Com.Sisirda passed away. We have lost a veteran leader who led the P and T movement for more than 7 decades. A great loss to the entire CG Movement
30 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
Monthly Archives: April 2018
Com. Sisir Bhattacharjee passed away
30 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
With deep sorrow it is intimated that Com.Sisir Bhattacharjee, veteran and senior most leader of the P and T movement passed away today evening at 18.25 hours at a Kolkota Hospital. He was 98.
Com. Sisirda, as he was respectfully called has started his job in the P & T Work Shop ( later termed as Telecom Factory) and was the unquestioned leader of the Industrial and non Industrial workers for decades. He was the leader along with Com.K.G.Bose, who through great struggle achieved Festival Advance for the CG employees. Com. Sisirda was was the first Patron of BSNL Employees Union elected in its foundation Conference at Visakhapatnam in March 2001. The TF workers consider him as their saviour.
Sisirda was admitted to the hospital a few days back and his condition was critical. All our comrades of Kolkata, W.Bengal and Telecom Factory were by his side all these and informed us his condition.
Com.Sisirda is no more. The cremation will take place tomorrow. His wife, who was also a P and T employee and union leader passed away last year.
My heart felt condolences to the bereaved family, friends and comrades.
I used to meet him every time I went to Kolkata and he will not be there next time to meet and get guidance.
Red Salute to Com. Sisirda!
Red Fort being handed over to Dalmia Limited?
28 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
It is reported that MOU has been signed by Central Government and Dalmia Limited for handing over the heritage Red Fort to the latter for 5 years for RS. 25 crores or so.
It means that not only the valuable PUSs, but even priceless Heritage Buildings like Red Fort is being sold.
It is to be noted that, it is on the ramparts of the Red Fort that Prime Minister hoist the National Flag on Independence Day. Now will the PM hoist the flag on Dalmia’s Fort?
Can’t the people of the country protest and stop this loot and destroyal?
8th May All India Protest Day against Petrol-hike – CPI(M) Call
27 Friday Apr 2018
Posted in General
New Delhi, April 27 : The Polit Bureau has issued the following statement: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the astronomical rise in the prices of petrol and diesel in the country.
The sharp increase in the retail price of petrol and diesel is having a backbreaking impact on the ordinary people of this country. The price of the petroleum products have the obvious cascading effect on the essential commodity prices which the common man uses for daily life. The PB firmly expresses that this unusual rise which makes retail prices of petroleum products in India, the highest in South Asia is principally on account of the tremendous hike in mopping up revenues by the central government, through excise duties.
In the last four years, from 1st April 2014, the excise duty on petrol has gone up from Rs. 9.48/litre to Rs. 19.48/litre as of now. This amounts to a hike of 105% and 47.4% of the retail price is going to the tax revenue collection. Similarly, the excise duty on diesel which was Rs. 3.56/litre on 1st April 2014 has now gone up to Rs. 15.33/litre. This again amounts to an increase of 330%, while 38.09% of the retail price is going to taxes. Going back to the earlier promise of reducing the duty in the event of hardening of the international crude price, the government will commensurately reduce the duty, the high level of duties continue resulting in backbreaking burden on the people. The retail prices of petrol and diesel are both now ruling at the highest ever levels.
The Polit Bureau demands that the central government should immediately roll back the duty to provide some relief to the people who are coming under tremendous burden. The Polit Bureau has called upon all its units to observe 8th May as an all India Protest Day demanding the immediate rollback of duty hikes. This is particularly necessary after the central government willingly allows lakhs of crores of rupees as tax waivers to top corporates of the country. The PB appeals to all other democratic and pro-people forces to also join in this action to force a roll back of excise duties.
MAY DAY GREETINGS FROM WFTU
27 Friday Apr 2018
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May Day 2018: With Internationalism and Solidarity!!
17 Apr 2018
1 MAY, MAY DAY
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) in the name of its more than 92 million affiliates all over the world salutes, on the occasion of this great day, all the workers who live, work and struggle in every corner of the world. May Day was, is and will be a beacon for the struggles of yesterday and tomorrow despite our enemies’ efforts. May Day has to be a message of resistance against bourgeoisie, imperialists and their international alliances’ policies.
At the same time, the workers’ blood which was shed in Chicago on 1886 reminds us of our duty today; it reminds us that nothing is given for free; every right or freedom that was conquered by our class has been won through sacrifices, conflicts and organized struggles.
Today, whilst technology and scientific progress have contributed to the increase of the produced social wealth, our class’ living conditions have been deteriorating. In every capitalist country, the bosses attack our class achievements: they are sweeping through salaries, pensions and social security; they are privatizing everything, they don’t hesitate to attack even the sacred right to strike! Strike is the most powerful weapon we have in our hands and we are not going to allow anyone to limit, confine or convert it to a dead letter!
At the same time, they are intensively preparing and conducting regional wars.They pave the way for new massacres that will maximize their profits, for new imperialist interventions that will destroy nations, spill peoples’ blood and deprive them of their natural resources. The ongoing imperialist intervention in Libya and Syria, the growing aggression against Venezuela, the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the massacre of Saudi Arabia against Yemen, the tension on the Korean peninsula, they are all indications that multinationals have smelled new profitability areas; and every time this goes through the dead bodies of workers.
Under the current conditions of the deep economic crisis of capitalism and intense competition among various imperialist centers to control new markets, our most powerful weapons are INTERNATIONALISM and SOLIDARITY. No worker must feel alone. All together, we must move on with Solidarity and Internationalism, building the Unity of the working class to give practical effect to Karl Marx’s motto “proletarians of all countries unite”.
In this context, and on this anniversary, the WFTU expresses its solidarity with our persecuted brothers, the immigrants and refugees, who either because of imperialists’ bullets or because of poverty and misery generated by this system, are forced to leave their homeland. The WFTU will continue to be on their side, fighting for a world without exploitation and refugees. Immigrants must become an integral part of unions, unite with local workers and fight together for wages, rights, against wars and interventions.
We join our voice with the heroic Palestinian people in order to gain their own independent and democratic homeland.
At the same time, we stand by the side of the struggling female worker, the one who suffers from double exploitation. The WFTU female members, at the recent World Women’s Congress in Panama, declared loud and clear that they want equal rights to work, society and life. The WFTU also fights and will continue to fight for this equality. It’s the same orientation that we follow for the the youngsters, as the new generation of workers have the task to honor the best May Day struggle traditions.
This year, the WFTU, by giving its hand to anyone who has stood up, has announced the year of trade union education and training. Our purpose is that the new shifts of workers be insubordinate, militant, enemies of class compromise and collaboration. We honor the year of trade union training and we call on every union to contribute to the militant truth, revealing the true meaning of May Day and the sacrifices the working class made for it. By rescuing the past, the very memory of our movement, we leave a legacy for tomorrow’s struggles and we also have a tool for the future. It is a duty to know the history of our movement.
The WFTU takes steps forward, strengthens and grows: and that’s what frightens our opponents. There is no other way than to make it present everywhere, in every corner of the world, so that there is no longer a hungry, dismissed, hunted or persecuted worker. The WFTU must be a “trench” of struggle for a future without exploitation of man by man. This is how the vision of the first Secretary General of the WFTU, Luis Saillant, envisioned in 1945 will be brought to life: “The WFTU for the workers of the whole world!”
LONG LIVE MAY DAY!
New Registration Form for NPS Subscribers
24 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in General
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY PRESCRIBES NEW NPS SUBSCRIBER REGISTRATION FORM: ADDITIONAL MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has been established by the Government of India for regulation and development of Pension Sector in order to protect the old age income security of subscribers. PFRDA takes various initiatives from time to time in order to simplify and improve the operational issues in National Pension System (NPS) like new functionality development under NPS architecture, simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc. In this regard, it has been decided by the Authority to make bank account details and mobile no. mandatory to provide ease of operation for the benefit of subscribers and make the process of Exit from NPS hassle free.
Further, in compliance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act guidelines issued by the Government of India, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and Central Registry of Securitization Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest (CERSAI) have been made mandatory for new as well as existing subscribers. These have been made mandatory in the new Common Subscriber Registration Form (CSRF) forms that are required to be filled in by the new subscribers. The existing subscribers have been provided the facility to submit online FATCA Self-Certification in their login (www.cra-nsdl.com or https://enps.karvy.com/Login/Login ). The information regarding the said functionality is also made available on Central Record-keeping Agency (CRA) websites. The steps to be followed by the subscriber to submit online FATCA self-certification are also mentioned on the website.
It is to be ensured by the subscribers to fill the mandatory fields correctly and not leave them blank in order to avoid rejection of their forms. (Govt. Press Statement)
COMMON MISTAKES BY PAOS IN PROCESSING OF REVISION OF PENSION UNDER 7TH CPC
24 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
COMMON MISTAKES BY PAOS IN PROCESSING OF REVISION OF PENSION UNDER 7TH CPC
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE
CENTRAL PENSION ACCOUNTING OFFICE
TRIKOOT-II,BHIKAJI CAMA PLACE,
NEW DELHl-110066
PHONES:26174596,26174450,26174438
CPAO/1T&Tech/Revision(7th CPC)/19.Vol-III (D)/2017-18/12
19.04.2018
Office Memorandum
Subject: Common mistakes by PAOs in processing of Revision of Pension under
7th CPC .
7th CPC Pension Revision cases are to be settled in a time bound manner. This office is receiving more than 3000 pension revision cases on daily basis. However, it has been observed that about 5 to 10 percent cases are returned by this office to PAOS due to Various discrepancies. The reasons to return are indicated by this office in each case. To facilitate the PAOs, a list of common mistakes made by PAOs has been prepared and enclosed herewith at Annexure-A.
In view of above all the PAOs are requested to ensure that 7th CPC revision cases are sent correctly to CPAO to speed up the processing of the same in a time bound manner.
Encl: As above
(Md.Shahid Kamal Ansari)
Asstt. Controller of Accounts)
Ph No 011‐26103074
ANNEXURE-A
1. DATE OF DEATH OF PENSIONER NOT MENTIONED IN COLUMN 3(b. (FAMILY PENSION CASE)
2. APPLICABILITY OF COMMUTED PENSION MAY BE CHECKED WHETHER ITIS APPLICABLE OR NOT.
3. CLASS/CATEGORY OF PENSI0N UNDER COLUMN 1(g) MAY BE CHECKED.
4. NOTIONAL PAY SHOWN UNDER COLUMN 3(e) MAY BE CHECKED.
5. PAY/NOTIONAL PAY SHOWN IN COLUMN 3(e) ,DOES NOT MATCH WITH PAY FIXED UNDER 7th CPC AS SHOWN IN COLUMN 4(a).
6. LEVEL AND INDEX UNDER COLUMN 4(a)MAY BE CHECKED.
7. BASIC PENSI0N IS NOT MATCHING WITH THE LAST PAY DRAWN AS PER 7TH CPC.
8. PAY MATRIX FOR LEVEL-13 MAY BE CHECKED WITH REFERENCE TO REVISED PAY MATRIX IN TERMS OF MINISTRY OF FINANCE (DEPTT OF EXPENDITURE) RESOLUTION DATED‐ 16.05.2017
9. PAY MATRIX FOR LEVEL‐ 14 MAY BE CHECKED WITH REFERENCE T0 REVISED PAY MATRIX IN TERMS OF DEPTT.OF PENSION & PENSIONERS WELFARE OM DATED- 13.09.2017
Trinamool violence and Goonda raj in W.Bengal
24 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in General
Kolkata,April 24th – About two persons according to unconfirmed reports has died , as the Ruling party in West Bengal once again unleashed wide spread violence with the help of Police force, to stop all opposition party’s candidates from submitting nomination whose extended date , following the earlier spate of violence , was fixed today.
More than 200 Opposition activists including aspiring poll contestants , were attacked and beaten up by the Ruling party Hooligans and Police ‘s joint operation to make the West Bengals’ Panchayets ‘Opposition Free’. Even women journalists were attacked, manhandled and molested.
Is the government moving for sale of MTNL ? Defeat it with all our might!
23 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in Telecom
The financial sharks and corporates are pushing the government for sale of MTNL. Arguments in favour of the same are given wide publicity. Such a report from the Financial Express is given below. Unless there is strong opposition and fight, the government may move in that direction. Eternal vigilance is required.
” Sources told FE that closing MTNL’s operations is feasible from all angles barring one — it has a huge staff strength of 27,919 which needs to be taken care of. (PTI)
As state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), which provides telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai circles, continues to struggle with declining revenues and mounting losses in a fiercely competitive market, the government is finally exploring the option of shutting down the debt-laden firm and monetise its land, buildings and tower business. What has forced the government to explore the option is that MTNL’s 20-year licence fee will come up for renewal in April next year, which would require the company to pay an unaffordable Rs 11,000 crore.
Sources told FE that closing MTNL’s operations is feasible from all angles barring one — it has a huge staff strength of 27,919 which needs to be taken care of. Barring the group A officers who are mostly Indian Telecom Service officers on deputation from the department of telecommunications, bulk of the workforce belongs to the company and this segment would resist any attempt of closure. As far as the firm’s mobile subscribers are concerned, they can easily port out to other operators which has happened of late when some private operators shut down their services. MTNL’s landline business can be assigned to fellow PSU, BSNL which currently does not have presence in Delhi and Mumbai.
In the past, different governments explored the possibility of merging MTNL and BSNL and creating one single company but it could not fructify because of HR-related issues. Any merger is not possible today because even BSNL is incurring losses for the past 5-6 years and is saddled with a huge workforce. Unlike BSNL, the land and real estate asset of MTNL can be monetised as their ownership vests with the company. It has a total of around 2.5 million sq ft of commercial land and 4 million sq ft of residential assets, spread over the two cities and a large part of these can be monetised either through sale or leasing for commercial purposes.
In fact, some time ago, the company had got a valuation of its property done by the real estate consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle, which had said that it can raise around Rs 4,000 crore through a combination of selling its land bank and leasing its buildings. A look at the company’s financials prove that it is beyond redemption. Its employee cost is at an unsustainable level of close to 100% of its revenues. Its losses are more than its revenue — the company reported a net loss of Rs 2,941 crore in 2016-17 while revenues were at Rs 2,870 crore (see chart). It is meeting annual interest costs of about Rs 1,500 crore by taking more loans.
In its annual report for 2016-17, the company acknowledged the danger its handicap and protrayed a bleak outlook by saying:“Because of high leverage and heavy repayment schedule of loans as well as interest payment to banks and financial institutions in the coming years, there is possible risk of liquidity crunch in near future, which will be a great threat to MTNL to keep it as ongoing concern in near future”.
The company has already conveyed to the department of telecommunications its inability to provide over Rs 11,000 crore by April next year to pay for one-time spectrum charges and other fees to the government to renew its 2G licences. Being in a debt trap of Rs 19,510 crore as on March 31, 2017 (including Rs 4,533.97 crore of the bonds, the liability for interest and principle of which are with the Centre), it is not even in a position to meet the capex requirement to upgrade its telecom infrastructure.
The policy of the NDA government has been to get rid of non-viable units and invest its scarce resources on developmental programmes. As per this policy, the Niti Aayog has recommended winding up over two dozen ailing PSUs, many of which are currently under the closure process.In order to facilitate the process, the settlement of statutory dues and payment to secured creditors are now being completed within two months after the Cabinet approval. It has set timelines for the disposal of movable assets, sale of land and retrenchment of employees not opting for voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to fast-track the closure of sick PSUs.
MTNL has land and buildings at premium location in Delhi and Mumbai which could fetch a substantial amount, if monetised. According to the annual report of MTNL, the gross value of its property, machinery and equipment were about Rs 10,000 crore on March 31, 2017.
According to the department of public enterprises’ guidelines issued in FY16, the sick units would be closed within one year from the date of issue of minutes of the Cabinet approval. However, the process practically drags on for years. The Centre holds a 56.9% stake in MTNL, Life Insurance Corporation 18.81% and the balance stake is with the public.”
Hearty Congratulations to Comrades Neelotpal Basu and Tapan Sen!
23 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
My Hearty Congratulations to both Com. Neelotpal Basu and Com. Tapan Sen for their election to the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M), in the Party Congress held at Hyderabad from 18th to 22nd April 2018. Both are closely connected with the P and T TU movement and have given great contribution to its growth and strength.
Com. Neelotpal Basu is the son-in-law of Com. Moni Bose, the veteran leader and first Patron of BSNL Employees Union. Com. Basu has been in the movement from his student days and was the General Secretary of the SFI. As a two term member of the Rajya Sabha from W.Bengal, his performance in the Parliament was well appreciated and praised. Many issues of the P and T and Central Government employees were raised in the Parliament by him. He stays at V.P.House Delhi for the last many years since his election to the Rajya Sabha and then to the Central Committee of CPI(M). An excellent writer and speaker, he has written many articles and books. He is an avid reader also.
During the period 1991 -1994, when Com. Moni Bose was the General Secretary and myself the President of E.III (Union), almost every day we used to go to ‘Neelu’s quarters in V.P.House and sit there for some time, have cup of coffee / tiffin. Now also I usually go to his flat and meet the family. Last month also, When I visited Delhi I went there and met them.
Com. Tapan Sen as Secretary and then as General Secretary of CITU has always been in close contact with BSNL Employees Union and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers. He has attended umpteen meetings of the unions. Since BSNLEU became a part of the Central Public Sector Trade Unions (CPSTU), he was in constant touch with the union. While as M.P., he has raised many issues of the workers in the Parliament. BSNLCCWF is in much debt to him for guiding and assisting the union to move in the correct direction.
My Hearty Congratulations to both leaders in their new assignment! I am sure that as in the past, they will contribute much to strengthen the party and guide the workers.
