Review of Industrial Relations

Review of Industrial Relations

Review/updation of Labour Laws is an ongoing process and changes in Labour Laws are effected after detailed consultations with the social partners as and when a need is felt and with a view to harmonize the industrial relations in the interests of all Stakeholders. 

Recently, the Government of India has amended the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 vide Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Act, 2010 and the Plantations Labour Act, and 1951 vide the Plantation Labour (Amendment) Act, 2010 after series of tripartite consultations with stakeholders. 

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave this information in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. 

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Disabled-Friendly Offices

Disabled-Friendly Offices

As per Section 46 of the Persons with Disability (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the appropriate Governments and the local authorities shall, within the limits of their economic capacity and development, provide for – (i) ramps in public buildings; (ii) adaptation of toilets for wheel chair users; (iii) braille symbols and auditory signals in elevators or lifts; and (iv) ramps in hospitals, primary health centres and other medical care and rehabilitation institutions. The Government endeavors to make public dealing offices accessible as mandated by Law. 

The Delhi Division of Ministry of Urban Development had notified the amended Building Bye-Laws, 1983 vide No. K-12016/5/79/DDIA/VA1B Vol. ix (pt), dated 28th August, 2002, to ensure that the public buildings, which were erected in Delhi provided barrier free environment to Persons with Disabilities. These Building Bye-laws for barrier-free built environment in public buildings has been circulated to all the States and Union Territories for incorporation in the municipal building Bye-laws. So far, 28 States have informed that they have modified their building bye-laws. 

The Ministry provides financial assistance to State Governments and various organisations /institutions run and supported by Central or State Governments under the Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 (SIPDA) for making public buildings and websites accessible. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri D.Napoleon in the Lok Sabha today. 

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Aganwadi Workers Training Centres

Aganwadi Workers Training Centres

There are a total of 498 AWTCs operational as on 30 June 2011 in States/UTs. The Minister of State (I/C) for Women & Child Development Smt. Krishna Tirath revealed in Lok Sabha today that two proposals to open 10 new AWTCs - 6 in Assam and 4 in Jharkhand, have been received in May, 2011. 

In reply to a question she said that the number of Anganwadi Workers to be trained every year is proposed by the States/UTs in their Annual State Training Action Plans (STRAPs). During the current financial year, 2,87,778 Anganwadi Workers and 2,18,098 Anganwadi Helpers are proposed to be trained through the existing AWTCs. 

The Minister stated that in order to ensure effective functioning of the AWTCs, regular visits are made by the State Government officials as well as the faculty from the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) to monitor and inspect these centres. Also, State Governments undertake periodic review meetings with the AWTCs to review the progress of the training courses against the targets approved under the STRAPs. 

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Improvement in Railways’ Catering Services

Improvement in Railways’ Catering Services

Due to intensive monitoring and supervision of Railways, the number of complaints reported in catering have reduced substantially by 48 per cent since September 2010 upto July 2011, in comparison to the corresponding period of last year after the transfer of catering activities to Zonal Railways from Indian Railways Catering and Tourism (IRCTC). During this period, about 24164 inspections have been carried out by Zonal Railways for the improvement of catering services. 

A system is in place on the Zonal Railways in which the Supervisors and officers periodically inspect the catering establishments, and also interact with the passengers on the trains to obtain a first hand knowledge of deficiencies observed with feed back from passengers. Zonal Railways proactively take corrective action on the deficiencies and irregularities found during inspections. For providing hot and fresh food in important trains like Rajdhani/Duronto Express train, a pantry car is attached to the train which has the facility to keep food fresh through deep freeze/refrigeration equipment, and to serve food hot they have food warmers and hot cases. This facility is also available in the pantry cars attached to a few important Mail/Express train. 

For other trains, Train Side Vending (TSV) facility is being gradually extended to provide satisfactory catering service to passengers. Policy guidelines for the arrangement for TSV to provide good quality hygienic food to passengers in the trains, in which pantry cars are not provided, have been issued to the Zonal Railways. Railways have also planned to construct and operate base kitchens at nominated points to provide hot and fresh food to the passengers. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. 

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Railways take Steps to Prevent Misuse of Tatkal Scheme

Railways take Steps to Prevent Misuse of Tatkal Scheme

With a view to reduce the scope for misuse of Tatkal scheme, the following steps have been taken:- 

i) Access to Tatkal booking on all days and normal booking on the opening g day of reservation through e-tickets by the Travel Agents/Web-service agents/Web Agents of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has been disabled between 0800 a.m. and 09.00 a.m. 

ii) It has been made mandatory to produce any one of the prescribed identity cards (in original) during the journey by any one of the passengers booked on a Tatkal ticket. 

iii) Instructions have also been issued that Senior Divisional Commercial Managers/Divisional Commercial Managers should conduct regular inspections of Reservation offices and also personally inspect passenger Reservation System (PRS) offices during the opening hours and take immediate steps to check the routing activities. 

In addition, the following two safeguards already exist in the Tatkal Scheme:- 

• Tatkal Refund Rules are stringent to reduce chances of its misuse

. • Change of name facility is not available under the Scheme. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Bharatsinh Solanki in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. 

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SPECIALISED TREATMENT FOR SERVICE PERSONEL AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM CIVIL SOURCES

0028/Spl Treat/DGAFMS/DG-3A/1393/11/2011/D (Med)

Govt of India 

Ministry of Defence 

NewDelhi—110001 .

18th Jul 2011 .

To.

The Director General Armed Forces Medical Services 

New Delhi-110001

Sub – SPECIALISED TREATMENT FOR SERVICE PERSONEL AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM CIVIL SOURCES

Sir,

I am directed to say that the President is pleased to extend the provision of Ministry of Defence letter No 20028/DGAFMS/DG-3A11348/D (Med) dated 28 Mar 1988 as amended from time to time and last extended vide Govt of India Ministry of Defence letter No 20028/Spl Treat)DGAFMS/DG-3A/331/09/D (Med) dated 31 Mar 2009 for a further period of two years wet 01 Apr 2011 with partial modification as explained in para-2 below.

2. However, as facilities many procedures now exist in certain Armed Forces hosipital the facility for availing specialized treatment for Cardiology and Renal Transplant procedures will 

only be recommended on case-to-case basis as follows.

(a) Advanced Cardiovascular Treatment: – Recommendations of consultant/ Senior Advisor Cardiothoracic Surgery who will obtain concurrence of Sr Consultant (Surgery) office of DGAFMS telephonically if necessary. The recommendation should be pre- facto, however in emergency conditions, justitiabie post-facto recommendation may be obtained.

(b) Advanced Renal Transplant Treatment: – Recommendations of consultant/ Senior Advisor. Urology who will obtain concurrence of Sr Consultant (Surgery) office of DGAFMS telephonically if necessary. The recommendation should be pre-facto,however in emergency conditions, justifiable post-facto recommendation may be obtained

3, This issue with the concurrence of Defence/Finance vide their LJO.No 344/AG/PD/11 dated 06/07/2011

Yours Faithfully 

(Kulwant Rana) 

Under Secretary to the Govt of India

http://cgda.nic.in/audit/splTreat.pdf

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CHECK YOUR PENSION ENTITLEMENT

CHECK YOUR  PENSION ENTITLEMENT

(updated as on 16 August 2011)

Introduction

1. We all believe in the system and expect that justice will be done to us. However  your presumption that your bank is paying you correct pension, may not be in your best  financial interests. Experience indicates that Banks are frequently doing the mistake of  paying lower rates of pension vis a vis authorisation to many pensioners due to poor  understanding of defence pension provisions by their staff. Therefore it is a must for  every pensioner to know his/her correct entitlement of pension.

  

2. The pensioners, who have retired on or after 01-01-06, generally do not have any problem in getting their correct pension. The CDAs  in their case have issued Pension Payment Order (PPO) as per the new provisions of VI CPC. For these pensioners the banks have no option, but to pay the pension as specified by the CDA in the PPO.  However, the story is different for pre 01-01-06 retirees.

3. Considering the large volume of pre-2006 pensioners (25 lacs Appx), the CDAs have expressed their inability to issue a revised PPO as per VI CPC entitlement.  The Govt has therefore issued orders to Pension Disbursing Agencies (Banks, Treasury Offices etc) to calculate the revised pension as per VI CPC) and pay the same to the pre-2006 pensioners directly.   Govt has issued instructions to banks (with necessary reference tables) for calculating and releasing the revised pension.  Efforts are on at the highest level to ensure that revised PPOs are issued for pre-2006 pensioners also, by he CDAs in near future.  However it is linked to digitalisation of past records and data capture of pre-2006 pensioners on a large scale by CGDA and could take some time. Therefore as on date, it is only banks who will decide the post VI CPC revision of pension, for pre-2006 pensioners

Read`more`details -http://www.indianairforce.nic.in/dppr/download/CHECK%20YOUR%20PENSION.pdf

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Central govt employee gets post-retirement benefits at age of 91

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the central government to provide its 91-year-old former employee some of the post-retirement benefits that he had been unable to avail due to lack of information.

Justice S Muralidhar ordered the government to provide former Indian Railways employee KSR Chari the benefits of railway pension and family pension scheme that he had been unable to avail due to a communication gap.

The court was hearing Mr Chari's petition in which he alleged that he had been unable to avail the benefits of the scheme due to lack of proper communication by his first employer State Railway Coal department, which he joined in 1942, to his second employer the National Coal Development Corp (NCDC).

"In conclusion, this court would like to take judicial notice of the fact that with rising inflation and spiralling prices of basic commodities, the life of the elderly in our country is becoming increasingly difficult," the court said.

With every passing day they feel the pinch of rising prices whether it is food, provisions, transport or health care, it said.

The court said the provident fund amount that some of the retired employees got after many years of dedicated service, was meagre by today's rates of income. Moreover, the rates of return on the lump sum amounts had drastically reduced over the years.

"The elderly cannot risk investing their precious savings in the volatile and uncertain share market. Had some of them opted for pension, they would have a better level of sustenance. It is not surprising then that those who gave the best of their productive lives for the progress of the country and the betterment of our lives justifiably feel that they are being treated unfairly and that the Government owes them more," said the court in its 12-page order.

"The lives of the elderly in our country are becoming increasingly difficult. For a majority of retired government servants, the social security cover, if it can be called that, is palpably inadequate to ensure them a decent living," said the court, ordering the government to provide Chari the two post-retirement benefits for railway employees.

The court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the coal and mines ministry and NCDC for objecting to Chari's plea that he had come to the court after a gap of several decades after retirement.

Central govt employee gets post-retirement benefits at age of 91

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/central-govt-employee-gets-post-retirement-benefits-at-age-of-91-128504&cp&cp

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