Hectic move by Finance to sell Coal India shares

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The Department of Disinvestment, probably the one department working for day and night for disinvestment of PSUs, has circulated a cabinet note to the concerned ministries proposing to sell 10% shares of coal India limited (CIL) for Rs. 20,000 crore, through Offer for sale (OFS) route.  At present CIL is having 90% shares with it.

There need not be any doubt about early clearance of the same by the cabinet. A government which wants every PSU to be sold for the benefit of corporates will be eagerly waiting to get the note to approve it.

No ‘family silver’ will be with government, if a five-year more term is given to the UPA.

Roaming Charges reduced by 30% from July 2013

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

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The TRAI has proposed earlier that the roaming charges for mobiles will be completely removed. But there was strong opposition from the private telecom companies that the complete withdrawal will result in huge loss to them and that rates will have to be increased. The COAI also complained.

Yesterday, the TRAI has announced that there will be no complete withdrawal of roaming charges. Instead, it is decided to reduce the roaming charges by about 30% from the existing rates. Accordingly the outgoing local calls will be charged Re.1 and outgoing STD calls Rs. 1.5  per minute. For incoming calls. For incoming roaming calls, the charge will be Re.0.75 per minute.

 

8 New Ministers – Sis Ram Ola Labour Minister

17 Monday Jun 2013

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8 New  Ministers have been sworn today, making the total ministers to 77. Sis Ram Ola is the new Labour Minister. Mallikarjun Kharge, who was the Labour Minister has now been allotted the important Railway Ministry.

The young Rani who fought the British

17 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in History, Uncategorized

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Rani of jhansi.jpgThe courageous leadership and ultimate sacrifice of Rani Lakshmibai  of Jhansi against the British and for the freedom of the country is well-known to all. There are many ballads and stories about her bravery, war strategy etc. But what is not much known is that at the time of her death in the battlefield on 17th June 1858  she was young and only 30  years of age.

Today is the 113th anniversary of her sacrifice for the country. She was killed in action, in the battlefield and was buried in Gwalior.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi will ever be remembered by the people.

BSNL for Better Service (3) – Memorandum to GoM on ‘Revival of BSNL’

17 Monday Jun 2013

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One of the main points raised in the Memorandum by the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations to the Group of Ministers on Revival of BSNL & MTNL is that the government should take a basic position that BSNL is a fully government-owned Public Sector Unit (PSU) providing service all over India (except in Delhi and Mumbai where another PSU,  MTNL, provides service) including the lakhs of villages and rural areas which are loss-making and where the private companies shy to enter and requires total support from the Government. BSNL is suffering huge losses to provide and maintain service in the nook and corner of the country as part of the universal service obligation of the government.  It is the same with providing services in the border states like J&K, North-East etc. More than 70% of landlines, which cater to a large number of ordinary people, are still with BSNL. It is the incumbent operator with a tradition of more than 160 years of excellent service in telegraph/telephone which helped the nation to develop its communication, infrastructure etc. with sincerity, dedication and determination.  All these aspects the government has to recognise and accept that BSNL is the nation’s requirement and has to be supported in all ways.

Instead of giving priority and most favoured status to BSNL, unfortunately the government is helping and favouring the private telcos. Only a few examples will suffice. Private companies were given mobile licence in 1995-96, while BSNL got licence after six years  in 2002 only, which gave a lot of advantage to the private telcos. When the  3G and BWA spectrum was allotted, BSNL was compelled to shell out Rs. 18,500 crore for pan India service, while the private companies paid  about Rs.5,000 to 7,000 crores only for the same and by cartelising, they are also providing services all over the country. Private companies were allotted spectrum which can be utilised for new advanced technologies, BSNL was allotted spectrum of lesser standard. While the government says of equal field, in fact there is no equal field anywhere. This kind of discrimination against BSNL should be reversed.

The government should issue directions to all the central/state governments, PSUs and govt. assisted organisations to take connections from BSNL only as they have directed in the case of Air India. As far as BSNL is considered, on the insistence of BSNL Employees Union, many agreements like loan have been from PSU banks, group insurance scheme with LIC etc. In the same way other PSUs should take connections from BSNLEU.

These are a few of the immediate action that can be taken by the Government.

‘North-East do not suffer from eve-teasing’, Delhi Commssioner

17 Monday Jun 2013

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In the Times of India today, 17th June, in the Editorial Page, a very significant statement from Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar is published in the ‘They Said It’ column along with his photo. He has stated that ” I have served in the North-East. ..They have not heard of a thing called eve-teasing.”

I fee that what he said is correct. There is a reason also. In the North-East, the women are very active and are the bread-winners in many house-holds. The women have a respected position. As such, the eve-teasing may not be a problem.

However, it is also to be noted that the girls and women from North-East in Delhi are being regularly  assaulted, attacked and raped. And  Neeraj Kumar, Commissioner of police, is in Delhi and has to do a lot to ensure safety of girls and women of not only NE but all those in Delhi.

BSNLEU Mumbai CTO opposes closure of Telegrams

17 Monday Jun 2013

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The meeting of the BSNLEU CTO District Branch Mumbai held on 17th June 2013 at the CTO Conference Hall expressed its strong protest against the decision of BSNL Management to close the telegram services from 15th July 2013. It demanded the management to cancel the ill-motived and ill-timed decision. More than 300 comrades participated including a good number of ladies.

Comrades Purushotham Gedam, Circle Secretary Maharashtra, S.S.Ubhe, Dist. secretary, CTO, Dist. Secretary, Raighar and other leaders addressed. Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri, President BSNLEU and Convener, Forum of BSNL Unions / Associations spoke in detail and briefed the house about the decision of BSNLEU and Forum to oppose the decision of Management. He also spoke on the recent settlement of 78.2% IDA pay fixation, movement of Forum for Revival of BSNL and for better Service and the memorandum submitted to the GoM. He called upon the workers our task to improve the services.

A Press conference was  held after the meeting at the Press club. Coms. V.A.N.Namboodiri, Purushotham gedam and S.S.Ubhe told in detail about our opposition to the closure of Telegram services. It was also told to the press about the decision of the Forum to organise an All India Convention on ‘Revival of BSNL’ and its memorandum to ‘GoM’.

 

BSNL FOR BETTER SERVICE – GoM ‘ON REVIVAL OF BSNL’

16 Sunday Jun 2013

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The Government has now appointed a Group of Ministers (GoM) with Finance Minister P.Chidambaram as Chairman for ‘Revival of BSNL &  MTNL’. Other members of the committee are Dy. Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal,  Commerce & Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, Minister for Information % Broadcasting Manish Tiwari and Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension  V.Narayanasamy.  The constitution with these heavy weight ministers shows that high priority has been given to the issue.

Of course, telecom has always been an important sector for the government. Hence it was always under the direct control of the government as a Department, first P&T and later Department of Telecommunications. The Cabinet Ministers who looked after the Ministry include celebrities like Rafi Ahmad Kidwai, Jagjivan Ram, I.K.Gujral,  C.M.Stephen, Shankar Dayal Sharma, Sushama Swaraj  and others. The growth of telecom infrastructure and services have always been a priority with the government, since it is closely connected with the growth of the country itself.

But that priority given earlier has been changed now, after the introduction of the neo-liberal policy for the last two decades. Now the priority is to allow the private players to maximise their profits at the cost of the PSU telecom companies and the country. The naked support to the MNCs and private companies can be seen in each and every decision taken by the government and the discrimination against BSNL & MTNL.

Hence the priority for the GoM on Revival of BSNL & MTNL will naturally focus on further growth of the private companies. The GoM is certain to be in favour of disinvestment and VRS both of which BSNL Employees Union and the Forum have been able to stop through united struggles. It may also decide some insignificant support to BSNL & MTNL with harsh conditions.

The workers can not allow such decisions which will gradually  put a lid on the existence of BSNL, as the government has now decided in the case of telegram services by deciding to close the same unceremoniously  by 15th July 2013.

It is why the Forum has given a detailed Memorandum to the GoM with effective and practical suggestions, which if implemented, will completely change the present scenario and will strengthen BSNL and ensure a better service. The Forum has also decided to organise programmes including an All India Convention at Delhi for wide publicity for our demands and support from the people. The workers have to come forward to implement the programmes and restore the great tradition of the Telecom services in the past.

Horrible exploitation of contract workers in BSNL

16 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in BSNLCCWF - Casual and Contract workers, Uncategorized

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A meeting of the Circle Executive Committe of the Maharashtra Labour and Contract Labour Union of BSNL was held today at CITU office. The union is both affiliated to CITU and BSNL Casual & Contract Workers Federation (BSNLCCWF). About 50 comrades were present representing the SSAs Maharashtra.

The reporting by the District Secretaries about the condition of the contract workers was shocking. Most of the orders issued by the BSNL Corporate office or the Instructions of the Govt.f India are not implemented. In some SSAs, only Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 is paid as minimum wage. In some other SSAs it is Rs. 3,000 to 4,000. These are much below the minimum wages fixed by the Central Govt. and orders issued by the BSNL Corporate office. EPF and ESI are not implemented. These are not checked by the concerned officers and action taken against the culprits.

However, due to the continuous struggle of the union, in SSAs like Latur and Nasik, the situation is somewhat better,though not completely.

The meeting has taken decisions to strengthen the union by bringing all the contract workers in to the organisation and also persue the issues with the management for settlement with the help of BSNLEU, CITU etc.

 

Venezuela Solidarity Committee formed

15 Saturday Jun 2013

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New Delhi, June 16: A 17-member Venezuela Solidarity Committee (VSC) was formally constituted in New Delhi on June 12, 2013. The meeting was attended by A.B. Bardhan, Prakash Karat, Sudhakar Reddy, Debabrata Biswas, G. Devrajan, Achin Vanaik, Ravi Roy, Nilotpal Basu and Pallab Sengupta. The Solidarity Committee is formed with the participant members with this understanding that it will be a broad based committee by accommodating more members from different sections of the society. The next meeting of the committee will be held on July 19 at 4pm at Ajoy Bhavan. The meeting has issued the following statement: “The Venezuela Solidarity Committee (VSC) hereby affirms its commitment to promoting deeper understanding and friendship between the peoples of India and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The Committee expresses its solidarity with the ongoing efforts by the people and government of Venezuela to create an independent, prosperous, democratic, peaceful and egalitarian society. Such support has become all the more necessary in light of the US Administration’s effort to impugn the legitimacy of the recent Presidential elections in that country, an electoral process deemed by international observers including from the US, as among the freest and fairest that have taken place anywhere. This Committee also wishes to register its strong opposition to any attempt, whether direct or indirect, by the US in pursuit of its imperial interests to interfere with the right and freedom of the people of Venezuela to determine their own future. This Committee supports the initiative taken by the government of Venezuela and  by other progressive governments in South and Central America to bring about a greater continental unity that is also independent of outside powers in order to better resolve the issues”.