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July-August 2015 CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS, CHANDIGARH C E S N N T O I R T A A L I C G O O S V A E ' R S N R M E E N N I O T S PEN CHANDIGARH website : www.cccgpa.com Volume-15 Issue - 4 Subscription : *Yearly 200/- *5 years 800/- *Life 1500/- PENSIONERS' CO-ORDINATOR First International Day of Yoga The United Nations' decision to observe 21 June as the International Day of Yoga is a recognition of this ancient Indian practice which has since become global. The day will rightly put the spotlight on physical exercise, much needed in today's world when sedentary lifestyle is becoming a leading cause of illness. Yoga can be practiced anywhere by people of all age groups, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It fits in very well with the healthy lifestyle that WHO has been strongly advocating for, throughout the life cycle - from childhood to healthy ageing. WHO has been advocating physical exercise as one of the primary preventive measure against non- communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and respiratory diseases, which are increasingly growing in numbers. Exercise is a must for physical wellbeing. The South-East Asia Region has a long history and rich heritage in traditional medicines and practices which contributes to health and wellness of their people. Yoga is one such traditional therapeutic system. Yoga is believed to offer means for actualization of human potential to perfection through its three-dimensional approach to health – physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga is very much relevant even today – as it is both a physical activity and an effective way of managing stress. We are fortunate that such traditional medical practices have survived over the centuries. Traditional medicines have played an important role, and continue to contribute to improving and maintaining the well-being of millions of people around the world. WHO respects traditional health care practices and has been advocating for integration of best practices and good quality traditional medicines into national health systems, as appropriate. Editor

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Page 1: CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS …cccgpa.com/pdfdocs/Pensioners_Coordinator_Jul-Aug-2015.pdfto its personnel for parity between the past (pre-2006) pensioners and the personnel who

July-August 2015

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS,

CHANDIGARH

CE SN NT OIR TA AL ICG OO SV AE 'R SN RM EE NN IOT SPEN

CHANDIGARH

website : www.cccgpa.com

Volume-15 Issue - 4Subscription : *Yearly 200/- *5 years 800/- *Life 1500/-

PENSIONERS' CO-ORDINATOR

First International Day of YogaThe United Nations' decision to observe 21 June as the International Day of Yoga is

a recognition of this ancient Indian practice which has since become global. The day will rightly put the spotlight on physical exercise, much needed in today's world when sedentary lifestyle is becoming a leading cause of illness.

Yoga can be practiced anywhere by people of all age groups, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It fits in very well with the healthy lifestyle that WHO has been strongly advocating for, throughout the life cycle - from childhood to healthy ageing.

WHO has been advocating physical exercise as one of the primary preventive measure against non- communicable diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and respiratory diseases, which are increasingly growing in numbers. Exercise is a must for physical wellbeing.

The South-East Asia Region has a long history and rich heritage in traditional medicines and practices which contributes to health and wellness of their people. Yoga is one such traditional therapeutic system. Yoga is believed to offer means for actualization of human potential to perfection through its three-dimensional approach to health – physical, mental and spiritual.

Yoga is very much relevant even today – as it is both a physical activity and an effective way of managing stress.

We are fortunate that such traditional medical practices have survived over the centuries. Traditional medicines have played an important role, and continue to contribute to improving and maintaining the well-being of millions of people around the world.

WHO respects traditional health care practices and has been advocating for integration of best practices and good quality traditional medicines into national health systems, as appropriate.

Editor

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Pensioners' Coordinator

July-August 2015

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ATTENTION SICK & DISABLED/INCAPACITATED PENSIONERS

It has been brought to the notice of Department of Pension & Pensioner's Welfare that sick and disabled pensioners are facing difficulties in withdrawing their pension amount from the banks. For such pensioners, RBI has already issued guidelines to all the banks to operate their bank accounts. The banks are required to follow these guidelines.

The extract of the relevant point of the guidelines issued by RBI is given below:-

5.7. Operation of Banks Accounts by Old / Sick / Incapacitated Customers5.7.1. In order to facilitate old/sick/incapacitated bank customers to operate their bank accounts,

procedure as laid down in para 5.6.2 below may be followed. The cases of sick/old/incapacitated account holders fall into the following categories:(i) an account holder who is too ill to sign a cheque/cannot be physically present in the bank to

withdraw money from his bank account but. can put his/her thumb impression on the cheque/ withdrawal form, and

(ii) an account holder who is not only unable to be physically present in the bank but is also not even able to put his / her thumb impression on the cheque /withdrawal form due to certain physical defect/incapacity.

5.7.2 The banks may follow the procedure as under:(i) Wherever thumb or toe impression of the sick/old/incapacitated account holder is obtained, it

should be identified by two independent witnesses known to the bank, one of whom should be a responsible bank official.

(ii) Where the customer cannot even put his / her thumb impression and also would not be able to be physically present in the bank, a mark obtained on the cheque/withdrawal form which should be identified by two independent witnesses, one of whom should be a responsible bank official.

5.7.3 In such cases/ the customer may be asked to indicate to the bank as to who would withdraw the amount from the bank on the basis of cheque/withdrawal form as obtained above and that person should be identified by two independent witnesses. The person who would be actually drawing the money from the bank should be asked to furnish his signature to-the bank.

5.7.4 In this context, according to an opinion obtained by the Indian Banks' Association from their consultant on the question of opening of a bank account of a person who had lost both his, hands and could not sign the cheque/withdrawal form, there must be physical contact between the person who is to sign and the signature or the mark put on the document. Therefore, in the .case of the person who has lost both his hands, the signature can be by means of a mark. This mark can be placed by person in any manner. It could be the toe impression, as suggested. It can be by means of mark which anybody can put on behalf of the person who has to sign, the mark being put by an instrument which has had a physical contact with the person who has to sign.

5.7.5 RBI has been advised by the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities (the Trust) that a question had been raised as to whether the banks and the banking sector could accept the guardianship certificates in regard to persons with disabilities issued by the Local Level Committees set up under the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, I 999. The Trust has mentioned that the above Act was specifically passed by the Parliament in order to provide for appointment of legal guardians for persons with disability that is covered under the said Act. The above Act provides for appointment of legal guardians for persons with disability by the Local Level Committees set up under the Act. The Trust has opined that a: legal, guardian so appointed can open and operate the bank account as long as he remains the legal guardian. It may also be noted that the provisions of Mental Health Act, 1987 also allows appointment of Guardian by District Courts. Banks are therefore advised to rely upon the Guardianship Certificate Issued either by the District Court under Mental Health Act or by the Local Level Committees under the above Act for the purposes of opening / operating bank accounts. Banks may also t ensure that their branches give proper guidance so that the parents / relatives of the disabled persons do not face any difficulty in this regard.

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7th Pay Commission ‘Pay in the Pay Band’ – How the multiplication factor was arrived at 2.8?Why it was increased by 2.8 times?The 6th Central Pay Commission, in its recommendations, introduced the concept of Multiplication Factor. The Multiplication Factor was fixed at 1.74 in the recommendations of 6th CPC. The Commission had also explained how the number was arrived at.But the Central Government chose to change it to 1.86. One of the reasons for this modification was the intense pressure from various Federations of Central Government Employees. First we should know about the fixation of 1.74Basic Pay on 1.1.2006 = ‘1’50% DA Merger = ‘0.5’Dearness Allowance (24%) = ‘0.24’Total = ‘1.74’ (1 + 0.5 + 0.24) And what basis the Central Government changed as 1.86?Let us assume the Basic Pay, as of 01.01.2006, as 100%. Let’s take the Dearness pay (post the 50% DA Merger) as 50%.If you add Basic Pay and Dearness Pay and calculate 24% of it, then you’d get36%. (100 + 50 = 150 / 24 x 100 = 36)100% + 50% + 36% = 186%This number is being taken for calculations as 1.86. We have also adopted the same method here including the weightage of Dearness Allowance is providing on Transport Allowance…Basic Pay = 1.0DA on 1.1.2016 (120%) : For 100% = 1.0 : For 20% (1.0 + 1.0 = 2.0 x 20%) = 0.4Transport Allowance Weightage (DA 120%) = 0.4Total = 1.0 + 1.0 + 0.4 + 0.4 = 2.8 Now the adoption of Multiplication factor in the calculation of Pay in the Pay Band…7th Pay Commission Pay in the Pay Band = (Basic Pay as on 1.1.2016 x 2.8) – Grade Pay (rounded off to ten).

EXTENSION OF OROP TO CPOs(P S Bedi, DIG(Retd) BSF)

The viewers must have seen the TV discussion on NDTV at 2100 hrs (9.00 p.m.), on 04 june,2015 on the issue of OROP,in which Maj Gen Bakshi (Retd) from the army and Shri VPS Panwar, IG, CRPF (Retd) from CPMFs took part. The half hour discussion was conducted in a very positive and healthy atmosphere depicting the view points of the army regarding CPMFs' claim on OROP, and seeking certain concessions and incentives for the CPMF personnel. Reference were also drawn to the observation of Lt Gen Harwant Singh(Retd) article in which he had condemned the CPMFs for poor training, poor leadership and poor performance in the conduct of operations leading to casualties in these forces, and his remarks of ' onions and apples'. While reacting to this point, Gen Bakshi referred to the performance CPMF personnel under his command in J&K and elsewhere, and had found them to be creditable. Shri Panwar also responded with dignity and with a positive bearing indicating that CPMFs are not contesting the army and other armed forces, but raising their voice for justice, and justifiable consideration , commensurate with their service conditions. He forcefully brought out the case of Martyrs, where the martyrs of defence forces are given all honours, and incentives for laying down their life in the service to the nation, but the personnel of CPMF killed in the same operation are ignored and treated differently, and their kin are deprived of incentives as applicable to defence personnel. He quoted the incident of casualties of personnel who died in rescuing the tsunami affected civilians in Uttarakhand in 2013, where some bodies were brought in a helicopter. The bodies of armed forces personnel were treated differently than those belonging to ITBP. Gen Bakshi admitted that such discriminations must end. Shri Panwar also pleaded that army should act as an elder brother to the CPMFs, and should not

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unnecessarily indulge in blame game, including the nomenclature assigned to these central forces and their rights for seeking certain incentives. Gen Bakshi also espoused that this type of blame game must end.

In the last week of May,2015, and early June, reports had appeared in various newspapers regarding demand of Paramilitary Force personnel seeking various incentives, concessions and OROP

thto its personnel for parity between the past (pre-2006) pensioners and the personnel who retire post 6 CPC .

Leading newspapers, The Tribune (01 June, 2015) and Hindustan times (31 May, 2015), carried stories regarding extension of OROP to the personnel of CPMFs or CPOs (BSF, ITBP, CRPF etc). Both these reports rightly expressed and highlighted the concern of Paramilitary Force personnel, at the denial of incentives to the personnel of these central Forces, which are operating under adverse conditions, and are exposed, to acute risk to their life.

The personnel of CPMFs are subject to restrictions of their fundamental rights to form associations, freedom of speech etc under Article- 19 of the constitution & vide Section 13 of the BSF Act which attracts the applicability of Article 33(a) of the Constitution. This makes mandatory that the benefits extended to one set of the Armed Forces (under MoD), are also uniformly made applicable to all organisations / forces (under MHA) performing similar duties.

The working conditions and risk involved in a job have always been the main criteria for granting due recognition to the workers all over the world and are based on main aspects of(1) difficult and hazardous conditions of service, (2) high risk to life (3) Compulsory separation from their family, and (4) Early retirement. The BSF and other central armed forces fully conform to these aspects. The CAPFs are deployed to guard the international borders, combat terrorism and carry out anti insurgency operations against all odds under most inhospitable and hazardous conditions, unhealthy environments in most difficult terrain, and inaccessible areas, of North-east, high altitude and snow clad mountains of J&K, rugged terrain of Leh and Ladakh, bordering China and dreary deserts of Rajasthan and Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, exposing them to high risk to life. The conducts of these forces during the 1971 war and other international or internal operations have always found to be appreciative.

However, some very senior and experienced army generals had lodged vehement attack against the CPOs, for demanding incentives, commensurate with their service conditions. These 'experienced generals' deliberately spread mis-information and confused the issue by distorted and exaggerated version of various aspects and spitting venom against the functioning of CPOs.

One of the esteemed writers (Lt Gen Harwant Singh, Retd), amongst various exaggerated adverse quotes concerning CPOs, also remarked that “it's pointless to compare onions with apples”, thereby meaning that the onions (CPOs), cannot be compared with apples (Army). He, however, forgot the fact, that whereas 'apple' provides 'health' to a body; it is essential that the body should remains 'alive', for which its belly must be properly stuffed with food( army walks on its stomach ..!). The food is produced by a humble farmer toiling hard in the sun scorching heat to fill his stomach. To quench his hunger, the farmer takes a break to have a bite of a 'roti' with a small piece of onion. This humble onion thus gives 'Life' to a body. Although, there is no comparison between the apple and the onion, they are complementary to each other- onion gives 'life' and the apple provides 'health' to the body.

It is worth considering that this duel of blaming the CPOs for the delay in extension of OROP is ended; it is not a fight between 'David' and 'Goliath'. The demand of CPOs is a plea of an Oliver (Twist) for' more'- a “little more” for a life of dignity and to maintain their rightful status in life, commensurate with their service conditions. The army generals seem to be indulging in creating the Orwellian Farm (Animal Farm), where the dictum prevailed: “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. It is time that army generals stop behaving as 'Big brother' of an Orwellian Utopia (1984), bullying everyone to create an atmosphere of awe, and start acting like an 'elder brother' to their CPO brethren. The CPOs have never opposed OROP to defence services: rather they whole-heatedly support an early grant of OROP to the effected personnel. The CPOs only seek equitable and just recognition of their services for extension of some incentives to the personnel, commensurate with their service conditions. It is a plea for parity of past pensioners with the future retirees and extending some incentives commensurate with their service conditions. This must not be construed as anti army or anti defence services. CPOs and defence services have similar role to play in the service to the nation.”

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PRE-RETIREMENT COUSELLING WORKSHIP

Important message for employees retiring within the next six months

The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare is organizing a Pre-retirement counseling th

workshop on 29 June, 2015 from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM in the Lecture room-II, India International Centre (Annex) 40, Max Muller Marg, New Delhi-110 003. The employees of Government of India retiring within the next six months and who have not attended the workshop yet are hereby informed that they may attend the workshop. Confirmation with Name, Ministry & Phone No. may be sent at the email address

. The persons desirous of attending the workshop are also requested to bring their PAN and Aadhar No. A write up on the commendable works done by the retiring employee during his entire service is also required to upload the same on 'ANUBHAV' on website persmin.nic.in/pension.asp

US (Sankalp)Department of Pension & Pensioner's Welfare

Phone No. 24641627No. 1/19/2014 P&PW (E)

Government of IndiaMinistry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension

Department of Pension & Pensioner's Welfare.

rd3 Floor Lok Nayak Bhawan,

Khan Market, New Delhith

10 June, 2015

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

rdSub: Minutes of the meeting held on 3 June, 2015 for review of Status of Aadhaar based authentication of Life Certificate for pensioners.

The undersigned is directed to forward the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd June, 2015 under the chairmanship of Secretary (AR&PG) and Pension) to review the status of Aadhaar based authentication of Life Certificate for pensioners.

Minutes of the Meeting Held on 3rd June, 2015 on Aadhaar Based Authentication of Life Certificate for Pensioners.

A meeting to review the progress on Aadhaar based verification of Life Certificate was chaired rd th

by Secretary (Pension) on 3 June, 2015 in Committee Room, 5 Floor, Sardar Patel Bhawan, Sansad Marg.2. List of Participants is annexed.3. Secretary (Pension) complimented the various agencies for their efforts. He informed that

thduring the last video conference of “Pragati” on 27 May, 2015, the Hon'ble Prime Minister, while discussing problems being faced by Defence pensioners had inter alia stressed the need for using Aadhaar based system solutions. He also stated that e-tracing of pension matter would be a good step towards preventing delays.4. Department of Financial Services (DFS) informed that all banks have started accepting Digital Life

Certificate (DLCs). So far 2,06,024 pensioners have submitted DLCs. Of these 1,47,629 take pension through banks and 35,135 through Defence Pension Disbursement Officers (DPDOs). A

total of 1,52,587 DLCs have been successfully processed by the system of which 1,12,286 are through banks and 29,768 through DPDOs. Secretary Department of Electronics and Information

Technology (DeitY) expressed concern over the very high rate of rejection by the system, as the user tended to loose confidence in the process. It was agreed that for every rejection of the DLC, the

[email protected]

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system shall indicate the reason for rejection in the form of a speaking order. It was also hoped that during November, 2015 up to 50% pensioners ought to avail benefit from Jeevan Pramaan.

(Action: DeitY/DFS/Banks)

5 Contact numbers of some of the Common Service Centres (CSCs) being circulated were reprtedly not correct DeitY informed that 55,000 records have been cleaned. At present 6,000 CSCs are functional for Jeevan Pramaan. Secretary (DeitY) expressed concern at this. He stated that CSC SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) should be asked to continuously update their databank and ensure that correct contact details are displayed at all points of time. Secretary (Pension) shared the concern.

(Action : DeitY)

6 Secreary, DeitY also stressed that Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) should facilitate, promote and encourage wide-spread use of Aadhaar numbers of individual beneficiaries should be made available by UIDAI to Government agencies on demand.

(Action UIDAI)

7 It was agreed that State Bank of India (SBI) and UIDAi will organize a camp in Manipur as early as possible to facilitate employees/pensioner in getting enrolled for Aadhaar number and registering them under Jeewan Pramaan software.

(Action: UIDAI/SBI)nd

8 It was agreed that DFS shall immediately, preferably in 2 week of June, 2015, call a meeting with O/o Controller General of Accounts (CGA) and banks to sort out the following issues at the earliest possible.

(a) Problem with the PPO numbering systems, which are not uniform. It had been agreed that Central Pension Accounting Officer (CPAO) will come up with guidelines to tackle this problem.

(b) For making adequate provisions for self-certificate regarding re-marriage, income and re-employment in the software, instructions are to be issued by CPA/CGA.

(c) Determination of proper procedure and putting in place adequate checks for correlating PPO numbers, bank account number and Aadhaar number while seeding the systems.

(Action: DFS/Banks/DeitY/CGA/CPAO)

9 It was once again pointed out that there were a number of glaring discrepancies in Banks' data, including the number of pensioners have the age of 100 years and a large number of duplicate records in Banks' database. DFS has once again been asked to instruct Banks to get their data

cleansed on priority.(Actions: DFS/Banks)

10 UIDAI informed that Ministry of Railways, Indian Army and Indian Air Force have been appointed as Registrars for enrolment for Aadhaar number.11 Secretary (Pension) informed the meeting of the Prime Minister's directive to put in place an e-tracking system to monitor delays in pension cases. It was agreed that possibilities of the Online Tracking System for Pension Sanction and Payment (Bhavishya)being adopted by Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence, Department of Posts and Department of Telecommunication would be explored.

(Action: Railways/Defence/Post/Telecommunications)12 Department of Posts informed that Post Offices (Pos) disburse pension to 3 lakh pensioners of Departments of Posts and Telecommunications and 2 lakh pensioners of other ministries/departments.

thThe department informed that by 30 June, 2015 all Pos will start accepting DLCs.13 NIC informed that the posters and pamphlets for giving wide publicity to 'Jeevan Pramaan' are ready for display in bank branches, ATM locations, wellness centers, Railway dispensaries, Defence

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canteens, etc. Willing agencies can obtain these posters and pamphlets from NIC. For this, name email id and phone number of the officer concerned were made available: Ms. Nandita Chaudhri, DDG, [email protected], 24305520.14The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair.No. 1967/2013/DEL/CGHS/SZ/D52/CGHS(P)

Nirman Bhawan, New DelhiDated the 30 December, 2014

Government of IndiaMinistry of Health & Family Welfare

Department of Health & Family WelfareCGHS (Policy) Division,

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Sub: Delegation of power to HOD's for permission/ex-post facto permission for treatment from private/empanelled hospital-reg

The undersigned is directed to state that CGHS guidelines have been issued whereby powers have been delegated for settlement of medical reimbursement claims (MRCs) incurred by CGHS beneficiaries with the primary objective of speedy settlement of medical claims.

2 Despite various instructions on settlement of MRCs, cases continue to come to MOHEW seeking clarification sought on CGHS policy, relaxation of rules-procedural lapse/non-emergency treatment in non-empanelled hospitals etc. This leads to extra work in this Ministry, and causes difficulties to the beneficiaries due to the delay in settlement of the claims. Accordingly, it has been decided to further decentralize the powers for settlement of medical claims to individual Ministries/Departments/Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha Secretariat and to the Secretary General of Supreme Court (as the case may be) as under:-

A Permission/Ex-post facto approval for elective treatment/investigation taken in non-empanelled hospitals/diagnostic centres subject to reimbursement being restricted to CGHS package rates or actual expenditure, whichever is less.

B Ex-post facto approval of elective treatment/investigation in empanelled hospitals/Diagnostic centres without recommendation of Government Specialist or CMO I/c subject to reimbursement being restricted to CGHS rate or actual expenditure, whichever is less.

a) Pensioners /Ex-MPs/Freedom Fighters,

etc

Request to be considered by

AS&DG(CGHS) in terms of

MOHFW OM No. S

11016/16/2010-CGHS(P) dated

24.01.2011.

b) Serving beneficiaries/sitting MPS/Judges

of Supreme Court

Request to be considered by HOD or

HOO of individual

Ministries/Departments/LS & RS

Secretariat/Secretary General of

Supreme Court.

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a) Pensioners /Ex-MPs/Freedom Fighters, etc - Request to be considered by

AS&DG(CGHS) as before

in terms of MOHFW OM

No. S 11016/16/2010-

CGHS(P) dated 24.01.2011.

b) Serving beneficiaries/sitting MPS/Judges of

Supreme Court

Request to be considered by

HOD or HOO of individual

Ministries/Departments/LS

& RS Secretariat/Secretary

General of Supreme Court

C Ex-post facto approval of elective treatment at empanelled hospitals with recommendation of Government Specialist or CMO I/c but without obtaining the permission of competent authority, subject to reimbursement being restricted to CGHS rates or actual expenditure, whichever is less-Instructions issued vide MOHFW OM No. 4-18/2005-C&P[ Vol I.P.I (1)] dated 20.05.2009 and MOHFW OM No. s 12020/4/97-CGHS (P) dated 07.04.1999 will be applicable.D Permission/Ex-post facto approval for cancer treatment taken in non-empanelled hospitals subject to reimbursement being restricted to CGHS rates or actual expenditure which is less.

a) Pensioners /Ex-MPs/Freedom Fighters, etc Additional Director of

concerned/ones.

b) Serving beneficiaries/sitting MPS/Judges of

Supreme Court

HOD or HOO of individual

Ministries or

Departments/LS & RS

Secretary General of

Supreme Court

E.Condonation of delay in submission of MRC claims w.r.t. pensioners etc.

Less than one year Additional Director of

concerned city/AD(HQ),

Delhi

Between one & two years Director, CGHS

More than two years AS&DG(CGHS)

This is w.e.f. date of discharge/completion of treatment.F Permission for treatment/investigation at non-empanelled hospitals/diagnostic lab when facility

for the same are not available in any empanelled hospital/lab or any Government Hospital.Permission to be granted by AS & DG(CGHS) in consultation with experts, if required.

2 This issues with the approval of Secretary (Health) and with concurrence of integrated Finance Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare vide Dy. No. 70977 dated 30.10.2014

Sd/-(Bindu Tewai)Director, CGHS (P)

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No. 55/9/2015-P7PW(C)Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, P.G. and PensionsDepartment of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare

rd3 floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan,Khan Market, New Delhi,

thDated the 8 May, 2015

Subject: Launch of the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) by the Prime Minister on 9th May 2015 at Kolkata.

Dear,As you would be aware the Budget Speech 2015 had envisaged three Social Security

Schemes pertaining to the insurance and pension sector, namely the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and an old age income security pension scheme, the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), to move towards creating universal social security system, targeted especially at the poor and under priviledged.

2 PMSBY will offer a renewable one year Rupees Two Lakh accident cum disability cover (Rupees One Lakh for partial permanent disability) to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 70 years for a premium of Rs. 12/- per annum per subscriber to be auto-debited from the subscriber's bank account on enrolment in the scheme.

3 PMJJBY on the other hand will offer a renewable one year Rupees Two Lakh life cover to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs.330/- per annum per subscriber to be auto-debited from the subscriber's bank account on enrolment in the scheme

4 APY, the third scheme to be launched, targets old age income security and will focus on the unorganized sector. It will provide subscribers a fixed minimum pension per month starting at the age of 60 years on entering the scheme at an age of 18 and 40 years, to ensure a minimum period of contribution of ., of 20 years or more to enable adequate pension corpus. The fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the Government. While the scheme is open to back account bank account holders in the prescribed age group, the Central Government would also co-contribute 50% of the total contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years for those joining the scheme before 31st December, 2015 and are not members of any statutory social security scheme and are not income tax payers.

th5 The above schemes are being launched nationally on 9 May, 2015. it will be

appreciated if your Association could come forward to create awareness amongst members and their families, so that those eligible are able to benefit under the scheme. This Department also looks forward to your feedback.

Yours faithfully,

(Harjit Singh)Deputy Secretary to the

Government of India

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THE STEPS INVOLVED IN BENEFICIARY LOGIN AND UPDATING AADHAR NO. ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. Open url cghs.nic.in2. In the window opened click on button 'Click here to view 'Beneficiary Details' 3. Click on button 'Login with Beneficiary ID'4. In the window opened click on button 'Register Here'5. In the window opened enter the details and click on button 'Register'

a) Enter the Beneficiary ID No, date of Birth and the Mobile No. in case the details entered are matching with data in CGHS Data base a system generated one time 'pass word' (OTP)will be sent to the registered mobile phone by SMS

b) If, there is a message “details for selected beneficiary not found ”Please check the details entered or contact CMO i/c of CGHS Wellness Centre for correction of Data / Mobile Phone number in the Data base

c) In case the pass word is forgotten click on button 'Forgot pass word' and follow the steps.6. Once the pass word is received, go back to Beneficiary sign in page and login using the Beneficiary ID

No and password7. In the window that opens one of the option is 'Update Aadhaar No' Please Click on button and enter the

a umber of the family Members and save

F. No. FTS/127429/2015Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Dte. General of CGHSOffice of the Director, CGHS Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi

Dated the 8th June, 2015

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject- Guidelines regarding printing and issue of Plastic Card-regarding

The issue regarding pendency of issue of CGHS plastic cards has been reviewed by the competent authority and with a view to clear the pendency expeditiously, it has now been decided that:

1. The work of Updating/Uploading of the Data for plastic cards shall hereinafter be outsourced to two private agencies, viz., M/s Synapse Solutions Private Ltd., and M/s Madras Security Printers Pvt. Ltd., which are already engaged for printing of plastic cards through NICSI. The work order for Data entry has been issued directly to the agencies at the existing rate contracts for this purpose in order to avoid delays in completion of formalities with NICSI and submitting work orders through NICSI.

If felt required, CGHS authorities in cities may deploy local agencies to get the data uploading done at the same NICSI approved rate contract.

2. CGHS has already issued work order directly to the empanelled private agencies to print CGHS plastic cards at the existing rates as per the contract with NICSI(copy enclosed).

3. Plastic Cards shall hereinafter be distributed directly through concerned CGHS Wellness Centre in order to avoid crowding at the CGHS administrative offices and possible misplacing of the cards when sent though speed post. The concerned CGHS wellness centres and CGHS authority would provide wide publicity of this system so as to avoid keeping the cards in the wellness centres unnecessarily. The centres would keep an authenticated record of the cards received, issued and pending for issue. Every week this report should be sent to the CGHS authority of the city. CGHS wellness centres would take extra effort to contact the beneficiaries about the receipt of the CGHS Plastic cards. Lists must be kept in the notice boards prominently for every body's notice. The cards must be issued to the beneficiaries after verifying the authenticities of the receiver of the cards. CGHS authority would upload the information of printing of CGHS cards and dispatch details in the website on regular basis.

4. CMO I/Cs would motivate the CGHS beneficiaries to link their database to the Aadhar number by logging in to the CGHS database. The in-charges are also required to enter the Aadhar numbers whenever possible. The CMO i/c of CGHS Wellness Centres shall be responsible to link the CGHS database to Aadhar numbers of beneficiaries.

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5. Printout of CGHS Index Card, which shall be valid for availing all CGHS facilities including investigations / treatment from empanelled diagnostic centres and hospitals till Plastic cards are issued through the CGHS wellness centre. In addition all the empanelled private hospitals and the laboratories shall continue to provide medical facility at CGHS terms and conditions to the CGHS Beneficiaries irrespective of the printed date of validity in their plastic cards. However, they shall verify the validity of the card in the CGHS database at the link – http://www.cghs.nic.in/welcome.jsp and extend the investigation / treatment facilities.

6. A copy of this OM shall be displayed prominently in the notice board at CGHS Wellness Centres.

7. These instructions are valid till further orders.

This issues with the approval of competent authority and concurrence of IFD vide FTS R127429 dated 3/6/2015

(Dr.D.C.Joshi) Director, CGHS

Aadhaar Seeding cum Registration CampsFor implementation of Jeevan Pramaan- an Aadhaar based life certification system - all pensioners are requested to furnish their Aadhaar Numbers to their bank, if not already done. The pensioners who do not have “Aadhaar” are requested to obtain Aadhaar number. Pensioners residing in the Delhi NCR may visit an Aadhaar Camp on any one of the days with original PPO, Aadhaar Card, and bank pass book along with photocopies of these documents. Pensioners who do not have Aadhaar number yet may in addition carry a photo id like Voters Card. Jeevan Pramaan is in addition to the other existing facilities for submission of Life Certificate.No.4/2/20 15-P&PW(Coord)/ Admn.I

Government of IndiaMinistry of Personnel, P.G. and Pensions

Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare3rd floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan, New Delhi-l10003.

Dated 9th July, 2015

CIRCULAR

Subject: -Engagement of one Consultant in the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare

The Department of Pension & Pensioners ' Welfare intends to engage one Consultant in this Department. The interested persons who possess the following eligibility criteria are eligible to be considered for the aforesaid engagement:

(i) The person should possess degree from a recognized University. (ii) Retired Central Government Deputy SecretarylUnder Secretary or equivalent with 5

years experience in pension related matters. 2. The engagement shall be initially for a period of six months, which may be extended subject to

the approval of competent authority on the following terms and conditions:a) Salary will be last Pay drawn -Pension + DA on the day of engagement. b) Working hours would be normally from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm during working days

including half an hour lunch break in between. However during exigencies of work, he may be required to sit late and even he may be called on holidays for which no extra payment will be made.

c) Consultantshallbeeligibleforsixdaysleaveinacalendaryearonproratabasis.However, unavailed leave in a year cannot be carried forward to the next year.

d) The Consultant so appointed may also be required to undertake tour for which he/she will be paid TAIDA as per extant guidelines/rules issued by the Government on the subject.

e) e) The Consultant would report to Director /DS. f) f) Any other duty assigned by the senior officers.

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3. The engagement may be terminated at any time by the Government without assigning any reason. The application received after 20" July,20 15 shall be summarily rejected. The shortlisted candidates will be interviewed on 22ndJuly, 2015 at 3 pm.

4. The persons who fulfill the eligibility criteria and are willing to offer their services for the aforesaid job may submit the applications in the prescribed proforma (enclosed herewith) to the undersigned, Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare, Ministry of Personnel P.G. and Pensions, Lok Nayak Bhawan, (3rdFloor), Khan Market, New Delhi latest by 20" July, 2015.

(Charanjit Taneja) Under Secretary to the Government of India

Tel: 24644637

Feedback by Re-employed pensioners

Feedback may be given by re-employed pensioners on visiting banks regarding problems being faced relating to the stoppage of Dearness Relief on pension on re-employment and for restoration of the same when the re-employment ceases.

Feedback in the following format may be furnished by 17.07.2015.

Format

1. Name of pensioner:-

2. PPO No. :-

3. Pension Disbursing Bank:-

4. Where re-employed :-

5. Specific problems being faced in max 100 words :- Note:- Please send the information by E-mail- [email protected]

or by Post to Sh. Charanjit Taneja, Under Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, 3rd floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi-110003

7th Pay Commission Recommendations has begun to emerge!“It doesn't come as a surprise that even bits and morsels of information about the

recommendations, which is being eagerly expected by nearly 50 lakh The employees and pensioners, make headlines. “Recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission have slowly started to make their way to the media in the form of unconfirmed news. The information that was being extensively discussed by all for more than a week now has finally made it to the websites yesterday.It has now been confirmed that the 7th Pay Commission will submit its report to the Government next month. With the report being given a final shape, certain pieces of information have already started to hit the media. Some of the workable recommendations of the commission are out.

In 2006, a number of such unconfirmed reports surfaced, when the 6th Pay Commission report was being prepared, because the report was not submitted to the government on time. Due to the delay,

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there was tremendous curiosity to find out what the report contained. This led to a lot of rumors. Since the internet didn't become that popular in those days, those rumors were hard to believe. Most of them were circulated by word of mouth.

Now, despite the fact that there are plenty of news sources, since it has become possible to trace the point of origin of the information, such rumors have reduced. This time around, the information was given by the leaders of Federations. Yet, one can neither completely accept them as true, nor dismiss them as entirely false.

Since the government and the major employees federations have their own websites, it has become possible for the information to spread to the corners of the world within minutes. Also, retracts and denials too have become equally fast, thus killing the rumours immediately. With a number of other individual websites and blogs too covering the news about Central Government employees, the readers are now able to differentiate between news and rumours.

There is nothing surprising or shocking in the news reports that have now surfaced. A minimum basic pay of Rs.21, 000 is an expected one. The recently released Kerala Pay Commission too has recommended the minimum wage at Rs.17, 000 (from 01.01.2014 onwards). The National Council has demanded that it be Rs.26, 000 per month.

It is a well known fact that the Grade Pay System had been a source of constant irritation. The dual Hierarchy System (Promotional hierarchy and Grade Pay hierarchy) will come to an end. There will not be any more confusion about the promotions that come through MACP.

The Multiplication Factor of 2.86 does sound very low. NC JCM had pressurized the Pay Commission to fix it at 3.7. The 6th Pay Commission had fixed it at 1.86, and also given Grade Pay. Since the DA now stands at 125% (including July 2015 and January 2016), this could end up being substantial.

Information about retirement is unexpected. Unconfirmed reports claim that the 7th Pay Commission is planning to recommend 33 years in service or the age of 60 (whichever comes early) as the criteria for superannuation. Since the recommendations will be implemented from 01.01.2016 onwards, many are likely to get affected.

And also some key messages revolving about the recommendations are…There will be no running Pay band and Grade Pay System. The Pay scales will be open ended to avoid stagnation in the scales. The CCA will be separated into two components as it was in the 5th Pay Commission. CGEGIS Insurance Coverage and Monthly premium will be increased. Classification of Posts will be Modified and the 7th Pay Commission recommendation will be implemented with effects from 1.1.2016.

th( source : Central Govt Employees News- 7 CPC- 16 July,2015).

Court CaseThe case regarding pro-rata reduction in pension to pre-2006 pensioners came up for hearing at the Punjab & Haryana High Court on 14-07-2015. Sarv shri P S Bedi, DIG (Retd) BSF, M S Toor, M S Sethi and N S Broca, Comdts,(Retd), CRPF attended the hearing. The case came up for discussion / argument little short of lunch break. The govt advocate referred to rule 49 of CCS (Pension) Rules for the pro-rata reduction in the pension of the pre-2006 pensioners. Our advocate pointed out that our case is based on the accepted recommendations of 6th CPC, as per orders issued vide OM dated 01-09-2008, Para 4.2. As the time for lunch approached the argument was deferred to post lunch session. When the argument was resumed post lunch session, our advocate referred to the judgement of Delhi High Court dated 07-05-2015. Referring to Para 1 of Delhi High judgement, wherein, it was mentioned that there was no difference in fixing the pension of pre-2006 and post 2006 pensioners, the Hon judge inquired from the govt advocate whether the orders for calculations of pension for post 2006 retirees were different from that of pre-2006 retirees. The govt advocate showed his ignorance about this, and sought adjournment . Our advocate pointed out that the petitioners were senior citizens, approaching 80 years of age. The four officers present in the court also stood up. However, to give some time to the govt advocate to get the information, he gave one month time. The next date of hearing fixed for 14-08-2015. it is hoped that our case will be finalised on 14-08-2015.

P.S. Bedi (DIG Retd.) BSF

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One Rank, One Pension for High Court JudgesGovernment to Amend Law

(July 15, 2015)The long-pending demand of high court judges of one rank one pension is set to be met as

government plans to bring a bill to rectify an anomaly as per which judges selected from the Bar get lesser pension than those elevated from state judicial services.The proposal to amend the High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954, comes more than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that such a discrepancy must be removed.

The Law Ministry plans to bring the bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 21.According to the apex court ruling, if the service of a judicial officer is counted for fixation of

pension, there is “no valid reason” as to why the experience at Bar cannot be treated as equivalent for the same purpose.“…we accept the petitioners' claim and declare that for pensionary benefits, ten years' practice as an advocate is added as a qualifying service for judges elevated from the Bar.”

The apex court ruling delivered by a bench headed by then Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam on March 31, 2014 had also said that “one rank one pension must be the norm in respect of a Constitutional office.”“The amendment bill is based on the Supreme Court judgment…we are only implementing the judgement,” a senior government functionary told PTI.

The apex court ruling came on a clutch of petitions filed by former judges of various High Courts as well as by the Association of the Retired Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court's elevated from the Bar.

The petitions said that while Part-I and Part-III judges hold equivalent posts, they are not similarly situated with regard to pension and retirement benefits which is breach of fundamental rights under Articles 14 (equality) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution and “one rank one pension must be the norm in respect of a constitutional office.”

The petitioners had noted that the number of years practiced as an advocate should be taken into account and be added to the service as a judge of the High Court for the purpose of determining the maximum pension permissible under Part-I of the First Schedule to the High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954.

Such a discrepancy does not exist in the law governing salaries and service conditions of Supreme Court judges.Source: NDTV

Is there any National Policy for the Elders (Courtesy The Hindu)Will our national policy target this homeless, hungry old man and imbue in him a hope so that his waking up does not feel worse than his nightmare?

During a morning walk along a sleepy boulevard one watches an occasional stirring of lean hands and callused feet out of the tattered blanket under the shade of a bus stop. Then an ageless, wrinkled face under an unkempt, sparsely covered small head pops up to inspect the colour of the breaking daylight and ducks back into the cover. If only the daybreak could freeze in its tracks and the stupor prolongs protecting this senior citizen from thinking how to earn Rs. 32, which is said to be enough to preserve the body and soul together till the next nightfall! When will the national policy on the elderly target this homeless, perennially hungry old man and imbue in him a hope so that his waking up does not feel worse than his nightmare?

I used to know this bearer who retired years before me from the same office I worked in. He used to come to my house to collect old newspapers ('raddi') for selling them to traders. He also paid the bills at the collection centres of various utility providers spread across the city in exchange for a small service charge. Any given day you could spot him on the internal roads, either riding his ramshackle, creaky bicycle between houses in our area to collect bills or walking his all-purpose vehicle loaded with raddi.

I seem to have been seeing him cycling on these roads for eternity with an intent emaciated face, come drizzles come the scorching sun. On a day or two after Diwali, he visited us for the annual bakshish. My

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wife usually gave away one of her old saris for his married but deserted daughter, who had to be supported by him. His son was living nearby but up to no useful purpose. Whenever I met him and asked him how he was doing, he always said: “Fine, with your blessings, government pension and this little uparka (extra) income.” He must have been above 70 when I last met him and his 'retired life' was nowhere near commencement. I think he did not read newspapers, nor watched much TV (especially discussions) on a day of national contrition and future resolve on behalf of the elderly. He would have wryly thought what all this fuss was about.

When the mother of a friend started to forget names and situations and mixed up dates and faces in an album of a more recent origin, everybody said this was quite natural. She was lucky to have retained most of her memory even as late as her 86th birthday. Nobody was unduly bothered about the slow deterioration in the quality of performance of her daily functions, increasing mess up and soiling (and not even being aware of a change of state), not being able to properly button the pullover or fasten the blouse hooks appropriately. The kindly physician on monthly rounds announced reassuringly that this was just senile dementia, natural enough at her age. All her vital parameters were apparently fine and, therefore, there was nothing much to worry about. And they did not worry that books and newspapers she avidly read a few months ago stopped eliciting any interest in her, television serials were like meaningless charades and cacophony. Till one day when she could not tie her smallish hair into a bun behind her head and on another day announced that she did not know how to wear a sari. And when required to encash a maturing fixed deposit certificate in her name, it was found that she (a postgraduate and principal of a secondary school over 30 years) had forgotten how to sign her name.

When my friend described the chronology of her demise through barely concealed tears, it felt as if the well decorated image of a goddess was partially immersed in shallow waters and had gone into an evolving state of disintegration — first the paint goes, then a few other superficial attributes, then the soil dissolves, slowly exposing the existential scaffolding. In time, that also gives way.

One hopes that in the hopeful future, doctors shall do something more than diagnosing dementia.

Believe me you are not that old (Courtesy The Hindu)But why must you psyche yourself into thinking that you are getting old and senile? As George Burns said, “You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old!”

An old fellow fell in love with a lady, got down on his knees and told her that there were two things he wished to ask her. One was, “Will you marry me?” She replied, “Yes,” and asked what his second question was. He replied, “Will you help me up?”

Jokes on retirement tend to make it synonymous with a toothless, impotent, arthritic and amnesia-ridden terminal illness of advancing age. As an old man said, “There are three signs of old age. Loss of memory... I forget the other two!”

There is no consensus on what a retired person should or should not do. Many for whom the entire work years were only a daily ritual of unvarying actions find the sudden vacuum hard to cope with and spend all their time engaged in masterly inactivity, staring at the ceiling, minds emptied of every coherent thought. Continuing to do the same work even after retirement is hardly a solution — the solution is to explore other interests that may have lain dormant during their work years and which they can now indulge in. The man who has interests outside the work area and who is passionately interested in the world around him and the people in it (of either sex) can never be bored with the so-called inactivity of retirement. It's a calamity if you find that the only exciting thing you look forward to is the arrival of your pension. Of course, in our government offices, such is our work ethic that you can hardly tell the difference when someone retires. Government (to modify Robert Frost) is a place full of willing people — a few willing to work and the majority willing to let them.

But don't despair. Just look around; there's so much to do — as John Burrough said, “I still find each day

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too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.” You don't have to pessimistically bemoan your fate — even if you think you have nothing to do, you can still practise to do it well. Those who cope with retirement best are those who look upon it as a time of fun and believe that a good time to retire is before it is too late to have a good time. And it is smart to prepare for retirement right from one's teens.

As Arthur Morgan remarked, “A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.” If you like teaching, you can teach. You can travel. You can learn music, cooking, carpentry. You can try writing. Some experiments may not always work — a friend joined FB on his son's insistence. It bored the life out of him. He found the coffee-house atmosphere in FB intellectually fatiguing and the thing he found hardest to cope with was saying “he-he-he-he” to signify mirth.

Someone called retirement “statutory senility.” One sure way to confirm this is for a retiree to promptly join a 'senior citizens' club and sit around among hapless and tired individuals being fed tiresome speeches on spirituality interspersed with tea and multigrain biscuits (on lucky days they are treated to samosas!). And if they are well behaved, their minders will take them on a picnic where they will throw a plastic ball at one another and be fed more speeches about spirituality. Senility is often used interchangeably with the 'senior citizen' status, that's the tragedy. But why must you psyche yourself into thinking that you are getting old and senile? As George Burns said, “You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old!”

I think that life begins at 60 — once you begin calling yourself “old,” and allow yourself to think that the sulci in your brain are getting shallower and the gyri are getting flatter, there is very little anyone can do to help.

Parliament QuestionPara Military Service pay only under consideration not OROP – Minister said in Parliament While answering to a question in Parliament today (22.7.2015) on the demand of OROP to Paramilitary Forces, the Minister of State for Home Affairs said there is no proposal under consideration by the Ministry.Demand of One Rank One Pension by paramilitary forcesThere have been some requests demanding One Rank One Pension on the line of demand in Defence Forces. There is no proposal under consideration of the Ministry on the issue.Proposals regarding granting of Para Military Service pay and enhancement of casual leave at par with Army have been received in this Ministry. The same have been referred to the 7th Central Pay Commission for consideration.This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to a question by Smt. Rajani Patil and Shri A.K. Selvaraj in the Rajya Sabha today.Source: PIB News(downloaded on 22-07-2015)

Association of retired officers of Indian Audit and Accounts Department, ChandigarhElection of the office bearers of the Association

Existing term of two years of the office bearers i.e. President, General Secretary, Secretary st

Finance, was due to end on 31 , July,2015. Therefore, as per provision of the constitution, a election committee, consisting of S/Sh. H.R.Gupta (Head and Convener), A.D. Bubber and Thakur Zalim Singh was constituted to conduct the election. The Election Committee, after following the prescribed procedure, declared in the monthly meeting of the General House, held on 28.6.2015 that the following

stexisting office bearers have been elected unopposed for the next term of two years beginning from 1 July 2015:-1. Sh. K.S.Ramotra IA&AS(Retd) as President2. Sh. G.S.Pathania as General Secretary 3. Sh. G.S.Saini as Secretary Finance

G.S. Pathania

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General SecretaryActivity Report of the Association of Retired Officers of Indian Audit and Accounts Department, Chandigarh for the year 2014-15.

The Association came into existence in 1994 and since then it has been moving ahead leaps and bounds and has a number of achievements to its credit. Following the path shown by the founder members and earlier office bearers, the Association under the Presidentship of Sh. K.S.Ramotra worked tirelessly with the cooperation of the members of the Executive Committee, Advisory Committee and the hon'ble members of the House to achieve the aims and objectives of the Associations.

Main activities of the Association during the year 2014-15 were as under:- 1. Office Bearers

The following were the office bearers of the Association during the period under report:-Name of Name PeriodOffice heldPresident Sh.K.S.Ramotra 1.4.2014 to 31.3.2015Gen. Secy. Sh.G.S.Pathania 1.4.2014 to 31.3.2015Secy. Finance Sh G.S.Saini 1.4.2014 to 31.3.20152. Office of the Association

The office of the Association remained located in the office building of the Pr. A.G. (A&E) Haryana, Plot No. 4&5, Sector-33, Chandigarh.

3 Annual Accounts and the Annual Activity Report for the year 2013-14.Annual Accounts and Annual Activity Report of the Association for the year 2013-14 were

presented in the monthly meeting of the General House held in the month of June, 2014 and the same were approved by the General House.4. Annual function

Annual function of the Association was held in month of November 2014 in the Auditorium of Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Bhawan, Sector-30, Chandigarh which was presided over by Sh Raghubir Singh IA&AS, Dy.C.A.G. of India(Retd), Patron. Sh. Jagbans Singh IA&AS, Pr. Accountant General (Audit), Punjab was the Chief Guest and Madam Mahua Pal Pr A.G.(Audit) Haryana and Sh D.K.Bakshi Pr.Director, Defence Audit were the Guests of honour. The following were the main highlights of the Annual Function:-

i. The members who had attained the age of 70,75,80,85,90,years and above were honoured by presenting them mementos, shawls and gifts.

ii. Mrs. Usha Sharma, Sh. Chaman Lal, Sh. Jai Gopal Kotcher and Sh. A. K. Awasthi were honoured for their excellent services rendered for the Association.

iii. Cultural programme was presented by a team of artists from Song and Drama Division of the Min. of Broadcasting and Cultural Affairs.

iv. In the end, lunch was served to all the participants.5. Monthly meetings (i) Monthly meetings of the Executive Committee and the General House were held regularly and hon'ble members were apprised/supplied copies of the latest orders/instructions, concerning the pensioners and members of the CGHS, issued by the Govt. of India.

(ii) Various experts in the field of medicine, surgery, cardiology etc., were invited from renowned/empanelled private hospitals and they gave their presentations in the General House. 6. Pension Portal Scheme

A grant of Rs 75,000/ was received from the GOI for the year 2014-15 under the scheme 'Pension Portal, out of which Rs.69352/-were utilized for the purpose for which it was sanctioned and unspent balance of Rs 5648/- was surrendered.7. CGHS

Regular discussions with the authorities of CGHS helped in bringing a lot of improvements in the functioning of the Wellness Center. Sh. M.L.Panghotra, a senior member of this Association, as a member of the Advisory Committee has been watching the interests of the members of this Association. Efforts were also made to impress upon the CGHS authorities to open additional Wellness Centers in Panchkula and Mohali but no achievement in this regard could be made due to indifferent attitude of the

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GOI. 8. Membership of the Association :-

During the year thirty new members joined the Association and thirteen members of the Association left for their heavenly abode. We pray that their departed souls, with the grace of the Almighty, may rest in peace.

The total membership of the association was 542 at the end of the year.9. Life Membership:-During the year number of life members rose to 150 as on 31.3.2015.10. Co-ordination Committee of Central Govt. Pensioners Associations (CCCGPA) Sh M.L.Pangotra a senior and experienced member of this association was the Chairman and Sh. Rajpal Sharma, an experienced and seasoned leader from P&T Deptt. was the Secretary General of the CCCGPA. Sh. Joginder Lal, a member of this Association was the Cahier of CCCGPA.

The members representing this Association in the CCCGPA took active part in its activities and rendered great service in bringing to their notice the problems being faced by the members of this Association.

We appreciate the performance of the CCCGPA. 11. Affiliation with the Chandigarh Senior Citizens Associations

Our Association is affiliated to the Chandigarh Senior Citizens Associations and most of our members have been participating in its activities. 12. Annual Accounts

There was a balance of Rs. 6,67,000/- as on 1.4.2014 which increased to Rs 9,50,000 /-(tentative) as on 31.3.2015.

This has been made possible due to cooperation of all the hon'ble members, especially those who gave donations for the Annual Function in addition to their regular annual subscription.13. Contribution to Prime Monisters'Relief Fund(J&K flood fury) Donation of Rs. 21,000/-was sent to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund as a relief to the victims of J&K flood fury. Funds were donated by the members for this purpose. 14. Additional Social Activities:-

During the year the members voluntarily contributed Rs. 1,55,500/- out of which Rs 90400/- were spent on supply of medicines to poor patients in PGI. 15. Amendments to the Association's Constitution:-

With the approval of the General House subscription for life membership was raised from Rs .3000/- to Rs. 4000/ w.e.f 1.1.2015. 16. SCOVA: - The Association was nominated as member of the SCOVA for two years. During the year two meetings of SCOVA were held which were attended by the General Secretary. 17. Seventh Central Pay Commission:-

A detailed memorandum incorporating the demands of the pensioners, especially those who th

belongs to IA&AD was submitted to the 7 Central Pay Commission.18. Case of placement of pre 1.1.2006 retired Sr.A.Os in Pay Band-III.

thSr. A.Os who had retired prior to 1.1.2006 were placed in PB-II by the 6 Central Pay

Commission for the purpose of fixation of minimum pension/family pension whereas those who retired after 1.1.2006 were placed in PB-III. As there was great resentment amongst the members and there was loss to the family pensioners the matter was taken up with the GOI and the CAG of India. The anomaly has been removed by the CAG of India and all the Sr.A.Os have been placed in PB-III irrespective of their date of retirement.19. Video Conference.

A Video Conference with Jt. Secy. Min. of P&PW was held by the President and General Secretary on 20.5.2014 in which important issues relating to the pensioners were discussed.20. Exemption from Income tax

The Association applied for exemption from payment of income tax to the Income tax authorities. Exemption for the Assessment year 2015-16 and onwards has since been granted to the Association.21. Telephone Directory

Telephone Directory of the members, giving position as on 1.1.2015, was got published and delivered to the members.

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22. Birth Day and New Year Greetings Birth Day and New Year greetings were sent to all the hon'ble members of the Association..Long live the Association.

G.S.PathaniaGeneral Secretary

WHY EVERYONE LOVES 'GOOD GOVERNANCE'

Democracy without politics and citizenship without rights are the twin pillars of 'good governance'.

India is in the throes of a fierce passion for governance. Not just any governance but 'maximum governance'; preferably in a combo with 'minimum government'. We are the only country in the world that officially celebrates Christmas as 'Good Governance Day'. Nobody speaks of the need for a good government anymore – only good governance.

Behind this mass enthusiasm for the virtues of 'good governance' is none other than the prime minister himself. His own website says so: “It is due to Narendra Modi that governance has become the talking point all over the country”.

But what exactly does 'good governance' mean? According to Mr. Modi, “good governance is putting people at the centre of the development process”.

Well, if that is what it is, then some obvious questions pop up, such as: Is it good governance to eliminate the need for people's consent in land acquisition, as the NDA's land bill amendments want to do?

Mr. Modi has also said that good governance must be 'pro-people' and 'pro-active'. If so, then is pro-actively cutting public expenditure on health and education, as has been done in this year's budget, good governance? Or, for that matter, is the dilution of the rights of industrial workers, which is what the proposed labour reforms seek to do, good governance?

The short answer to all these questions is a resounding yes. For the long answer, we need to visit the history of the concept of governance itself, and how it has come to occupy such a central place in development discourse.

A brief history of 'governance'

The term 'governance' was first used — in the sense in which it is deployed today — by the World Bank in a 1989 report on African economies. Trying to account for the failure of its Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), the World Bank put the blame on a “crisis of governance.”

But 'crisis of governance' doesn't convey much unless one defines 'governance'. The World Bank initially defined it simply as “the exercise of political power to manage a nation's affairs”. This early definition is quite indicative of the animating logic and future discursive career of governance: it is silent on the legitimacy or otherwise of the political power in question. So whether the Bank's client was a democracy or a dictatorship didn't matter. What mattered for governance is that efficient management must trump politics. Efficient management, just to be clear, means the withdrawal of the state in favour of the market.

Over the years, the World Bank expanded its 'governance' model to include elements of a liberal democracy, such as a legal framework for enforcement of contracts, accountability, etc. At the same time, it brokered a marriage between governance and development. Nations deemed to be in need of 'development' could now be told that the only way to get 'development' is through 'governance' — that is, by embracing the free market.

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But for this, it was necessary to first create a demand for good governance. That meant identifying the markers of 'bad governance'. Unfortunately, what constitutes 'bad governance' in the neo-liberal text book — an activist state trying to even out socio-economic disparities through distributive justice — is rather popular among the masses, especially the poor. In an electoral democracy, a direct attack on welfare was never going to resonate beyond the rich and middle-classes, as successive governments in India have found to their cost.

Corruption and governance

Enter corruption, the godfather of good governance. 'Corruption' is not an ahistorical, value-neutral descriptor. Even in the short span of India's post-independence history, it has been deployed in different ways in the service of different political agendas. Matthew Jenkins, a historian of corruption, has written about how, for instance, in JP Narayan's movement for 'total revolution' in the 1970s, corruption denoted something very different from what it did in the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption agitation of 2011.

For Narayan, corruption was a moral evil. As Jenkins puts it, Narayan “viewed the capitalist system itself as corrupt”. He cites Narayan's famous quote that “wealth cannot be amassed except by exploitation.” But the anti-corruption discourse that grew around the Hazare movement did not share Narayan's reservations about the corrupting influences of the profit motive. Corruption as a morally charged idea had disappeared altogether. What replaced it was a narrow, technical idea of corruption as bribery, which went well with the economistic notion of man as a rational agent who responds to incentives.

Overnight, the entire political class, the bureaucracy, and social infrastructure (such as the public distribution system, for instance), began to be deemed as hotbeds of corruption and held solely responsible for the state's failures to deliver the benefits of economic growth. Conversely, any government engaged in the delivery of socially critical economic goods was held to be offering incentives for corruption.

In other words, it is not neo-liberal economic polices but corruption that is to blame for the benefits of economic growth not trickling down — or not trickling down enough — to the masses.

Now that corruption had been identified as the biggest hurdle to economic development, the stage was set for its antidote: good governance. This trajectory – of aspirations first raised and then betrayed by economic reforms, leading to mass discontent, which zeroes in on corruption as the problem, with good governance presented as the solution – is very evident in recent Indian history. But it is by no means unique to India. As Jenkins points out, the “international anti-corruption consensus” has been a powerful vehicle for manoeuvring recalcitrant nations onto the neo-liberal track.

With the UPA II regime showing no signs of progress on the second wave of economic reforms, the demon of corruption was summoned to boot it out. And in its place, we now have the NDA, which is good governance incarnate, and invested with the mandate to roll out the next phase of reforms that its predecessor could not.

Elements of good governance

So, what's definitely out is welfare expenditure, for not only is it a bad idea economically, it also represents what everyone hates – corruption. Also out is political interference in policy-making – which can lead to distortions to please vote banks. Major policy measures shall be decided by unelected experts, who don't have to worry about winning the next election.

What's in are accountability, transparency, empowerment, and citizen participation – all of which are key elements of Mr. Modi's 'good governance' agenda. On the face of it, these don't seem like

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bad ideas. But like development, they all have a dual meaning – one in the context of social transformation, another in the neo-liberal vision of good governance.

So if we take, for instance, accountability, good governance doesn't mean accountability to the people – it is about accountability to business and to investors, who are risking their money with expectations in return.

Similarly, transparency doesn't necessarily mean that the state should render its decision-making transparent to its citizens — if that were the case, a regime going gaga over good governance wouldn't have kept the post of Chief Information Commissioner vacant for nine months. Again, the transparency in question is with regard to business, especially foreign investors, who are tired of trying to find their way through the intricate webs of political patronage (also known as corruption) and often lose out to domestic capital, which enjoys a cultural advantage (so-called crony capitalism).

As for empowerment, the good governance version of it, which imagines the state giving power to the disempowered, say, through technology (e-governance, m-governance), is a cruel joke on the original meaning of the term.

In human history, there has never been an instance of a powerful political group voluntarily giving up its power. Which is why real empowerment is always an outcome of political confrontation and struggle – the civil rights movement, the women's rights movement, and all other rights-based movements are examples of attempts to empower people through the institution of legally enforceable rights. The good governance model of empowerment is allergic to any rights-based empowerment. It conceives of empowerment in individualistic-consumerist rather than collective terms. It offers little scope, for instance, to remedy the social disempowerment caused by caste.

Finally, we come to citizen participation. In social movements, citizenship was a powerful tool for obtaining political and economic rights for the marginalized, such as refugees, or the displaced. But in the good governance model, citizenship essentially means 'market citizenship' – the individual's acquisition of the legal and other paraphernalia required for accessing the market.

Participation means participation in the market – as a wage-earner, consumer, and producer. It could also mean participation in the limited domain of project implementation, which serves the purpose of conferring sheen of democratic legitimacy on development projects decided and designed by elite. It certainly does not mean participation in the sense of political contestation – of having a say on the model of development to be adopted.

To sum up, good governance is today a major discursive tool enabling the global transition of democracies to a form of government that some academics have labelled “soft authoritarianism”. A more accurate description would be “authoritarianism with a democratic face”.

Good governance entails the substitution of politics – which is what democracy is all about — with management. It seeks to insulate policy-making from the chaotic pressures of democracy.

So what kind of a government does good governance mandate? Given that there is only one model of development possible in the good governance framework – market-led development – a government that upholds good governance will have to cease being a guarantor of the citizens' socio-economic rights. It would instead function as a facilitator and enabler of the market, which would deliver these goods and services to those who can afford them.

As for those who can't afford them, if they behave well, they might get the carrot of cash/credit, which is essential to function as a market citizen. If they misbehave, the stick of repression is an ever-present threat. Democracy without politics, and citizenship without rights — these are the twin pillars of good

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governance as it's advocated today. The beauty of it is that everyone seems to love it.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs)

Question : 1: What is Sankalp?Answer : It is an initiative of Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare. Government of

India which provides a platform for the pensioners to access opportunities available for useful interventions in the society. It also facilitates the organizations working in theses areas to select appropriate skill and expertise from the available pool of volunteer pensioners. Another key element of the initiative is to conduct Pre-retirement counselling workshops to help the retiring employees to transit smoothly into their 2nd innings.

Question 2 : Who can be registered under Sankalp?Answer : Pensioners, Pensioners' Associations and Non-Government Organisations can be

registered under Sankalp.Question 3 : What types of pensioners are eligible for registration under sankalp?Answer : At present only cenetral Government Civil Pensioners, Defence Civilians and defence

Retirees are eligible for registration under Sankalp.Question 4: What are the essential requirements for the registration of pensioners?Answer : 12 digit pension payment order (PPO) for central Government civilian Pensioners and

service number, rank and record office for retired defence personnel. In addition, Date of Brith, Date of Superannuation, Designation, Department/Ministry, PAN Number and Mobile Number are essential for registration of Pensioners under Sankalp.

Question 5: How can a pensioner be registered under Sankalp?Answer : Pensioners can submit the pensioner registration form on the website, i.e.,

http://pensionersportal.gov.in/Sankalp/. Also, a self attested copy of the 12-digit PPO is to be sent to the DOP&PW. After verification, they are registered and provided the login id and password through which they can log in.

Question 6: How can organizations/Associations/Schemes be registered under Sankalp?Answer : Organizations/Associations can contact the Department of Pension and Pensioners

Welfare on mail, available on Sankalp's website. They are provided a blank registration form through email. On receipt of a duly filled up registration form, the Department scrutinizes the details and if found acceptable, the organization/association is registered under Sankalp.

Question : 7 What is the role of DOPPW in Sankalp?Answer : The role of DOPPW is to act only as a facilitator and a Catalyst. Sankalp lists a number

of pensioners/Orgainations in India based on self declaration. This does not imply that pensioners/Organizations are endorsed or recommended in any way by DOPPW. The Department also does not guarantee that the information contained on the website is complete and correct and shall not be liable whatsoever for any damages incurred as a result of its use. DOPPW does not guarantee that all pensioners would get suitable engagement nor does it guarantee that all organizations will get appropriate volunteers.

Question 8: Will a pensioners get salary/honorarium for his said work?Answer : DOPPW only provides a platform where pensioners can access opportunities to

work/contribute towards society on voluntary basis and organizations/Associations can select appropriate skill and expertise from the available pool of human resources.

Question 9: Is there a guarantee for getting an assignment through Sankalp?Answer : DOPPW does not guarantee that all pensioners registered under Sankalp would get

suitable engagement or that all organizations will find suitable volunteer pensioners. Both pensioners and organization are advised to satisfy themselves of the suitability with respect to their requirement.

Question 10 : Other than voluntary work, are there any other options available under Sankalp?Answer : Yes, pensioners can contribute/share poems, photographs, interesting articles which

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DOES THE GENERAL KNOW(Comments of Mr R K Ponoth, ADIG, BSF (Retd) on the article by Lt Gen Harwant Singh- H.T. - 02 June, 2015)Lt Gen (Retd) Harwant Singh has literally set the cat among the pigeons by depicting the CAPFs in poor light in his Article “ A New Spoke in the One Rank One Pension's Wheel”, Hindustan Times 02 June. He has alluded to various aspects of management and command of the CAPFs and argued that the CAPFs being inefficient, poorly trained, weakly commanded and operationally unsuccessful have no business to make out a case for OROP which should be granted only to the defence services. He has also cautioned the readers about the unauthorised use of the terminology “Para Military” by the CAPFs, which, in his view, was causing doubts in the minds of the decision makers about their entitlement to matching benefits as that of the defence services. He goes to the extreme extent of declaring that there is nothing “military” about the CAPFs besides lamenting about the extra financial benefits being enjoyed by the CAPFs vis a vis the defence personnel !Undeniably, the general who would have overseen the operational output of many BSF Units on the LC and IB is faking ignorance about the genesis, organisational structure, weaponry and training philosophy of the BSF, which has also been made a victim of his acrimonious criticism. Is the general unaware of the contribution of the BSF in the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh which, for the BSF, commenced early in the year 1971 well before the army entered the scene? How can he discount the reality that all the BSF units then deployed on the then East Pakistan and West Pakistan borders were active participants in the Indian army's campaigns and that many of the BSF personnel were martyred and many were conferred Military Gallantry awards. Would the general dare to argue that there is “nothing military” about 1 MVC and 11 VrC awarded to the BSF personnel for their acts of Gallantry and that they were awarded without the recommendations of the Brigade Commanders and GOsC under whom they were operationally placed during the war? What would be the General's take on the role of the BSF during war as formulated by the Army according to which most of the BSF BOPs would be acting as Early Warning elements to the Army formation and thus are expected to fight and perish well ahead of the main defences of the army? Perhaps, in the general's view, that would also be a police role!Post 1971,the next major limited war that our country had to fight was Op Vijay or the Kargil conflict, the genesis of which was the opportunity utilised by Pakistan to infiltrate and occupy the FDLs vacated by Indian Army. Even if Gen Harwant Singh is unaware, the entire 15 Corps should gratefully remember that the lone BSF Def Area of the sector at Drass (08 Bn BSF then under command of Shri SC Negi), which though more inhospitable than many of the FDLs vacated by the Army, did not allow even a single case of infiltration. Perhaps, a “non-military” achievement? Performance of BSF unitsplaced under the op control of the army on the FDLs, CI and IB scenarios have been lauded in no uncertain terms by the respective formation commanders as evidenced from the cases of VSMs and SMs conferred on them and the thumping appraisals given to the BSF officers by the Army formation commanders. As for the observation regarding infiltration from Bangladesh, the General may please recall that there is no similarity between the norms of Border Management along Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh Borders. The General's question would be well answered by the reality that no such infiltration occurs from Indo-Pak IB and anyone who attempts meets with his ultimate destiny. The point would be further reinforced by the occurrence of free trans-border movement of IIGs across Indo-Burma border guarded by the Assam Rifles which is commanded by Army officers. The BSF personnel also carry the same basic infantry weapon of 5.56 Insas Rifle. Shooting down unarmed Bangladeshi Nationals is perhaps nothing “military” like!For the information of those who have been carried away by Gen Harwant's article, it is clarified that the BSF is neither a police force nor para-military. The constitutional and legal status of the BSF is that of an Armed Force of the Union as it has been raised under the same provisions of Article 246 of the Constitution of India under which the Army, Navy and Air Force have been raised. The terminology CAPF as presently assigned to the BSF is incorrect due to the aforesaid status of the Force. The BSF neither takes pride nor wants to self-style itself as para-military as there is nothing honourable about that nomenclature which has an assortment of interpretations and meanings, which also includes unofficial resistance movements. Perhaps, the terminology “Paramilitary” has been officially defined only in the training pamphlets and other official papers of the Army in order to stake claim for lateral entry and re-employment of Army personnel in such organisations. Has the general considered for a minute as to why the BSF which is an Armed Force of the Union and has its well-defined Role and Tasks should relegate

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itself to the lowly status of a paramilitary Force?Lt Gen Harwant Singh goes on to denigrate the training standards and operational achievements by siting examples of operational casualties suffered in Anti Naxal Operations. His statement would have been vindicated had the Army operated against the naxals and achieved any success, which is not the case. Is he unaware that the BSF as well as other AFs are operating without the cover of the AFSPA without which the Army is shy of plunging into CI operations, and that the terrain, demography, the inter-state spread of the operational area and the hawkish eyes of various human rights groups present extremely difficult challenges to the Forces? Despite the heavy odds, the rate of BSF casualty per year has been less than four deaths and 8 injuries in Anti-Naxal Operations while the success rate has been more than 200 apprehensions, 30 surrenders, seizure of 140 weapons and more than 300 kgs of explosives per year. Of utmost value was bringing back normalcy to the so called liberated areas wherever deployed, all the while operating under the parameters and limitations laid down by the respective states and without attracting any major allegations of Human Rights violation. The General may perhaps not disagree that the Indian Army will just refuse to operate under such adversities.BSF's tryst with CI operations commenced soon after its raising in the year 1965 with the involvement in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The Role of BSF in containing extremism in Punjab needs no elaboration. So was the case with the populated areas of Srinagar Valley where the BSF fought a vicious battle against well-entrenched militants and foreign mercenaries to liberate those areas. Will the General deny that it was the BSF which almost eliminated militancy in the towns and cities of Srinagar Valley by the mid-nineties when the Force was de-inducted?Has the General forgotten that it was the Army that expressed serious reservations about de-inducting the BSF from Kashmir and substituting it with any other Force when the decision to revert the BSF units to the Border Management role was taken.Training standards of a Force depends on its trg philosophy and the time and effort invested in training. Unfortunately, the BSF has a well- defined training philosophy but finds it difficult to spare units and sub-units for regular collective training, not due to the lack of will to train or inadequacy of leadership but due to the call of the Nation. While it is agreed that the Indian Army, which is free to train, invests adequate time on training, and thus remains well prepared to meet external threats, it is the other Armed Forces like the BSF and the CRPF that hold this country together from most of the internal threats when the Army trains. In so doing, they remain perpetually separated from their kith and kin, live under sub-human conditions and operate with limited resources while being exposed to high levels of threat to life, which, in the general's view is tantamount to “feathering the nest”. The general should have expressed gratitude to the BSF and other AFs for responding with whatever they have to douse the raging fire of militancy in various parts of the country and thus releasing pressure on deployment of the Army in those theatres.The General appears to be obsessed with the comparative disparity between the IPS officers and the Army officers and has perhaps tried to paint the entire CAPFs with a coloured brush without considering the fact that the IPS officers, who are appointed on deputation, constitute only less than .01% of the Forces. The BSF has a strong, well trained and well-motivated parent cadre whose career progression is much slower than that of the Army officers. They are trained well, go through periodic professional courses, lead the men from the front and are responsible for all the laurels earned by the Force. The career progression of BSF officers is so slow that Direct Entry officers who have completed more than 18 years of service are continuing as Dy Comdt (Equivalent to Majors) where as their counterparts in the Army are Colonels and those in the IPS are DIsG. As for the constabulary, the residency period for the first promotion is as long as 20 years. Despite such adverse conditions of service, the BSF has not turned away or adopted evasive tactics when the nation burns due to internal or external strife. The General has wittingly or unwittingly misled the readers by mentioning a host of factual errors in his article such as admissibility of headquarters allowance to the AFs like the BSF, their retirement age, quantum of detachment allowances etc. The working conditions obtaining in the BSF and how comfortably the “nests have been feathered” can be appreciated from the fact that during the past ten years the number of personnel who sought voluntary retirement from the BSF on completion of 20 years of service was almost 4.5 times that of those who retired on superannuation. Such personnel are left to survive on their pension alone, being deprived of any reservations or privileges admissible to the EX-ServicemenThe rank and file of the BSF who have operated with the Army in various operational theatres hold the

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Army in high esteem. They admire the manner in which senior officers take pains to groom their juniors and accept responsibility for their errors. The training philosophy, regimentation, professionalism and the pride in uniform of the Army are respected and to a great extent emulated by the BSF. The BSF Act is a near replica of the Army Act. When the country would be in the grip of a major security crisis, the BSF would be fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Army. Enemy bullets will not differentiate between men in OG and the men in Khaki. General, why are you then firing your guns on the shoulders of the BSF in order to reinforce your case for OROP, which the BSF also strongly believes is long overdue to the Army? Let us therefore think and act like true comrades in arms against the Nation's enemies rather than playing down each other.

………………………………………

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shri Ravi Kumar Ponoth retired as Addl DG of the BSF after rendering more than 38

years of distinguished service in the BSF. Having commanded troops at all levels and

in all operational environments up to that of the Eastern Theatre of the Force, Shri

Ponoth has in-depth knowledge and hands on experience of both micro and macro

level issues affecting the Border management of the country. He is a graduate from the Defence

Services Staff college, Wellington and recipient of the Police medal for Meritorious Service and the

Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

According to the sources, the important Points of 7th CPC are:

1. There will be no running Pay Bands and Grade Pay system.

2. The uniform multiplication factor for arriving revised pay will be 2.86

3. Pay Scales will be open ended to avoid stagnation in the scales.

4. Minimum pay will be Rs 21,000/-.

5. The CCA will be separated into two components as it was in the 5th

CPC.

6. Percentage of HRA will remain same.

7. The criteria for retirement age will be either completion of 33 years of

service or at the age of 60 years, whichever is earlier.

8. CGEGIS insurance coverage and monthly premium will be increased.

9. Classification of Posts will be modified.

10. 7th CPC recommendations will be implemented with effect from 01-

01-2016.

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ALL INDIA CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR DR/DA (Base Year 2001 = 100)

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PATRONS

G S Bhango, 5 Sector 10A, Chandigarh-Ph:2743636

ADVISORS

G. S. Bains House No. 206, Phase 6, Mohali Phone : 9041451995

P. S. Bedi (DIG Retd. ) House No. 2186, Sector 35-C, Chandigarh Phone : 2604002

Pyara Singh House No. 2498, Sector 50-C, Chandigarh Phone : 2673498

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor M L Panghotra (IAAS) 1148 Sector 60 Mohali Ph:2225147 E mail : [email protected]

Editor Rajpal Sharma 799 Sector 4, Panchkula Ph; 2567891/ 9316122214 E mail: [email protected]

Exet. Editor R. N. Mehta # 2536, Sec. 40-C, Chandigarh Ph. : 0172-2695007/ 9815644693

Asst Editor Joginder Singh 686 Sector 40 A, Chandigarh Ph; 2688686/ 9417008686 E mail : [email protected]

Asst Editor G S Saini 3178 sector 71, Mohali Ph: 94171-78500

( Website :www. cccgpa.in)

Nov.

253

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Dec.

253

2963

246.91

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Jan. 2015

254

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253

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Mar. 2015

254

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April 2015

256

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May 2015

258

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