Allot 700 MHz Spectrum free to BSNL
According to the statement of the Communications Minister Manoj Sinha, about 7400 MHz spectrum are available with the government mainly in the 700 MHz, which no private company has bought through auction. The 700 MHz is suitable for upgradation to 4G etc. and is quite necessary for BSNL.
In this situation, the Government should allot this 700 MHz spectrum to BSNL free or through interest free loan. BSNL is a 100% government owned company and the assets are its own. Hence allotting spectrum free is possible and is a must.
WEST BENGAL- COOCHBEHAR DISTRICT CONFERENCE AND SPECIAL GENERALBODY MEETING AT JALPAIGURI
Coochbehar Conference
The 3rd biennial conference of Coochbehar District was held on 17.11.17 at Recreation Club. After flag hoisting and garlanding martyrs column Com Pijush Chakraborty, Circle Secretary inaugurated the conference. Com.Ananta Kr Burman presided over the conference. Other speakers in the inaugural session were Com Pulak Biswas Jt Convenor 12th July Committee and Com Smt Krishna Mitra DS BSNLEU. The subject committee session started after lunch. Coms Subash Pathak DS and Tapan Sarkar placed the report and accounts respectively. After discussion by the delegates both were passed. Coms Subhas Chandra Pathak DS and Pijush Chakraborty CS summed up at their respective levels.
Coms Subhas Chandra Pathak, Tapan Sarkar and Kohinoor Sengupta were elected as President, District Secretary and Treasurer respectively.
Jalpaiguri District GB
A Generalbody meeting on ” The present situation and our thoughts and acts”was held on 19.12.17 at Jalpaiguri Telephone Exchange. Com Nilkantha Roy District Secretary delivered the welcome speech. Com Pijush Chakraborty, Circle Secretary was the main speaker and delivered a detailed speech on the issue. Com Manik Mukherjee controlled the proceedings. Some relevant questions raised by the members and replied by CS.
CBI SPECIAL COURT JUDGMENT IS CONTRARY TO THE SUPREME COURT’S FINDINGS.
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Yesterday’s judgement of the CBI special court, acquitting all the accused, is contrary to the findings of a Supreme Court Bench. The Supreme Court Bench consisting of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice A.K. Ganguly, in their order dated 02nd February, 2012, have stated the following with regards to the 2G scam.
“the exercise undertaken by the officers of the department of telecom between September 2007 and March 2008, under the leadership of the then minister of communications and information technology, was wholly arbitrary, capricious and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality.”
“…. the material produced before the court shows that the minister of communications and information technology wanted to favour some companies at the cost of the public exchequer.”
“….the then communications minister was “very much conscious of the fact that the secretary, finance, had objected to the allocation of 2G spectrum at the rate fixed in 2001, but did not consult the finance minister or the office of the finance ministry.”
“….the manner in which the exercise for grant of LoIs to the applicants was conducted on January 10, 2008, leaves no room for doubt that everything was stage managed to favour those who were able to know in advance the change in the implementation of the first come first served policy.”
(Courtesy: BSNLEU website)
National Telecom Policy 2018 by next year – Communications Minister
The government is looking to finalise the National Telecom Policy 2018 by March next year, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha informed Parliament today.
“The Department of Telecommunications envisages to formulate a new National Telecom Policy in view of rapid technological advancement in the sector. The work on formulation of the National Telecom Policy 2018 has been initiated and is targeted to be finalised by March 2018,” Sinha said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
He said that several working groups have been constituted on different themes for this purpose.
DoT officials have earlier said that the draft of the new telecom policy will be placed in public domain for seeking their views.
The DoT has formed 13 working groups to prepare a draft of the National Telecom Policy. (New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI)
COM.M.K.LALAJI , DISTRICT SECRETARY, KOTTAYAM PASSED AWAY.
Com.M.K.Lalaji, District Secreatary, Kottayam has breathed his last at 4 AM on 21-12-2017. He was 62 and was ailing for the last few months fighting against cancer.He was a sincere and dedicated leader and has functioned in many capacities in the Telecom Unions and BSNLEU. After retirement he took up the responsibility of District Secretary, Kottayam.
It is a great loss to AIBDPA and the progressive movement.
AIBDPA share the grief and convey heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and comrades.
WFTU on Greece: That’s enough! Hands off from the Right to Strike
That’s enough! Hands off from the Right to Strike.
The struggle and the counter-attack is our duty.
We won’t allow us and our children to live in hell that Greek government has created.
These are the main slogans of today Thursday 14 December 2017 day of General strike in Greece.
The WFTU expresses its internationalist solidarity and stands on the side of the Greek working class, on the side of PAME and the thousand of Greek workers, of the unemployed, of the ordinary people of Greece who strike today and protest against the EU mechanics the IMF the WB and the government plans which condemned the Greek people to unemployment and poverty.
The WFTU stands on the side of the Palestinian people and condemns the decision of the USA imperialists and their allies to declare Jérusalem as capital of Israel. This decision will not pass. We will not allow it. The protest ended with a militant and massive rally to the USA embassy in Athens.
VELLORE DISTRICT CONFERENCE HELD ENTHUSIASTICALLY.
The 3rd District Conference of Vellore has been held enthusiastically with massive participation of pensioners on 19-12-2017 at K.M.Nathan Mahal, Vellore. Com.V.Elumalai, District President controlled the proceedings. Com.Jothisudhanthiranathan, District Secretary welcomed all the participants.
Inaugurating the conference, Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri , Advisor explained the issues and the current developments with regard to the wage revision and pension revision based on 3rd PRC report and the negative stand of the central government towards the genuine demands of the workers and pensioners. He exhorted to strengthen the organisation further to meet challenges with vigour and determination. Com.C.K.Narasimhan, Circle Secretary, and Com.P.Manicka Murthy, Circle President delivered special addresses. Shri.K.Venkataraman, Principal General Manager, BSNL, Vellore and leaders of sister organisations also addressed the conference. The report and accounts presented by the District Secretary and Treasurer were adopted after discussion.
A new set of Office Bearers have been elected unanimously with Coms. V.Elumalai (President), B.Jothisudhanthiranathan (District Secretary) and Sreedharan (Treasurer)
BSNL CORPORATE OFFICE LETTER ON PENSION REVISION OF PRE 2016 CDA PENSIONERS/ FAMILY PENSIONERS.
BSNL management has once again issued a letter regarding undue delay in sending the service details of CDA pensioners/ family pensioners by the SSAs to the concerned Circle CCAs for revision of pension based on the order dated 12-05-2017. But, what is the use of such letters which are responded with scant accountability by the inferior offices. If the management is serious, they should fix some accountability in implementing its decisions/ directives in a time bound manner.
However, based on the intervention and struggles of AIBDPA on this issue also, the DoT has already issued a directive to all the CCAs to issue the revised PPOs without waiting for the service details from the BSNL. Circle Secretaries are requested to meet the CCA and ascertain the progress.
Central Government targeting the common people, time and again – Editorial of the Telepensioner October to December, 2017.
The neo-liberal policy since its implementation in 1991 has been a nightmare for the common people and a bonanza for the corporate, both national and foreign, and the rich. The common people are being burdened with indirect taxes through the budgets while concessions are lavishly granted to the rich and the corporate. The government has no hesitation to allow, Foreign Direct Investment, even to the extent of 100%, in Key and strategic sectors like Defense, Telecom, Railways, Bank and Insurance even compromising national security. Public Sector which has played a significant role in nation building is under severe attack. Labour laws are being amended to deny the workers their due rights and benefits. Farmer deaths are continuing due to utter negligence of the government. While the wealth of big corporates like Ambani and Adani have increased many hundred folds, the condition of the common people continue to be pitiable. It was a big attack on our pension system when the draconian PFRDA bill was enacted in 2013 by the then UPA government with the active support of BJP.
Demonetisation, the Himalayan blunder, resorted to by the Narendra Modi government, has resulted in loss of jobs to lakhs of workers and putting the common people to utter distress and poverty. The implementation of GST without much preparation has caused unprecedented price rise of essential commodities.
Now, the government is up with another draconian bill, Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) bill. . The draft bill was approved by the central cabinet in June, 2017 and tabled in the Parliament in August. A joint Parliamentary Committee is expected to submit its report in the winter session of Parliament beginning 15 December,2017. The Finance Ministry claims that the bill seeks to protect customers of financial service providers in times of financial distress. But certain provisions in the bill contradicts the claim. A ‘bail-in’ clause which suggests that deposit or money could be used by failing financial institutions to stay afloat. Another controversial inclusion is that the Resolution Corporation (rescue body) which is proposed under the Bill, can use your money in case the bank sinks. In a nutshell, our hard earned money deposited in the banks are not secure. Recently an advertisement by a mutual fund firm suggested transfer of bank deposits to mutual funds for safety, as bank deposits are no more secure. So, it will be detrimental to the interest of lakhs of retail bank depositors, if the bill is enacted with the dangerous provisions.
It is a known fact that our banks are driven to financial distress due to bad loan or NPA which means unpaid big loans availed by the big corporate. Loans of large amount involving thousands of crores of rupees are granted to the corporate without proper security and they never repay. It is reported that there is a racket for sanctioning such loans with influential politicians, bank directors/officers etc. Banks are asked to write off a large portion of such bad loans periodically and in addition, the government is giving money from the exchequer to bailout the banks in acute financial distress. Further, the government, through the ensuing bill, is aiming to take away the hard earned money of small depositors for this purpose. The attack on common depositors had already inflicted by reducing the interest rates of small saving deposits.
Therefore a concerted and united movement is necessary to resist this new onslaught on the common people.