4 ways to undo the ill effects of prolonged sitting

Modern lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary. We spend a great deal of our time sitting; be it sitting for long hours at work, sitting while traveling, sitting while watching TV or eating. But if you think that your hour long intensive workout at the gym or your morning jog will make up for your prolonged sitting, you are wrong! A recent study published in the journal Health Psychology Review has found that targeting physical activity and increasing the level of exercise doesn't make any great difference to reduce prolonged sitting. One should focus on decreasing their sitting time. Ask health experts and they will tell you how prolonged sitting kills like smoking. It has turned into a serious public health concern. According to WHO, low physical inactivity is the fourth-leading risk factor for death around the world. 

So what can be done?
Get up and move
If you are guilty of staying glued to your office seat for long hours, it's time you change your habit. Fitness guru Mickey Mehta shares, "It is extremely important to get up from your seat every two hours. Stand up, walk a little, take a deep breath and stretch backwards and touch your toes." Also stand up from your seat every 45 minutes and try working as you stand. Some of the Indian companies have sit-stand desks at work to facilitate that.

Stretch some more 
Did you know you can stretch even while sitting on your desk? Try holding your stomach muscles for a few seconds when breathing in, then release when breathing out. Tilt your head left and right, front and back. Next sit erect in your chair and extend your left leg straight ahead of you. Hold the position for a few seconds and change the leg. If you don't feel too awkward, try front kicks and sidekicks too.

Eye relief 
Working on a laptop or desktop for extended hours also impact your eyes adversely. So take a break every 45 minutes and look at an object in the distant for 10-15 seconds. This will relieve the stress in your eyes.

Work as a team 
Encourage your team members to stretch with you or take a quick stroll with you. Turn by turn record sitting time and set goals for limiting sitting time. Sometimes these tricks fail when done in isolation but if followed at a team, they do wonders.

Source:-The Times of India

PJCA CIRCULAR

PJCA CIRCULAR

POSTAL JOINT COUNCIL OF ACTION

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES

FEDERATION OF NATIONAL POSTAL ORGANISATIONS

ALL INDIA POSTAL EMPLOYEES UNION, GDS (NFPE)

NATIONAL UNION GDS

No.PF-PJCA/2015                                              Dated: 23^rd September, 2015

CIRCULAR

To

            All General Secretaries /All India Office Bearers

Circle Secretaries / Divisional and Branch Secretaries of NFPE, FNPO

& GDS Unions.

Comrades,

            The Postal Joint Council of Action comprising NFPE, FNPO, AIPE Union GDS (NFPE) & NUGDS has viewed with grave concern, the total negative attitude of the Central Government towards the genuine demands of the Postal employees which includes the revision of wages and service condition of the Gramin Dak Sevaks by 7^thCPC, implementation of Cadre Restructuring Agreement and filling up of all vacant posts in all cadres of Department of Posts.

            As the 7^th CPC  may  submit its report  any time before 31^st  December,2015 , delay in settling the above demands will  result in denial of justice to 5.5 lakhs Postal Employees .

            In view of the above serious situation the PJCA  unanimously decided to  revive the  postponed indefinite strike of  May 6^th  and  to commence  the indefinite  strike  from 23^rd November, 2015, the date  from which JCM National Council  Staff Side  is going  on indefinite  strike. It is further  decided  that  in case  the JCM  Staff Side  change their decision the PJCA  will go on  strike from 23d November,2015 itselffor the following  demands:

            (i)Include GDS in 7^th CPC for wage revision and other service related matters.

            (ii)Implement cadre Restructuring proposals in all cadres including Postal     Accounts and MMS in Department of Posts

            (iii)Fill up all vacant posts in all cadres of Department of Posts(i.e. PA,SA,       Postmen, Mail Guard, Mail Man, GDS Mail Man, MMS Driver & other staff in         MMS, PA CO, PA SBCO , PO Accounts & Civil Wing  Staff)

With revolutionary Greetings

Yours Comradely,

                                                                      

(D. Theagarajan)                                                                                     (R.N. Parashar)

Secretary General                                                                                 Secretary General

         FNPO                                                                                                     NFPE

           

                                                                                     

(P. Panduranga Rao)                                                                        (P.U. Muralidharan)

General Secretary                                                                                General Secretary

AIPEU GDS (NFPE)                                                                                        NUGDS

Copy to:

          The Secretary Department of Posts, Dak Bhawan, New Delhi-110 001 for information and necessary action

Postal JCA Dharna in Jantar Mantar New Delhi on 22nd September

POSTAL JCA OF NFPE & FNPO STAGE DHARNA IN JANTAR MANTAR

            The Postal Joint Council of Action of NFPE & FNPO with their GDS Unions staged a Dharna in Jantar Mantar today stressing their Postal Charter of Demands. However the focus had been on the issue of GDS. The JCA demanded that the GDS wage issues should be referred to the 7th CPC for appropriate recommendations instead of referring them to any Officer headed Committee. The NFPE Federal Executive decision to discuss with Postal JCA for a decision to go on strike from November 23 for the Postal Charter with GDS issue as the prime demand was declared in the Dharna by the Secretary General NFPE. The Secretary General FNPO also was favourable for an action in November and he too stressed the need for united action by JCA as in the past.  The Dharna was presided over by Comrade Giriraj Singh the NFPE President. Comrade K.Ragavendran Ex-SG NFPE and GS AIPRPA inaugurated the Dharna. Comrades R.N.Parashar (SG NFPE); D.Theagarajan (SG FNPO); Devendra Kumar (AGS R3 FNPO); P.Suresh (GS R4); T.Satyanarayana (GS Postal Accounts); Virendra Tewary (GS SBCO); P.Pandurangarao (GS AIPEU GDS(NFPE): D.B.Mohanty (Dy.GS P4); A.Manoharan (Wkg President NFPE); Raj Kumar (Treasurer NFPE); J.Ramamurthy (CHQ P3 President); Balwinder Singh (Financial Secretary P3 CHQ); K.P.singh (AGS R3 CHQ); A.K.Gowtham (Treasurer R3 CHQ); K.C.Verma (C/S R3 Delhi); Shivlal (C/S P4 Delhi); and many other Office Bearers of various CHQ addressed the meeting. 

Missed the deadline for filing tax returns? Here's what to do

Filing your tax return has become very simple now but a lot of taxpayers still manage to miss the deadline. This year, the last date was extended twice. If you are among the lazy taxpayers who missed the 7 September deadline, there is no need to panic. You can still file your tax return by 31 March 2016.

Though there is no penalty for filing late if all your taxes have been paid, you will miss out on certain rights and privileges that a taxpayer enjoys if he files his return by the due date. For instance, you won't be allowed to modify your tax return if it has been filed after the due date.

If you had filed your return by the due date (7 September), you could have modified your return any number of times before the end of the assessment year (31 March 2016) or till the return is assessed. Any mistake in the form could have been rectified. If you had missed any deduction or exemption, you could have filed a revised return and claimed it.

Late filers also cannot carry forward any short-term or long-term losses. Taxpayers who filed by the due date can carry forward capital losses and adjust them against future capital gains. They can also carry forward these losses up to eight financial years. For instance, if someone suffered capital losses in 2014-15, these can be adjusted against gains made till 2022-23. However, this benefit is gone if the return is filed after the due date.

The tax department even accommodates the uber lazy taxpayers who have not filed their tax return for the previous year (financial year 2013-14). They can still file delayed returns till 31 March 2016. There is no difference in the filing procedure before or after the deadline. But you have to mention that the return is a belated return in the tax form.

This means the tax return for the financial year 2014-15 can be filed till 31 March 2017. However, this will be treated as a belated return. There could also be a Rs 5,000 penalty for late filing (after 31 March 2016) depending on the discretion of the assessing officer.

However, tax experts say the penalty is rarely slapped if all taxes have been paid. The assessing officer invokes that provision only when there is an additional tax liability. For salaried individuals and retirees whose income is subjected to tax deduction at source are on dry ground.

However, keep in mind that there may be some income on which you have not paid tax. Although there is now a Rs 10,000 deduction on interest earned on savings bank deposits under Section 80TTA, the income from other bank deposits and infrastructure bonds bought a few years earlier is fully taxable.

Though the tax authorities are lenient towards lazy taxpayers, there is a price to be paid for missing the deadline. If there is some unpaid tax, the taxpayer will have to pay a 1% late payment fee for every month of delay since April 2015. If the tax due is more than Rs 10,000, the taxpayer should have paid an advance tax. Advance tax is payable in three tranches—30% is to be paid by 15 July of the financial year, 60% by 15 December and 100% by 31 March. If advance tax has not been paid, the penalty per month will be applicable from the due date of the advance tax.

Source : The Economic Times

Differences and Similarities Between PMSBY & PMJJBY

The two social security schemes – Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) which were launched recently under Jan Suraksha Yojana has been overwhelming. The number of accounts opened under both these schemes has been over 5 crore. Although both these schemes are different yet simple to understand, there are few differences and similarities as displayed in the table below:

FEATURES	PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA (PMSBY)	PRADHAN MANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA (PMJJBY)
Insurance cover offered for	Accidental death/disability/accidental injury	Death due to any reason
Annual Premium	Rs. 12	Rs. 330
Sum Assured	1) Rs. 2,00,000 (for accidental death) 2) Rs. 1,00,000 (for partial disability)	Rs. 2,00,000 for death due to any reason (natural/accidental)
Eligibility	Savings bank account is must	Savings bank account is must
Insurance period	01st June - 31st May (Every year)	01st June - 31st May (Every year)
Can one person opt for same policy more than once in same/different banks	No	No
Eligibility - Age limit	18-70 Years	18-50 Years
Till what age premium has to be paid	70 years	50 years. But you can continue till 55 years, provided premium is paid every year
Payment Mode	Auto debit from the bank account	Auto debit from the bank account
From where to buy the insurance	Public and private banks wherever you hold savings bank account	Public and private banks wherever you hold savings bank account
Documents required	None. You just need to fill application form once	None. You just need to fill application form once
Can anyone buy this policy	Yes. Anyone can buy irrespective of the income earned	Yes. Anyone can buy irrespective of the income earned
Is money refunded if claim is not made	No	No
Is the premium paid tax free	Yes	Yes
Who will receive the money in case of policy holder's death	Nominee	Nominee
If you do not premium, will the policy lapse	No	No
Can you rejoin the scheme if you leave the scheme	Yes	Yes

So as you can see with low premium comes low claim amount. But still everyone should buy these policies especially poor people who cannot afford high premiums asked by other insurance companies in the market. In case of your absence, your family member will can benefit from this money, although small.

In India, above 70% people do not have any insurance policy. Considering the situation, these two schemes were launched

Courtesy : http://www.allonmoney.com/

AP Circle : Examination for filling the posts of Postman/Mail Guard with GDS/MTS - Examination schedule announced

Circle office Hyderabad has announced the schedule for Postman/Mail Guard Examination for the year 2015 vide CO letter dated 15.09.2015. The last date for submission of applications by the eligible GDS and MTS staff  to appear for the examination is 15.10.2015. The schedule date of limited departmental competitive examination is 01.11.2015. The examination centres are Hyderabad, kurnool,vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. 

Total Postman vacancies are 332 and Mail Guard vacancies are 13. 

Income Tax Refund Status - How to track

If excess income tax has been deducted by way of  tax deducted at source (TDS) either by Banks or your Employer, you are eligible to claim a refund.  Banks deduct TDS on interest earned on fixed deposits if it exceeds Rs.10,000 a year.

 For claiming a tax refund, you have to file ITR. If you have missed the deadline of 7 September 2015 for last Financial year, you can file a belated return. You can do so within a year from the end of the Assessment year in which the return was to be filed. So, for FY2014-15 (i.e., AY2015-16), you can file your ITR by 31 March 2017, and claim the refund of excess taxes paid.

E-filing of income tax return (ITR) has not only made the process easier, but also reduced the time taken for refunds. This year, the tax department has started the facility of electronic verification of ITR for assessment year (AY) 2015-16 through an electronic verification code (EVC). According to the department’s website, around 3.5 million e-returns for AY 2015-16 have already been verified through EVC. As on 7 September, about 4.5 million returns of AY 2015-16 have been processed, and more than 2.2 million taxpayers have got their refunds. If you are awaiting your tax refunds, you can track its status.

WHERE CAN YOU CHECK?

You can track the status of your refund on www.incometaxindia.gov.inor www.tin-nsdl.com. Click on “Status of Tax Refunds” tab, enter your permanent account number (PAN) and the AY for which you want to track the refund. The message will show mode of payment, a reference number, status and date of refund.

The State Bank of India (SBI) processes refund claims. Taxpayers can get refunds through two modes—electronic clearing system (ECS) and by cheque or demand draft. For ECS, select this option while filing ITR, and give your bank account number, magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)code and communication address.

For taxpayers who have not opted for ECS refund, cheque or demand draft will be sent. For this, the taxpayer needs to provide her bank account number and mailing address in the ITR. If you have received a ‘refund paid’ communication, and websites also show a similar status, but the money has not been credited to your account, contact your bank or SBI.

You can contact SBI at Cash Management Product, State Bank of India SBIFAST 31, Mahal Industrial Estate Off Mahakali Caves road, Andheri (East) Mumbai-400 093, or call on helpdesk number 1800-425-9760 or email at itro@sbi.co.in.

In other cases, contact Aaykar Sampark Kendra at 0124-2438000 or email atrefunds@incometaxindia.gov.in. You can even contact your assessing officer if you do not get a satisfactory reply from any of the above.

Courtesy : Ashwini Kumar Sharma 

NPS is far beneficial than Government Pension – Comparison of New Pension Scheme (National Pension Scheme) and Central Government Pension 

The Central Government employees who have joined after 1/1/2004 and are put under National Pension Scheme (NPS) have been demanding abolition of NPS and have been persuading the Central Government to make the government pension scheme applicable to them. 

This only exhibits their ignorance of the fact that the New Pension Scheme is highly lucrative and make the government employees who joined after 1/1/2004 far richer than the government employees who enjoy government pension scheme. By doing so they are in the process of ruining the great fortunes that lies in store under New Pension Scheme. Let me compare both the scheme: 

Comparison of New Pension Scheme (National Pension Scheme) and Central Government Pension 

Benefits under NPS 

Let me take a case of Upper Division Clerk(UDC) who joins government service in 2014 at the age of 25 and renders 35 years of service till attaining 60 years of age. He / She gets 3% annual increment every year and gets one promotion every 10 year under M.A.C.P. Although he / she is likely to get 14 to 20% increase in D.A every year as per Consumer Price Index I just take 12%(assuming 6 + 6%) 2 times D.A in a year 

* MACP / Promotion Years 

(A) Therefore, the total pension wealth of a government servant who joined in 2014 and retiring under New Pension Scheme shall at the time of his retirement be Rs. 2,87,26,201/- 

(B) 60% of the lump-sum pension wealth which he / she will be getting on retirement: 

Rs.1,72,35.720 

(C) 40% invested in an annuity scheme which he / she can receive before 70 years: 

Rs.1,14,90,481 

(D) Earned Leave Encashment: Rs. 215625 x 10 months : Rs. 21,56,250 

TOTAL of (A) (B) (C) and (D) will be Rs. 3,08,82,451 

Death Gratuity: 

Although not entitled for retirement gratuity, but eligible for Death Gratuity If died during the service 

Monthly Pension: 

At the assumed Interest at the rate of 8.7% per annum on the other 40% of pension wealth of Rs.1,14,90,481 invested in annuity shall fetch 

monthly pension of at least : Rs.83,306/ – 

Not only this, before he / she attains the age of 70 he / she can withdraw the remaining 40% of his pension wealth of Rs. 1,14,90,481/- which if invested in Fixed Deposit of a nationalised bank can fetch interest and take care of not only of his wife and children but his descendants also for generations to come. 

This is just a tip of the iceberg. If we consider the other 4 pay commission benefits that materialize on1/1/2016, 1/1/2026, 1/1/2036 and 1/1/2046 which a NPS pensioner who joins as UDC shall be getting before his retirement in 2049,his total pension wealth will be undoubtedly double the above amount which comes to more than Rs.5 crores. While a person who joins as U.D.C. gets this much, one will be rocked out of stupor to know what a Group A officer who renders 35 years of service may get – undoubtedly his total pension wealth will be more than Rs.10 crores. 

Benefits under Central Government Pension Scheme 

Now let us see what will be the retirement benefits of the above person if he / she is put in government pension scheme: 

1.Gratuity for 16.5 months : 

Rs.2,15,625 x 16.5 months = Rs.35,57,812/- Restricted to Rs.10,00,000 

2. Earned Leave Encashment: 

Rs. 215625 x 10 months : Rs.21,56,250 

3. Pension Commutation: 

Rs.17195 x 40% = Rs.6878 x 12 x 8.194 years Rs 6,76,300 

Total Benefits under Central Government Pension Scheme: Rs.38,32,550 

4. GPF Balance: 

As it is a general tendency of the government servants to withdraw from GPF frequently, there will be very little left at the time of retirement 

5. Monthly pension 

i) Rs.34390 / 2 = Rs.17195 (basic pension being 50% of pay and grade pay Less 40% of basic pension towards commutation (Rs 6878) which will be restored after 15 years 

Balance basic pension is Rs. 10317 

ii) DA @ 527% of basic pension of Rs.17195 = Rs. 90617 (subject to increase in DA every 6 months based on consumer price index) 

Total pension is Rs.1,00,934 per month. 

After the death of government servant say after 67 years, spouse can take only 60% of the basic pension i.e.Rs.17195 x 60% = Rs.10317 plus D.A.at the prevailing rates. After spouse’s death children are unlikely to draw the pension as they would have already crossed the age limit. Thus, unlike the dependents of NPS pensioners, there will be nothing left for financial security of the dependents of the government pensioners . 

Thus it is unwise on the part of government servants who have joined after 1/1/2004 to demand for abolition of NPS scheme and grant of government pension.

Mr.M.Dorai
Deputy Director
ESIC Model Hospital,
Bangalore (Ministry of Labour, Government of India) is the author of this Article.