05 Sunday Jan 2014
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In order to mop up funds to deal with the financial deficit, the Central Government is pressurising the cash rich PSUs to purchase shares of other PSUs. The disinvest programme projected to get about Rs.40,000 crore becoming a failure, the government has found out this new method.
It is now reported that other PSUs have shown interested in purchasing the 5% stakes of BHEL. This money will be used by the government for managing its financial deficit.
05 Sunday Jan 2014
Posted in General
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The number of slum dwellers in India is a sizable one. As per the 2011 census it is 6.5 crores, more than 5% of the population. This has put the government in an unenviable position, that even after six and half decades , it has not been able solve the problem even marginally.
Now another report has come, that from the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). According to its 2012 report, the slum dwellers are only 4.4 crores, a difference of 2.1 crores less within one year. Of course, this is not believable.
It seems that the UPA government is trying to manipulate the statistics. It knows that 2014 is the election year, and a less damaging picture is to be shown.
6.5 crore people staying in slums in the country is not a credit to any government. Speedy action is to be taken to change the situation. The slum dwellers should be provided with better accommodation and welfare measures. Reducing the number through false reports is no remedy.
05 Sunday Jan 2014
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation
Our sustained effort for a Better Service to the Customer is yielding results. Service is improving! I am giving below an appreciation from Shri R.Dinakaran, a senior journalist published in the Business Line.
TRANSFORMATION OF BSNL
By R.Dinakaran
For over a decade, I kept away from PSUs as much as I could. I had had bad experiences with both BSNL and a PSU bank, and I swore I would never ever have anything to do with PSU telecom companies and banks.
But I kept hearing about how the two PSU behemoths were changing…and adapting to the times.
My experience at Valparai, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, forced me to get a BSNL SIM card. I had to be without even basic mobile connectivity for two full days at Valparai, as only BSNL had services there. Our family had four SIM cards of three private telecom service providers but they were of no use.
The purchase and activation process of the BSNL SIM card was, to my surprise, a smooth and pleasant experience. First, the process of getting a number of your choice – online. I got mine within minutes. I was told to go to the BSNL office to submit the KYC documents. The process was over – again within minutes, and the SIM went live in just an hour!
Yesterday, I went to BSNL’s online portal to recharge it. When I proceeded to register for the prepaid recharge, I had mentally prepared myself for a tough experience. The reason: I had heard horror stories of how public sector portals functioned. But, I was once again surprised. The registration was a breeze.
Now came the best part – the recharge process itself. As I logged in and selected the recharge voucher, the screen showed the full details of the recharge, including validity. The next screen showed my pre-paid balance and other details. The recharge was done within minutes.
I had recharged an ISD pack. When I tried calling the international number, the call did not get through. The recorded voice asked me to contact BSNL.
Now, I had to speak to a ‘live’ person in BSNL for the first time! After going through the usual IVR process, I selected the number for ‘Agent’ and was once again surprised when the call got connected to a ‘live’ person in just one ring. I was told to send an SMS for activating the ISD service. I asked her when it would be activated. She had the usual reply, “Within 24 hours.”
I did not even had to wait for 24 seconds. The ISD service was activated immediately.
We assume public sector companies will be sloppy and expect a bad experience. Of course, there were days when people dreaded entering PSU offices. My experience with BSNL a decade ago was what had prompted me to keep away from PSUs. It is heartening when we realise their level of transformation. In fact, the private sector telecom players can learn a thing or two from BSNL’s online portal.
WE THANK SHRI DINAKARAN FOR HIS APPRECIATION!
04 Saturday Jan 2014
Posted in General
Socialist Cuba is one of the countries in the world which has improved its health care system to the maximum. Most of the Latin American Countries have benefitted from the medical training institutions in Cuba.
One latest information once again confirms this position. The Maternal and Child Department of Public Health Ministry has stated that the infant mortality rate in Cuba has been reduced at 4.2% out of 1,000 live births, which is a record in itself.
This achievement also reflects the fulfillment of the goal of reducing mortality of children under five years, proposed by United Nations Millennium Development Goals. (Courtesy: Ganashakti)
04 Saturday Jan 2014
Posted in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers
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It is intimated from Chhattisgarh that the BSNL accounts of Chhattisgarh have been frozen by the EPF Commissioner, since BSNL has not deposited the EPF of about Rs. 2.79 crores due to the accounts of the contract Labours. Further details are awaited.
This is not the first time that this has happened. BSNLCCWF has been taking up with the BSNL Management at all levels to ensure the remittance of EPF contribution due to the contract workers. BSNL is violating the law of the land and hence the penalty.
We demand the management to ensure EPF remittances of all the contract workers to avoid such mishappenings. The concerned contractor/officers should be taken to task.
04 Saturday Jan 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
I returned to Delhi today from Bangalore. Of course it is severe cold compared to Bangalore, but there is a welcome change. That is about Red Beacon Vehicles. Usually you see many of them when you are on the road. Today I did not see a single one from airport to residence or from residence to office. Is it because today is Saturday or is it because of Supreme Court judgement or Kejrival Govt. Policy? Anyway, it is a welcome development.
03 Friday Jan 2014
The Petrol and Diesel prices hiked again within 2 weeks. It was on 21 December 2013 that the petrol price was increased by 41 paise per litre excluding VAT. Today, 3rd January 2014, again it is raised by 75 paise. Diesel price is increased by 50 paise. This is being done on the plea of global increase in prices.
In Delhi, including the VAT, the price per litre of petrol will increase from Rs. 71.51 to Rs. 72.43 from midnight of 3-4 January.
While every time there is protest from the people against price, the UPA II government used to say that the prices will come down shortly. But for the last two-three years continuously the prices of all essential commodities have been going up with out any break.
The continuous price hike in Electricity, Petrol, Diesel, LPG etc. is making the lives of ordinary people miserable. The ruling party will certainly have to answer to this attack on the common people in the 2014 elections.
03 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in General
After a long period of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had a press conference today, 3rd january 2014. The Prime minister focussed the signing of the Nuclear Deal as the high point of his tenure. This was one of the most controversial decision taken by him which has been opposed by the majority of MPs, but was managed to be passed through dubious means.
I am giving below a brief review of this point made by Ganashakti Daily:
“The other point was the ‘strategic relationship’ with the US. It is not a coincidence that he repeated that the signing of the nuclear deal with the US in 2008 & the building of the strategic relationship with the US is the high point of his tenure. It is significant to remember that this was the exact accusation laid by the CPI(M) & the left parties when they fought against the 123 deal. That the nuclear deal is not required by the country has been underlined by the complete & comprehensive lack of any implementation of the agreement, in the last 6 years. It is an absolute zero. The only use of that deal, as CPI (M) General Secretary had said then was as a smoke screen to establish a ‘strategic relationship’ with the US. The PM had denied it then & had taken recourse to the most cynical measures to acquire confidence for his government in the parliament. Considering that the US administration has hardly ever objected to the non-implementation of the deal underlines the point. The trajectory of the strategic relationship is now clear with the US declaring the Asia Pacific region as its new ‘pivot’ & the basing of 60% of its Naval fleet in these waters. The PM did not refute the complete impossibility of this position sucking India into the consequences of US interests.”
03 Friday Jan 2014
Posted in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, Uncategorized
Whether we are working indoor or outdoor or in shift duties or fixed duties, a time is usually fixed to start our duty and the time for off duty. This is necessary to ensure that the tasks entrusted to us are attended in time and the work finished as early as possible. There are certain targets fixed also to complete the work.
There was a time when the P and T Department was considered as the most efficient Department. The P and T workers were appreciated for their dedication, commitment and excellent service. Telecom was part of this, and the service with all the limitations was considered as excellent.
Now BSNL is in a difficult situation. Financial viability has gone down and this PSU in loss for the last four years. There are a lot of complaints of delay in repair of faults, delay in providing connections etc. It is true that BSNL, a PSU, can not function like a private company. BSNL is a fully government owned company and there are many rules and regulations of the government to be complied with. Some delay of course take place due to these constraints.
Yet our services can be improved if we are determined. Here, I am only pointing about one thing, the need to be punctual and committed to our duties, whichever be the cadre, whether ITS, Executives or Non-Executives. Everybody has got their duties defined.
Some in the management side will say that the employees are not punctual. The same complaint is about the management officers also. Blame Game does not reach us anywhere.
What is required is action. If all of us from the top management to the lowest paid worker decide that we all will work with determination and full commitment, there surely is going to have a big change for the better.
And towards this better efficiency, one of the prime ingredient is the punctuality in attending to office/our duties.This will certainly make a big difference. If the management and workers in private companies can attend to their duties in time,can’t the management and workers in BSNL do the same or better. I am not forgetting that even now, a large number of workers are punctual. But we want all our workers and officers at their posts in time.
Are we all capable of fulfilling this responsibility? I am sure we are. Let us make maximum efforts to ensure our punctuality which will go in a big way to improve our services better and better.
BSNL FOR A BETTER SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE!
03 Friday Jan 2014
Ganashakti turns 48 today. It was on this day, the 3rd of January, 1967 that Ganashakti came into being. The voice of the CPI (M) W.Bengal State Committee, Ganashakti started off as an evening papaer with Saroj Mukherjee as its editor & publisher. The four page newspaper was priced at 10 paise. The first editorial of ‘Ganashakti’ ended with these words, ‘The Congress rulers will not go scot free. The final victory has also been that of the people; that is the final lesson of history. But the people will have to strive hard & continue the arduous journey for this struggle. The party mouthpiece, Ganashakti will strive to carry on this tradition. It will relentlessly disseminate the message of the labour & working classes. All plots & conspiracies of the ruling Congress party shall unfold through these columns’.
My Best Wishes and Greetings to Ganashakti and the Workers behind it for its excellent performance of more than four and half decades.
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