Monthly Archives: June 2013

Cabinet approves proposal to erect 2199 towers in naxal affected areas

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Telecom

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As we have pointed out a few days back, the Cabinet has expeditiously cleared the Communication Ministry proposal to erect 2199 mobile towers in the naxal affected areas in the nine states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh,  Andhra Pradesh,  Bihar,  Jharkhand, Maharashtra,  West Bengal, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

The project will be entrusted to BSNL for implementation within one year. An amount of Rs. 3,046.12 crore will be allotted for this project from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

BSNL should take this project as a challenge and ensure that it is completed within the stipulated period. BSNL has to show to the country that it and not the private telcos are there to defend the country, when it is in difficulty or when it is facing security risks.

BSNL and DOT has to move fast to avoid a confrontation with the workers

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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The massive dharnas in all the SSAs (Districts) and Circle HQs(State capitals) and Corporate Office of BSNL have been actively participated by thousands of employees giving a clear signal to the DOT and BSNL Management that if the issue of 78.2% IDA fixation issue is not settled as already agreed one year back on 12th June 2012 in the face of the indefinite strike by workers, another Indefinite Strike is going to take place from 12th June 2013, exactly after one year of the agreement.  The full responsibility for the confrontation and the adverse effect on the company will lie with the BSNL Management and DOT. BSNL workers and the Forum of BSNL Unions & Associations, which gave the call for the strike, have very patiently waited for one year to get the agreement implemented. But there is a limit to patience also. It is to be pointed out here that  the DOT as well as  the BSNL Management took extra interest in implementing the government orders on the recommendations of the VI Central Pay Commission (CPC) in the case of ITS officers who are on deputation to BSNL, but with regard to its own workers, the orders on 78.2% IDA fixation stand not implemented. This is nothing but complete indifference, discrimination and an insult to the BSNL workers. This is intolerable and untenable.

Naturally, the employees are agitated. If the issue is not settled before 12th June, the BSNL management is going to face a complete strike and anger of the workers.

On behalf of the Forum of BSNL Unions & Associations, we demand the management to honour its committment and ensure issue of orders on 78.2% IDA fixation immediately.

Massive Dharnas in BSNL against injustice

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

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As per the call of the Forum of BSNL Unions & Associations, massive dharnas were organised in all the state capitals, District capitals and at the BSNL Corporate office premises demanding immediate orders on 78.2% IDA fixation benefit to  the employees by honouring the strike agreement between the BSNL Management and the Forum on 12th June 2012, one year earlier. The Department of Public Enterprises(DPE) had already issued the orders on the same much earlier and have been implemented in almost all other PSUs. For the Central Government employees also the fixation has been done, as per CDA. BSNL Management itself has implemented all the VI CPC recommendations to the ITS officers (Group A) who are on deputation to BSNL. Denying the same to the executives and non-executives in BSNL is complete injustice and can not be tolerated. It is on this issue, the massive dharnas were organised today. Tens of thousands of workers participated in the dharna all over India.

We demand the management to honour the agreement and implement 78.2% IDA fixation immediately before the workers go on an indefinite strike from 12th June 2013, as given notice of.

138 million internet users in India

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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As per the study report by CISCO, there are 138 million internet users as in 2012. India is one of the fastest internet growth ountry and the number is going to reach 348 million by 2017 according to the same study report.

It is not only children and youth, but even the old aged are becoming part of the internet users.

Protest Government move to increase FDI in Defence

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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According to the Chief Economic Advisor to the government, Raghuram Rajan, the government is proposing to increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in some sectors including Defence. At present FDI in Defence is 26%. FDI was implemented in defence despite protest from the Employees’ Unions.

In a very strategic and security sector like Defence, increasing the FDI has to be strongly protested not only by the employees but by the political parties. The scams and corrupt practices in Defence sector is going to further increase if the FDI increases.

DOT further soften stand towards private telcos.

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

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The penalties being imposed on the private telcos for various violations of rules and regulations as well as cheating of the government are going to be softened after the complaints by the telcos to the government and specially to the Communications Minister. This was only expected from the government who wants to bestow all favours on the private companies in the name of bringing in more investment. The Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Airtel, Tata etc. are going to benefit from the relaxed position of the DOT. Further it will encourage them to continue the malpractices, well knowing that they can get out of it.

UPA Government for conciliation with Vodafone

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The government has decided for conciliation on the issue of Income Tax of Rs. 14,000 to be paid by Vodafone. The Income Tax department has levied the tax considering all  rules and regulations. But the government has succumbed to the pressure of the MNC and has now decided for conciliation. In a conciliation, it is clear that the tax will be drastically reduced and the government will be at heavy loss.

When MNCs and big corporates are involved, the government is always there to help them, even if it loses revenue. But if it is in the case of the workers or the common people, there will be no relaxation and kindness. Decisions and policies of the government, one after another, expose its pro-rich and anti-people attitude.

Another penalty for Vodafone for cheating government

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The Department of Telecom (DOT) has directed Vodafone, the second largest mobile company in India, to pay a penalty of rs. 1,263 crores for underreporting revenues for the four financial years from 2007-2008 to 2010-11. The penalty is imposed, since the company manipulated its accounts to show reduced revenue to escape from paying the licence fee and spectrum usage charges on adjusted gross revenue.

This incident once again exposes the methods used by the private companies to cheat the government and escape from paying the taxes and other charges.

CPI(M) statement on CIC order

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The Communist Party of India (Marxist) cannot accept the order of the Central Information Commission that political parties are to be treated as “public authorities” and brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act. This decision is based on a fundamental misconception about the role of political parties in a parliamentary democracy.

The CIC order states that “six national parties are substantially financed by the Central Government and therefore they are held to be public authorities under the Act”. This is untrue because the bulk of the funding and finances for the parties do not come from the government or any State institution. In fact, the CPI(M) does not even accept funds from the corporates which is legally permissible.

One of the concerns of the CIC seems to be transparency of the funding and finances of political parties. At present according to the law all political parties are required to submit their accounts to the Income Tax department and the Election Commission. Already under the RTI, the statement of accounts and the finances of the parties are accessible to anyone from the Election Commission. Any more details of the financing of the Party can be sought for and has to be given. The CPI(M) has from the outset taken the stand that the financial statements and accounts of a party should be publicly available.

But this does not mean that a political party has to be treated as a public authority. This will interfere with and hamper the functioning of a political party. A political party is a voluntary association of citizens who believe in the ideology, programme and leadership of the party. That party is accountable to its membership. To apply the Right to Information Act and demand access to the internal deliberations of the party whether it be on policy matters, organisational decisions or selection of candidates will constitute a serious infringement of the inner-party functioning, confidentiality of discussions and undermine the political party system itself. Opponents of a political party can utilise the RTI as an instrument to destabilise a party.

Given the serious implications of this order of the CIC for the political party system and parliamentary democracy, the matter should be discussed by the Government with all political parties so that suitable steps can be taken to preserve the integrity and the role of political parties in a democratic political system.

Political Parties under RTI Act says Central Information Commission

03 Monday Jun 2013

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The Central Information Commission has decided that political parties are answerable under the Right of Information Act(RTI). The Full Bench of the Commission, including the Chief Information Commissioner Satyanand Mishra has held that six parties viz. Congress, BJP, CPI(M), CPI, NCP and BSP to whom RTI enquiries have been directed fulfill the criteria of being public authorities under RTI.