PLI sensitization of Grade I & Gr II Postmasters for HCR on 27.02.2013.

  Meeting to be held on 27.02.2013 in the conference hall of Cicle office at 9.30 hours for HCR  on this issue with other BD, SB issues.

(Ref: CO PLI/genl /agent/ 12-13 email dated 18.02.13)

(posted : 26.02.2013 at 08.10)

Your  post office  wants to become a bank.  Is this a good  !dea  ???

(your answer is NO :  Read now,  your answer is YES : Read immediately)

The Reserve Bank of India recently announced draft guidelines for the entry of new private sector players even though there is no shortage of banks in the country: we have seven banks in the State Bank group, 20 nationalized banks, 21 private banks and 19 foreign banks with nearly 80,000 bank branches between them spread all over.

And that’s not all. Over and above this, we have innumerable regional rural banks, and private and state cooperative banks, not to speak of non-bank financial companies and financial institutions. Now, many non-banks want to become banks.

So do we need the Post Office to also become yet another bank? Minister of State for IT and Communications Sachin Pilot thinks so – in line with what all his predecessors have been thinking for decades now. He said: “It will fulfill UPA’s agenda for financial inclusion if we are a full-fledged bank. We have a huge network and wide reach in rural areas.” A postal employee empties a mailbox. AFP

If  it were only that simple. The logic for converting the post office into a bank is three-fold.

One, its main business of delivering letters and money orders is shrinking and losing money. In the era of email and sms, no one actually writes anything to anyone using a post card or envelope. For those who want their letters and documents delivered pronto, India Post is only a second choice among couriers.

Two, the post office has a huge branch network – some 1,55,000 offices, and 90 percent of them in and semi-urban rural areas. So any bank built over the ruins of a post office would have twice the reach from day one.

Three, India Post has some nodding acquaintance with handling money – there is already a post office savings bank with 24 crore account-holders. Many small savings schemes like National Savings Certificates (NSCs), Monthly Income Schemes, Postal Life Insurance, and Kisan Vikas Patras (KVPs) are sold though the post office network.

If all this sounds like qualification enough to become a bank, think again. This is quite apart from the fact that India does not need yet another bank.

Reason: the key to successful banking lies in lending and risk-assessment, not raising deposits. In this area, the post office’s experience is zero. Just zero.

Consider how the post office works now. It uses its branch network to collect deposits and sell products like NSCs and KVPs. But it does not have to worry about raising enough income to cover the cost of deposits by lending to creditworthy companies or borrowers. The money raised is shoveled into the coffers of state governments and the latter pay off the interest from tax revenues. Or even more borrowings.

In short, the post office has no experience in doing the one thing that really matters to banking success: finding good borrowers.

The second argument – that its 1,55,000 branches will give it the right platform for growth – boils down to saying this: we have real estate in far corners of India. By this yardstick, petrol pump owners should also be running banks, for they own pumps in all kinds of places. Owning real estate – and often is places which make little commercial sense – is not a qualification for running a bank.

Moreover, Indian banking is very competitive – and India Post does not have competition embedded in its DNA.

The third argument, that the main postal service is a loss-maker, is the weakest of them all. Failure in one business is no reason to dabble ( dip into)  in another, more complex, business like banking.

Yet another issue is the attraction of talent. Good bankers are hard to find even in India. Why would any banker working with State Bank or Bank of India want to work for the post office?

The world is littered with the corpses of banks that failed (in the US, the likes of Citibank needed bailouts in 2008 from Uncle Sam; in India, Global Trust Bank and New Bank of India needed white knights to rescue them from disaster). There is thus no need to add one more potential basket case with no experience in banking whatsoever.

So what should India Post do?

The answer is obvious: as owner of real estate, what it needs to do is leverage it. It can offer its real estate – either as a national package or a regional bundle – to any bank for running branches for a fee. This can be done through an open bidding process once the Reserve Bank of India allows new private banks to enter the picture. They will be eager to hop on board, for one condition they have to meet is having 25 percent of their branches in rural areas.

Net result: India Post gets rental incomes without the risk. You don’t need to become a bank to make money from banking.  India Post already earns fee income from selling a whole range of financial products like mutual funds, pension payments, et al. Allowing banks to sell more from its premises will enable it to wipe out its losses in a jiffy (minute) .

//source:  on private banks , www.firstpost.com//

POSTBANK OF INDIA  Ready in next TWO years:-

The postal department plans to enter the banking business with the Reserve Bank of India deciding to grant new bank licences to entities with credible track-record.

Sources said the Department of Posts, which has a strong foot print in rural areas, has appointed Ernst and Young (E&Y) as the consultant for the proposed ‘Post Bank’

“Ernst and Young is expected to submit a detailed project report by April, after which all the necessary measures will be taken up to apply for banking licence,” a source at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology told PTI.  The sources added that the Department of Post (DoP) might need Cabinet approval for setting up Post Bank of India.

Of the 1.55 lakh post offices in the country, around 24,000 district offices may be ready to offer banking services in the next two years.   The DoP is in process of setting up 1,000 ATMs.

“Post Bank shall not only take care of the banking needs of the rural poor but shall also converge with micro-insurance and micro-remittance services of the DoP,” the source said.

As per data shared with Parliament, there were over 26 crore operational small savings accounts in post offices as on March 31, 2012, having deposits worth Rs.1.9 lakh crore. Some Other expected banks from  :  LIC,  IFCI,  Sundaram Finance,  M&M,  Reliance,  TATA ,  IDFC,   L & T ,  Bajaj etc,.

As seen from world wide many postbanks have been  found. Deutsche Postbank, Postbank-kenya, Postbank- South Africa, Postbank Philippines, Japan Postbank, Postbank germany etc.. . All these banks have been setup in long back and operating banking operations successfully. No doubt PBI  will get great success  with more existing and new customers. 

//POSTED 25.02.2013 at 08.15 //

A.P circle  crossed 50000 regd. Letters booking on 22.02.13:-

As per R-net Regd  articles information on 22.02.2013  it was observed that the Regd articles booked in  A.P circle crossed  50000  ( 51721) and placed 3^rd  in India.  HCR booked highest articles (18257) at region level.  Let us expect  for more  regd articles booking in near future.

//posted 22.02.2013 at 09.30 pm//

Terrorist Attack Condemned :-

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon  condemned the terrorist attack in Hyderabad and offered condolences to the families of the victims. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the indiscriminate attacks against civilians which occurred in the Indian city of Hyderabad," said a statement issued by the office of the UN Secretary General.

Postal, Bank, govt. employees continue strike in Andhra Pradesh :-

 Employees of postal,  banks and public sector organisations in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday continued their protests on the second day of the two-day strike called by Central trade unions in support of their various demands. 

The personnel of various organisations, who stayed away from work yesterday, began their protests in Hyderabad and other places in Andhra Pradesh. 

The employees of various PSU banks and workers in the unorganised sector took out protest rallies in Hyderabad and other parts of the state. 

Services in banking and other PSU organisations were badly affected on the first day of the 48-hour general strike yesterday.  A majority of ATMs have dried up while (bank) branches are shut.

//posted 21.02.13 at  4.00 pm//

Success “FULL”  Strike  :-

The strike call by Central trade unions hit normal life in  Hyderabad city  today as workers from varied sectors, Postal , BSNL, LIC,  including transport and banking, refrained from work, to register protest against government's economic and labour policies.  In Hyderabad city division all most all post offices have been closed.  Services completely stopped at Khairatabad H.O & GPO.   At  MMS also same situation observed.   The union leaders conducting meeting at H.Os and claimed  the Strike in the division is complete and successful.

// posted on 20.02.2012 at 10.00 pm//

10%  of   DCRG  not  to be withheld  from  non residents of  Govt. Accommodation:-

In respect of 'Govt. dues' other than those pertaining to Govt. accommodation, the Head of Office is required to complete assessment of such dues eight months prior to the date of retirement [Rule 73(2)]. The actual amount of such dues and the dues which come to the notice subsequently and remaining outstanding are to be adjusted against the amount of retirement gratuity becoming payable to the Govt. servant on retirement. Thus, there is no provision for withholding any part of gratuity for the purpose of recovery of outstanding government dues other than those pertaining to government accommodation.

(As per Memorandum. NO.20/16/1998-P&PW(F)  ,Government of India ,Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions,Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, Dated the 19 th February 2013.)

//posted 20.02.2013,  09.50 pm//

POSTMASTER CADRE ASSOCIATION : ( A.P).  –   PARTICIPATION IN STRIKE ::

Two days Strike on 20-21 February 2013 :: Expected more than 12 crore workers participation .

The biggest strike that the country has ever seen is going to take place on 20-21 February 2013. This is going to be a historic and glorious strike not only because it may be participated by more than 12 crore workers, but also because of the importance of the demands raised by the 11 Central Trade Unions which have called for the 2 days strike.
The strike is essentially a people’s war. Not only the demands of the workers, but the issues of the entire people of the country are included in the demands. Focus has been given to intolerable price rise, anti-worker policies and decisions of the government, denial of rights of the workers, exploitation of the unorganised workers who are about 90% of the total workers etc.
Though the call is given by the 11 Central Trade Unions, almost all the independent Federations, All India Unions of central/state government employees, central/state public sector and private sector have also decided to join the strike.

Each and every day, more and more  Unions/associations  are announcing their participation. Usually the strikes are connected with left and progressive section of the workers. But this strike has been called for by trade unions of all hues and ideologies. It is really a united struggle. This strike is also a struggle against the neo-liberal policies being implemented by the government, which has benefited the rich and corporates, but have put untold miseries on the

 Common man and the toiling masses.  YES the strike is going to be a big success.  Make it the biggest and wide spread strike that has ever taken place.    Forward to 48 hours strike on 20-21 February 2013!.    The Postmaster Cadre Association (A.P)  decided to take part in proposed Strike. 

All India Strike on 20/2/2013 & 21/2/2013.

All India Association of Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents, Posts has decided not to take part in proposed strike on 20th and 21st February, 2013. 

posted on:

09.43 pm / 18.02.2013

AITUC rejects PM’s appeal to call off stir

New Delhi: AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta today rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appeal to call off the two-day nationwide strike of central trade unions from February 20 saying there could be no consideration without settlement of our demands by the government.

Dasgupta at the same time made it clear that the trade unions have no reservation to the offer of talks made by the Prime Minister in order to arrive at some course of action that is acceptable both to the Trade Unions and the Government.

“There is no question of calling off the strike. Our position is very clear that there cannot be any consideration without settlement of our demands by the government. We want a settlement from Government, not an assurance,” Dasgupta told PTI.

HBA  rate of  interest :-

The rates of interest on advances and loans given to Government employees for construction/purchase of houses/flats during 2012-13 i.e. 1st April, 2012 to 31st March, 2013 and until further orders will be as under:-

Slab                                       Interest Rate  percent per annum

 Advance upto Rs. 50,000/-        6.00

 Advance uto Rs. 1,50,000/-       7.50

 Advance upto  Rs. 500,000/-      9.00

 Advance upto  Rs. 7,50,000/-     9.50

 New Secretary (Posts):-

Postal Services Board (Dak Bhawan)
Secretary (Posts) & Chairman PS Board	Ms. P. Gopinath	Phone	23096060	eMail:	secretary-posts@indiapost.gov.in

SPEED LETTER delivered “late”  of Afzal Guru:-

How the letter got delayed   ???

 Read this :-

When the clerk at the 24-hour Speed Post booking counter at the Bhai Veer Singh Mark post office near Gole Market in Delhi got an envelope from the Superintendent of Tihar Jail No. 3 just after Thursday midnight, he took it as a “normal letter,” for he was not told that it carried information about the hanging of Afzal Guru.

He issued a booking receipt at 12.04 a.m. and kept it with other mail to be sent to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the day before the execution of the Parliament attack case convict. The India Post bundle carrying the letter from the jail reached the airport after 7.30 a.m. But by the time the formalities could be completed, the flight had left for Srinagar.

“Normally, it takes at least four to five hours to complete the formalities for Speed Post parcels to Jammu and Kashmir, such as security checks and issue of delivery bills. As the last flight that carries mail to Srinagar left at 11.30 a.m., the letter was scheduled to be despatched only on Saturday, the day Afzal was hanged. Had the Tihar Jail authorities told us about the special delivery, we would have ensured that the letter was delivered before or on Saturday,” a senior Department of Posts official told The  Hindu.

It was only when news of Afzal Guru’s hanging started flashing on news channels on Saturday morning and his family said that they had not received any letter, as claimed by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, that senior postal officials swung into action, reportedly on enquiry by Union Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, in charge of the department.

However, the mail could be traced only after it reached Srinagar after 11.30 a.m. on Saturday. But India Post officials could not do anything that day as Srinagar and most parts of the Kashmir Valley, including Afzal’s hometown, Sopore, was under curfew. And the next day being Sunday and major cities still under curfew, the letter remained in Srinagar.

It was only on the morning of Monday that special arrangements were made to get the letter delivered. Finally, around 11 a.m., Afzal’s wife, Tabassum, got the letter at her residence in Jageer, 6 km from Sopore, telling what she and her family already knew.

//The Hindu//

RECORD POLLING IN  TRIPURA ELECTIONS      ##   38561 / 50000 Postal ballets received.

Agartala, Feb 16 (IANS)  ::  India's northeastern state of Tripura made electoral history when a record 93.57 percent votes were cast in Thursday's election to the 60-seat assembly, officials said here Saturday.

"About 93.57 percent of the 23,55,446 electorates have exercised their franchise and this was an all time high percentage of votes polled in any election in India," said Ashutosh Jindal, the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Tripura.

He said: "Since the first elections in 1952 in the country, this was an all time record in the electoral history of India."

Tripura recorded around 92 percent polling in the last assembly elections in 2008.

Like the previous elections in Tripura, more women voters cast the ballot than their male counterparts.

"Of the total of 11,98,970 male voters, 90.89 percent cast their votes while 93.02 percent of the 11,56,476 female electorates have exercised their franchise in the polls," Jindal told IANS.

Through the postal ballots, 38,561 of the total of 50,000 polling and security personnel cast their votes.

 //IANS//

Divali Stamp From  USPS    –  Don’t  Be Surprise ::

Next time you receive a post parcel from the US, don’t be surprised to see a colourful display of Diwali on it as some American lawmakers have introduced a resolution seeking issuance of a postage stamp on the popular Indian festival.

Congresswomen Carolyn B Maloney and Grace Meng, besides Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera, have introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives, urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) to create a stamp as per the Diwali Stamp resolution.

The USPS has recognised other major religious holidays such as Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid, with a commemorative stamp earlier.

“Meaning ‘row of lights,’ Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, the awareness of one’s inner light, the dispelling of ignorance, and bringing peace and joy through the awakening gained from this higher knowledge,” Maloney said in her remarks on the House floor.

She added that this festive and important Indian holiday is also observed in America.

“But despite the significance of this holiday, the United States Postal Service has yet to merit Diwali with the same recognition as other major religious holidays for which stamps are issued such as Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Eid,” Maloney said.

“It is long overdue that we honour this significant holiday with a postage stamp of its own,” she said.

Adding to this, Congressman Ami Bera said that he felt honoured to celebrate the Republic Day with Ambassador Rao and other Indian leaders in DC.

“Congratulations to India on 63 years of democracy. As the world’s largest democracy, India has a special relationship with the world’s oldest democracy, the United States” he said.

MNOP won Silver Award:-

National Conference on e-Governance at Jaipur
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India, in association with the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and the Department of Information Technology & Communication, Government of Rajasthan, is organized  16th National Conference on e-Governance on 11-12 February, 2013 in Jaipur. Senior Officers from the Government, industry, academicians, technical experts and NGOs participated  in the Event.
Category 3 - Outstanding performance in Citizen-Centric Service Delivery
GOLD	“Students Academic Management System (SAMS)”, Department of Higher Education, Government of Odisha
SILVER	“Mail Network Optimization Project”, Department of Posts, Government of India

Examination Up dates:-

1).  Recruitment of Postal Assistant s/SAs – 2012     :  

                                                 Regarding Examination date – No information.

2).  Sr.Postmaster  Examination – 2011  up date:-        6 CAT cases are pending at various benches . In view these CAT cases, this examination will not be held as per tentative programme circulated by Directorate. 

Mobile Money Order Service (MMOs) : -

This  new product of  posts  has entered in to an agreement with BSNL.  Details of  MMOs is just like iMO transaction.  The sender  is made credit in MMO service  the post office, a machine-generated code is messaged to the recipient's mobile. The recipient, after producing this code and a proof of identity, can collect the money from any designated branch of the post office. Fee of  5% ( including BSNL charges)  up to  Rs.5000/- . This service will come soon and hope grand success.

Ending Saturday delivery could cost 35,000 full-time USPS jobs :

  

The U.S. Postal Service’s plan to end Saturday mail delivery this summer (Saturday mail delivery would end in early August)  could erase the equivalent of some 35,000 full-time jobs, according to American news  paper  “ Federal Times”.

          know our  Promotion Prospects  :

Cadre from	TO	Eligibility	Selection
GDS	GRD/ postman/mail guard	Max Age 50 Years 5-years Relaxation for  SC/ST  (age as on 1st July of the selection year).	Seniority. No exam
GDS	Postman / Mail guard	5 years of service as on 01st Jan of that year . Age 50 years (55 for SC/ST).	Through Postman  exam.
GDS	P.A	Edu qualifi  10+2 3 years service, Age35  ( 40 for SC/ST). Eligible for  marks not less than 10% in last selected merit candidate.	Through deptl. examination.
GRD	Postman/ Mail guard	No age limit.	seniority
GRD	Postman/Mial guard	No age limit	Through Postman Exam.
Postman	P.A	3 years of regular service . Age 40 years ( 45 SC/ST)	Through LGO exam.
P.A	IPO	5 years of service, 40 yers (45 SC/ST)	Through deptl. Examination
PA	LSG, HSG-II,HSG-I	No age limit	Seniority
PA	Postmaster Gr-I	5- years of service	Through PMGr-I deptl. Exam.
LSG, HSG-II, HSG-I	PSS Gr-B, Sr.Postmaster	No age limit	Through  PSSGr-B/SrPM exam.(LDCE)
IPO	ASPOs	No age limit	Seniority
IPO	PSSGr-B/ Sr. Postmaster	No age limit	Through PSSGr-B/ Sr.PM exam
ASPOs	Sr. Postmaster	No age limit	Seniority
ASPOs	PSSGr-B	No age limit	Through PSSGr-B exam.
Postmaster Gr-I	PMGR-II/GR-III	No age limit.	Seniority . After 6- years PMGR-II then 5 years PMGr-III.   Some ( 25% out of 116 posts) of  SrPM on seniority.
Postmaster  Gr-I/PMGR-II/PMGR-III	???????		??????

 As seen from the above promotional prospects it is clear that the Postmaster Grade officials are losing promotional  channels. It is clear from the list some Posts viz., IPOs/ ASPOs having multiple channel  of  promotions.  But PMGr-I cadre promotional avenue  is  PMGr-II only on seniority basis. Similarly from PMGr-II to PMGr-III.   If PMGr-I official  could not promoted to next  PMGr-II he should retain in same Post until he gets next seniority.   Hence other channel of promotion LDCE is required for this  cadre.