new news

SMS to be accepted soon by govt deptarments as official document

People may soon be able to use SMS communication with government departments as a documentary proof while utilising citizen-services for making payments, registrations and various other schemes. 

The Centre on Monday launched a platform with about 241 applications for the public after completing pilot project of mobile governance with about 100 departments and testing proof of concepts. 

The applications relate to services covering areas such as Right to Information (RTI), health, Aadhaar, education, directory services and so on.

Launching the 'Mobile Seva' service, department of electronics and IT secretary J Satyanarayana said: "Like Railways, we have to bring in a system wherein by showing (transaction) SMS or, whatever be the case (like e-mail), the proof on mobile is accepted as valid document. 

"To increase our reach we need to bring this kind of practice in mobile and e-governance." 

India has around 90 crore mobile phone subscribers. Satyanarayana said that at present digitally signed certificates are accepted as valid document but similar rule has to be made for mobile phone users where SMS or a communication available on mobile phone can be accepted as valid proof. 

Joint secretary at DEITY Rajendra Kumar said the department is ready with digital signature for mobile phones which the government can use in messages that are to be sent to the citizens applying for a service. 

"We will start allocating digital signature (Public Key Infrastructure) to all government department on board in first quarter of 2014. Government departments can send communication on mobile of citizen seeking service," Kumar said. 

He said any communication with PKI, say SMS, can be shown instead of a paper receipt or document. 

At present, most of the mobile applications work on Android mobile phones and Java enabled phones. 

Kumar said that in six months the government will bring all applications to HTML5 standard which will make them compatible with all mobile platforms. 

DEITY additional secretary Rajiv Gauba said about 830 departments from the Centre, state and local authorities have come on board, and the department is working on the third phase to further scale up the mobile governance platform and bring more services under its ambit. 

"We have to go through inter-ministerial consultations to scale this m-governance store for launch of third phase. The third phase will have many more departments and capacity to add more services application on this store. Final shape of third phase can be known only after consultation process is complete," he said.

Source:-The Times of India

Cabinet proposal soon to constitute 7th Pay Commission

The central government is likely to constitute the 7th Pay Commission for revising the salaries of its over 50 lakh employees before the start of process of next general elections due in May, 2014.

“The Finance Ministry is working out a Cabinet proposal for constitution of the 7th Pay Commission which could be taken up for consideration in the next couple of weeks,” a source said.

According to information available, the government’s intention to constitute 7th Pay Commission before going for polls is clear as it has made provision of Rs. 3.5 crore in the second supplementary demands for grants in this regard which was approved by Parliament in the just concluded Winter Session.

Earlier in September this year, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved setting up of the 7th Pay Commission.

According to the announcement, the Commission will be mandated to submit its report in two years time and its recommendations would be implemented from January 1, 2016.

However, after that announcement, no formal proposal was put up before the Union Cabinet for constitution of the Commission.

As per the practice, the Commission is headed by a former Supreme Court Judge and its other members would include experts and officials.

Meanwhile, the government is also believed to have approved fixing minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month under the Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95) run by retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

The government is also understood to have cleared maximum basic wage ceiling of Rs. 15,000 per month for deduction of Provident Fund from existing Rs. 6,500 per month for private sector workers, in general, covered under schemes run by EPFO.

Source : http://www.thehind

CONGRATS TO OUR N.SUBRAMANIAN SIR

===============================================

தமிழகத்தைச் சேர்ந்த நமது அன்புக்குரிய  

தோழர் . N . சுப்ரமணியன் , துணைப் பொதுச் செயலர், P 3 CHQ  அவர்கள் 

JCM (DC )  உறுப்பினராக சம்மேளனத்தால் நியமிக்கப் பட்டு 

 27.11.2013 அன்று தன்னுடைய முதல் கூட்டத்தை சந்தித்தார். அவர்தம் பணி  சிறக்க  நம் KUMBAKONAM NFPE GDSன்  மனம் திறந்த   நல்  வாழ்த்துக்கள் .  

நம் தலைவர் KVS  அவர்கள் விட்டுச் சென்ற மத்திய கூட்டு ஆலோசனைக் குழுவின் பணியை அவர் தொடர்ந்திட வேண்டும், ஊழியர் நலனில் பல்வேறு வெற்றிகளை  பெற்றிட  வேண்டும்  என்று  வேண்டுகிறோம்.

===============================================

                             BY,,  THAMBIRAJ, NFPE GDS  DVN  SECY,-  KUMBAKONAM

NPS  திட்டத்தில்  DOPT  இன் முக்கிய அறிவிப்பு 

No.7/2/2013-P&PW(F)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions
Department of Pension &Pensioners Welfare
(Desk-F)

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan,
NewDelhi- 10003

Dated the 15th October,2013

Office Memorandum

Subject : Clarification regarding rule position for payment of gratuity to the employees covered under New Pension Scheme

                                                             ..............

The undersigned is directed to refer to Ministry of Defence OM.No12(15)/2013-D(Civ.II) dated 12.7.2013 & 26.9.2013 on the subject noted above and to say that the provision of CCS(Pension) rules are not applicable to government servants appointed on or after 1.1.2004. This department is in the process of framing rules on New Pension scheme. The NPS Rules would include the provisions regarding grant of gratuity to the NPS employees. In the meanwhile, pending finalization of NPS Rules, the matter regarding payment of gratuity to NPS beneficiaries has been referred to M/o Finance Response of M/o Finance is awaited.

(Tripti.P.Ghosh)
Director(PP)

GDS TRCA SLABS & CONVEYANCE DETAILS

GDS  TRCA  SLABS        GDS BPM - 75 – Points   -  2745-50-4245 87.5 Points   -  3200-60-5000 100 Points    -  3660-70-5760 112.5 Points -  4115-75-6365 125 Points    -  4575-85-7125	OTHER  ALLOWANCES : Fixed Stationery Charges (FSC) GDSBPM : Rs.25 pm GDSSV    : Rs.10 pm GDSDA   : Rs.10 pm MD/MC    : Rs.10 pm Cycle Maintenance (CMA) (no distance condition) GDSMD : Rs.60 pm GDSMC : Rs.60 pm Office Maintenance (OMA) GDSBPM : Rs.100 pm Combined Duty (CDA) (conditions apply) BPM+MD : Rs.500/- pm ................: Rs.250/- pm BPM+MC : Rs.500/- pm ................: Rs.250/- pm BPM+MC Rs.500/- & Rs.500/- or Rs.500/- & Rs.250/- or Rs.250/- & Rs.500/- or Rs.250/- & Rs.250/-   Combination of duty GDSMD+MC:Rs.25/- pd GDSMC+MD:Rs.25/- pd Max. Rs.625/- pm ----------------------------
GDS MD/SV - Upto 3hrs : 2665-50-4165 3hr 45mts : 3330-60-5130 >3h 45mts :4220-75-6470
GDS MC/Pkr - Upto 3hrs  : 2295-45-3695 3hr 45mts  : 2870-50-4370 >3h 45mts : 3635-65-5585 Leave : Paid leave : 20 days (in two spells @10 each) Leave without Allowances 180 days in corresponding year Boat Allowance GDSMC : Rs.50/- pm   Cash Conveyance GDSBPM : Rs.50/- pm Compensation to GDSMC Rs.6/- per hour & max Rs.12/- per day

JK imposes 10.5 per cent service tax on insurance schemes

JK imposes 10.5 per cent service tax on insurance schemes

Jammu, Nov 25: The Jammu and Kashmir government’s move to impose a uniform 10.5 percent service tax on the insurance policies has evoked strong resentment among the policy holders of Postal department terming it as cutting on their hard earned savings.

Sources said that state Commercial Tax Department has imposed a uniform service tax of 10.55 per cent on the insurance policies offered by all insurance companies including the Indian Postal Department Insurance schemes.

In this regard the department of Posts India has recently issued a notification to inform the public that every insurance service, including Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance have been brought under sales tax net with effect from April 2007 vide under Jammu and Kashmir Government SRO No 117 dated March 2007.

The Posts India Department notification further says that all the existing and prospective Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance insurants shall be charged 10.5 percent tax on the premium amount w.e.f from Nov 2013 payable to the state Government.

Sources said that around two lakh policy holders of Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) in the State have been affected by the new tax regime. 

They said the imposition of such high rates of service tax would nibble at PLI and RPLI holders’ savings and benefits, adding that it would not affect much to the insurance policy holders of other companies which offer huge returns and high premium and long drawn Life Insurance policies and were already charging service and other taxes by including these in the premium itself.

Pertinently, only 1 to 3 percent tax has been imposed in other states after Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) issued a directive in this regard in June this year.

 “It is highly illogical to impose service tax on the Postal Department Insurance schemes which offer a very low return of seven percent on small premium policies.

It means that if a PLI policy holder pays 10.55 percent service tax on the premium it is losing the seven percent returns and also paying 3.50 percent from his own pocket”, an Indian Postal Service official said on condition of anonymity.

Astonishingly, while the IRDA has asked the state governments to impose up to 3 percent service tax, Jammu and Kashmir has imposed 10.55 percent much to the dismay of the policy holders, particularly those having policies of Indian Postal Service Insurance schemes.

“Indian Postal department offers PLI only to employees of central and state government departments, nationalised banks, officers and staff of the defence services besides RPLI to the poor people of backward areas where they don’t have other options of saving, on very marginal interest, which is even less than the amount they are being forced to pay as service tax,” the official said.

He termed the imposition of service tax on the premium of PLI and RPLI as a dig at the policy holder who are government servants and pay every tax in one way or other.

“The department made several requests to state government for exempting PLI and RPLI from the new tax policy but they paid no heed,” the official said.

He claimed that the Postal department also requested for reducing the tax rate from 10.55 per cent to 1 or 2 per cent like other states but that was also declined by finance department, adding “after getting disappointed by the attitude of state government India Post take up the matter with higher ups in Union Government.”

When contacted, Chandera Parkesh, Chief Post Master General J&K said, “Service tax on PLI and RPLI is the decision of state government. After receiving complaints from the customers regarding sudden increase in premium amount we have sent a representation to state finance department seeking waive off.”

He said the Directorate of Postal Service is also in touch with state government on the issue.

However, a senior officer in state finance department, on condition of anonymity, told Greater Kashmir that concerned minister is not in town and on his return the Postal department representation will be tabled for discussion.

Source : http://www.greaterkashmir.com