LDCE for Inspector of Posts Examination 2013 on 14th and 15th September, 2013

Schedule for holding of Inspector of Posts Examination 2013 on 14^th and 15^th September, 2013 (in 19 Circles)

Date of Exam	Paper Nos.	Time
14th September,2013 (Saturday)	Paper-I (without  the  aid of books)	10:00 A. M. to 01:00 P. M.
14th September,2013 (Saturday)	Paper-II (without  the  aid of books)	02:00 P. M. to 05:00 P. M.
15th September,2013 (Sunday)	Paper-III (without  the  aid of books)	10:00 A. M. to 01:00 P. M.
15th September,2013 (Sunday)	Paper-IV (without  the  aid of books)	02:00 P. M. to 05:00 P. M.

The IP Examination is not being held in Gujarat, Haryana and Kerala Circles. 

Courtesy : http://ipasporissa.blogspot.in/

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INTUC Resolution on early setting up of the 7th Pay Commission

Resolution on appointment of the 7th Pay Commission

The delegates’ conference of INTUC adopted a resolution on appointment of the 7th pay commission in its 30th Plenary Session held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Since it is one of the major Central Trade Unions in India, the resolutions which are adopted in its conference will be given national importance and it would be taken up seriously by the Central Government. As the INTUC is the labour wing of Congress Party, it is expected that the demands made by the INTUC will be considered favorably by the Government. The resolution on appointment of the 7th Pay Commission is given below

Resolution on appointment of the 7th Pay Commission

The delegate conference of INTUC demands the central government of India to appoint 7th pay commission without any delay.

The 6th central pay commission has recommended a new concept of Pay Band and Grade Pay as replacement to the 5th CPC pay scales/pay structure, which was accepted by the government. Consequently the revised Pay Band/Grade Pay was implemented with effect from January 1, 2006.

In the case of central public sector undertakings, the wages are invariably revised once in five years. The 5th cpc, in the case of central government employees, had recommended that the wages should be revised at least once in 10 years. The degree of inflation in economy determines the pace of erosion of the real value of wages. However this factor was never taken into consideration while determining the wage structure. It is however acknowledged that there has been DA compensation for the central government employees which does not compensate the actual erosion of wages in terms of actual cost of living.

The Government of India should take necessary measures to control the inflation in the essential commodities so that the state/central government employees and general public can maintain their living standard, as they are passing through severe hardship to meet both the ends. It is the general practice that after every 10 years, a new Pay Commission is appointed to examine the economic conditions of the government employees. In the larger interests of the state and central government employees, it is required to appoint the 7th Pay Commission to revise the wages and other benefits in the light of prevailing economic conditions.

The INTUC delegates’ conference earnestly appeal to the government of India to appoint the 7th Pay Commission immediately, so that employees can maintain their living standards intact in the face of steep inflation.

Source: http://www.gservants.com

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10 Tricks to become a Loving, Positive Person

It's one thing to wax eloquent on positivity, but quite another to be a positive person at heart.

Despite believing to have a positive outlook, we invariably weigh the cons first, consider several times before sparing a compliment, and broadcast only the odds when someone counts on us for advice. What's more, we prefer needless sarcasm for humour, manage a wry smile when something is genuinely funny, and believe deep down that the glass is actually half empty.

We live in denial of our inherent negativity for the most part, and often wonder why the world around is so mean and reckless. At work, we never fail telling our juniors how meeting deadlines can be a tough proposition, and not to think too 'out of the box' to impress the boss. In short, we never tire telling all concerned how tough things can be! Unlike dogs we may not be born eternal optimists, but positivity is something that can be imbibed even if a tad forcibly; such as by trying to tweak our sense of humour, the way we react to a given situation, by being more pleasant and believing others too have a mind, and by smiling each time somebody says 'thank you'.

While positivity is a state of mind, the answer lies in our perspective. Clinical psychologist and lifestyle advisor Dr S.K Sharma shares his ideas on how to be a positive person everyday.

Have the desire: First thing first, to become a positive person one must have a strong desire to be positive. And the desire will come only if you are convinced that becoming a positive person will enhance the quality of life. Positivity is like an aura, and you know you are a positive person when people start trusting you, random people become polite with you, colleagues at work start patronising you, and you start building rapport easily.

Be realistic: Do not try to become a saint. Becoming a positive person does not mean you can never have any negative emotion or encounter any negative situation. It is the overall attitude that matters. Don't get bogged down by failure, and disappointed when your expectations are not met. Mentally, you should always be calculating a way out of difficult situations come what may.

Experiment: Be a keen observer. Use everyday life incidents to see how you can manage them in a more positive manner. These will serve as perfect instances to turn your outlook more positive. For starters, contemplate how you could have better handled a situation by being less hostile and more indulgent. Come up with five ways that could have saved the day, and learn to take things at face value sometimes. Remember, your ability to trust the other person also reflects your genuineness.

Speech and body language: Try and make positive words a part of your daily lingo, and work on your body language in way that you come across as friendly and approachable. Look amused when something is amusing, laugh when something is funny, congratulate when someone's bought something new, and give others a chance to narrate their side of the story. Never think you are the only interesting, knowing one around.

Company: One way to becoming positive is to seek positive company as both positivity and negativity are infectious. If the people you spend most of your time with are grumpy or have a pessimistic standpoint, you'll find yourself mirroring the same emotions before a different set of people inadvertently. In order to inculcate positivity it is imperative that your friend circle is a positive, energetic, and a happy bunch. You'll find yourself carrying the same positivity everywhere you go.

Activities: Do not remain idle and brood. Take up positive activities with others or in isolation. Share a joke, narrate a pleasant incident, take part in sporting activities, go for a run in the evening after work, have healthy sex, and you'll find yourself bubbling with positive energy.

Take it easy: Everyday life is bound to give you shocks. Be prepared to minimise impact and shrug it off. For instance, you may get too hassled everyday while driving to work or trying to park your car. When you accept the fact that certain things cannot be changed, you'll be more at ease with yourself and those around too.

Learn yoga: Says yoga teacher and nutritionist, Abhilasha Kale, "Do pranayam everyday as it lets you focus and meditate. Not only does it secrete happy hormones but also creates a sense of awareness within you." With the help of yogic asanas you control your breathing, and by way of it, control your mind from wandering. Every time you do yoga, you feel a surge of positive energy through your body that calms your nerves, soothes your mind, elevates your mood, and not to mention enhances your level of tolerance.

Maintain a diary: Instead of recounting all events of the day, filter out only the positive ones and make a note of them. It could be anything trivial from your bus arriving on time, your mom cooking a delicious breakfast, to remembering to pay the bills on time. When we look for positivity in the little things that make our lives worthwhile, we leave no room for negativity. "Try consciously practising this for 10 days, and at the end of day ten when you read your diary back you'll only have memories of all the good things that happened to you," she asserts.

Say 'thank you': Thank god, thank your parents, friends, and thank yourself for all the hard work you did, for everything you achieved. Says Abhilasha, "Saying thank you frequently makes you humble, and a humble person is seldom cynical."

Try these methods, and you'll be surprised when others notice the change in you.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Your job can give you Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common and functionally impairing disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

There are several risk factors for osteoarthritis of the knee, while Body Mass Index (a high BMI precedes knee OA) is a high risk factor for both males and females, occupation is another one that has been linked to this problem. Studies have varied in their design, in both definition of OA and exposure to workload. The prevalence of knee OA is rising and the search for interventions to mitigate risk is intensifying.

Researcher Dr Benny Antony says, "Several studies have suggested that risk for osteoarthritis is increased by work, which entails prolonged bending of the knees. Recent research has shown that there is moderate evidence for a relationship between kneeling and heavy lifting and knee OA. The majority of published studies have dealt either with hip or knee OA, and relatively few studies have included both in the same cohort, thus enabling comparison of the risk for hip and knee OA. Most studies have been cross-sectional, but recently, results from longitudinal studies have been published, strengthening the causality of occupation as a risk factor for knee and hip OA."

Factors that increase risk of osteoarthritis include...

Certain occupations: If your job includes tasks that place repetitive stress on a particular joint, that may predispose that joint toward eventually developing osteoarthritis.

Sedentary lifestyle: Cartilage depends on joint use for its nutrition.

Bone deformities: Some people are born with malformed joints or defective cartilage, which can increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Joint injuries: Injuries, such as those that occur when playing sports or from an accident, may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Obesity: Carrying more body weight places more stress on your weight-bearing joints, such as your knees.

Other diseases: Having diabetes, under-active thyroid, gout or Paget's disease of bone can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis.

Older age: The risk of osteoarthritis increases with age.

Sex: Women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, though it isn't clear why.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Re-classification of places and revision of the rate of House Rent Allowance in respect of Karnataka Government employees

PROCEEDINGS  OF THE GOVERNMENT OF KARNATAKA

Sub: Re-classification of places and revision of the rate of House Rent Allowance in respect of State Government employees -reg.

Read:-

I. GO. No. FD 7 SRP 2012, dated: 21.04.2012 
2. G.O. No. FD 18 SRP 2012, dated: 19.10.2012 
3. G.O. No. FD 9 SRP 2013, dated: 18.03.2013 
4. G.O. No. FD 5 SRP 2013, dated: 10.05.2013

PREAMBLE:-

On the basis of the recommendations of the Official Pay Committee-2011, the Cities/Towns, and Other Places in the State were classified into four classes for the purpose of House Rent Allowance with reference to their population based on 2001 Census figures vide G.O. dated: 21.04.2012 read at (1) above. The list of places falling under each of the four classifications was published in the Annexure appended to G.O. dated: 19.10.2012 read at (2) above.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister in the Budget Speech 2013-14 has announced the Government’s decision to re-classify the Urban and Rural areas in the State as A, B & C categories for the purpose of House Rent Allowance and to revise the rate of House Rent Allowance. Accordin^gly, the following orders are issued.

GOVERNMENT ORDER NO. FD 14 SRP 2013 BANGALORE, DATED: 02.09.2013

In partial modification of the G.O. No. FD 18 SRP 2012 dated: 19.10.2012,

Places in the State for the purpose of HRA into three categories as under and the revised rates of HRA shall be as indicated against them.

Population	Classification	Rate of HRA as % of basic pay
25 lakh and above	A	30%
5 lakh and above but less than 25 lak_h	B	20%
Less than 5 lakh	C	10%

2. The details of the places falling under each of the above three classifications are as under:-

"A" Class City

Bruhath Bangalore Mahanagara Palike
(Places situated within the BBMP limits as notified in Notification No, UDD 92
MNY 2006, dated: 16.01.2007)

"B" Class Cities

Mysore Municipal Corporationli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation

"C" Class Cities

All other places with a population of less than 5 lakh

3. The classification of Cities/Towns and Other Places in the State shall continue to be on the basis of 2001 Census figures until further orders.

4.All other conditions stipulated in G.O. No. FD 18 SRP 2012 dated 19.10.2012 for grant of house rent allowance shall continue to apply.

These orders shall come into effect from 1st October 2013

source-http://www.kar.nic.in/finance/gos/fd14srp2013.pdf

Via : http://employeesorders.com/

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CEPT- MYSORE Hosting New web site http://cept.gov.in for all Dept. Technological issues:-

Vide .No.CEPT-1/2012 dated at Mysore 570 010 the 9-9-2013. The CEPT is hosting its official web site at http://cept.gov.in. The information that is being hosted on http://ptcinfo.org will be hosted henceforth on http://cept.gov.in. In future the website http://ptcinfo.org will contain information relating to the activities of Postal Training Center, Mysore only. All the information relating to the Technology, software, training modules, various MIS pages etc. will be available in future on http://cept.gov.in only.

Note:
You need to be a registered user to access this site. If you have registered with sahuliyat then use the same email ID or reset password

Source: www.telugupostmasters.blogspot.com

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RECENT LETTER TO THE DIRECTORATE REGARDING POSTMASTER CADRE RECRUITMENT RULES

Source : http://nfpe.blogspot.in/

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Hon'ble Prime Minister releases stamp on Lala Jagat Narain

NEW DELHI: A commemorative stamp in the memory of freedom fighter and veteran journalist Lala Jagat Narain, who was gunned down 32 years back for opposing terrorism in Punjab, was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday.

Releasing the Rs 5 denomination stamp at his residence, Singh said journalists should be honest, fearless and neutral while performing their duty, even in trying circumstances. 

The stamp was released in presence of a host of dignitaries, including Union ministers, chief ministers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and Punjab deputy chief minister besides editor-in-chief and CEO of Punjab Kesari newspaper, Vijay Chopra. 

Singh said Jagat Narain, in his career as a journalist, had opposed efforts to control the media and "his fearlessness is an example". 

Highlighting that Jagat Narain had opposed terrorists and had to pay with his life, the Prime Minister said he had left an important message on the role of media — "a journalist should be honest, fearless and neutral while performing duty, even in trying circumstances". 

The veteran journalist was shot dead near Ludhiana on this day in 1981 when terrorism in Punjab was at its peak.

Singh recalled that Jagat Narain left his studies at the age of 21 and joined the Non-Cooperation Movement on the appeal of Mahatma Gandhi. 

Even in jail, he contributed to the freedom struggle by working as a secretary to Lala Lajpat Rai, he said. 

He was again jailed for three years for participating in the Quit India Movement and spent a total of nine years behind the bars during the freedom struggle. 

He said the three newspapers published by his Hind Samachar Group have a daily readership of over 33 lakh. 

BJP leader LK Advani, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, former law minister Ashwani Kumar and former IPS officer KPS Gill were among those who were present on the occasion.

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Death by heart attack at job, employment injury:HC

Mumbai, Sep 10 (PTI) Death due to heart failure at work place amounts to employment injury, the Bombay High Court has held and ordered Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIS) to pay within a month the claim amount to a 40-year-old housewife whose husband died of cardiac arrest in a factory.

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Merger Of 50% DA With Pay : Resolution adopted in INTUC Conference

Merger Of 50% DA With Pay

The 30th Plenary Session of Indian National Trade Union Congress INTUC is being held in Raipur from 6-9-2013 to 9-9-2013 is concluded today. There are 4 Resolutions which are considered to be very important are adopted in this Conference.One of the four main resolution is Merger of 50% DA with Pay for central government employees. So the INTUC urges the central government to consider the demand and accord sanction for merging 50% DA with pay. The Resolution On Merger Of 50% DA With Pay which has been adopted in 30th Plenary Session of INTUC held in Raipur from 6-9-2013 to 9-9-2013 is given below

Resolution On Merger Of 50% DA With Pay

The Wage structure revision for Central Government employees had been enquired into by the successive pay Commission appointed by the Government of India during the past decades and gave their reports. The Government had considered the reports and decided for implementation with certain changes and improvements.

The previous pay Commissions (3rd,4th,5thand 6th ) have ,by and large, covered the aspects of the principle of wage determination . But however the job contents, remuneration commensuration with the nature of duties and responsibilities have not been taken into consideration by the pay Commissions while determining the revised pay structure, consequently the railway men have been put into disadvantage.

The 5th CPC had recommended that the DA must be merged with pay and treated as pay for computing all allowance as and when the percentage of dearness compensation exceeds 50%. Accordingly even before the setting up of 6th CPC, the DA of 50% was merged with pay.

Presently, the dearness compensation is 80% as on 1st January, 2013, while the DA had crossed 50% of pay as on 1st January, 2011.The demand for merger of DA to partially compensate the erosion in the real wages was first mooted by the Gadgil Committee in the 2nd pay Commission period. The 3rd CPC had recommended such merger when the cost of living Index crosses over 272 points i.e. 72 points over and above the base index adopted for the pay revision. In other words, the recommendation of the 3rd CPC was to merge the DA when it crossed 36%. The Government in the national Council JCM at the time of negotiation had initially agreed to merge 60% DA and later the whole of the DA before the 4th CPC was set up. The 5th CPC had merged 98%of DA with pay.

As the DA already stood at 80% of Pay and another installment is expected to be granted w.e.f. July, 2013 which may cross 90%,it is necessary that the Government takes steps to merge 50%DA with pay for all purposes for the year 2013 for ensuring compensation to the erosion of value of real wage of government employees.

The Plenary Session of INTUC therefore urges upon the Government of India to consider the demand and accord sanction for merging DA component i.e. 50% of DA with pay for all purposes.

Source : http://www.gservants.com/

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ENHANCEMENT OF CASH CONVEYANCE LIMITS - DRAFT PROPOSAL BY DoP

To view Directorate's letter, please CLICK HERE.

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Admit Cards for IPO & LGO Exam 2013 being held on Sept 14-15, 2013

Admit Cards for IPO & LGO Exam 2013 being held on Sept 14-15, 2013

Click Here to Download Admit Card

List of Deleted Candidates

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CDBurnerXP: Free CD, DVD, ISO, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray burning software for Windows

CDBurnerXP is a freeware to burn CDs and DVDs. It comes packed with great features that are easy to operate and. In addition to data discs, CDBurnerXP also lets you burn audio and video CDs. Using this freeware you can burn data to CD-R/CD-RW/DVD+R/DVD-R/DVD+RW/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM/BD/HD-DVD, including double layer mediums. It supports almost every kind of disc media!

It even supports data burning on permanent backup disks which can preserve your data for up to 1000 years. With this software you can even create bootable disks that run from the boot menu of your software. CDBurnerXP also comes with another great feature, called Data Spanning, this feature lets you spread large amount of data across different disks.

CDBurnerXP can also import previous (ISO 9660) sessions and edit existing file structure on CD/DVD. You can even erase re-writable CDs using this software. While creating Audio and Video CDs you can see several features like the audio player that continuously plays the audio that you are adding to your disk. While creating Video CDs you need to supply the VIDEO_TS folder and the software can automatically modify the IFO or BUP files necessarily.

Managing ISO files is a breeze using this software. You can create ISO files from a CD/DVD else you can burn ISO files using this software. You can even convert BIN images to NRG images using the in-built image converter in the software.

CDBurnerXP also lets you create simple covers for your Data and Audio CDs. You can create simple covers or you can print according to DVD cases or Mini CD Cases. This feature is very interesting and useful. Now you don’t need to switch to some other application for creating CD/DVD Covers.

CDBurnerXP supports LightScribe integration so that you can print images directly on CD/DVDs. LightScribe is basically a technology developed by HP. For all those geeks out there, this software also comes in Command Line version and it supports most USB, Firewire, IDE and SSCI drives.

CDBurnerXP has been recently updated. The new version of this freeware can now save the original non-cached path for data compilations when caching files is enabled, while also fixing a bug that blocks the ISO burning process from showing any progress. In addition, errors occurring during ISO burning or copying are now displayed, while the app also asks for erasing the disc if an empty one is required.

CDBurnerXP free download

Click here to download CDBurnerXP. This free software runs on Windows 8 too.

Courtesy : http://bnjho.blogspot.in/

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Identification of Pensioners Associations under the Pensioners' Portal

F.No.55/12/2013·P&PW(C)

Government of India

Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi

************

Identification of Pensioners Associations under the Pensioners' Portal - A Mission Mode Project under NeGP.

A Mission Mode Project Pensioners' Portal, under NeGP entrusted to Department of P&PW aims at the welfare of Central Civil Pensioners across the country. Its specific objective is to facilitate redressal of Pensioners grievances and provide detailed information, guidance etc. on pension and other retirement related matters through various stake holders. The project envisages inter-alia association of registered Pensioners Associations of Central Government Employees and other welfare organizations in the implementation process.

Under the above project this Department has already identified 30 Pensioners Associations on the basis of the following criteria. These Associations are given one time hardware/software and Grant-in-Aid up to Rs.75,000/- per annum to participate in the implementation of the scheme to defray expenses on certain approved components such as telephone/internet connection, stationary etc.

This Department now intends to identify about 20 more Pensioners Associations in a phased manner i.e. 10 Pensioners Associations during 2013-14 and further 10 Pensioners Associations during 2014-15 from various States. Preference will however be given to Central Government Pensioners Associations from the unrepresented States, which are Himachal Pradesh, Goa, North Eastern State (except Assam) and Union Territories, looking after the welfare of Civil/Railways/Defence pensioners. The Central Government Pensioners Associations desirous of getting identified under the Pensioners Portal may send their details as indicated below along with copies of relevant documents with reference to above criteria along with a write up on their vision/ plan to work towards welfare of Central Government Pensioners to Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare at the address given above within 30 days from date of publication of advertisement in newspapers. Super scribing - "Identification under Pensioners Portal" 

(a) Name of Pensioners' Association with Address etc.

(b) Date of Registration/ incorporation
(c) MOA& rules, if any
(d) Objectives of the Association
(e) Sources of funding
(f) Total membership of the Association
(g) Audited Accounts for last 3 years
(h) Annual Activities Report for last 3 years
(i) Publication/journal details
(j) Composition of General Body
(k) No of General Body Meetings held
(1) Premises (whether hired or owned) by the Association
(m) Infra-structural details
(n) With whom the Association interact frequently

(Tripti P. Ghosh)

Director (PP)

Source: http://pensionersportal.gov.in
[http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D3/D03ppw/PA_090913.pdf]

Via : http://karnmk.blogspot.in/

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Ce­­n­tral Administrative Tri­bunal relief on Pension for 16 In­di­ra Gandhi Centre for Ato­mic Research Employees

Chennai: The Madras bench of the Ce­­n­tral Administrative Tri­bunal has directed the In­di­ra Gandhi Centre for Ato­mic Research (IGCAR), Kal­pakkam, to provide GPF and other benefits under Central civil service (pension) rules 1972 to 16 employees absorbed as temporary workers in 1999.

In a petition, K. Punni­yakoti of Kalpakkam and 15 others prayed for a direction to the Central government and IGCAR to extend to them the benefit of pension under the old government pension scheme.

The petitioners contended that they were granted temporary status in 1999. On September 9, 2008, they were appointed as casual labourers in the grade of ‘helper A’.

As per the order, 50 per cent of the service rendered under temporary status would be counted for retirement benefits.

After rendering three years of continuous service after conferment of temporary status, the casual labourers would be treated on a par with group D employees for the purpose of contribution to general provident fund.

They were appointed in te­mporary category and su­b­sequently regularised bet­ween May 2005 and Novem­ber 2005.

Meanwhile, the go­vernment introduced the new pension scheme in Ap­ril 2004 and the employees who joined service after Ja­nuary 1, 2004 were to be be covered under the new scheme.

In its reply, IGCAR argued that the employees who joined service after January 1, 2004 would be governed by the new pension scheme.

Employees who joined service prior to January 1, 2004 were governed by the general provident fund/contributory provident fund as per the Central civil service (pension) rules 1972.

The judicial member of the bench, B. Venkateswara Rao directed IGCAR to apply provisions of the Central civil service (pension) rules 1972 in respect of the employees and extend benefit under GPF rules. The bench also directed IGCAR to deduct monthly subscription regularly without interruption. The order is to be complied with within two months.

Source:http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130907/news-current-affairs/article/ce%C2%AD%C2%ADn%C2%ADtral-administrative-tri%C2%ADbunal-relief-pension-16-in%C2%ADdi%C2%ADra

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Free ebook: Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2

Download the PDF version of this title here (108 pages, 5 MB).

Courtesy : Microsoft

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NFPE HELPLINE - AN INSTANT HIT

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PFRDA is a reality now, will the real NPS follow?

At long last, after close to a decade of waiting in the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill (PFRDA) has been passed by Parliament. With this, the PFRDA gets statutory status. As far as the operation of the National Pension System (NPS) goes, this Bill doesn't change anything on the ground. The PFRDA has been in operation since 2003 and the NPS has come into existence during this time in bits and pieces.

The NPS has descended from thinking that began in the late 90s on creating a modern broad-based pension system for India. The progenitor of NPS was a report by a committee called the Old Age Social and Income Security Project set up by the Ministry of Social Justice in 1998 and headed by the first Sebi chairman, SA Dave. The two obvious drivers of the whole process were changing demographics and the large future liability that the central and state governments face in the old pension system.

That report was a remarkable achievement, more so for the time. It didn't just lay down the outline of what India's ideal pension system should be, but created a detailed blueprint of the system, from the capabilities that would be required from the information-handling back-end to the principles of investment management that should be followed and the way the scheme would be promoted and expanded to the unorganised sector. The report envisaged individual retirement accounts and account holders choosing between different 'styles' of investment schemes run by a set of pension fund managers. At the same time, it designed a framework within which extremely low-cost operations would be possible.

The recognition of equity as a desirable asset type for retirement savings and the emphasis on passive fund management for the same were huge steps forward. Today, as the PFRDA is about to get going, there are two ways of looking at things. If one remembers everything that the OASIS report contained and compares that to what has actually been achieved in the 14 long years (close to half the working life of the potential beneficiary!) that have gone past, then it's hard not feel a little depressed.

Back in 2003, when the PFRDA was first constituted, I wrote a long and enthusiastic cover story about the coming NPS revolution in Value Research's magazine. Yesterday, when I took out that story and re-read it, it really brought home the fact that NPS was yet to be created. In many key areas, NPS as it exists is not much more than a caricature of what had been recommended. In fund management, there is one single style, which has a token neither-here-nor-there 7 per cent equity assets. Some great ideas about fund managers competing with each other — and paying penalties for under performing in the 'safe' style — are thus rendered moot.

However, in the specific task of replacing the government's old pension system and thus limiting its future liability, NPS has obviously served its purpose. To make this part functioning, IT back-end has evidently been created and works. The NPS's hardest challenge is its extension beyond government employees and to the unorganised sector. Anyhow, whatever be the delays and the gaps, PFRDA and NPS now exist and will presumably move forward one way or the other.

The larger a proportion of the original OASIS vision it manages to implement, the better it will be. One potential pitfall is the nature of the PFRDA Bill. Like most Indian laws setting up regulators, this one, too, hands over the all rule-making to the regulator. Few of the desirable characteristics of the NPS are thus actually embedded in the law. Basically, the bill creates PFRDA and PFRDA creates and continues to nurture and grow a great pension system for all time to come. Hopefully.

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Minutes of the meeting taken by Member (P) regarding restructuring of Inspector Posts cadre

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Client Configuration file Creator - ie. eMO, ePayment,..

DOP Clients Configuration file Generator

Automated Configuration File generator:

                           Using DOP Clients Config file generator we can generate Configuration file for emo, epayment, RNet and SpeedNet communication. For generate ePayment client configuration file, this tool must be execute from ePayment Client Installed Computer.

This tool can solve following problems:
ePayment , and eMO, RNet, Speed Net Configuration file missing error

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Source : http://potools.blogspot.in/

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Temporary Employees joined before Jan, 2004 and regularised in NPS will eligible for Pension & GPF: CAT

Ce­­n­tral Administrative Tri­bunal relief on pension for 16 In­di­ra Gandhi Centre for Ato­mic Research employees

Chennai: The Madras bench of the Ce­­n­tral Administrative Tri­bunal has directed the In­di­ra Gandhi Centre for Ato­mic Research (IGCAR), Kal­pakkam, to provide GPF and other benefits under Central civil service (pension) rules 1972 to 16 employees absorbed as temporary workers in 1999.

In a petition, K. Punni­yakoti of Kalpakkam and 15 others prayed for a direction to the Central government and IGCAR to extend to them the benefit of pension under the old government pension scheme.

The petitioners contended that they were granted temporary status in 1999. On September 9, 2008, they were appointed as casual labourers in the grade of ‘helper A’.

As per the order, 50 per cent of the service rendered under temporary status would be counted for retirement benefits.

After rendering three years of continuous service after conferment of temporary status, the casual labourers would be treated on a par with group D employees for the purpose of contribution to general provident fund.

They were appointed in temporary category and subsequently regularised between May 2005 and November 2005.

Meanwhile, the government introduced the new pension scheme in Ap­ril 2004 and the employees who joined service after January 1, 2004 were to be be covered under the new scheme.

In its reply, IGCAR argued that the employees who joined service after January 1, 2004 would be governed by the new pension scheme.

Employees who joined service prior to January 1, 2004 were governed by the general provident fund /contributory provident fund as per the Central civil service (pension) rules 1972.

The judicial member of the bench, B. Venkateswara Rao directed IGCAR to apply provisions of the Central civil service (pension) rules 1972 in respect of the employees and extend benefit under GPF rules. The bench also directed IGCAR to deduct monthly subscription regularly without interruption. The order is to be complied with within two months.

Source : http://www.deccanchronicle.com

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Microsoft launches Xbox Music on Web for free

Microsoft is making its Xbox Music streaming service available for free on the Web even to those who don’t use Windows 8.

The expansion beyond Windows 8 devices and Xbox game consoles starting on Monday is intended to bring new customers into the software giant’s ecosystem of devices and services and could help it compete with other digital music offerings like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes. It’s also an acknowledgement that the music service hasn’t done much to drive sales of the Windows 8 operating system.

The move represents another step toward Microsoft’s goal of becoming a company that sells devices and services, rather than primarily software, said Michael Turits, an analyst with financial advisory firm Raymond James. It comes on the heels of Microsoft announcing it would buy the mobile phone handset manufacturing business of Nokia Corp. for $7.2 billion and that CEO Steve Ballmer would step down within 12 months.

“They’ve said they’re going to be a devices and services company. We know they want to be a device company since they’re buying the Nokia phone division,” he said. “This kind of thing gives more credibility to the idea they’ll be more of a services company as well.”

Most buyers of the new Windows 8 operating system discovered Xbox Music because it’s the default player for music files that people have imported from elsewhere, according to Xbox Music general manager Jerry Johnson. Opening it up to the broader public would give more people a chance to see the benefits of having multiple devices linked to Microsoft’s platform. Its music service, for example, will save favorites and playlists across PCs, Windows Phones and Xbox game consoles.

“To actually build that ecosystem, we need to bring people into it,” Johnson said.

Xbox Music allows people to choose from 30 million tracks and stream them for free with ads. The service sells downloadable tracks that have been kept off streaming services by artists or labels. A radio service on Xbox Music also generates song playlists automatically along genres or similar artists.

The thinking is if new consumers enjoy the free experience online, some might upgrade to pay $10 a month for the Xbox Music Pass, which allows playback on mobile phones and Microsoft’s game console, Xbox 360, and its upcoming version, Xbox One. Microsoft is also launching apps for iPhones and Android devices that will allow paying subscribers to access Xbox Music. Previously, you had to have a device running the Windows Phone 8 operating system to access the plan on the go.

The decision to allow Xbox Music to run on competitors’ phone platforms is in line with Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft Corp.’s move in June to release app versions of its Office software on Apple’s iPhone.

Microsoft is also updating its Xbox Music interface by reducing the size of cover art but adding tabs to make it easier to create and manage playlists.

Starting with its release on Nov. 22, Xbox One users will also, for the first time, be able to play games while listening to Xbox Music simultaneously, a feature that isn’t offered on the Xbox 360.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/gadgets/microsoft-launches-xbox-music-on-web-for-free/article5109204.ece

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New Pension Bill, PFRDA Bill, 2011: Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

Frequently asked questions about the New Pension Bill, PFRDA Bill, 2011, are given below.

 1. What does the new pension law do?

•   The PFRDA Bill, 2011, (proposed to be enacted as a law) provides for the establishment of an Authority to promote old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds, to protect the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
  An Interim Authority has already been created vide Govt Resolution dated October 10, 2003, and November 14, 2008, and is fully functional. The passage of the bill will confer statutory status to the Interim PFRDA to develop and regulate National Pension System (NPS) earlier known as New Pension Scheme.

2. What is NPS ?

•   The National Pension System reflects (NPS) Government’s effort to find sustainable solutions to the problem of providing adequate retirement income.
• The NPS is an easily accessible, low cost, tax-efficient, flexible and portable retirement savings account. Under the NPS, the individual contributes to his retirement account and also his employer can also co-contribute for the social security/welfare of the individual.
• The NPS is designed on Defined contribution basis wherein the subscriber contributes to his account, there is no defined benefit that would be available at the time of exit from the system and the accumulated wealth depends on the contributions made and the income generated from investment of such wealth.
• Eventual pension wealth is based on the level of contributions made over the years, the charges (administrative and fund management) deducted from the funds and the returns achieved by the investment fund (pension fund managers) used over a period of time during the accumulation phase in the NPS.
• The greater the value of the contributions made, the greater the investments achieved, the longer the term over which the fund accumulates and the lower the charges deducted, the larger would be the eventual benefit of the accumulated pension wealth likely to be.

3. Why should one subscribe to a pension fund?

•   Pension ensures that a person has steady and adequate financial security during his old age, even after he has retired from employment or his earning capacity has extinguished/decreased.

4. What does the pension bill propose?

•   The PFRDA shall administer the NPS for subscriber’s interest in accordance with the provisions of the PFRDA Act and the rules and regulations framed thereunder. The Authority has the mandate to regulate all other pension funds (other than the NPS) which are not regulated by any other enactment.

5. Is it compulsory?

•   The NPS is compulsory in respect of persons appointed to public services in connection with the affairs of the Union, or to All-India Services, on or after 1-1-2004. It is also compulsory in case of employees of Central Autonomous bodies.
• The NPS is also applicable in respect of employees of various state governments and its autonomous bodies, who have joined the NPS and in respect of whom, such state governments have extended the NPS based on the notifications issued by such states.
• The NPS is voluntarily extended to the citizens of India w.e.f May, 2009, who may choose to be covered under the NPS. The NPS has also been extended to various corporates, who may choose to provide the scheme to their employees on a voluntary basis.

6. When was it first introduced?

•   The PFRDA Bill 2005 was introduced in Lok Sabha in March, 2005, but could not be considered and passed due to dissolution of 14th Lok Sabha. Earlier, the PFRDA Ordinance 2004 was promulgated on December 29, 2004, which lapsed on April 7, 2005.

7. Can one decide how much on ones savings should go into stocks and how much in debt?

•   Presently, in respect of government employees, the investment choice in asset class E (Equities), asset Class C (Corporate Debts) and Asset Class G (Government Securities) is in accordance with investment pattern contained in Ministry of Finance notification No. F. No. 5 (88)/2006 –PR.— dated August14,  2008. For others different schemes are applicable based on the choice exercised by the subscriber.

8. If stock prices crash, will pension be affected?

•   The rate of return and NAV (Net Asset Value) of the subscriber will be susceptible to market risk.

9. Can one choose the stocks in which pension fund will put the money?

•   Pension Fund Managers based on their expertise will choose the stocks for investing the collective monies of the subscriber (under full disclosure to the NPS Trust). However, individual subscriber will not have the option of choosing a particular stock.

10. Can one withdraw money whenever one wants or only after one retires?

•   The subscriber can exit from the NPS and withdraw the accumulated pension wealth in the following manner and no other exits or withdrawals are permitted presently:
• a. Upon attainment of age of 60 years   : At least 40% of the accumulated pension wealth of the subscriber needs to be utilized for purchase of an annuity providing for the monthly pension of the subscriber and the balance is paid as a lump sum payment to the subscriber.
• b. Upon Death (irrespective of cause)   : The entire accumulated pension wealth (100%) would be paid to the nominee / legal heir of the subscriber and there would not be any purchase of annuity/monthly pension.
• c. Exit from the NPS before attainment of age of 60 years (irrespective of cause):   At least 80% of the accumulated pension wealth of the subscriber needs to be utilized for purchase of an annuity providing for the monthly pension of the subscriber and the balance is paid as a lump sum payment to the subscriber.

11. Can it help the industry?

•   The industry can benefit by the availability of long term funds under the NPS, which may be deployed to build infrastructure. The industry can also provide the  NPS as an important social security scheme to the employees serving in such industries.

Source: http://english.manoramaonline.com
via : http://karnmk.blogspot.in/

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