RESTRICTION OF OFFICIATING PAY UNDER FR 35 IN THE CONTEXT OF CCS (REVISED PAY) RULES, 2016- REGARDING. (DOP) ORDERS (Click the link below to view)
Tuesday 12 March 2019
Tuesday 5 March 2019
MESSAGE OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Usha Bonepalli
bonepalliusha@gmail.com
Type of ship : A small mini-ship.
Location : Highseas, in the South Pacific Ocean.
Between Lyttelton (New Zealand) and Falkland Islands (Argentina)
Climate : Rough weather, stormy winds, extremely cold climate.
Ocean waves of 7 metres height.
Wind speed of 60 knots (i.e. 112 km/s – speed of Rajdhani express)
Nearest port : 5000 kms away, on both sides, at least 20 days to reach.
Crew : Only six members on the mini ship.
Comrades, this is not a story of fiction. And I am not talking about a voyage of Magellan, about whom we studied in history text books, as the first person who sailed around the world. I am talking about 6 women, who sailed around the world, in a small ship, from Sep 2017 to May 2018. Braving storms on high seas in treacherous oceans. The total strength of crew is 6, and all 6 are women. Vartika Joshi, Pratibha Jamwal, AishwaryaBoddapati, P Swathi, S Vijaya Devi, Payal Gupta. These 6 women sailed on INSV Tarini and circumnavigated the world in 9 months. Let me repeat, only 6 crew members on the ship, all 6 are women.
This display of nerves of steel, steely resolve, resolute determination, determined steadfastedness – these are attributes that each and every woman is born with. Except that these qualities are not recognized. Even by herself.
As the famous story goes, an eagle’s egg was placed with hen’s eggs and hatched. Eagle baby grew up with hens, thinking that it is a hen. When it sees an eagle flying high, it thinks –if God blesses, I will be born as an eagle in next birth.
A woman is conditioned to think that she does not have the bouquet of abilities that she is born with. Stereotypes are created, projecting women as weak, meek, fragile, dependent, and delicate. In households, peer groups, societies, films, advertisements, mass media, and every facet of life that women encounter - as a budding girl, a teenager, a young lady and a woman. It gives immense satisfaction when women break these stereotypes, and emerge as courageous, path breaking icons.
There is no shortage of such path breaking icons. On Jan 4 2019, when Arunima Sinha climbed Mount Vinson in dead-chilly Antarctica, she covered all the highest peaks in all seven continents. She is an amputee, lost her leg when she was pushed from running train while she fought robbers. She was also the 1st female amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest.
Justice Indu Malhotra became the 1st woman judge to be elevated as a Judge to Supreme Court directly from the Bar. For the 1st time, we have three women Judges in the Supreme Court. Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi became the 1st Indian woman pilot to fly solo in a MiG-21 Bison fighter jet. ManikaBatra led India to gold in Table Tennis in the 2018 Commonwealth games, defeating Singapore, which never lost in Commonwealth games since table tennis was introduced in 2002. She was featured on cover of July 2018 Femina.
Indra Nooyi became 1st independent female director of International Cricket Council(ICC). Debjani Ghosh became 1st woman President of NASSCOM, organisation which champions the $ 167 billion Indian IT services industry. Anny Divya from Vijayawada became world’s youngest woman commander to fly a Boeing 777. Himadas, daughter of a farmer from Assam, became 1st Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. She is India’s 1st ever youth ambassador of UNICEF. Jayshree Ullal, CEO & President of Arista Networks, is one of just 72 self made women billionaires globally. For the 1st time, an all women contingent of Assam Rifles, oldest paramilitary force in the country, walked down Rajpath on Republic Day 2019, led by Major Khusboo Kanwar, daughter of a bus conductor in Rajasthan.
Indra Nooyi became 1st independent female director of International Cricket Council(ICC). Debjani Ghosh became 1st woman President of NASSCOM, organisation which champions the $ 167 billion Indian IT services industry. Anny Divya from Vijayawada became world’s youngest woman commander to fly a Boeing 777. Himadas, daughter of a farmer from Assam, became 1st Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. She is India’s 1st ever youth ambassador of UNICEF. Jayshree Ullal, CEO & President of Arista Networks, is one of just 72 self made women billionaires globally. For the 1st time, an all women contingent of Assam Rifles, oldest paramilitary force in the country, walked down Rajpath on Republic Day 2019, led by Major Khusboo Kanwar, daughter of a bus conductor in Rajasthan.
We need to recount, applaud and celebrate these icons, who broke the stereotypes, and proved that women can excel in any given field. Many of them came from middle class and poor livelihoods. But today, they are rich trailblazers to a generation of young eager women trying to explore their potential, trying to make a mark in the world, in their individual fields.
It is this trail that is the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, as given by UN Women: THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART, INNOVATE FOR CHANGE.
The motto of THINK EQUAL is what churned the organised working women movements around the world. Historically, women are not paid equal pay to equal work. Even today, in the words of Chidi King, Director of the Equality Department of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the main international trade union organization representing the interests of working people worldwide, and a member of UN Women and ILO’s Equal Pay Champions initiative, women across the world still get paid 23 per cent less than men. From ages, women kept waging struggles against such discrimination, but these struggles were routinely ignored or crushed. The exploitation did not weigh them down, it made them think, made them organised. One of the first sparks flew at Massachusetts in 1834.
Women workers at Lowell Cotton Mills in Massachusetts worked for 14 hrs per day. The working conditions were filthy, there was no ventilation, they worked in confinement, noise, and the air was filled with lint. The wages were 1/3rd as compared to men. When these wages were also cut, they felt enough is enough, they organized and went on strike. Women in several other mills joined them. Management crushed the strike within a week, but it stood out as the first organised women workers’ movement in history.
In 1836, when management of the same Lowell Textile Mills announced a rent hike to be paid by textile workers living in company boarding houses, the female textile workers formed Lowell Factory Girls Association and organised a strike. This went on weeks, and eventually, Board of Directors withdrew the rate hike.
In 1945, the workers started Lowell Female Labour Reform association, which was the first working women’s association. It was started with 12 operatives, but membership grew to 500 in 6 months, and continued to expand rapidly. The association was run completely by women, held their own meetings, set up branches in other mill towns. They ran huge petition campaigns and political action, asking the Massachussets state legislature to cap working hours in mills at 10 hours. In 1847, New Hampshire became the 1st state to pass a 10 hour working day. This was the first success for organized working women in any part of the world. This success fuelled organized women movements throughout the world’s working class. Today, we remember that struggle with a sense of pride and honour.
The first National Women’s Day was held in NewYork in 1909 to commemorate the 1908 garments workers strike. On 8th March 1908, 15000 women garment workers marched through Union Square to demand economic and political rights. The three month strike against Triangle Shirtwaist and other mills became hugely successful. This success was celebrated throughout Europe and Soviet. Clara Zeitkin, a German socialist proposed designating a day as ‘International Women’s Day’ at International Socialist Congress in Copenhagen in 1910. From 1911, we are observing International Women’s Day. From 1975, UNO began celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th.
Comrades, it is because of such glorious struggles in all parts of world that we could secure statutory framework that protect from discrimination against women.
The Convention concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, or Equal Remuneration Convention was framed by the ILO in 1951. The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. It is often described as an international bill of rights for women.India is a signatory to both.
Movements of working women have also ensured that statutory safeguards were included in Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Factories Act 1948, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 etc. None of these acts were made by way of compassion, but were a result of prolonged struggle of the working women.
After struggling through restricted opportunities in education and employment, having to work 24 x 365 as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, having to run to office after attending to household chores and run back from office to attend house chores again, balancing multiple roles, the least a woman expects is respect in workplace. If she is subjected to sexual harassment, there is nothing more cruel than that. But it is everybody’s knowledge that women are subject to sexual harassment of varying degrees, in varying forms, and they are expected to comply or be silent. It is only in 2013 that the latest Act against sexual harassment at workplace was passed. It was not passed out of voluntary compassion, but as a result of protracted legal struggle resulting in Supreme Court issuing guidelines in the Visakha case. We should keep this in mind that nothing could be achieved unless we organize and wage struggles. We should realize that, though the working women’s movement has achieved significant results, there is a significant lot more to be achieved.
As working women, as much as we are concerned about our working conditions, we are as much concerned about our girl children and fellow women in society, and obstacles they face in their journey to emancipation. The obstacles to equal emancipation are many. If we look at some trends, among students who stopped studies after primary education, 70% are females. Most of the girls are not facilitated to study till higher education. If family size increases, schooling will be provided to boys, girls are compelled to drop out. These conditions result in lack of education, which leads to lack of opportunities. If such obstacles to education are removed, evidence shows thatwomen excel exceedingly. In a report published by American Enterprise Institute (AEI), for a ninth time in a row, women earned more doctoral degrees (Ph.Ds) awarded at US Universities in 2017, than men. Though this is a matter of satisfaction to show that women will excel given a chance, yet a detailed analysis shows the effect of stereotypes: the ratio of Ph.Ds between men and women is 75 : 25 in Maths and Computer Science, 76 : 24 in Engineering. The ratio is 39 : 61 in social and behavioural sciences, 31 : 69 in education, 30 : 70 in health sciences. In the technology areas of maths, engineering, computer science, women Ph.Ds are very less. In health sciences too, we have more women in dental, physiotherapy, gynaecology, obstetrics etc. In niche and high visible areas women are conspicuous by their absence. Women are not into specialities like cardiology, oncology, orthopaedic surgery. Remember when you have heard about a female cardiologist who did an angioplasty or a bypass surgery?In areas regarded are technologically superior, even today, women do not find encouragement to enter, mainly because of stereotyping. Women have a long way to go, to unshackle these stereotypes that women are suitable for such and such jobs only. Women need to think that they are eagles, and fly high.
Women not only have to THINK EQUAL, they need to BUILD SMART.This aspect of BUILD SMART is more critical in these times of revolutionary changes in technology. We need to see more and more women talking enthusiastically about Internet of Things, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Data Mining, Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning -the future of employment is in sectors like these. These new technologies are called ‘disruptors’. They disrupt the way we work. The skills, the technologies, the methods, that we are using in our workplace are suddenly becoming defunct. We see boys flocking to computer institutes to learn these skills. Unless girls focus on BUILD SMART i.e., building such skills smartly, there will be a huge gender gap in employment.Men will be doing all technologically suave jobs which pay more, and women will be relegated to less paying non-tech jobs. In this context, the UN Women motto of THINK EQUAL, BUILD SMART AND INNOVATE FOR CHANGE is compellingly relevant.
Today is the day to think about the road traveled and about the road to be traveled. Working women’s movement made spectacular advances, we are proud of it. At the same time, we are also vigilant about the challenges. We are conscious of the frame work to achieve that :
a. Maintain a gender parity mindset (question any lack of women’s participation, identify alternatives that are more inclusive, nominate women for opportunities, always include and support women, think 50/50 as goal),
b. Challenge stereotypes and bias (question assumptions about women, challenge statements that limit women, always use inclusive language, work to remove barriers to women’s progress, buy from retailers who position women in positive ways),
c. Forge positive visibility of women (identify ways to make women more visible, extend opportunities to women first, assume women want opportunities until declined, select women as spoke-persons and leaders, support visible women),
d. Influence others’ beliefs/actions (supportively call-out inappropriate behavior, campaign for equality in meaningful ways, lead by example via inclusive actions, be a role model for equality, actively contribute to change the status quo) and;
e. Celebrate women’s achievements (believe achievement comes in many forms, value women’s individual and collective success, ensure credit is given for women’s contributions, celebrate women role models and their journeys, support awards showcasing women’s success).
As Chairperson of the Women’s Committee of Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, I am confident that we will realize and release the eagle in us. Hearty fraternal wishes for a happy, cheerful and dynamic International Women’s Day 2019.
***
Sunday 3 March 2019
7th CPC Pay Fixation on grant of Regular Promotion after MACP - Clarification by DoPT via Railway Board - RBE No. 23/2019
à¤ारत सरकार/GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
रेल मंत्रालय/MINISTRY OF INDIA
रेलवे बोर्ड/RAILWAY BOARD
S.No. PC-VII/127
RBE No. 23/2019
No. PC-V/2016/MACPS/1
New Delhi, dt. 12-02-2019
The General Managers
All Indian Railways
and PUs.
Sub: Fixation of pay of the employees who got promoted to the post of higher Pay level after being granted the benefit of pay fixation on grant of financial upgradation under MACPS.
The issue regarding regulation of pay fixation when the promotion to a higher pay level takes place in the 7th CPC period after the employee has already availed the benefit of pay fixation on grant of Financial Upgradation under MACPS has been under consideration for quite some time. It has been decided in consultation with DoP&T that the pay fixation benefit on grant of MACP after 7th CPC may be regulated in the following manner:-
(i) Benefit of pay fixation available at the time of regular promotion shall also be allowed at the time of financial upgradation under the Scheme (as prescribed in Para 13 of RS(Revised Pay) Rules, 2016).
(ii) There shall, however, be no further fixation of pay at the time of regular promotion if it is in the same pay level as granted under MACPS.
(iii) However, at the time of actual promotion if it happens to be in a post carrying higher pay level than what is available under MACPS, then he shall be placed in the level to which he is promoted-at a cell in the promoted level equal to the figure being drawn by him on account of MACP. If no such cell is available in the level to which promoted, he shall be placed at the next higher cell in that level. The employee may have an option to get this fixation done either on the date of promotion or w.e.f. the date of next increment as per the option to be exercised by him.
2. This has the approval of the Finance Directorate of Ministry of Railways.
3. Hindi version is enclosed.
sd/-
(Subhankar Dutta)
Dy. Director, Pay Commission-V
Railway Board
Source:
[http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/pay_comm/PC5/2019/RBE_23_2019.pdf]
NFPE,CHITTOOR CONGRATES TO THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF NFPE FAMILY ON THEIR PROMOTION BY PASSING LGO EXAM.
1.COM V.JANAKIRAM CHETTY,POSTMAN,CHITTOOR HO
2.COM P.HARI PRASAD, POSTMAN,CHITTOOR HO
3.COM B.MUNISANKARA, MAIL OVERSEER,MADANAPALLE SUB DN
4.COM N.NARAYANA, MAIL OVERSEER,PUNGANUR SUB DN
5.COM MOHAMMED ASLAM, POSTMAN, MADANAPALLE BAZAR SO.
NFPE
CHITTOOR
1.COM V.JANAKIRAM CHETTY,POSTMAN,CHITTOOR HO
2.COM P.HARI PRASAD, POSTMAN,CHITTOOR HO
3.COM B.MUNISANKARA, MAIL OVERSEER,MADANAPALLE SUB DN
4.COM N.NARAYANA, MAIL OVERSEER,PUNGANUR SUB DN
5.COM MOHAMMED ASLAM, POSTMAN, MADANAPALLE BAZAR SO.
NFPE
CHITTOOR
MERGER OF POSTMASTER CADRE
SUGGESTIONS REGARDING
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES
1st Floor North Avenue Post Office Building, New Delhi-110 001
Phone: 011.23092771 e-mail: nfpehq@gmail.com
Mob: 9868819295/9810853981 website: http://www.nfpe.blogspot.com
Ref: PF/NFPE/Postmaster Cadre Dated – 28.02.2019
To
The Secretary
Department of Posts
Dak Bhawan, New Delhi – 110001
Sub: - Merger of Postmaster cadre – suggestions regarding.
Ref: - Your email dated 25.02.2019.
Sir,
Apropos reference, we wish to place on record our thanks for considering our proposal for the merger of postmaster cadre with the general line. We wish to point out the following for your kind consideration before issuing the orders.
1. Before merger of postmaster cadre with the general line a time frame may be fixed to accord promotions in the PM Grade II, Grade III as per the relaxed service conditions to the cadre recently circulated. In many circles, this has not been implemented.
2. While fixing the interse seniority of the LSG cadre, the plight of the senior officials who have passed the FTP examination during 2003 & 2004 may be declared enbloc senior to the Postmaster cadre officials and their seniority can be fixed considering their qualifying in the LDCE as if postmaster cadre and the issue is pending since the abolition of the FTP LSG scheme. If it is considered the seniors LDCE qualified will be benefited. Since the date of qualifying the postmaster Grade I exam has been taken for the fixation of inter se seniority, the same and similar analogy may be applied in the case of FTP qualified officials also.
3. It was the commitment at the time of introduction of the Postmaster cadre that senior HSG I officials will be provided the post of 29 Senior Postmaster after fulfilling the required service in HSG I on the basis of seniority cum fitness. Simply brushing aside the commitment and coming out from the scheme is arbitrary. Furthermore the suggestion of the staff side to enhance the percentage of reservation in Group B examination to the general line officials to the extent of 19% as assured after the Fifth pay commission as well as at the time of introduction of 1/3rd direct recruitment in the IPOs cadre as the part of their cadre review in the department. At least as a onetime measure, the promotion to senior postmaster may be accorded to the eligible candidates in HSG I as on the date of merger of postmaster cadre with general line officials.
4. The recommendation of the committee to introduce LDCE examination for all the cadres of LSG, HSG II and HSG I is unacceptable. The existing method of seniority cum fitness promotion from LSG to HSG I should not be disturbed. In order to provide earlier promotional opportunities to the younger generation, we suggest to reintroduce the 20% LSG by conducting LDCE examination and thereafter all other promotions shall be based on the seniority cum fitness.
5. Even though the merger is taking place, the relaxation in the recruitment rules in case of HSG II & HSG I has not been accorded most of the higher posts will remain unfilled up. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to approach the nodal ministry to get the relaxation to the recruitment rules as one time measure and also the minimum residual period prescribed from LSG to HSG II and HSG II to HSG I should be fixed as three years as was in existence earlier.
6. In short we welcome the decision of the merger of postmaster cadre with general line and request to consider the above and in particular the grievances of the FTP qualified LSG officials who are deprived of their promotion since long which will be disturbed further after granting the inter se seniority as mentioned in the report .
A line in reply about the consideration is highly solicited
Yours faithfully,
(R. N. Parashar)
Secretary General
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