement rules under the ‘Make in India’ policy, and was heavily in favour of multinational companies. TEPC is an industry association representing domestic telecom equipment manufacturers such as Tejas Networks, Sterlite, HFCL, and Vihaan Networks.

In the letter, TEPC said that since public money was being used to revive BSNL, domestic suppliers of network equipment should be encouraged to participate in the tendering process. But they could not participate because, according to them, BSNL has set stiff conditions for bidders — including the requirement of having previous experience of setting up a mobile network for at least 20 million subscribers. It has also raised the national security angle, as if to suggest that equipment supplied by non-Indian entities could expose BSNL’s network to snooping.

BSNL has now been told to rework the tender after the Ministry of Commerce intervened. This means further delays. Meanwhile, Airtel has awarded a $1-billion contract to Finland’s Nokia for supplying 4G network equipment. No one has raised any security concerns on this deal.

It seems that lessons from the past, which ruined BSNL, have not been learned.

Past experience.

Cut to 2008, when the Indian cellular market was at the cusp of exponential growth with 6-10 million new mobile users every month. Bharti Airtel was the top operator with 57 million users, followed by Vodafone-Essar at 41 million. BSNL, with 33.7 million users, decided to up the ante and announced an audacious plan to increase its network capacity by 94 million new lines at an investment of $10 billion, making it the world’s largest telecom equipment contract at that time. But then, allegations of irregularities in the tendering process hit the project.

Two years later, in 2010, the entire project was scrapped, dealing a crippling blow to BSNL’s expansion plans. Without adequate capacity to meet the growing demand for mobile phones, BSNL was pushed to the fifth spot after Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular.

BSNL’s revenues were nearly ₹40,000 crore in March 2007, while Airtel’s revenues were only ₹18,420 crore. By 2009, BSNL’s profits had nose-dived 81 per cent and revenues fell 6 per cent even as Airtel’s revenues grew by over ₹10,000 crore during 2008-09 and its profits increased to ₹7,859 crore. The destruction of BSNL started when it was denied to go through with the 94-million line contract.

Unfair burden.

The latest tender for 4G equipment is more crucial than the 2G rollout in 2008. Then BSNL was still profitable then; now, it is fighting for survival. Rolling out 4G services quickly could still give the PSU a chance at cornering the market share in rural areas, where private players are just about launching services. If it has to compete with the likes of Reliance Jio and Airtel, then there has to be a level playing field.

It will be unfair to ask only BSNL to buy local 4G equipment, which is largely untested, and let private players run on equipment supplied by global giants like Nokia and Ericsson. If network security is an issue, then why should it only be relevant for BSNL? More than 90 per cent of mobile users in the country are on private operators’ network, and almost 100 per cent of these networks are supplied by foreign companies, including Chinese vendors.

The fact is that Indian players do not have experience in managing large mobile networks. While some of them may have developed 4G technology, there has been no large-scale deployment on these platforms, so the quality standards have not been tested. BSNL cannot afford to have another failed network deployment.

That is not to say that Indian manufacturers should not be encouraged. Companies such as Tejas, Sterlite, and Aksh Optifibre have developed top expertise in specific areas of telecommunication networks. The Centre should do more to support Indian manufacturing companies in a manner that’s fair to all stakeholders in the industry.

But the burden of propping up domestic manufacturers cannot be put on BSNL alone, in a highly competitive telecom market.

AIBDPA Warmly Greets all Comrades and Friends on this 2020 MAY DAY and pledges to continue the march forward for a better tomorrow !

Dear Comrade,

You have retired from service on 30^th April, 2020, after fruitfully and sincerely serving the country, by affording valuable telecom services to the people. You have seen the up and downs of BSNL and fought for improving and strengthening it. You have participated in umpteen struggles for the improvement of service conditions and wages, benefits, etc., of the employees.

AIBDPA welcomes you all to this great organisations, AIBDPA ! Your future is safe with AIBDPA ! Com.V.A.N. Namboodiri, founder General Secretary of BSNLEU is the Advisor, Com. P.V. Chandrasekharan, long time Circle Secretary of BSNLEU, Kerala Circle is the Patron, veteran leader Com.A.K. Bhattacharjee, its All India President and Com.K.G. Jayaraj, former AGS, BSNLEU, its General Secretary. 

AIBDPA is affiliated to the National Co-Ordination Committee of Pensioners Association (NCCPA), the prime organisation of pensioners in the country headed by Com.Shiv Gopal Mishra, Secretary, AIRF (Secretary, Staff Side) and K.K.N. Kutty, Vice President of the Confederation as President and Secretary General. Both are members of the National Council of JCM, and regularly take up the issue of pensioners with Government.

AIBDPA is also affiliated to the Trade Union International (Pensioners and Retirees) (WFTU) with AIBDPA, General Secretary, included in the Working Committee.

Once again welcomes to you all to AIBDPA!

Com. Sanjib Banerjee, Circle Secretary, AIBDPA, CTD Kolkata, has informed that Rs.2,45,000 has been collected from the circle including Rs.50,000 from the Circle Office Branch toward Relief Fund.

Com. Pijush Chakraborty, Circle Secretary, AIBDPA, West Bengal has intimated that Rs.6,13,500 has been collected towards Contract Workers Relief Fund from both West Bengal and CORTO.  This includes the collection taken by CORTO, in the various districts of West Bengal, like Bankura, Purulia, Burdwan, Durgapur, Asansol etc.  CORTO Circle Committee has also decided to donate Rs.20,000 to the Contractual Labour Union. Collections also will be made to from CORTO, CTD for the relief Fund.

Com. Adhir Kr.Sen, Circle Secretary, AIBDPA, Telecom Stores, has intimated that Rs.25,000 will be donated from AIBDPA Telecom Stores, West Bengal to Contractual labour union.

This consolidated list has been forwarded by Com. D.Basu, Circle Secretary, CORTO and Dy. General Secretary, AIBDPA (CHQ).

Hearty Congratulations and Thanks to the AIBDPA circles Unions of West Bengal, CTD, CORTO and Telecom Stores!

30^th April, 2020 is the second death anniversary of senior P&T Union leader Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee, who passed away on 30^th April, 2018.

He was the founder General Secretary of the P&T Industrial Workers Federation. The Telecom Factory and Telecom Stores workers considered him as their Saviour. Even days before his passing away, he attended meetings at Telecom Factory, Kolkata.

When BSNL Employees Union was formed, along with Com. Moni Bose, he was elected as Patron. He was Vice-President of NFPTE earlier. He was the leader of the great struggle in Calcutta in the 1950s along with Com. K.G.Bose for getting Puja Advance, the victory of which resulted in the introduction of the Festival Advance system all over India.

AIBDPA pays its homage to the veteran leader Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee!

VIEW THE ORDER >28.04.2020-DPE-ON-FREEZING_OF_DA_CDA_Pay

To an RTI, the Reserve Bank of India had replied that the central government has written off Rs. 68,607 crore loans of 50 defaulters including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choski, Yogi Ramdev, etc. The first three are facing charges of money laundering and other cases and have escaped to foreign countries.

When crores of people are facing the biggest financial and other crises due to Covid-19, the government is supporting the law breakers and crorepatis. It is pertinent that the govt. refused to divulge the matters in Parliament, but now the RBI was compelled to spell out due to RTI.

What is the major concern of central govt., the hundreds of crorepatis and law breakers or crores of common people ?