Govt cuts interest rate on PPF, small savings schemes by 0.10 percent

Easing of interest rates, in keeping with a downtrend in inflation, is not a one-way street as lakhs of small savers and PPF (Public Provident Fund) account holders will learn the hard way from the new fiscal year.

 

Starting April 1, PPF deposits along with most of the post office savings schemes will fetch reduced returns owing to a cut in interest rates by 10 basis points each. According to a Finance Ministry statement here, the interest rate on PPF will stand reduced from 8.8 per cent to 8.7 per cent with effect from April 1. Likewise, the five-year maturity Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) will earn an interest of 8.4 per cent instead of 8.5 per cent during the current fiscal ending March 31.

 

The only exception, however, has been made in the case of savings deposit schemes and fixed deposits of up to one year run by post offices with their interest rates kept unchanged at 4 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively. All other savings schemes falling under the NSSF (National Small Savings Fund) will see a reduction in interest rates by 10 basis points which would be applicable for the entire fiscal year 2013-14.

 

For instance, the National Savings Certificates (NSC) having five and 10-year maturity periods will now earn interest rates of 8.5 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively, as against 8.6 per cent and 8.9 per cent hitherto. The interest rate for SCSS (Senior Citizens Savings Scheme) also stands reduced to 9.2 per cent from 9.3 per cent. The revision in interest rates is in line with the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath Committee which, among other things, had suggested that the returns on small savings should be in sync with market rates determined by the returns offered by other securities.

 Although the lower interest rates may come as a blow to small savers, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia sought to justify the reduction. “In real terms, inflation is much lower than it was two years ago. So, in real terms, the interest rate is more favourable,” he said.

 

Explaining further on the sidelines of an event here, he said: “I don’t believe that interest rate for savers through the post office system can be de-linked completely from the interest rate system in the country…If you want [a] low [interest] rate environment, you cannot say, ‘I want higher interest rate for savers and low interest rate for borrowers’. They have probably moderated [interest rate] a little bit in line with the softening of interest rates.”

 

Keywords: small savings account holder, PPF, post office savings schemes

 

 

 

 

Where have all the Sparrows gone?

       ( A post in c/w World Sparrow Day on 20/03/2013)

For a long, long time, the chubby, chirpy house sparrow lived in our midst aplenty. Now, you can't find them in the urban environment any more. All this has happened in a span of just a few years.

India is not the only place where the Sparrows have disappeared  from the cities.In the Netherlands, they are already an endangered species. In Britain, their population is dropping at such an alarming rate that they are now in the red list as a species of 'high conservation concern'.

In France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Finland, the story is not very different.

This is an environmental alarm bell at its loudest.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a common bird that millenniums ago originated in the Mediterranean and came into Europe and Asia with the spread of agriculture. It was carried across the Atlantic in mid-19th century as a friend, to help clean up green inchworms from the trees of New York's Central Park.

It was the most widely distributed species of the world. Today it is suddenly disappearing in the urban environment. What this translates into is that the modern urbanization has reached a level where it can trigger the extinction of a species.

In the past, when the cities were small and there were villages around, with agricultural land around them, these were vast lungs of open spaces that separated the urban and the rural, constantly replenished the air.

In the fields there were occasional clusters of indigenous fruit trees and bushes that were ideal nesting places for a number of birds including sparrows. At such places, there was also a pond that got filled each year with the monsoon spillover from the entire region.

In the fields and the grazing lands there were thorny bushes and trees that provided safe nesting havens for sparrows and other small birds that kept the area clean of insects. The insects made ideal infant food for their young ones.

For the first 15 days of their life, house sparrow offsprings live entirely on these juicy morsels.

In those days, the crop was harvested and gathered at one place where the grain was separated from the chaff, giving ample time to the sparrow to take their share for their pest control services rendered to the farmer.

When the harvest moved to the open grain markets, the birds still had a chance to peck at it. Back in the household when women cleaned the grain in courtyards, sparrows were always a constant companion, feeding on the stray seeds of weeds that were separated and discarded.

As fields, bushes, tree clusters, marshes and the water bodies disappear, they are being replaced by urban dwellings, watertight pavements and roads. Naturally, only some habitants of the erstwhile eco-system are able to survive.

With no food or safe nesting, birds perish or migrate to more agreeable habitat.

In the absence of smaller birds that feed on them, insects such as maggots and flies thrive and carry disease to the human dwellings.

It is not the first time the house sparrows have been ousted from cities. In the early 20th century when Europe started shifting from horse-driven transport to motorised vehicles, the house sparrow population in many cities is said to have declined by two-third. The cause cited was the lack of cereal fed to the horses in the open -- a key food supply for birds.

Today the reasons for the sparrows' decline are largely electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and lack of insect food due to excessive use of pesticide in urban gardens. But most certainly, it is the loss of habitat that drives any species towards extinction.

Our gardens and parks are hardly any habitat for birds. In an open canopy environment with broom cleaned floor, there is neither nesting material nor food or security from predators.

Can we not think of 'Mini Forests' within the urban set-up? These should have little ponds to collect the rain run off in small wetlands, where indigenous aquatic plants can grow and where water birds in small numbers can find sustenance.

The 'forests' should have fruit-bearing trees forming a low-rise canopy. There should be unchecked undergrowth to provide shelter to ground feeding birds and their insect prey. Here bird droppings and leaf litter should be the only manure.

Once such a system is established, there will be no need to water the 'forests'. It will be an ideal home for a host of birds and other forms of life. These 'forests' will demand nothing from us other than our absence. And, for all you know, the house sparrow may even stage a come back!

NUPE A.P Circle Working Committee meeting

NUPE A.P Circle Working Committee meeting

Circle union working committee meeting scheduled is to be held at Hanmakonda from 26-27th March 2013 under the presidentship of Sri G.Nageswararao. All CWC members are requested to attend the meeting without fail.
Venu: SRSC Guest House, KC Canal Colony, Chintagattu, Hassanparthy Road, Hanmakonda - 506015

Agenda:

        1. Adoption of the minutes of the last CWC

        2.  Organizational Review.

        3. Financial Review.

        4. Two days Strike 20-21^st Feb 2013 – Review.

        5. Pending items of Group C

        6. Program of Action

        7. Any other item with the permission of the chair.

Reception Committee contact numbers:

S.Chakradhararao: 7893040950

S.Sadanandam:9849689244 

T.Bhumeswarsingh: 9491030220

Is raising retirement age of Central Government Employees a threat for employment prospects of youth?

Is raising retirement age of Central Government Employee a threat for employment prospects of youth?

At the end of Every Year people used to talk about the proposal of raising the retirement age of government servants. Normally the people who are at the verge of retirement from government service are eagerly expecting the government to increase the retirement age. The Government servants especially those who are in the pay structure of Pay band –I will have to face financial burden as the Pension amount they will be paid after commutation will be very meager and it is not sufficient enough to meet their expenses of day to day life. Because the Government employees those who are drawing grade pay of Rs.1800/-, 1900/-, 2000/-, 2400/-and 2800/- will get only around Rs.20000 as the gross salary of every month. It is understood that one cannot lead a financially successful life with this income alone. So many government servants, to run the life, forced to avail loans from where ever they can get. At the end, they are badly in debt at the time of retirement. That is why the government servants don’t feel happy about retiring from service. But extending the service of two years from 60 to 62 will not solve all their problems. It will help them to put off facing the financial crisis for at least two years. But the Government does not consider this aspect any way to increase the retirement age of central government employees from 60 to 62.

Extension of Service to  Bureaucrats

  The Central Government always wanted to make better use of the knowledge and experience of its Bureaucrats even after their retirement. In other words Government wants to secure their top brass preferably IAS officers by giving service extension. Sometime extending their service for further period of two year is difficult task for the concerned department. Extension in service can be given only in “exceptional circumstances”. For example recently home Ministry wanted to give one year extension to its former Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as he has done commendable work in his stint . But it was denied by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). However, it was mainly the service rules that led to the ACC declining Home Ministry’s proposal. Normally IAS officers offered multiple service extension.

The Retirement Age of  Professors   

         The Central Government has already increased the retirement age of professors in all the central universities from 62 to 65 years, two years back. Before that, the retirement age of professors of Central Universities was 62 with the provision for re-employment for three years after the superannuation. That time there was some allegation that this provision of re-employment was being “misused” by the authorities who took such decisions in an “arbitrary” manner. So Central Government decided to increase the retirement age of Professors to 65 uniformly.

One year extension for state government employees 

         Recently the Punjab government’s decided to offer an extension of one year in service to its retiring employees with effect from October 2012 . The condition laid down for this offer was 1.Employees will be given an option to continue at the same salary.2. They will get no increments in salary during the extension period but will get any due promotions. The decision to give the extension was taken to meet the shortage of 35,000 employees who are expected to retire in next one year. Since, the move may affect employment prospects of the youth, the government increased the maximum age limit for recruitment into government service from 37 to 38 years.

The Retirement Age of  Judges

     On August 18, 2012, The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, speaking at the 150th year celebrations of the Bombay High Court, said the government was in favour of raising the age of retirement of High Court judges. Presently, Supreme Court judges retire at 65 and High Court judges at 62.

Re engagement of Retired Employees in Railways

          Whether it is true or not but it is believed that Railway gave its consensus to raise the retirement age of its employees, as it is already re-engaging their retired employee for daily remuneration after their retirement till the age of 62. It was followed from 1998 with the reference of Railway Board Letter No.E(NG)II/97/RC-4/8 dated 03.02.98. In 2009 the rates of Daily Allowances also revised for engagement of retired employees on daily remuneration basis.

         So keeping in view of the entire above aspects one can assume that the state and central governments and some Departments are in fovour of increasing the retirement age of Central and State government employees.

       But Social Activists and youth associations are against this proposal and they expressed their dissatisfaction over this  and telling that the retirement age of central government employees should not be increased to 62 as increasing the retirement age is a threat for employment prospects of the youth.Many of them opined that instead of increasing, the retirement age should be reduced to 58 so that the youngsters will be given opportunity to get into Central government services.

DA reached 80% – what will happen, if DA crosses 100%

DA reached 80% – what will happen, if DA crosses 100%

What will happen DA reaches 100%..!

At present DA is getting ready to touch 80% level. We can expect that it will reach to 100% level near future.

Dearness Allowance Vs Price Rise

The central government employee’s confederation opined that The Dearness allowance which the cg employees are receiving now is not enough to meet the price rise of essential commodities. (see here)

The retail price of those commodities which go into making of minimum wage have risen by about 160% between 1.1.2006 to 2011 in comparison to D.A. compensation, which on the date had been just 51%

The effect of 50% Dearness allowance on our Pay

The sixth pay commission recommended that Whenever the DA reaches 50% level , Some allowances have to be increased by 25 % . Where as in Fifth CPC , it had been recommended when the DA reaches 50 % it should be merged with Basic Pay. It has been implemented with effect from 2004. And the fifth cpc also recommended that the Pay and Allowance should be revised after every five years. But it was not accepted by the Government.

The objectives of increasing Allowances by 25% as per the 6 CPC or merging DA with Basic pay as in the case of 5CPC, when ever DA reaches 50%, is to make the central government employees to balance the financial burden caused by Price Rise through increasing their pay package.

The impact of DA Reaches 100%

According to fifth CPC the 50 % DA had been merged with Basic Pay and in 6CPC , some allowances have been increased by 25%. But 5CPC didn’t say anything about what should be done when DA touch 100% level. Because the govt servants receiving their pay as per pre revised pay were not granted merging of another 50% of DA in 5CPC scale.

7th Pay commission

Even after the rate of DA is increased to 50% level it is not enough to increase some allowance by 25% as it will not help to handle the expenses caused by inflation. So The central government employees are expecting that government should constitute 7th pay commission immediately.

NO BAN ON RECRUITMENT IN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

"There is no ban on recruitment in Central Government" said Minister of Dopt.

In Lok Sabha while answering to a question, Minister V.Narayanasamy said that there is no ban on recruitment in Central Government and the respective Ministries /Departments concerned are required to fill up the vacancies within the framework of existing instructions/rules keeping in view functional requirement of the posts.

“As per the Employment Market Information Programme of Ministry of Labour & Employment, employment growth in the organized sector including public and private sectors has increased from 281.72 lakh in 2009 and 289.99 lakh in 2011 registering a compound annual growth rate of 1.46%. The compound annual growth rate was 5.05% per annum in Private Sector and a marginal decline of 0.70% in Public Sector, mainly due to rightsizing.

There is no ban on recruitment in Central Government. The respective Ministries /Departments concerned are required to fill up the vacancies within the framework of existing instructions/rules keeping in view functional requirement of the posts. In so far as Railways is concerned, notifications for filling up of about 2 lakh posts pertaining to safety, maintenance and operations have already been issued.

The estimated number of total vacancies of regular Central Government Civilian employees (including Railways) as on 1.3.2011 is 5,81,591. The data in respect of CPSUs and Railway PSUs in not centrally maintained”.

Status of your application for Direct PA/SA Recruitment

Status of your application for Direct PA/SA Recruitment

Status of your application for Direct PA/SA Recruitment

To view click below

Website : 

http://www.eonlineapply.com/dop/pages/doplogin.aspx

Guidelines for New Mobile Connections

Guidelines for New Mobile Connections

Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued revised instructions to Cellular Mobile Telephone Service and Unified Access Services Licensees vide letter dated 09.08.2012 on verification of Mobile Subscribers after review of existing instructions. New instructions are aimed at improving customer verification compliance. These instructions inter-alia prescribe the following:

(i) A passport size photograph should be pasted on the Customer Acquisition Form (CAF) and the documents as proof of identity and proof of address of the subscriber should be attached with the CAF.

(ii) The person at the Point of Sale has to get the CAF duly filled and signed (in case of illiterate person thumb impression) by the subscriber with date. The authorized person at PoS has to record in the CAF that he has seen the subscriber and matched the photograph attached on the CAF with the subscriber and verified his copies of documents of proof of address and proof of identity attached with the CAF with the original and has to put his signature on the CAF & all attached documents.

(iii) The mobile connection is to be activated only after the requirement of filling up CAF and copies of documentary proof as per requirement have been fulfilled by the customer and the subscriber details have been updated in the subscriber database of the Licensee and the employee of licensee has verified the same.

(iv) After activation of SIM also the subscriber is to be tele-verified by the Licensee.

As far as retailers are concerned, they are contractors of the licensees and these instructions are not addressed to the retailers.

The detailed instructions dated 09.08.2012 are available at DoT website at http://www.dot.gov.in/as/2012/DOC181012.pdf

In these instructions, apart from the penalties prescribed in other instructions issued form time to time, the following additional provisions of penalty have inter-alia been made in these instructions:

(i) In case, the Licensee fails to intimate about the disconnection to TERM Cell within 7 days of disconnection, a penalty of Rs. 3000/- per connection per week or part thereof shall be levied.

(ii) If it is detected that the number was not actually disconnected on or before the date of confirmation/disconnection, then a penalty @ Rs. 1000 per day from the date of intimation to the Licensee to the date of actual disconnection shall be levied in addition to the penalty for non-disconnection.

The following provisions have inter-alia been re-iterated in these instructions regarding point of sale/ franchisees in case of forged document cases:

(i) Police complaint/ FIR shall be lodged by the Point of Sale (PoS)/Franchisee against the subscriber in case forged documents are submitted by the subscriber and originals are also forged.

(ii) Licensee shall lodge FIR/ Complaint against the subscriber and Franchisee/PoS in case of failure of PoS/Franchisee in lodging complaint/FIR against subscriber.

(iii) The Licensee shall lodge the compliant / FIR against the Franchisee/ point of sale and financial penalty shall also be imposed in case forgery has been done by point of sale/ franchisee.

(iv) In case action as above is not taken by the Licensee or Licensee itself is involved in forgery, Telecom Enforcement Resource & Monitoring (TERM) Cell of DoT shall lodge Complaint/ FIR against Licensee. Penalty shall also be imposed on all such forged cases.

(v) Where it is found that the act of issuing connections was done by PoS using the document of some other subscriber or any person, or the documents were forged by the franchisee/PoS, the concerned PoS/franchisee may be terminated by the Licensee in addition to lodging of complaint / FIR against it. Other Licensees shall also terminate/ not appoint any such PoS.

In the new instructions, some additional safeguards have been made in the interest of national security. There does not seem any provision leading to undue hardship to consumers.

This information was given by Shri Milind Deora, Minister of State for C&IT in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Postal savings shrink on inflation, lower interest rates

Postal savings shrink on inflation, lower interest rates

KOLKATA/SILIGURI: The government faces the challenge of holding investment rate from slipping further as small savings continued to erode amid lower rates and persistent high inflation, which prompted households to invest in gold.

The latest data published by the Reserve Bank of India showed that outstanding small savings maintained with post offices have shrunk to 601,961 crore in December 2012, 1.5% lower than the year-ago position. Monthly savings, which has always been the top draw among all postal savings schemes, have shrunk 4% to 201,969 crore.

"People always look for alternate avenues of investment that offers higher rate of return. The promise of apparent higher return offered by non-banking financial institutes is a major attraction," said John Samuel, chief post master general in Jammu & Kashmir.

India's central statistical office said the investment rate is estimated at 35% in 2011-12 against 36.8% in 2010-11. Both public and private investment declined as a share of GDP. Savings rate is estimated at 30.8% in 2011-12 against 34% the year before as a percentage of GDP.

The moderation in the net financial household savings rate reflects a drop in small savings and slower growth in households' holdings of bank deposits, currency and life funds.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com 

 R.T.I For Beginner- A Simple Format

Most of the citizens of India are now aware of the tool called RTI. But how many of us have actually filed an RTI Application ?

It is observed that most of the people who need some significant public information are afraid to file an RTI Application just because they do not know "How to start". First we must understand that RTI Application is actually a set of questions that we are asking the Public Information Officer and so, it does not have to be in a very specific formal format. This means that, to file your first RTI, you must do the following :

Step 1 :- Prepare a list of questions. Make sure that you have numbered your questions.

Step 2 :- Insert an introductory text which can be like a letter. It can contain some general text like - Respected Sir, Kindly provide me the following information... folowed by your questions. 

Step 3 :- Insert a footer after the questions. Here you should specify the serial number of the Postal Order which you have used as application fee. Footer can contain information regarding whether the information sought is public information. Or, whether you are a concerned party and you can also specify a reason for asking for this information (optional). Conclude your letter with your signature.

Step 4 :- Like any other letter, you can put a subject line stating Request for information under Right to information act 2005

Step 5:- Add the From and To fields appropriately. 

Using a paper clip, attach the postal order with your letter and put it in the envelope. Needless to say, write the address of the addressee on the envelope. 

Your RTI Application format is ready. This will of course be modified according to the information sought.

- Source: RTI India

GRAMIN DAK SEVAK ISSUES IN PARLIAMENT

LOK SABHA

FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013

Grameen Dak Sevaks (GDS) - Working Strength, Service benefits & Welfare Schemes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1402

ANSWERED ON 06.03.2013

GRAMEEN DAK SEVAKS

1402 . Shri DILIP SINGH JU DEV
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:-

(a) the number of Grameen Dak Sewaks working in post offices in various States including Chhattisgarh tribal region, State-wise;

(b) the monthly stipend being paid to these Sewaks;

(c) whether the Government proposes to increase their stipend in view of steep rise in inflation and also introduce welfare measures for them; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (Dr. (Smt.) KILLI KRUPA RANI)

(a) As on 01.01.2013, the total working strength of various categories of Grameen Dak Sewaks is 263326 including 2458 Grameen Dak Sewaks working in Chhattisgarh Tribal Region. State-wise and UT wise details is at Annexure I.

(b) Grameen Dak Sewaks are paid Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) & other admissible allowances as approved by Cabinet and not stipend, the details of which are at Annexure II.

(c) Grameen Dak Sewaks are in receipt of Dearness Allowance which is linked to price rise/ inflation on the admissible TRCA at the same rate as allowed to regular Central Government employees and which is revised twice in a year based on price index. The Government has also introduced various welfare measures for these Grameen Dak Sewaks.

(d) The details of welfare measures introduced for the Grameen Dak Sewaks are at Annexure III.

LOK SABHA ANNEXURE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1402 DATED 6.03.2013

ANNEXURE I

S. No.	Name of Circle/State/UTs	Working Strength of Gramin Dak Sevaks as on 01.01.2013
		GDS SPM	GDS BPM	GDS MD	GDS MC	GDS MP	GDS SV	Others	Total
1	Andhra Pradesh	0	13139	4694	4242	1941	175	2646	26837
2	Assam	0	3216	2906	1639	283	39	371	8454
3	Bihar	0	6307	5165	2598	360	86	553	15069
4	Chhattisgarh	0	2423	855	1545	147	13	26	5009
5	Delhi	0	77	26	14	24	30	6	177
6	Gujarat	0	6768	4619	1396	702	63	296	13844
6a	Dadar & Nagar Haveli (UT)	0	5	45	0	0	0	0	50
6b	Daman & Diu (UT)	0	7	17	0	0	0	2	26
7	Haryana	0	1972	1050	708	233	18	4	3985
8	Himachal Pradesh	0	2247	2614	1068	312	13	61	6315
9	Jammu & Kashmir	0	1368	506	754	95	8	0	2731
10	Jharkhand	0	2461	1539	1286	154	35	407	5882
11	Karnataka	0	7777	4681	1235	1789	66	249	15797
12	Kerala	0	3443	5765	852	1259	138	165	11622
12a	Lakshadweep (UT)	2	1	1	0	5	0	0	9
12b	Puducherry (UT)	0	3	5	1	1	0	0	10
13	Madhya Pradesh	0	5632	2498	4056	290	22	229	12727
14	Maharashtra	0	10122	6939	1644	1115	46	27	19893
14a	Goa (State)	0	147	128	21	54	1	2	353
	North East	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Arunachal Pradesh (State)	0	198	166	27	30	2	11	434
16	Manipur (State)	0	591	495	627	40	1	1	1755
17	Meghalaya (State)	0	332	389	262	41	0	0	1024
18	Mizoram (State)	0	285	234	281	12	0	98	910
19	Nagaland (State)	0	279	254	237	35	3	0	808
20	Tripura (State)	0	514	416	290	53	1	65	1339
21	Orissa	1	5798	4863	3209	929	41	110	14951
22	Punjab	0	2831	1642	960	227	15	0	5675
22a	Chandigarh (UT)	0	8	13	0	16	2	0	39
23	Rajasthan	0	7460	2371	3014	439	37	49	13370
24	Tamil Nadu	0	8656	8475	1325	2168	269	682	21575
24a	Puducherry (UT)	0	41	49	0	15	4	0	109
25	Uttar Pradesh	0	12659	10991	4127	1311	315	1262	30665
26	Uttarakhand	0	2122	2218	1322	236	9	217	6124
27	West Bengal	0	5370	4985	3337	777	315	339	15123
28	Sikkim (State)	0	53	74	19	5	0	0	151
28a	Andaman & Nicobar (UT)	0	171	203	102	0	8	0	484
	Total	3	114483	81891	42198	15098	1775	7878	263326
	Chhattisgarh Tribal Region	0	1068	422	911	48	2	7	2458

Annexure II

Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) of Gramin Dak Sevaks

[Implemented w.e.f. 01.01.2006]

S. No.	Category of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS)	TRCA effective from 01.01.2006	For Work  load ( in hours )
1	GDS Branch Postmaster	Rs 2745-50-4245	Up to 3 hours
		Rs 3200-60-5000	More than 3 hours and up to 3 hours 30 min
		Rs 3660-70-5760	More than 3 hours 30 min and up to 4 hours
		Rs 4115-75-6365	More than 4 hours and up to 4 hours 30 min
		Rs. 4575-85-7125	More than 4 hours 30 min and up to 5 hours
2	GDS Mail deliverer/ Stamp vendor	Rs 2665-50-4165 [for new entrants]	Up to 3 hours
		Rs 3330-60-5130	More than 3 hours and up to 3 hours 45 min
		Rs 4220-75-6470	More than 3 hours 45 min and up to 5 hours
3	GDS Mail Carrier/ Packer/ Mailman	Rs 2295-45-3695 [for new entrants]	Up to 3 hours
		Rs2870-50-4370	More than 3 hours and up to 3 hours 45 min
		Rs 3635-65-5585	More than 3 hours 45 min and up to 5 hours

Note:

Besides the TRCA, the GDSs also get Dearness Allowance at the same rate as admissible to Central Government employees. Gramin Dak Sevak Branch Postmasters get Office Maintenance Allowance@Rs.100/- per month & Fixed Stationery Charges @Rs.25/- per month.  Other categories like Gramin Dak Sevak Mail Deliverers and Mail Carriers get Cycle Maintenance Allowance @ Rs.60/- per month.

Annexure III

EXISTING WELFARE SCHEMES INTRODUCED FOR GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS

1	Maternity Grant	Women GDS are provided Maternity Grant for each child up to the birth of maximum of two children limited to maximum of two confinements resulting into birth of first two children only during the entire engagement period of a Woman GDS equivalent to three months TRCA with DA.  Women GDS’s like Mail Deliverer and Mail Carrier have also been prescribed to be considered for lighter duties wherever possible during the pre and post confinement period.
2	Maternity Leave	Women GDS have also been provided to be granted maternity leave not exceeding six months covering the pre and post confinement period.
3	Extra Departmental Group InsuranceScheme	Gramin Dak Sevaks are provided with insurance coverage of Rs. 50000/- under the Group Insurance Scheme available to them on death.
4	Service Discharge Benefit Scheme	A Service Discharge Benefit Scheme has been introduced by the Government for the benefit of Gramin Dak Sevaks working in the Department of Posts on monthly contribution basis (from Department’s side only @ Rs. 200/-pm) devised on the basis of New Pension Scheme (NPS)-Lite scheme launched by the PensionFund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA). This Schemehas been offered in lieu of the existing Severance Amount Schemeon an optional basis for the existing Gramin Dak Sevaks while it is mandatory for the new Gramin Dak Sevaks entering into service with effect from 01.01.2011.  The Scheme provides a certain percentage as lump sum at the time of discharge plus mandatory investment of certain percentage in annuity that would provide them monthly benefits in the shape of pension.
5	Leave	Gramin Dak Sevaks are allowed to be granted 20 days paid leave in a year without accumulation.
6	Limited Transfer Facility	Gramin Dak Sevaks are provided with the facility of limited transfer in cases of posting at a distant place on redeployment in the event of abolition of the post, on being appointed on compassionate grounds and posted at distant place, on marriage/remarriage of woman GDS, on suffering extreme hardship due to a disease and for medical attention/treatment of self on production of valid medical certificate from the medical officer of a Government Hospital and on requirement of looking after the welfare of a physically handicapped/mentally handicapped person/dependant requiring to move to different places to give support to such dependant. Such facility is provided for only one transfer during the entire career and on rendering a minimum service of 3 years subject to fulfillment of other conditions. Based on recommendation made by one man Committee, an exception has been made for women Gramin Dak Sevaks, who availed the transfer facility on the ground of extreme hardship due to a disease and for medical attention/treatment before their marriage and now they can avail the facility for a second time in the event of their marriage/re-marriage.
7	Assistance from Welfare Fund	Following assistance from welfare fund are allowed to the Gramin Dak Sevaks:- S. No. Name of Welfare Scheme Admissible amount of Financial Assistance 1 Financial Assistance in case of death Rs. 7000/- 2 Death occurring due to enemy action in war or border skirmishes or action against militants, terrorists, extremists, etc. Rs. 1,50,000/- 3 Funeral Expenses* Rs.500/- 4 Nutritional diet to the GDS suffering from Tuberculosis : (a)     Indoor treatment. (b)   Outdoor treatment. Rs.400/- p.m. Rs.200/- p.m. 5 Financial Assistance in case of prolonged and serious illness / major surgeries Rs. 5000/- 6 Scholarship and book awardscheme To ensure better coverage for GDSs, their wards be granted relaxation by 10% marks as in case of SCs/STs and OBCs, in so far as grant of book award is concerned. *Payable from the Circle Welfare Fund, only in cases in which last rites of deceased Postal Employee are performed by brothers or sisters or near relatives in the absence of any other next of kin.
8	Compassionate Engagement	A new transparent Scheme for engagement of dependents GDS on compassionate grounds with merit points and procedure for selection has been introduced allocating points for each attribute of indigence on a 100 Point Scale. Spouse [widows] has been allowed 15 grace points over and over. Hard and deserving cases have been prescribed as cases over and above 50 Points.
9	Medical Facilities	GDS being a separate and distinct category, they are not covered by CS (MA) Rules and they are also not extended the CGHS facility. Under the existing provisions, they are allowed financial assistance to the extent of Rs. 5000/-from Circle Welfare Fund provided such GDS must have put in at least six years of service in the Department, treatment should have been taken from Government hospital and produced medical certificates and the illness is at least 2 months old. Regional/Circle Heads have been conferred discretionary powers to sanction financial assistance to the extent of Rs. 10000/- in each case. In rare and exceptional circumstances, further financial assistance can also be considered from Central Welfare Fund.
10	Avenues for absorption on regular departmental posts	GDS being Extra Departmental, their absorption as departmental employee to the cadre of MTS/Postman/PA is through direct recruitment under the statutory recruitment rules. Under the statutory Recruitment Rules of the cadre of MTS, GDS are considered for 25% vacancies against seniority quota and further 25% vacancies through Limited Departmental Examination (LDE). As per Recruitment Rules of Postman cadre, GDS are considered against 50% vacancies through LDE. In addition, GDS can also be considered for direct recruitment to the post of Postal Assistant (PA) / Sorting Assistant (SA) against unfilled promotion quota vacancies of PA/SA on the basis of examination subject to fulfillment of the following conditions as on 01st January of the vacancy year:- (i)                 GDS should have obtained at least 50% marks in 10+2 standard or 12th class with English as a compulsory subject (excluding vocational streams) and have put in a minimum service of 5 years (ii)               They should be within 30 years of age (35 years for SC/ST & 33 years for OBC)