Monday 19 October 2015

DOPT REPLIES TO AIPRPA LETTER


AIPRPA CHQ FORWARDED THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY TAMILNADU STATE TO HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA ON 26-06-2015.

AFTER INITIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY PMO,  NOW DOPT HAS REPLIED TO GENERAL SECRETARY ON MADURAI BENCH OF CAT

DOPT has replied that earlier the Madras CAT has decided to hold circuit sitting of their Bench at Madurai as it is within the jurisdiction of Madras CAT. However due to stay order granted by High Court of Madras the circuit bench could not sit in Madurai. The Principal CAT New Delhi has been directed by the Government to defend the case by filing appropriate counter reply.  

DOPT reply to AIPRPA CHQ

Delegates and Visitors to NCCPA AIC finalised by the CHQ AGM in New Delhi

NCCPA AIC AT KOLKATA
6-7, November, 2015


List of Delegates and Visitors from AIPRPA finalized
by the AGM of AIPRPA CHQ

20 Delegates to NCCPA AIC at Kolkata as elected at the AGM of AIPRPA CHQ
The following 20 Delegates were elected unanimously in the AGM of AIPRPA CHQ held at 15th and 16th of October, 2015 in New Delhi to represent AIPRPA in the AIC of NCCPA to be held at Kolkata  on 6th and 7th of November, 2015:

  1. Com.D.K.Rahate – CHQ President
  2. Y.Nagabhushanam – Andhra State General Secretary
  3. CH.Ramarao – Telengana State President
  4. M.Kannaiyan – Tamilnadu State President
  5. S.Santhanaraman – Tamilnadu State Treasurer
  6. Shanmugha Sundara Raj – CHQ Organising Secretary
  7. C.P.Shobhana – Kerala (
  8. N.C.Pillai – CHQ Vice President
  9. R.N.Dhal – Odisha State General Secretary
  10. Sankarpal Singh – CHQ Treasurer
  11. Rajinder Prasad Verma – Delhi State President
  12. Deepchand – Delhi State General Secretary
  13. B.M.Sunda – CHQ Assistant General Secretary
  14. T.P.Mishra – U.P State General Convener
  15. B.Veerannashetty – Karnataka (AIPRPA Raichur)
  16. Ghedam – Maharashtra Officiating State GS
  17. N.D.Sharma – H.P State General Secretary
  18. Ganak – M.P State General Secretary
  19. Janarthan Debnath – Tripura State General Convener
  20. Nawal Kishore – Jharkhand (Jamshedpur AIPRPA)

In addition to the 20 Delegates, we are requested to keep the number of visitors within 20 so that a total of 20 Delegates + 20 Visitors viz., 40 representatives from AIPRPA can participate in the AIC. The Visitors are apportioned as follows by the AGM:

  1. Delhi State – 1
  2. Tamilnadu – 5
  3. Andhra – 2
  4. Telengana – 1
  5. Odisha – 1
  6. Karnataka – 1
  7. Maharashtra – 1
  8. U.P State – 4
  9. Jharkhand – 2
  10. Rajasthan – 1
  11. Chhattisgarh – 1

As the total number of participants from AIPRPA has been fixed by the NCCPA CHQ taking into consideration of the arrangements made for accommodating delegates in Kolkata by the Reception Committee, the AGM has decided to restrict the number within 40.

Therefore if any of the elected Delegate or allotted visitors are not in a position to attend the AIC of NCCPA in Kolkata, respective comrades are requested to immediately inform the CHQ to replace with alternative comrade as Delegate or Visitor. Therefore the Delegates are requested to immediately reserve to and fro journey to Kolkata and inform the General Secretary to confirm the attendance. The State General Secretaries or State Conveners are requested to finalize the names of the Visitors within the number earmarked by the AGM and confirm the situation immediately to the General Secretary.

Cooperation is expected from all States and CHQ Office Bearers.

K.Ragavendran
General Secretary








Saturday 17 October 2015

AGM RESOLUTIONS


Resolutions adopted in the AGM of AIPRPA 

held in New Delhi 

on 15th and 16th October 2015

The Resolutions adopted in the AGM are being sent to respective Departments of Government of India by the CHQ.

1.     Resolution on Nationwide Programme of Action on Postal Pensioners’ Charter of Demands:

There are several exclusive problems to Postal Pensioners that remain unresolved for years. The Postal Pensioners are not allowed to enroll as a beneficiary under CGHS on the plea that only the beneficiaries of the scheme while in service will be permitted to join. This is a clear discrimination perpetrated to Postal Pensioners as against other Civilian Pensioners. The Postal Pensioners in non-CGHS areas drawing FMA are allowed the benefit of reimbursement for any hospitalization treatment on par with the employees in service despite many courts ordering in favour of such Pensioners. Even the Postal Pensioners covered under some of the existing Postal Dispensaries in some parts are denied in-patient treatment and they are forced to pay annual contribution for out-patient treatment.  The discussion in SCOVA on allotment of rent-free BSNL landline telephone to all erstwhile P&T Pensioners seems to be an unending process without any finality. There are several other problems like allotment of vacant Postal Staff Quarters to Postal Pensioners on a nominal rent. In addition to these exclusive sectional issues of postal pensioners, there is also the problem of non-issue of orders for refixation of pension for all post-1996 Postman retired pensioners despite Supreme Court Verdict and delay in implementing the July 30th Orders on refixation of pension to all Pre-2006 Pensioners. It is therefore unanimously resolved by this AGM of AIPRPA CHQ held at New Delhi on 15th to 16th October to launch a Nationwide Programme of Action on Postal Pensioners Charter of Demands and that the exact Programme of Action shall be finalized by the CHQ Executive Committee to meet after the submission of 7th CPC Report.

2.     Resolution on implementation of Pre-2006 pension refixation:

The 30th July 2015 orders of the Ministry of Pension and Pensioners Welfare notwithstanding, the issues of pre-2006 pensioners have not come to an end in the Department of Posts. The 30th July orders allow refixation of pension w.e.f. 1.1.2006 instead of 24.9.2012 with the quantum of pension refixed in accordance with the P&PW Department OM No.38/37/08-P&PW(A) dated 28-01-2013. The Annexure to the above orders dated 28th January clearly spells out the actual pay in the pay band for each cadre with the appropriate Grade Pay as well as the minimum pension entitled to the Pre-2006 pensioners retired from that cadre. However, in many postal divisions in several circles the refixation of pension to pre-2006 pensioners and family pensioners has not been strictly done as per the above analogy stipulated under the orders of MoP&PW dated 30th July,2015. Moreover the refixation work has not been undertaken in many postal divisions. This Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association resolves to urge upon the Postal Directorate to cause to issue appropriate instructions to all Circles for suo-moto correct refixation of pension to all eligible Pre-2006 pensioners and family pensioners in a time bound manner to avoid delay and disappointment to postal pensioners.

3.     Resolution on grant of full pension to pre-2006 Pensioners with less than 33 years of service:

The Supreme Court had dismissed the SLP of the Central Government filed against the judgment of Honourable High Court of Kerala delivered in favour of ‘Inasu’. This means that Pre-2006 pensioners with only 20 years of qualifying service also should be paid full pension instead of proportionate pension. This judgment has been totally ignored by the Government while issuing the orders on 30th July, 2015 on the refixation of pension to Pre-2006 pensioners. The action of the Central Government is completely unjustified and its refusal to extend the judgment to all Pre-2006 pensioners with less than 33 years of service except to the particular pensioner involved in the SLP is nothing but defiance of Apex Court directives. The Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi on 15th and 16th October, 2015 unanimously resolves to urge upon the Central Government to comply the Supreme Court orders on the issue of grant of full pension to Pre-2006 retirees with less than 33 years of service.

4.     Resolution on pension refixation to post-1996 pensioners of Postman cadre:

The Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th of October, 2015 is deeply saddened to witness the undue delay on the part of the Postal Department in issuing orders for refixation of Pension to the post-1996 pensioners of Postman cadre consequent on the disposal of the Civil Appeal Number 2010 Of 2009  on 7.5.2015. The delay even after five months of disposal of the SLP by the Supreme Court, based that too after an understanding was reached in consultation with the Advocate of the Government for granting monetary benefit notionally from 1.1.1996 to 10.10.1997, is unacceptable. Thousands of post-1996 postmen retirees are denied their due refixation of pension for years due to the long-drawn legal battle. But the current delay in issuing the orders even after the Supreme Court verdict is causing agony to the pensioners of postal department. This AGM urges for early release of orders.

5.     Grant of life membership of CGHS to Andhra and Telengana Postal Pensioners:

This Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners being held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th October, 2015 resolves to urge upon the Government to consider the peculiar situation developed in the matter of admission of postal pensioners into the CGHS in the state of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. On the intervention of Hyderabad CAT, the Postal Pensioners of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh were admitted into the CGHS on a temporary basis by admitting them for every six months period as against the one year period applicable to other regular subscribers. This had happened 10 years before and no final decision is taken by the Government on this peculiar situation prevailing only in Andhra in the country. As per the existing rules of CGHS, once a pensioner beneficiary pays CGHS annual contribution for a period of 10 years, he is then admitted as a life time beneficiary and no further recovery of CGHS contribution need to be made. The Postal Pensioners of present bifurcated states of Andhra and Telengana, who have thus paid the CGHS contribution for a total period of 10 years through their special six months renewals, are therefore eligible to get life membership into the CGHS without any further payment of contributions. But contrary to existing rules, the six months recovery of contribution is continued beyond the period of 10 years in these two states. The poor pensioners out of fear of discontinuation from CGHS are forced to pay the contributions beyond the 10 years period. This Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association unanimously resolves to urge upon the Government of India to order stoppage of any further recovery from those pensioners who have remitted contributions for a period of 10 years and issue life membership into the CGHS for them.

6.     On implementation of Supreme Court judgment against recovery from retiring officials:

This AGM of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th October, 2015 has resolved unanimously to urge upon the Central Government to take efforts to issue appropriate instructions based on the Supreme Court direction about recovering excess amount of salary paid etc from the officials at the time of retirement. The Supreme Court had delivered a judgment stating that no recovery towards any over-payment shall be made from officials during the time of their retirement and within one year of retirement. It is also relevant to note that based on this Supreme Court judgment, the Jabalpur CAT also recently ordered against such recovery of over payment after retirement. As  it will be extremely difficult to approach the judiciary by every individual for such issues, this AGM of AIPRPA resolves to urge the Government of India to issue comprehensive instructions to all Departments on this important matter to stop effecting any recovery from retiring officials or retired officials.

7.     On extending pensioner favourable court judgments to all similarly placed pensioners:

This Annual General Body meeting of All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association being held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th October, 2015 noted with dismay that despite insistence by the Staff Side and various Pensioners Organisations to extend the benefit of any judgment of Courts to all similarly placed employees and pensioners instead of implementing only to the petitioner concerned, there is no positive decision by the Government. It is also a fact that any judgment of CAT or High Court or Supreme Court that goes against the employee or pensioner, the same is extended to all similarly placed employees and pensioners systematically. This discriminatory approach of selectively respecting court judgments by the Government of India is unjustified and unethical.
It is also pertinent to point out that the three judges bench of Honourable Supreme Court had held out another judgment  on 30-10-2013 stating that this approach of Government is causing unnecessary wastage of public money and consuming valuable time of the Courts. This AGM of AIPRPA therefore has resolved to urge upon the Government of India to extend the benefit if any granted by Courts to any employee or pensioner to all similarly placed persons also automatically without discrimination.

8.     Resolution on delayed grant of Pension and Family Pension to officials and dependents under NPS:

This Annual General Body Meeting of All India Postal & RMS Employees Association being held at New Delhi from 15th to 16th of October, 2015 notes with deep concern that there is considerable delay in sanctioning pension to retiring officials covered under NPS Scheme. Similar delay is experienced in the case of grant of family pension to the dependents of NPS officials also. There are cases where even after more than two to three years pension or family pension is not sanctioned to such persons. The livelihood of retired officials as well as the dependent family members of NPS officials is fully resting on the monthly pension or family pension irrespective of the meagreness of the quantum. This AGM of AIPRPA has therefore resolves to urge upon the Government to issue suitable instructions to PFRDA authority to ensure sanction of pension or family pension to NPS cases on par with the time limit taken for sanction of pension / family pension under Defined Pension Scheme.

9.     Resolution on biometric linking of Aadhar Card to PPOs:

The instruction to link the Aadhar card of Pensioners with the PPOs may not pose any bigger problem if it is only a matter of submission of a self attested photocopy of the aadhaar cards by the pensioners, who are  having such aadhar cards. But the insistence that the pensioners must physically come to the HPOs and biometrics to be taken from them  by the Department for linking the aadhaar cards are causing much suffering to the pensioners at their old age. There are many instances wherein the biometric of fingers and eyes taken are not approved in spite of their having issued with aadhar cards earlier. The senior citizens at their old age are unnecessarily sent from pillar to post for set righting this problem. This AGM of AIPRPA therefore resolves to urge the Government to not to insist for linking of Aadhaar Cards with biometric reverification but simply accept the self-attested photocopy of aadhar cards from pensioners who are having such aadhar cards at present.  

10.       Resolution on non-issue of revised PPOs to Postal Pensioners:

The issue of non-issue of revised PPOs to Central Government Pensioners is an item continuously under discussion in SCOVA meetings and the progress is being intimated by the Ministry of Pension in successive meetings. In the recently held SCOVA meeting on 13th October, 2015 also the information is provided that only around 8000 cases are still to be issued with fresh PPOs in the case of Postal Pensioners. However, this AGM of AIPRPA finds that many pensioners are yet to be issued with revised PPOs in many postal circles. As the 7th CPC is expected to submit its recommendations soon, and the pension is expected to be revised once again, the work of issue of revised PPOs for Pre-2006 pensioners cannot be delayed further. This AGM of AIPRPA therefore resolves unanimously to urge upon the Government to issue strong instructions to complete the work of revised PPOs without any further delay.

11.   Resolution on opening of new CGHS dispensary in the bifurcated State of Andhra Pradesh as well as in all Revenue States without CGHS at present:


Consequent on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Telengana and Andhra recently, the only CGHS exists in Hyderabad City comes under the Telengana State and the State of Andhra Pradesh is left without any CGHS at all. There are many instances of such bifurcation of States in the past resulting in one of the bifurcated states left without any CGHS in the past. This AGM of AIPRPA also finds that there are many revenue States in the country without any CGHS at present. Though the CGHS dispensaries are formed under certain specifications like total number of beneficiaries in that city etc, it is felt that such specifications require suitable relaxation to ensure at least one CGHS dispensary in each State. In addition to larger States like Andhra now going without any CGHS, there are many remote and difficult states in North Eastern part of the country without any CGHS at present. This AGM therefore urges upon the Government of India to consider to relax the conditions for opening a CGHS to enable each State gets at least one CGHS dispensary without exception. In addition it is to be ensured that all employees and pensioners of every circle or state to enrol as CGHS beneficiary without discrimination as held out by the judgment of Kerala High Court and also to authorise one qualified referral hospital in each revenue district for the benefit of taking treatment by employees and pensioners without the strain of travelling to the only CGHS available in the State as directed by the Kerala State Human Rights Commission. This AGM of AIPRPA urges for favourable action in this matter.  

AIPRPA WEB VISITORS CROSS 50000 MARK!

VISITORS TO AIPRPA CHQ WEBSITE CROSSES 50000

It is seen that the total visitors of our CHQ Website crossed the mark of 50000 on 16th October, 2015. The web visiting is slowly on the increase and let us encourage this trend as the social media is a quick transmitter of our information between our members and well wishers. 

K.Ragavendran
General Secretary 

Friday 16 October 2015

SUCCESSFUL AGM


AGM of AIPRPA CHQ RESOLVES NATIONWIDE PROGRAMME OF ACTION

The Annual General Body meeting of AIPRPA at New Delhi has been completed. The two-days session of the AIPRPA concentrating the organisation-building measures turned out to be a successful session. Comrade D.K.Rahate the CHQ President presided over the AGM. The Reception Committee headed by Comrades Rajinder Prasad Verma (Chairman) and Deepchand (General Convener) has made excellent arrangements for the conduct of the AGM. More than 100 Delegates including the CHQ Office Bearers and State General Secretaries representing 13 States attended the AGM.

Inaugural Session: Comrade KKN.Kutty (President Confederation) inaugurated the session on 15th with his penchant speech on the issues of pensioners and workers as well as the adverse policies of the Central Government and called for a sustained movement against the attacks of the Government. Senior leaders of both Pensioners and Employees movement including Comrades Pavitra Ranjan Chakraborti (SG NCCPA); VAN.Namboodiri (Patron NCCPA); K.G.Jayarajan (GS AIBDPA); R.N.Parashar (SG NFPE); O.P.Khanna (GS Admn FNPO); Giriraj Singh (President NFPE); and R.Seethalakshmi (GS P4) addressed the inaugural session. Later in the subjects committee comrades C.C.Pillai (Advisor AIPRPA & Ex-SG NFPE) and K.V.Sridharan (Advisor AIPRPA & Ex-GS P3) addressed elaborately.

Subjects Committee: The subjects committee witnessed the presentation of a written General Secretary’s Report on all developments since the foundation Conference at Vellore at July, 2014 and a debate by the Delegates and Office Bearers and State Secretaries on all items of agenda. The adopted Report of the General Secretary is being sent to those comrades who could not participate in the AGM. The following decisions are taken unanimously:

  1. A Nationwide Programme of Action on the Demands Charter of Postal Pensioners has been authorized by the AGM. The Programme of Action will be finalized by the next CHQ Executive Committee that will meet after the presentation of the 7th CPC recommendations to Government.
  2. A time bound formation of State Association for AIPRPA in those states where so far a State Association has not been formed is decided. Intense membership campaign by visiting the HPOs on the day of pension payment; door to door campaign to enroll pensioners as members of AIPRPA; distribution of circulars in local languages explaining the background of formation of AIPRPA; Planning for the meeting of former Divisional and Branch Secretaries in each district to form the nucleus of AIPRPA; concentrating the campaign among the women pensioners to involve them in pensioners activities etc are the activities emphasized.
  3. The Annual Subscription to the monthly journal “Pensioners Post” has been fixed as Rs.120/-
  4. Amendments to the Byelaw have been unanimously adopted. The annual subscription of the membership has been decided as Rs.200/- with the quota to State Association and CHQ @ 25% of the above annual subscription.
  5. It has been decided that 20 Delegates and 20 Visitors from AIPRPA will participate in the 3rd AIC of NCCPA at Kolkata on 6th and 7th of November, 2015. The names of 20 Delegates have been approved by the AGM and the number of visitors from each state also has been finalized as per the instructions of NCCPA Reception Committee to limit our participation strictly within the above number.
  6. The AGM discussed several problems of pensioners including the present position on implementation of 30th July orders on refixation of Pre-2006 Pensioners; Impact of OROP granted to Pensioners of Armed Forces vis-à-vis the Parity of pension to past and future civilian pensioners; Issue of refixation of pension to all post-1996 postmen pensioners; Need to file court cases on MACP to promotee pensioners;  Non-issue of revised PPOs to Postal Pensioners; Channel of communication to AIPRPA at all levels; Need to convene the CHQ Executive immediately after the submission of CPC Report in December; Enrolling maximum subscription for the proposed monthly journal “Pensioners Post” etc.
  7. The AGM adopted resolutions on launching a Programme of Action on a Charter of Demands of Postal Pensioners after the submission of 7th CPC recommendations; on Implementation of pension refixation orders for Pre-2006 Pensioners; On grant of full pension to pre-2006 pensioners with less than 33  years of service; On  refixation of pension to all post-1996 Postmen pensioners; On granting life membership of CGHs to Pensioners in Andhra and Telengana who have already remitted CGHS contribution for a period of 10 years on six monthly spells; On opening of a CGHS dispensary in the State of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh; On issue of orders by Government to not to recover any amount from retiring officials as per the latest Apex Court orders; On extending the benefit of Court Judgments to all similarly placed pensioners; On channel of communication to AIPRPA at all levels and other facilities; and On the delay in grant of family pension to NPS families.
The Reception Committee had honoured several important personalities who have contributed in several ways for the successful conduct of the AGM in New Delhi. The Reception Committee also honoured the State of Tamilnadu for the best membership enrollment and for successfully hosting the 1st AIC.

K.Ragavendran
General Secretary

A view of participants in the AGM New Delhi

CHQ President D.K.Rahate

General Secretary K.Ragavendran 

President Confederation KKN.Kutty inaugurating AGM
NCCPA SG Pavitra Ranjan Chakraborty

VAN.Namboodiri Patron NCCPA

K.G.Jayarajan General Secretary AIBDPA

R.N.Parashar Secretary General NFPE

O.P.Khanna General Secretary Admn FNPO

NFPE President Giriraj Singh

R.Seethalakshmi General Secretary P4 NFPE

C.C.Pillai Advisor AIPRPA & Ex-SG NFPE 

K.V.Sridharan Advisor AIPRPA & Ex-GS P3

Rajinder Prasad Verma President Reception Committee


Deepchand General Convenor Reception Committee honoured by GS AIPRPA

Special Guests of Delhi in the AGM 




Tuesday 13 October 2015

Annual General Body Meeting at New Delhi to commence

AIPRPA CHQ AGM TO OPEN TOMORROW



The Annual General Body meeting of AIPRPA CHQ is to commence its two day session from tomorrow and for both 15th and 16th the session will deliberate all important issues before us since our AIC at Vellore. 

Leaders of Central Government Employees movement, Postal Trade Union movement and Pensioners Movement are attending the inaugural session. Comrade KKN Kutty to inaugurate; Comrades Shiv Gopal Mishra (JCM Staff Side Secretary); M.Krishnan (SG Confederation); R.N.Parashar (SG NFPE); D.Theagarajan (SG FNPO); R.Chandraprakash (Former CHQ President BPEF P3); many General Secretaries of Postal Unions are invited. 

Pensioners movement leaders including Comrades Pavitra Ranjan Chakraborti (NCCPA SG); VAN.Namboodiri (NCCPA Patron); K.G.Jayarajan (GS AIBDPA) are also invited and attending.

The AGM will deliberate issues before Pay Commission; likely condition to prevail after submission of recommendations by CPC; organisational issues related to AIPRPA, BCPC and NCCPA; Amendments to Bye-law of AIPRPA; and other issues related to Government's policies that have a bearing with the welfare of Pensioners. 

K.Ragavendran
General Secretary

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Demand of Parity between Past and Future Pensioners reiterated

JCM STAFF SIDE SECRETARY SHIV GOPAL MISHRA WRITES TO 
7th CPC CHAIRMAN
DEMANDING PARITY BETWEEN 
PAST AND FUTURE PENSIONERS 
AS WELL AS OROP 



The Chairman 7th CPC was written a letter by Comrade Shiv Gopal Mishra the Secretary of JCM National Council Staff Side regarding Parity between the Past and Future Pensioners. The letter is placed hereunder: