09 Sunday Sep 2018
Posted in General
The Petrol, Diesel and Cooking Gas prices have gone up and is further going up every day, while the international price is coming down or is static. It is only due to the exorbitant taxes that is imposed, that the prices are going sky high. The Modi government has no qualm to loot the common people to fill the coffers of the corporates like Mukesh Ambani.
Give the government a strong jolt by participating in the hartal on 10th September 2018.
08 Saturday Sep 2018
Posted in General
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The Left Parties and many other parties have jointly decided for a Nation wide Hartal on 10th September 2018 against the soaring prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas. The petrol price has gone up to Rs. 84 for petrol, which is almost double after Modi Government has come in to power. Even while the price of crude oil, worldwide is coming down, the petrol price in India is increasing, to satisfy the lust for money of Corporates like Reliance, the biggest oil company in the country.
We fully support the Hartal intended to compel the government to reduce the petrol, diesel, cooking gas prices.
16 Thursday Aug 2018
Posted in General, Uncategorized
Kerala is reeling under very heavy rains for the last two weeks or so. In many places landslide has taken place and many have been killed and houses collapsed. All the dams are full to the brink and there is no other way, but to open the shutters and let out water, which again floods the rivers. about 30 people have died so far. About 12,000 houses have been collapsed. Tens of thousands are in the relief camps. Water is every where – on the roads, houses and other places. The loss is estimated to more than Rs. 8000 crores.
The government and the people as a whole have taken the responsibility of saving the people and taking them to the relief camps. Food, medicine, treatment are all made available. The state is in a condition of emergency to save the lives and save the situation.
Relief is coming from individuals, organisations, unions and from all sections. Kerala is bravely facing the situation. But much more funds are required.
Help Kerala in its time of disaster!
15 Wednesday Aug 2018
Posted in General
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72nd Independence day is being celebrated all over the country. India got independence from the British colonialists after sustained struggles for a long period under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and other veteran leaders like Pandit Jawahalal Nehru, Jayaprakash Narayan, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, A.K.Gopalan and many others. Crores of ordinary people including kisans, workers, employees, women, students and youth participated in this struggle. Bhagat Singh and his comrades were hanged. Chandrasekhar Azad of the Socialist republic Army was shot dead. The Gaddar party comrades who came from Canada to take part in armed struggle were captured and sent to Andaman cellular Jail as also revolutionary comrades from W.Bengal and other states. Many of them were hanged after severe torture. Yes, Gandhiji led a non-violent struggle, but the British Rulers met them with violence and brute force. In the last minute before independence, India was divided in to India and Pakistan due to the machinations of the British. The Indian Independence struggle is a saga of sacrifice, martyrdom and courage.
It is 71 years since India got Independence with the tri-color flag hoisted in the red Fort and Jawaharlal Nehru have his independence speech to the nation. India is one of the biggest democracy in the world. Yes, each of the citizens have one vote each to elect their rulers. They have equal right there. But what about their right to live, earn, maintain family etc? A good percent of the people live in poverty, many are illiterate. Unemployment has not decreased and the wealth of the country goes to the rich. The rich become richer and the poor the poorer. The underprivileged continue as such. The caste system and corruption at all level is the curse of the nation.
Of course, 70 years is not a big span as far as a country is concerned. But it is a long period as far the day to day life is concerned. The struggle for food, education, job, social equality – all has to be strengthened. Then only true democracy will begin.
Independence Greetings to all comrades, friends and well wishers!
11 Saturday Aug 2018
The Central as well as state government employees’ organisations are demanding that the PFRDA should be annulled, NPS (New Pension Scheme) dropped and that the old defined benefit pension should be restored. They have called for a strike on 15th November, on demands including the above. The pension through NPS will be far less than the defined benefit pension and even is not fully assured. But the government is sticking for NPS. The reply in the Parliament shows the government’s defence of the indefensible. We fully support the demand of the central/state government employees for restoration of the old defined benefit pension scheme.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4075
TO BE ANSWERED ON AUGUST 10, 2018/SHRAVANA 19, 1940 (SAKA)
REINTRODUCTION OF OLD PENSION SCHEME
Shri Rakesh Singh
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:
the details of drawbacks of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) introduced for the Government officials; whether the NPS is not as beneficial monetarily as the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and if so, the details thereof; whether the Government employees are disgruntled with the NPS and if so, the details thereof; and whether the Government proposes to reintroduce the OPS replacing the NPS, if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government in this regard?
ANSWER
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance
(Shri Shiv Pratap Shulda)
(a) & (b) National Pension System (NPS) has been designed giving utmost importance to the welfare of the subscribers. Government has made a conscious move to shift from the defined benefit pension scheme to defined contribution pension scheme i.e. NPS, due to rising and unsustainable pension bill. There are a number of benefits available to the employees under NPS. Some of the benefits are enlisted below:
§ NPS is a well designed pension system managed through an unbundled architecture involving intermediaries appointed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) viz. pension funds, custodian, central record keeping and accounting agency, National Pension System Trust, trustee bank, points of presence and Annuity service providers. It is prudently regulated by PFRDA which is a statutory regulatory body established to promote old age income security and to protect the interest of subscribers of NPS.
§ The pension wealth which accumulates over a period of time till retirement grows with a compounding effect. The all-in-costs of the institutional architecture of NPS are among the lowest in the world.
§ Contribution made to the NPS Tier-I account is eligible for tax deduction under the Income Tax Act, 1961. An additional tax rebate of Rs.50000 is also allowed for contributions made to NPS Tier-I under Section 80CCD (1B) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
§ Subscribers can withdraw up to 25% of their own contributions before attaining age of superannuation, subject to certain conditions. Further, PFRDA vide “PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the NPS) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2017” dated 10.08.2017 has liberalized norms for partial withdrawals which also include reduction of requirement of minimum years of being enrolled under NPS from 10 years to 3 years from the date of joining.
§ PFRDA has increased the maximum age limit from 60 years to 65 years for joining NPS-All Citizen Model and Corporate Sector Model, vide “PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the NPS) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2017” dated 06.10.2017.
§ PFRDA vide “PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the NPS) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2018” dated 02.2018 has facilitated easy exit & withdrawal in case of disability and incapacitation of the subscriber covered under NPS.
§ Transparency and Portability is ensured through online access of the pension account by the NPS subscribers, across all geographical locations and portability of employments.
(c) & (d) Representations have been received which inter alia also include the demand that the Government may revert to old defined benefit pension system. However, due to rising and unsustainable pension bill and competing claims on the fiscal, there is no proposal to replace the NPS with old pension scheme in respect of Central Government employees recruited on or after 01.01.2004.
11 Saturday Aug 2018
Posted in General
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K.K. Venugopal, the Attorney General of India, who is representing the Government of India in the Supreme Court, surprised every one yesterday, by openly expressing his disgust, at the failure of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Delhi Governments, to take stern measures against mob violence. It is very important to note that Maharashtra and Rajasthan are ruled by the BJP governments, while the law and order in Delhi is being maintained by the Central Government. The Attorney General further said that no civilised country can tolerate mob violence. This remark was made by the Attorney General, before a Supreme Court Bench, consisting of Dipak Misra, Chief Justice of India, and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud. The Bench is hearing a public interest litigation against mob violence. The Judges, on their part remarked that, in the name of religion, no group can be permitted to indulge in violence.
(Courtesy: BSNLEU website)
11 Saturday Aug 2018
The heavy rains during the last few days has resulted in landslides, floods, destruction of hundreds of homes and death in Kerala. This is unprecedented. The rain fury continues. Many towns are flooded. The government has been compelled to raise the shutters of the many dams in the state further flooding many parts of the state. The government, the political parties and the people are jointly making all efforts to save the lives, giving relief to the affected people, shifting them etc. Food is supplied. Thousands are in the relief camps. The rain may continue for two days more according to the experts. The state has never seen such fury of the floods.
09 Thursday Aug 2018
Posted in General, WORLD NEWS
On 6th August, in 1945, the United States dropped the atom bomb ‘Little Boy’ in Hiroshima in Japan killing more than one lakh people and maiming much more who suffered radiation and died later or suffered their entire life. Another bomb named ‘Fat Man’ was dropped in Nagasaki, in Japan itself on 9th August 1946, killing more than 80,000 and maiming more.
This massacre of common people, and not military, was carried out after the World War II was almost over and Germany has been defeated and Japan was going to surrender. In fact, it was a power show by the US and more than that, an experiment of dropping of atom bombs on the common innocent people to find out its destructive power. The cruel and demonic culture of imperialism was revealed to the entire world.
No more atom bombs have been used since then. But the horrible memory of those bombs is still fresh in the memory of not only the people of Japan, but the entire world.
Thousands and thousands of candles are being lit at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all over the world in the memory of those innocent people died due to the bombings.
Let there be no further Hiroshima or Nagasaki! Let the world be made free from such destructive weapons!
09 Thursday Aug 2018
Posted in General, Uncategorized
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The cat is out of the bag. The government interference in the publication of news and comments in the press/media is exposed.
It is none other than the Editors Guild who have accused the government and the political establishments of pressurising the journals not to publish matters against the government. The Guild stated: ” The Editors’ Guild of India condemns the manner in which the right to practice free and independent journalism is seen to be undermined by a combination of forces – some media owners’ inability to withstand political covert and overt pressures from the political establishment and frequent instances of blocking or interference in the transmission of television content that is seen to be critical of the government.”
The central government and BJP should stop this attack on the newspapers and the media.
09 Thursday Aug 2018
Posted in Corruption, General
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Senior Advocate and social activist Prashant Bhooshan, former Cabinet Ministers and senior BJP leaders Arun Shourie and Yeshwant Sinha have jointly demanded that all the details of the Rafale Aircraft deal with France should be placed before the public. They alleged that Rafale is the biggest scandal with Rs. 35,000 crore in the deal. They also stated that ” the deal is an “enormous scandal that jeopardizes national security.” Advocate Prashant Bhooshan stated that it is the biggest defence scam in the country.
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned several times in this matter. The charge is that 36 Rafale fighters are being bought for about three times the price of the aircraft to benefit the corporates including Reliance Defence and Aerospace, the company owned by Mukesh Ambani, who is very close to the Prime Minister.
