15 Thursday Nov 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
Tags
All preparations for the Parliament March on 22nd November demanding immediate repatriation of no-optee ITS officers to DOT are going on. In addition to the Delhi-based comrades in BSNL and MTNL, comrades from nearby circles also will be participating in large numbers. Parliament Members will be addressing the March.
15 Thursday Nov 2012
Posted in General
Beijing, Nov 15 : Xi Jinping was today appointed the new General Secretary of China’s ruling CPC in a smooth power transition that ushered in a fifth generation of leaders to steer the world’s second largest economy over the next decade, ending the 10-year reign of President Hu Jintao. 59-year-old Xi, who was the Vice President till now, will replace Hu as President in March, while Li Keqiang, 57, will succeed Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Xi was also named the chief of the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest standing military, allowing the new leader to have a free hand in running the most populous nation. The chhange has been smooth and orderly.
15 Thursday Nov 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
25 days have passed since the murder of Com. Sukenderpal Singh, District Secretary of BSNLEU Ghaziabad. But no action has been taken to arrest or suspend the GM Ghaziabad or other culprits. If it was an officer at the level of GM was murdered, the police and the BSNL Management would have swung in action and many would have been arrested, suspended etc. But because Com. Surendrerpal is only an employee, there is no action. We have seen when a top executive in Maruti was killed during the agitation, the Haryana government has put 147 workers in the jail and about 200 terminated. But here even after twenty days, no action- no action at all. The conspiracy behind this inaction can not be explained and tolerated. Hence the strike starting from today night.
One or two friends have asked me how you are accusing the GM etc. in the murder and how he or anybody else can be arrested or suspended till the guilt is proved. It is for the court to give the judgement. But before proving guilty or judgement the police has to act as they usually do. In this case they are purposely delaying the matter. Whether the BSNL Management has been suspending employees after the guilt is proved. NO. When the allegation is raised or FIR is filed against an employee, he is suspended by the management usually. Bu here it is silent. This can not be accepted or tolerated. Hence the struggle.
14 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in BSNL News
Tags
Serious efforts are being made by the Joint Forum of BSNL-MTNL Unions/Associations for making the Parliament March on 22nd November 2012 a grand success. The March is to focus the non-repatriation of the ITS officers from BSNL who are not prepared to absorb in BSNL though they are more than 10 years on deputation in BSNL.
The nearby states to Delhi have been asked to being maximum number of employees to participate in the March. The BSNLCCWF has given call to participate in the March. All India BSNL-DOT Pensioners Association will organise demonstrations all over India in support and solidarity to BSNLEU and other unions going on strike.
Prepare maximum for the contined struggle and strike on 22nd November 2012
14 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in 2G Scam Corruption
Tags
The much talked about 2G mobile phone spectrum auction ended in a damp squib today with half of the airwaves on offer remaining unsold and government getting just about one—third of the targeted revenue.
According to preliminary estimates, the government received bids worth “much—less” than Rs. 10,000 crore in an auction that ended in two days, a far cry from the 35—day bidding for the 3G spectrum in 2010 that got Rs. 67,719 crore.
The government was targeting Rs. 28,000 crore from the sale of 2G spectrum in the GSM band.
Videocon and Idea won spectrum in 7 circles while Telenor got spectrum in 6 circles. Airtel and Vodafone won spectrum in one circle each, industry sources said.
No comment was available from government officials.
None of the five companies in fray bid for a pan-India spectrum for which the reserve price was set at Rs. 14,000 crore for 5 Mhz of airwaves.
The scant interest in the 2G auction was attributed to high base price.
The government had put on auction a substantial part of the spectrum that was freed from Supreme Court in February this year cancelling 122 mobile permits issued by the then Telecom Minister A Raja to nine telecom players in 2008.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had in 2010 had said that the decision to give away spectrum at rates fixed in 2001 could have resulted in a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer taking the price garnered in the 3G auction as the benchmark.
The government thereafter fixed the base rate for 2G auction at almost equivalent to the third—generation (3G) auction price.
Further, as the government has promised to refund the license fee paid in 2008, the net gain to the exchequer may be almost nil.
The tepid response to the auction may mean that the government will find it difficult to meet the revised fiscal deficit target of 5.3 per cent of GDP.
Sources said metro cities of Delhi and Mumbai, which accounted for 40 per cent of the base price of Rs. 14,000 crore for 5 MHz of 2G spectrum, drew no bids at all.
Bids in most of the circles were around the base price with the exception of Uttar Pradesh East and West besides Bihar. Infact, the auction got extended into the second day only on back of interest in Bihar circle.
14 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
In a bid to take on the government in Parliament on its decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, CPI(M) today said it has submitted notices in both the Houses seeking a discussion on the issue under rules entailing voting.
“In both the Houses, the CPI(M) members have given the notices and we wish to take this up for a proper discussion under rules which will entail voting,” senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.
“Any such decision (allowing FDI in multi-brand retail) will have to be endorsed by Parliament and the government should not go behind the cover of saying that this is an executive decision,” he said.
He said the government should take into account Parliament’s decision if it wanted to go ahead as it was “supreme in our constitutional scheme of things.”
While Yechury signed the notice in Rajya Sabha, his senior party colleague Basudeb Acharia sent the notice in Lok Sabha seeking that the two Houses reject the government’s decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail.
Rule 184 of Lok Sabha’s Rules of Business and Rule 167 in the Rajya Sabha entail voting after discussion on a matter.
The decision to move such motions was taken at a meeting of the top-brass of the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc here on Monday.
14 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
A press meet was organised today at Calicut to focus the issue of the one day strike on 16th November and the reason for the same. A very good number of press/media/TV channels attended, more than 30. Coms. VAN Namboodiri, All India President, BSNLEU, K.Mohanan, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, Vijaya Kumar, Asst. Circle Secretary, Jayarajan, District Secretary, Calicut and K.S.Venugopal, Circle President, BSNLMS participated. We explained the background and the cold-blooded murder of Shri Sukenderpal Singh, District Secretary of BSNLEU Ghaziabad by Adesh Kumar GM Ghaziabad and his henchmen in the GM office itself. Despite filing of FIR against the GM and other culprits, he has neither been arrested nor taken in to custody by the police. The DOT and BSNL Management have also not either suspended or taken any other action against him. Our demand that the GM should be immediately arrested and suspended was focussed. BSNL Employees are going on one day strike on 16th November on this issue. All these were explained. The TV channels have already aired the press meet. It is expected that most of the dailies being published in Calicut, about 20 or so will be publishing the news.
Let us prepare for a successful strike.
13 Tuesday Nov 2012
Posted in General, Uncategorized
Tags
Welcome to Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratic voice of Myanmar and Nobel laureate to India! She was imprisoned in her home for many years by the Military Junta in Myanmar, though her party one in the elections. Now she has been freed and has come to India for a short visit on the invitation of Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Suu Kyi was a student in India and will meet many of her friends and leaders in India. A short report from “Ganashakti” on the visit is reproduced below:
Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived here today on a visit to India after a gap of nearly four decades as part of New Delhi’s ongoing engagement with democratic and multi-party polity in that country. Suu Kyi, who is visiting India at the invitation of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will deliver the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture here tomorrow. The pro-democracy leader was received at the airport here by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. “The visit of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would be part of our ongoing engagement with the democratic and multi-party polity in Myanmar. It would provide opportunity to exchange views on all matters of mutual interest with a view to building upon the positive momentum in India-Myanmar relations,” according to the official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs. “It would be recalled Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had accepted the invitation from Sonia Gandhi in her capacity as Chairperson of Nehru Memorial Fund to deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture when she met the Prime Minister during his visit to Myanmar in May 2012,” the spokesperson said. Suu Kyi was also given the Jawaharlal Nehru award for international understanding in 1992. During her nearly week-long stay, Suu Kyi will visit her alma mater, Lady Sri Ram College, where she will interact with the faculty and students. Besides her engagements in Delhi, she will be travelling to Bangalore where she will visit the Indian Institute of Science and the Infosys Campus. She is also scheduled to tour rural areas in Andhra Pradesh to gain a first-hand impression of rural development and women’s empowerment programmes being undertaken in India. Suu Kyi spent several years in India during her early days when her mother Daw Khin Yi was Ambassador to India. She also spent some time as a Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study in Shimla in 1987.
13 Tuesday Nov 2012
Tags
Many comrades, friends and well-wishers have sent Diwali Greetings to me by SMS and mail. My hearty thanks to all of them. On behalf of my family and myself I wish all of them and their families a very Happy and Pleasant Diwali!
13 Tuesday Nov 2012
Despite all the protest letters to Minister Communications, Secretary DOT, CMD BSNL as also police authorities as also strike, dharna etc. neither the GM Ghaziabad, who is the main culprit in the cold-blooded murder of Com. Sukenderpal, District Secretary, BSNLEU Ghaziabad, is arrested, suspended or repatriated as demanded. It is clear that money has been passed in lakhs/crores to save the murderers.
We can not accept this position. The culprit/s have to be punished. Organise the 16th September strike in a magnificent way which will be a serious warning to the police and the BSNL/DOT authorities. Strike and strike hard!
VAN Namboodiri's Blog 