SAD NEWS
Com. Ami Chand, aged 66 years, ex circle Treasurar Delhi Circle R-III expired today due to heart attack.
All India RMS & MMS Employees Union Group `C` CHQ conveys its heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family and comrades.
IMPORTANT
PENSIONERS CASE – REPLY FROM MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS, DEPARTMENT OF PENSION & PENSIONERS WELFARE DATED – 02.09.2014
1. Extension of benefit of upgraded Grade Pay to Pre-2006 retirees of S-12 Grade
Reply: Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure has intimated that since the matter is subjudice no decision can be taken. Ministry of Finance clarified that the scale of 6500-10500 has been upgraded to the scale of 7450-11500 and after revision in the Pay Band in PB-2 with Grade Pay of Rs. 4600. Therefore in terms of OM dated 11.05.2011, the Pre-2006 pensioners who held the pre-revised scale of 6500-10500 at the time of their retirement are not entitled for stepping up of their pension and family pension with reference to the revised grade pay of Rs. 4600/-.
2. Extension of Benefit of OM dated 28.01.2013 with effect from 01.01.2006 instead of 24.09.2012
Reply: The matter is subjudice, so no decision can be taken. Four OAs are decided by a common order dated 01.11.2011 of CAT New Delhi. In OA No. 655/2010 curative petition have been dismissed by Hon’ble Supreme Court. In compliance to order dated 15.05.2014 of CAT Principal Bench New Delhi, action is being taken to implement the CAT order dated 01.11.2011 in respect of petitioner in OA No. 655/2010 only. Law Ministry has advised to await the outcome of the SLP in OA No. 655/2010 before deciding in respect of other Pre-2006 pensioners. Next hearing in SLP No. 36148-50/2013 is on 16.09.2014.
Simplification of KYC Norms - Creating Public Awareness
Reserve Bank of India
Date: Sep 04, 2014
Simplification of KYC Norms - Creating Public Awareness
RBI/2014-15/209
DBOD. AML. No. 3356/14.01.001/2014-15
September 4, 2014
The Chairperson / Chief Executive Officers
All Scheduled Commercial Banks (Excluding RRBs)/ Local Area Banks /
All India Financial Institutions
Dear Madam/Sir,
Simplification of KYC Norms - Creating Public Awareness
The Reserve Bank of India, in the recent times, has been taking several measures to simplify KYC requirements to help the common man open bank accounts. It is, however, observed that despite such measures the general public is still facing problems in opening a bank account as these measures have not been given adequate publicity and the common man still lacks awareness on the basics of opening a bank account.
2. In order to address these issues, create public awareness and give wide publicity to these KYC simplification measures, Reserve Bank has issued a Press Release together with a poster and a booklet comprising a few common questions relating to Know Your Customer (KYC) norms for opening bank accounts. These are available on our website at http://rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_PressReleaseDisplay.aspx?prid=31935.
3. In this regard, banks are also advised to initiate steps to create awareness and give wider publicity by circulating the poster and booklet amongst all their branches. Branches may be advised to make available the booklet to the customers/ general public and display the poster prominently in their premises. Progress made in this regard would be reviewed by Reserve Bank in due course.
4. Banks may ensure strict compliance of these instructions.
Yours faithfully,
(Lily Vadera)
Chief General Manager
Postal Department doesn't have manpower to execute RTI Act
Nearly 13 months after Central Information Commission (CIC) directed to issue Right to Information (RTI) stamps instead of Indian Postal Orders and bank drafts or cheques to seek information from government departments, the Department of Posts has said printing presses don't have papers to print stamp papers.
The reply, which the Department of Posts has given for non-compliance to the RTI filed by Delhi-based civil activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal, says: "Both the security printing presses at Nasik and Hyderabad do not have paper to print RTI stamps!'' To this reply, Agarwal took a dig at the postal department saying, "these two presses have sufficient paper to print postal stamps for some foreign countries, apart from adequately equipped for printing commemorative and definitive-series stamps regularly with some stamps like on Sachin Tendulkar printed within a few days of decision-taken, but not for RTI, clearly a discrimination against the game-changer Act and disrespect to the CIC direction.''
On August 27, 2013, the CIC had clearly directed Secretary, Department of Posts, that "RTI applications be accepted in all its 25,000-odd post offices across the country and the RTI stamp of the denomination of Rs.10 be used instead of postal orders and this would be time and cost-effective step.'' But the postal department has its own set of reasons for not issuing the RTI stamps so far.
"The issue of RTI stamps is under examination. A committee has been set up by the Secretary (Posts). All stamps are printed by India Security Press at Nasik and Hyderabad. But currently, both presses are out of stamp papers and the printing of postal stamps has been adversely affected by this. Hence, the matter be raised by the DOP&T with the CMD of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCI) Limited and the Finance Secretary under whose charge SPMCI Ltd operates,'' says the RTI reply by Postal Department.
It also hinted at logistics hurdles as opening nearly 25,000 postal offices for this purpose would demand "dedicated manpower and official infrastructure, including computers, which requires cost. In fact, Department of Posts admitted that it has got "no manpower and extra remuneration even to execute RTI Act by accepting those applications and issuing postal orders for the same through its 4,700 designated post offices.'' The onus thus clearly falls on the government to give mandate, manpower and money to execute CIC direction in its right spirit
