21 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in General
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According to the National Sample Survey Organisation the unemployed has reached 10.8 million as on 2012. it is an increase of 10.2% increase during the last two years.
The neo-liberalisation policy being implemented by the central government has resulted not only job loss but also have created an army of jobless youngsters. The government is more worried about the ‘poor’ corporates and their tax issues more than the bread and butter issues of the more that ten crore youngsters.
21 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, Telecom
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R.K.Upadhyaya, CMD, BSNL has stated that BSNL has signed international agreements with telecom service providers in Bahrain, Guinea and Saudi Arabia. He also stated that already presence of BSNL is there and the agreements are made to strengthen it.
It is a good news that BSNL is also going global.
21 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in BSNLEU
After more than one decade, I got the opportunity again to visit Mandya in Karnataka and meet our comrades. yesterday, 20th June, A meeting was arranged at Mandya on my visit which was attended by a large number of comrades. Com T.D.Chandra Dasu, District President of BSNLEU presided. Com.Puttasamt, district Secretary welcomed all and briefed the housed about certain issues. Com. M.C.Balakrishna, All India Orgnising secretary spoke about the latest developments. I was welcomed and honoured in the tradition Karnataka style with peta and shawl.
I spoke about the recent agreement on 78.2% IDA pay fixation, issues of casul labours and pensioner, our efforts to improve the serrvices, the memorandum to the GoM on Revival of BSNL etc. and the organisational tasks we have to attend to.
Mandya was always been a strong centre of the union. My hearty conratulations for all the comrades.
21 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in General
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The unprecedented floods and landslides in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has taken a heavy toll of precious lives of the locals as well as the tourists. Though the bodies so far received are about 150 or so, the latest reports indicate that the toll may be more than thousand or further more. The Army as well as the common people are trying their best to evacuate the stranded people from the devastated area. My salute to those Jawans and others who are putting all efforts to save human lives even at the cost of their own lives.
it is not the time to examine all the issues connected with this catastrophe. It is the time to rescue the people, ensure that the stranded people gets food and shelter,restore the confidence among people, restore the communications etc.
However, it will not be out-of-place to mention one thing. While this is a natural calamity, it is also true that this could have been averted or at least intensity reduced if the government was careful about the construction of large number of dams, and innumerable constructions without considering the eco-problems,despite serious warnings by the eco-experts and the concerned ministry in the government. I am sure that this aspect will be seriously considered by the government at least after the immediate concerns are attended to.
Ignoring them will be only at the peril of further such catasrophies.
19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in Telecom
The Mayaram Committee looking in to the FDI issue has given drastic recommendations for removing the FDI cap in many sectors including Telecom.
At present FDI in telecom is capped at 74%. However, the government has not been very strict resulting in more than 74%. The telecom corporates have been continuously pressurising the government to increase FDI. The panel headed by Aravind Mayaram, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, has now recommended the same. The BSNL workers strongly oppose this move which will result in complete control of the MNCs in this sector which is against the interest of the country and security risk. e strongly oppose this proposal and demand the government not to increase the FDI in telecom.
It is not only in telecom that the FDI is recommended to be increased. In another important sector, the Airlines, again 100% FDI is recommended along with that of Private Security Agencies. Multi-Brand Retail it recommends 74% raising it from the present 49%.In Defence, FM Radio, Print Media, it wants to increase from the 26% to 49%. In Public Sector Banks, the proposal is to increase to 49% from the present 20%.
The Finance Minister has earlier stated that more reforms will brought and the Prime Minister’s support is there for the move.
A strong movement against the FDI is required.
19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in PSU
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New Delhi, Jun 19 : Retirement fund body EPFO is planning to settle all claims like transfer and withdrawal of provident fund within three days, a move that will benefit over one crore such claimants every year.
In order to give effect to the proposal of expeditious settlement of claims, Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has called a meeting of all zonal heads on July 5, to draw an action plan.
The body is expecting 1.2 crore claims in the current fiscal and hopes that if around 70 per cent of those are settled in three days, then about 84 lakh claimants would be benefited.
Quick settlement of claims, EPFO said in an officer order, “was necessary to improve the image of the organisation.”
EPFO has already launched a Pendency Clearance Drive to settle all claims received before June 15 this year. As many as 5,38,704 claims were pending as on June 11 this year.
“…in 2012-13, the body has settled 1.08 crore claims, out of which 12.62 lakh claimants were dissatisfied as their claims were not settled within 30 days. Moreover 1.41 lakh claims not settled even after 90 days has brought down the image of the EPFO amongst our members,” the order stated.
It further said, “..cutomers expect change in the mindset from 30 days (maximum period for settlement of claims) to at least three days in computerised era for withdrawing their own money.”
The body is also in the process of introducing a facility where claimants would be able to apply online for transfer and withdrawal of their PF from July 1.
EPFO is setting up a central clearance house which will be operational on July 1. This will enable subscribers to apply online for settlement of withdrawal and transfer of funds claims. The new facility will also enable subscribes to track online the status of their applications for transfer and withdrawals.
Under the new system, the onus of verifying the details of the PF account from previous employers would be on the EPFO.
At present, employees have to get their applications verified from their employers for settlement of claims.
The body is managing a corpus of around Rs five lakh crore with a subscribers’ base of over five crores. (PTI)
19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
BSNL for Better Service (5) – USO Fund support to BSNL – Reimbursement of Licence Fee
| At the time of corporatisation, it was assured that BSNL will be financially supported by the Government. The Universal Service Obligation Fund(USOF) came in to force from 2002. It collects the Universal Service Levy (USL) from service providers at a defined percentage of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) as a component of Licence Fee. The collections of USL are credited to the Consolidated Fund of India and allocation of funds to USOF are done by approval of the Parliament. Since the BSNL alone was providing landline services in rural and remote areas, it alone was eligible for the support from USOF. But later, by amending the Indian Telegraph Act 1886, the eligibility for USOF was extended to the private telecom companies also. While the collections through USL were substantial, only a small portion of the same was provided to the BSNL. The balance amount was kept with USOF. So far till 2010-11, BSNL was granted only Rs. 11,639.62 crore, despite the fact that it has got a lot of funds available with it. Further, BSNL is losing much more than that amount for providing the loss making connections and maintaining them.Another assurance was that BSNL will have to pay the Licence Fee like other companies, but the amount will be returned. Reimbursement was given to BSNL, but after a few years it was stopped. For the last 4-5 years licence fee has not been refunded.
Thus as can be seen, the assurances on the three issues, payment of collected ADC to BSNL, liberal support from USOF and refund of Licence Fee have either been withdrawn or stopped. If these amounts have been given, most probably, the company would not have posted loss. The Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations have demanded the GoM on Revival of BSNL & MTNL’ that all these assurances promised and later withdrawn/reduced may be restored which will help BSNL in its advance march.
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19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in Obituary, Tributes
Com. Ruma Chattopadhyay, National Cycling Coach and Vice-President of BSNLEU, Head Quarters District Branch, Kolkata died in a road accident at Noida.
Com. Ruma Chattopadhyay, Cycling Coach of India and Honorary Board Member of Cycling Federation of India, died in a road accident yesterday morning, at Noida. A car hit her, when she was coaching the trainees at Noida. She was taken to the Kailash Hospital, Noida, where she was declared dead. Com. Ruma was a senior Accountant in Kolkata telephones and was the vice-president of BSNL Employees Union in the Head Quarters District Branch. On hearing the news, CHQ swung in to action. Com. Swapan Chakraborty, AGS, rushed to the hospital. Com. S.P. Singh, District Secretary, BSNLEU, Noida was informed and he sent a team of comrades to the hospital, eventhough he was out of station. Our comrades remained there till the post mortem was completed in a govt. hospital. The Sports Authority of India undertook the responsibility of sending the body of Com. Ruma to Kolkata. CHQ pays homage to Com. Ruma Chattopadhyay and offers heartfelt condolences to her family members as well as the comrades of Kolkata Telephones. CHQ also sincerely thanks the comrades of Noida District Union of BSNLEU, for their cooperation and support. (From BSNLEU website)
19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in General
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The heavy rain and floods in the hilly states of Utharakhand, H.P. etc has caused unprecedented loss of lives of hundreds of local people as tourists who have come to visit the holy shrines at Vaishno Devi, Kedarnath, Badrinath and other places. Hundreds of houses have been destroyed and thousands of people have to stay in temporary camps. Thousands of people who have come from outside are stranded. The tragedy is beyond imagination.
All our sympathies are with the people of these states whose suffering continues. Many of the BSNL families might also have been affected, though we do not have the information.
All support to the suffering people have to be extended by all. It is also reported that in many places the communications system has failed. It is our duty to restore the same at the earliest so that information could be passed. The BSNL Management has to take immediate action to restore communications. The workers are prepared to put all their efforts in this connection. The Forum has given call to all the unions to extend all help in this matter.
18 Tuesday Jun 2013
Posted in Telecom
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After implementation of the neo-liberal policy and reforms for more than two decades, a situation has come that the corporates are in a commanding position to place demands to the government and get most of them achieved within no time. In the telecom sector, this is more so.
The COAI, the Association of GSM operators, have put its demand that the FDI in telecom sector should be increased from the present 74% to 100% to get more foreign investments. Within no time, the Department of Disinvestment, Finance Minister, Commerce Minister, Communications Minister – all have echoed that the FDI should be increased to 100%. Department of Disinvestment has even prepared a Cabinet Note and circulated to the concerned ministries for approval before submitting to Cabinet. How quick the mechanism works when it is the demand of the corporates?
Another demand put by the GSM body is that the tax dispute of Vodafone should be settled. Of course, Finance minister P.Chidambaram has already announced that instead of compelling the Vodafone to pay the due tax to the government, a conciliation process will be started. It means that the government has already taken the soft line that the Vodafone need not pay fully. To what extent relaxation can be given and tax reduced is the only point to be known.
The government / TRAI wanted that the roaming charges should be waived altogether to get benefit to the customers. The private operators protested. Now the TRAI has agreed that roaming charges will continue of course with 30% reduction.
COAI has argued that it is not possible to agree with the government decision to provide location-based services in all geographies and also maintaining CDRs for all subscribers. There is no doubt that this may also be agreed to by the Government. Now a position has reached that the corporates demand and the government willingly succumbs, even if it is against the financial interest of the government.
But what about the demands being raised by the workers? It is even difficult to meet the Minister or higher officers. It requires months for any discussion and sometimes strike for an effective decision.
Of course what the higher ups will get from the workers except sincere and dedicated work! They very well know that the workers have no role in the ‘three times increase’ of their wealth.
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