What is Probation and Confirmation of Postal Assistants

There are so many doubts in connection with probation period of Postal Assistants or Sorting Assistants and confirmation examination of Postal/Sorting Assistants.  So I am publishing the latest order (No.37-47/2010-SPB-1 dated 16/04/2015) issued in connection with Probation/Confirmation of PA/SA.

Direct Recruit PAs/SAs undergo institutional training of upto 48 days at the Postal Training Centres (PTCs). They have to obtain at least 60% marks in the tests in order to come out of training successfully. If any PA/ SA fails to obtain 60% marks, he/she is retained in the PTC for re-training for 2 weeks and undergoes two tests (one each week). Despite retraining, if such PA/SA still does not obtain 60% marks, suitable adverse notice is taken against him/her.

The matter has been revisited by the Department in consultation with the Department of Personnel”& Training (DOP&T). At the outset, it is emphasized that the tests, which the Direct Recruit PAs/SAs undergo while on training, need to be closely monitored and it should be ensured that only those PAs/SAs who obtain required marks in the tests may be declared to have satisfactorily completed the probation period and confirmed ‘in service, provided such PA/SA has also performed/acted satisfactorily during the probation period. As per the Recruitment Rules of PA/SA issued by the Department of Posts, the Direct Recruit PAS/SAs are confirmed in service by a Departmental Confirmation Committee (DCC) and pending confirmation, they remain on probation and their services are governed by CCS (Temporary Service), Rules, 1965.

Besides above, following points may be kept in view by the PTCs and the Circles while considering the confirmation of such Direct Recruit PAs/SAs, who are on probation:

(1) Direct Recruit PAs/SAs (on probation) who fail in the tests held in PTCs:-

(a) If any Direct Recruit PAs/SAs (on probation) is unable to clear the tests in the first attempt, he/she may be given two more chances to pass the tests. These three chances (including first chance during training) may be held/conducted within the two-year mandatory probation period. In the interregnum, such PA/SA may be posted temporarily to a Post Office/RMS office against a non-sensitive post.

(b) Before the third chance is given to a PA/SA, who has failed in two attempts, he/she may be given a written warning to the effect that his/her failure in mandatory tests does not justify his/her confirmation in the Service and that, unless he/she showed substantial improvement within a specified period and clears the test, the issue of terminating him from service will be considered.

(c) If any PA/SA is still unable to clear the Tests in three attempts within two years, the probation period in his/her case will be extended by six months during which time he/she shall have to mandatorily pass the tests. For such PAS/SAs, whose probation period has been extended by six months due to failure to pass the tests, a qualifying test will also be introduced which will be in addition to the existing tests. The modalities of such qualifying test will be prepared/finalized by the Training Division of the Postal Directorate.

(d) In case he/she passes the required tests and qualifying test and has also acted/performed satisfactorily during the entire period of probation including extension also, he/she may be declared to have successfully completed the probation period and may be confirmed in service by the DCC.

(e) If a PA/SA again fails in the tests and/or does not pass the qualifying test, the services of such temporary Direct Recruit PA/SA shall be terminated.

(II) Direct Recruit PAs/SAs (on probation) who pass the test, but their conduct/ performance is unsatisfactory:

(a) In case conduct/performance of a PA/SA is found unsatisfactory during the probation period irrespective of the fact that he/she has passed the required tests, the probation period of such PA/SA will be extended for six months in order for him/her to improve his/her conduct/performance to a satisfactory level.

(b) Such PA/SA as mentioned in (a) above may be given a written warning that unless his/her conduct/performance improves to a satisfactory level, the issue of terminating his/her services will be considered. In case his/her conduct/performance has improved to a satisfactory level during the extended probation period, he/she may be declared to have successfully completed the probation period and may be confirmed in service. If not, the services of such temporary Direct Recruit PA/SA shall be terminated.

The PTCs shall send reports relating to conduct/performance and passing/failing in the tests/qualifying test etc. as the case may be, in respect of each Direct Recruit PA/SA (on probation) to the Divisional Head concerned.

In order to ensure that termination cases are decided appropriately, the Divisional Head concerned, the Appointing Authority of PA/SA, will first issue a speaking Show Cause Notice covering reasons in detail for termination to the PA/SA concerned within 15 days after completion of extended six months’ period of probation. The said PA/SA will be given 15 days’ time to make representation, if any. Subsequently, the said Divisional Head, after carefully examining all relevant documents as also the representation, if any, of the official concerned, will decide the case of his/her termination within 45 days from the date of issue of Show Cause Notice.

Successful completion of training is a pre-requisite for completion of probation. Therefore, above may be included in the provisional offer of appointment issued to the candidates.

Postal Services Board will take appropriate decission very soon on recent recruitment of PA/SA which was kept in abeyeyance .

It is learnt that Postal Services Board will take appropriate decission very soon on recent recruitment of PA/SA which was kept in abeyeyance . Let us hope for the best .

Guidelines for Central government Staff check over Increment Drawn every year

Some of the employees are having doubts about eligible of increment, in case of remaining on leave as on 1st July of every year, (Annual increment date). To clear those doubts, some guidelines are given below for the awareness of the Central Government Staff, regarding drawing of increment in case of remaining on leave on 1st July every Year.

i. Drawl of increment after 6th CPC Implementation

With effect from 01-01-2006, Increment is drawn at the rate of 3% per year on pay +Grade Pay, drawn by the official in the previous year. For getting this Increment, 6 Months Service from 1st July to 30th June to next year is needed. So, officials availing more than 6th months EXOL without Medical certificate and remaining under suspension, not regularized as duty, will not get increment as on 1st July. Therefore staffs are advised to see that increment drawn, in case of six months eligible service rendered by them from 1st July of last year, to 30th June of next year.

ii. When increment will be drawn in case of officials availing leave on 1st July of the year?

Officials are going on leave during first July, without knowing that Increment will be drawn to them, only on return from leave. The period of leave admissible for getting increment, and not admissible, are given in the table below.

Period of leave eligible for drawl of increment on 1st July	An officials availing following kinds of leave during increment on 1st July not eligible for drawn increment
1.Casual Leave (CL)	1.Earn Leave (EL)
2.Restricted  Holiday (RH)	2. Leave not due (LND)
	3. Child Care Leave (CCL)
	4. Paternity Leave (PL)
	5. EXOL (With and Without Medical Certificate)
	6. Commuted Leave (With and Without Medical Certificate)
	7.Half Pay Leave (HPL)

For Example: If an official preceded on Earn leave (EL) / Commuted Leave / Half Pay Leave (HPL), and EXOL with Medical certificate from first July of the Year, he will get his increment, after period of the leave, on the date of rejoining. On 1th July of that year, suppose he processed 45 days of any kind of leave, he will get his increment only on 15th August of that Year. Therefore, it is advisable to be on duty on 1st July, and to proceed on Leave, after 1st July of any year.

From the below illustration, if an employee was on EL for 45 days from 11-06-2015 to 25-07-2015 and reported to duty on 26-07-2015, increment will be drawn as follows:

From 11-06-2015 to 25-07-2015 → pay and allowances will be drawn @Rs.10000+2400 =12400 as leave salary

From 26-07-2015 to 31-07-2015 → pay and allowances will be drawn @ Rs.10380+ 2400=Rs.12780 (by adding due increment of 3% after return from leave)

For services rendered for 6 months of qualifying service in a post, between the period from 1st July of previous year and 30th June of the current year, i.e from the date of last drawl of increment in the previous year, Increment can be drawn on 1st July.

i. Effect of dies non period and EXOL without Medical Certificate

Period’s dies non, and availed EXOL without medical Certificate, those periods could not be counted as eligible qualifying service for getting increment, as per rules. Therefore, staff are advised to avail EXOL with on Medical Certificate only, as much as possible up to the limited period of 6 months, if not, they will lose increment as on 1st July, and they are able to get their next increment only on 1st July of Next Year. Therefore, all officials joining newly or promoted to higher posts, should avail EXOL on Medical Certificate (or) should not be absent without sanction off leave by the leave sanctioning authority so as to avoid avoiding dies non for the period 1st January to 30th June of that year.

ii. Determination of increment amount every year

Increment is drawn on 1st July of every year, which causes increase in the Pay and Grade Pay last drawn as on 30th June. If the amount arrived is one and above, it will be raised to next ten rupees. In case, if it is less than one rupee, the increase will be ignored and the round figure arrived by 3% increase, will be shown as increment.

iii. Giving option for drawl increment on getting promotion before increment date
The officials given option for fixing of their promotional pay,after accrual of increment on 1st July, they should see that two increments are drawn on 1st July (Annual increment) and another three percentage increase (as notional increment for promotional purpose)

Illustration:

A government servant is drawing pay of Rs.10000+2400 as Grade Pay in the Pay Band I 5200-20200+2400 with effect from 01-01-2014. He was promoted to higher post carrying Grade Pay of Rs 2800 and involving higher responsibility, in the same Pay Band, on 15-01-2015 and he exercised option to fix his promotional pay.

In this case, his pay will be fixed as follow.

period	Lower PostPB15200-20200+2400GP	Higher PostPB15200-20200+2800GP
01-01-2014 to 30-06- 2014	10000+2400
01-07-2014 to 14-01-2015	10380+2400 (3% – FR26)
15-01-2015 to 30-06-2015	(10380+2400)	10380+2800 – FR22 (I) (a) (i)
01-07-2015	(10770+2400)	11170+2800 – FR22 (I) (a) (ii) Read with rule of CCS(RP) rules 2008 With Date of Next Increment on: 01-07-2016 to Rs.11590+2800

  

Training of MTSs and LDCs-reg.

No.25/11/2013-CS.II(B)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel and Training
——-

3rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan,
Khan Market, New Delhi-3
Dated, the 16th June, 2015

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

 Subject: Training of MTSs and LDCs-reg.

The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department’s O.M of even number dated 15th May,2015 vide which all the cadre units of CSCS were requested to forward a list of MTSs and LDCs to this Department by 22.05.2015.

2.     It has been observed that only 19 Ministries/ Department so far have furnished the data in respect of MTSs and LDCs. The Cadre Units of CSCS mentioned in Annexure-I of this O.M are requested to forward the list of MTSs and LDCs working in Ministries/Departments and also from organisations which are participating offices under CSCS (as per the proforma enclosed),to this Department immediately so that the same could be sent to ISTM.

3.     This may be given top priority and the list of MTS and LDCs be furnished to this Department at an early date urgently by 19.06.2015.

4.     The cadre units (list enclosed) may compile the data with respect to their own staff in the Ministries/Departments as well as the participating offices under CSCS which are under their administration control and forward the same to this Department.

(Kameshwar Mishra)
Under Secretary to the Govt. of India
Tel: 2462

INDIAPOST INKS DEAL TO ISSUE 1.5 CRORE DEBIT CARDS

MUMBAI: India Post will soon issue debit cards to its 1.5 crore account holders with the Department of Post signing a Rs 30 crore deal with CMS Info System to supply Rupay enabled cards. The Department of Post (DOP) has over 10 crore account holders in India, and has already begun deploying ATMs across the country in a phased manner.

            The personalized debit cards for DOP will be issued on the NPCI platform and their usage would initially only be on ATMs installed at DOP branches, as a closed loop environment. The cards can later be used on other ATMs with Rupay affiliation. These cards will initially be of the magstripe variant, with the option of EMV being available to the account holders after a set period of time. 

            "This deal will power issuance of personalized cards to complement India Post's ATM deployment plans over a three-year period. We expect this to benefit people using teller facilities at the branches, as they can now begin to use these cards for more convenient cash withdrawals," said Mokam Singh Matta, Head of Card Business, CMS Info System. In addition to financial cards, CMS also personalizes Smart Cards which are being increasingly used in large scale government projects, including National ID, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and Employee's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Some of these form a critical backbone for financial inclusion projects in the country, he said. 

            India Post which is a large mobiliser of deposits is currently awaiting approval from Reserve Bank of India to set up the Post Bank of India. The government department, which has the largest financial services distribution network across the country, is presently running a large deficit on postal services. With traditional mail services on a decline due to electronic communication, the department is looking for opportunity in logistics and financial services. 

            The department has already embarked on deploying core banking solutions which will make it easier for customers to get service outside their home branch.

Source: The Times of India

Govt to raise Bonus ceiling : Financial Express

Several lakhs of workers in the organised sector will benefit as the Narendra Modi government is set to raise the salary threshold for mandatory bonus for workers from Rs 10,000 a month at present to Rs 15,000 and the minimum bounty from an annual Rs 3,500 now to Rs 4,500. The proposal, agreed to by employers’ associations at a recent meeting of an inter-ministerial group, would require Parliament’s approval as the Payments of Bonus Act, 1965, requires to be amended for this purpose.

While the minimum bonus is a legal liability on the firms concerned, whether or not they make a profits, these firms are also required to pay the workers a higher bonus if their “allocable surplus” exceeds the amount payable as minimum bonus, subject to a cap (20%) of the salaries.

If the new proposal takes affect, the maximum bonus payable by profit-making ventures would be close to Rs 11,000 as against Rs 8,400 now.

The salary ceiling for mandatory bonus eligibility was last fixed in 2007 and made effective retrospectively from April 1, 2006. While industry associations demanded exempting sick units from the requirement of paying bonus, trade unions have pitched for removal of the ceilings as “profits are not capped”, official sources said. The unions also asked for extending the benefit to workers under the Industrial Disputes Act, they added.

The revision of the bonus eligibility and the amounts is being done by factoring in the relevant price increases, the gauge used being the consumer price index-industrial workers or CPI(IW). This index stayed in the range of 6.4-12% since 2008. After hitting as high as 12% in 2010, CPI(IW) has maintained a roller-coaster ride — it eased to 8.9% in 2011 before rising to 10.9% in 2013 and dropping again to 6.4% in 2014. In the current calendar year, it has slowed almost consistently from 7.2% in January to 5.8% in April.

An estimate is two-thirds of the 6 crore organised sector workforce in the country are eligible for the mandatory bonus given their salary levels. Analysts, however, say that actual number of beneficiaries could be less as many units practically circumvent the norm.

Under Section 10 of Payments of Bonus Act, “every employer (as defined in the Act) shall be bound to pay to every employee in respect of every accounting year, a minimum bonus which shall be 8.33% of the salary or wage earned by the employee during the accounting year”. All factories and establishments employing 20 or more persons are expected to pay the bonus compulsorily, provided the worker has worked in the establishment for at least 30 days. Employees in Life Insurance Corporation, seamen, dock workers and university employees are outside the Act’s ambit.

Although the country witnessed high inflation between 2009 and 2014, the move to raise the bonus amounts comes at a time inflation has come down (consumer price inflation is now below 5%). Consumer confidence is yet to be restored to the pre-2008-09 levels, while in recent months rural income growth has slowed.

Read more at: Financial Express

“Instead of hamstringing public sector banks with social schemes, it is time to transfer many of these financial tasks to India Post.” In the light of recently announced schemes aimed at weaker-sections of population, critically comment on the statement Maximising the post office

Public sector bank employees are so overwhelmed by the sheer number of government-sponsored schemes they are saddled with, that they have begun to come up with parodies. One such spoof scheme is what they have named the Pradhan Mantri Sishu Palan Yojana, where customers with SB accounts can leave their children with the bank manager for babysitting services at a nominal cost.

 

This might be just a joke, but it does reflect the deep frustration among bankers at being mandated to carry out an enormous number of the government’s social objectives.

There has been a lot of commentary asking the government to reduce its involvement in Public Sector Banks (PSBs). The government has been asked to reduce holdings, step away from appointments of chairmen and board of directors, and to not interfere in bank schemes such as the farm loan waiver or mandatory priority sector lending, But nobody is talking about the government using PSBs to roll out its various populist schemes, which will affect their day-to-day operations in the short run, and its overall competitiveness in the long run.

A quick search will reveal that the number of government social schemes that use PSBs is uncomfortably high. The schemes cover a range of areas such as insurance (Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, etc), pension (Atal Pension Yojana), financial inclusion (Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana), and priority sector lending, which includes various schemes under agriculture, micro and small enterprises, education, housing, export credit and others.

Ambitious targets

Each scheme usually comes with countrywide targets set by the concerned ministry, which are then distilled and divided into smaller numbers for each bank branch. For example, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has an ambitious target of opening 10 crore accounts, to be divided among the banks. One PSB was assigned a target of 1 crore accounts and one of its branches in Bengaluru had a target of 1,000 accounts to be opened within a week. Such targets are rarely met, and even if they are, they rarely match the desired outcomes, due to complete misalignment of incentives. With a severe dilution of Know Your Customer norms, there is enough evidence about the actual success of the scheme — 75 per cent of the accounts are empty, multiple accounts have been opened by single persons, and there are huge costs that the banks bear (Rs. 200 per bank account).

But what is perhaps the biggest cost to banks is the opportunity cost they lose in implementing these schemes. Ambitious targets and time frames take up precious time that could have otherwise been used to carry out the original mandate of the banks — accept deposits and make loans. All normal bank activity comes to a standstill during such public drives, with employees being swamped by the targets. Even big business clients are asked to wait until the pressure eases. The PMJDY drive halted all normal banking activities for an entire week.

At a time when public sector banks are finding it hard to beat the competition posed by deep-pocketed foreign and private sector banks, they can ill afford to let their biggest customers take a back seat while they meet social goals.

Relevance of India Post

However, since social security measures are important, how about using another government-run behemoth, India Posts, for this task? As it struggles to find relevance in the digital age, perhaps the answer lies in reusing its enormous reach for delivering social schemes. In the U.S., this idea is being examined, and the U.S. Postal Service presented a report this month outlining exactly how postal banking could promote financial inclusion while turning in a neat profit for the service.

Two criteria have to be considered: reach and capability. India Post has a network of over 1.5 lakh branches across India, a reach that far exceeds all the PSBs combined. Of the 1.5 lakh branches, about 1.4 are in rural areas, compared to the combined 23,000 rural branches of the public sector banks.

India Post already runs the Post Office Savings Bank account, which handles cash worth Rs 6 lakh crore per year across 28 crore accounts. The service has also been quite successfully handling cash payments in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act — nearly 5.6 crore MGNREGA accounts, and wages amounting to nearly Rs. 10,000 crore have been disbursed to beneficiaries through 97,709 post offices across the country. Of the three main building blocks of financial inclusion — cash storage, disbursing payments, and giving credit — India Post has already shown that it is quite capable of handling the first two.

In the longer run, for India Post to play a bigger role in the fulfilment of the government’s social objectives, the following steps can be taken: First, one of the smaller and healthier PSBs could be merged with Indian Post so that the latter acquires a banking licence and a trained workforce. Second, incentives could be offered to the present workforce to sit for the banking exams. Third, banking exams could be made a requirement for a percentage of the new recruits; and, finally, the banking division of the post office could be brought under the RBI’s regulatory purview.

With this, India Post can expand from financial inclusion to handling insurance and pension accounts, priority sector lending in rural areas, and many other financial functions as well.

Some post offices around the world have undergone this transformation quite successfully. The Royal Mail of the U.K., for example, does all the things a bank does and additionally even provides telephone and broadband service.

This move could free public sector banks from being yoked to social sector objectives and allow them to become competitive and function freely in the highly cut-throat banking sector. Simultaneously, it could harness the potential of the post office network in India.

Pay fixation of direct recruit Assistants appointed after 1.1.2006- Stepping up of pay of DRs with reference to the pay of junior promotee Assistants

MEMORIES OF CIRCLE CONFERENCE