Sixth Central Pay Commission: DRDO facing attrition problem: Defence Minister
20 Oct 2008, 2214 hrs IST, PTI
NEW DELHI: Country's premier defence research organisation DRDO is facing the attrition problems as 785 defence scientists have resigned in the last three years.
The government has offered various incentives for scientists in the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) report, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
"A number of incentives were recommended by the CPC, which have been accepted and implemented by the government, " defence minister A K Antony said in a written reply to a question on exodus of scientists from DRDO.
Incentives to arrest the attrition rate in DRDO include providing career enhancement opportunities to scientists by granting them study leaves, sending them to attend conferences and seminars and long term training courses.
"DRDO is providing study leaves to scientists for acquiring higher qualifications like PhDs, Masters Degrees. Scientists are sponsored to go and attend conferences and seminars and for long term courses for research both within and outside the country," Antony said.
The minister added that a lot of stress was being laid upon by DRDO to mentor young scientists along with improving their work environment and social life in DRDO campuses.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sixth pay commission: 584 Army officers seek pre-mature retirement: Antony
Sixth pay commission: 584 Army officers seek pre-mature retirement: Antony
New Delhi, Oct 20: As many as 584 officers from the Army have sought pre-mature retirement from services since March this year but the Government said it was not due to resentment over the sixth pay commission recommendations.
"No officer of navy, air force has sought pre-mature retirement on the ground of dissatisfaction with the Six Central Pay Commission report. However, in the Army, since March 2008, a total number of 584 officers have applied for premature retirement/resignation," Defence Minister A K Antony said replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Antony said the officials seek retirement on the "ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life".
"From this, it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against the Sixth Pay Commission Report," he said.
The Defence Services, led by their Chiefs, have refused to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, alleging that their status and honour were compromised.
Antony, while replying to a question by BJP's V K Malhotra and Santosh Gangwar, said the Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government brining out certain issues arising out of the Sixth Pay Commission report.
"The Government has reached a decision on most of the issues," he said adding that a few more subsequent issues have been raised by the Services namely grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt-Col and equivalents in Pay Band 4 and reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR).
The Centre on September 25 set up a committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as members to look into the grievances of the armed forces.
"The Government has decided that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations in consultation with the Defence Minister and Finance Minister," Antony said.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, issues of "anomalies" in the pay for officers were first raised by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have voiced their resentment in letters to the government.
The armed forces are demanding that the government place Lieutenant-Colonels and their equivalents in Pay Band-4, ensure parity in Grade Pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers with their civilian counterparts, accord the Higher Administrative Grade Plus status in pay scales to Lieutenant Generals and restore 70 per cent pensionary benefits to jawans.
Mukherjee held discussions with Chidambaram last week on the issue after consultations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Girl asks Rahul about safety of women in Delhi Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Oct 20 (PTI) Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who began his three-day tour to Uttarakhand today, was asked by a young girl why women are not safe in Delhi.
"Girls are not safe in Delhi. What is your Congress government doing in this regard," was the poser to Rahul. "I cannot say what the government is doing. Political leaders do not have much information. I will definitely look into the matter," said Rahul, as he faced a volley of questions from college girls at Ramnagar.
As he arrived in this Corbett City, Rahul drove to Dhikuli area where he interacted with nearly 2,000 girls from different colleges of Kumaon region.
Another girl asked Rahul why the voice of the youth is being suppressed in Congress.
To this question, Rahul said: "It is not true. NSUI is a very good organisation where we welcome new talent and one can easily create a niche at the national level."
The programme "Talaash Nai Pratibha Ki" (search for new talent) was organised by NSUI in which its top leaders like Meenakshi Natrajan and Amrita Dhawan were also present.
Earlier in the town, police took into custody nearly a dozen ABVP workers for showing black flags and raising slogans against Rahul.
Savitri Sharma asked Rahul whether he took a bath after having food with Dalits.
"You wait for another four years, you will get the answer in Uttar Pradesh," was his refrain.
When a girl wanted to know about his reaction to the alleged beating of north Indians in Mumbai, Rahul said some political parties are indulging in petty politics for small gains.
Bureau Report
http://www.zeenews.com/
New Delhi, Oct 20: As many as 584 officers from the Army have sought pre-mature retirement from services since March this year but the Government said it was not due to resentment over the sixth pay commission recommendations.
"No officer of navy, air force has sought pre-mature retirement on the ground of dissatisfaction with the Six Central Pay Commission report. However, in the Army, since March 2008, a total number of 584 officers have applied for premature retirement/resignation," Defence Minister A K Antony said replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Antony said the officials seek retirement on the "ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life".
"From this, it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against the Sixth Pay Commission Report," he said.
The Defence Services, led by their Chiefs, have refused to implement the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, alleging that their status and honour were compromised.
Antony, while replying to a question by BJP's V K Malhotra and Santosh Gangwar, said the Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government brining out certain issues arising out of the Sixth Pay Commission report.
"The Government has reached a decision on most of the issues," he said adding that a few more subsequent issues have been raised by the Services namely grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt-Col and equivalents in Pay Band 4 and reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR).
The Centre on September 25 set up a committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as members to look into the grievances of the armed forces.
"The Government has decided that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations in consultation with the Defence Minister and Finance Minister," Antony said.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, issues of "anomalies" in the pay for officers were first raised by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have voiced their resentment in letters to the government.
The armed forces are demanding that the government place Lieutenant-Colonels and their equivalents in Pay Band-4, ensure parity in Grade Pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers with their civilian counterparts, accord the Higher Administrative Grade Plus status in pay scales to Lieutenant Generals and restore 70 per cent pensionary benefits to jawans.
Mukherjee held discussions with Chidambaram last week on the issue after consultations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Girl asks Rahul about safety of women in Delhi Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Oct 20 (PTI) Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who began his three-day tour to Uttarakhand today, was asked by a young girl why women are not safe in Delhi.
"Girls are not safe in Delhi. What is your Congress government doing in this regard," was the poser to Rahul. "I cannot say what the government is doing. Political leaders do not have much information. I will definitely look into the matter," said Rahul, as he faced a volley of questions from college girls at Ramnagar.
As he arrived in this Corbett City, Rahul drove to Dhikuli area where he interacted with nearly 2,000 girls from different colleges of Kumaon region.
Another girl asked Rahul why the voice of the youth is being suppressed in Congress.
To this question, Rahul said: "It is not true. NSUI is a very good organisation where we welcome new talent and one can easily create a niche at the national level."
The programme "Talaash Nai Pratibha Ki" (search for new talent) was organised by NSUI in which its top leaders like Meenakshi Natrajan and Amrita Dhawan were also present.
Earlier in the town, police took into custody nearly a dozen ABVP workers for showing black flags and raising slogans against Rahul.
Savitri Sharma asked Rahul whether he took a bath after having food with Dalits.
"You wait for another four years, you will get the answer in Uttar Pradesh," was his refrain.
When a girl wanted to know about his reaction to the alleged beating of north Indians in Mumbai, Rahul said some political parties are indulging in petty politics for small gains.
Bureau Report
http://www.zeenews.com/
Sixth Central Pay Commission: Resentment Among Personnel Against Report of Sixth Pay Commission
Sixth Central Pay Commission: Resentment Among Personnel Against Report of Sixth Pay Commission
Monday, October 20, 2008
Lok Sabha
The Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government bringing out certain issues arising out of the report of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. The Government has decided on most of the issues. Subsequently, few more issues have been raised by the Services viz. grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt. Col. and equivalent in PB-4, reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR), providing HAG + Pay Band for Lt. Generals and equivalent holding post of Principal Staff Officer, Director Generals, Controllers, etc.
No officer of Navy, Air Force has sought pre-mature retirement (PMR) on the ground of dis-satisfaction with the Sixth Central Pay Commission Report. However, in the Army, since March, 2008 a total number of 584 officers (less Army Medical Corps/Army Dental Corps & Military Nursing Service) have applied for pre-mature retirement/resignation on ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life. However, from this it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against Sixth Pay Commission Report.
The Government have decided that the Minister of External Affairs will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations, in consultation with the Defence Minister and the Finance Minister.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Shri Santosh Gangwar in Lok Sabha today.
Samir/RAJ
Source: http://pib.nic.in/
Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission
Monday, October 20, 2008
Lok Sabha
The Services had submitted a detailed representation to the Government bringing out certain issues arising out of the report of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. The Government has decided on most of the issues. Subsequently, few more issues have been raised by the Services viz. grant of higher grade pay to Service officers, placement of Lt. Col. and equivalent in PB-4, reinstatement of pensionary weightages for Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR), providing HAG + Pay Band for Lt. Generals and equivalent holding post of Principal Staff Officer, Director Generals, Controllers, etc.
No officer of Navy, Air Force has sought pre-mature retirement (PMR) on the ground of dis-satisfaction with the Sixth Central Pay Commission Report. However, in the Army, since March, 2008 a total number of 584 officers (less Army Medical Corps/Army Dental Corps & Military Nursing Service) have applied for pre-mature retirement/resignation on ground of non-empanelment, compassionate ground, low medical category, failure to acquire minimum technical qualification and better employment in civil life. However, from this it cannot be ascertained that they have sought an exit due to resentment against Sixth Pay Commission Report.
The Government have decided that the Minister of External Affairs will look into the issues raised by the Services and give recommendations, in consultation with the Defence Minister and the Finance Minister.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Shri Santosh Gangwar in Lok Sabha today.
Samir/RAJ
Source: http://pib.nic.in/
Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission
Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces short of 13,830 officers
Sixth Pay Commission: Armed forces short of 13,830 officers
The armed forces are facing a shortage of 13,830 officers. This was stated by Defence Minister A K Antony while replying to a question in Parliament on shortage of officers in the armed forces.
"There is a shortage of 11,119 officers in army, 13,59 officers in navy and 13,52 officers in air force. Armed forces have 53,849 officers against a sanctioned strength of 67,679," Antony said.
The Defence Minister listed the various steps taken up to tackle the shortfall of officers by the government. These steps include extension of Short Service Commission (SSC) officers, implementation of both phases of A V Singh Committee report and implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) report.
"Tenure of SSC officers has been increased to 14 years, Phase 1 of A V Singh committee was implemented earlier, which resulted in upgrade of 750 Lieutenant-Colonel level posts to the Colonel level,” he said.
"Phase 2 of the report has also been cleared for implementation creating or upgrading 1,896 additional posts in ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major-General and Lieutenant- General and equivalents in other two services," the Defence minister said.
Antony said implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations will help in arresting shortfall of officers in armed forces.
Source: http://howrah.org/
Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission
The armed forces are facing a shortage of 13,830 officers. This was stated by Defence Minister A K Antony while replying to a question in Parliament on shortage of officers in the armed forces.
"There is a shortage of 11,119 officers in army, 13,59 officers in navy and 13,52 officers in air force. Armed forces have 53,849 officers against a sanctioned strength of 67,679," Antony said.
The Defence Minister listed the various steps taken up to tackle the shortfall of officers by the government. These steps include extension of Short Service Commission (SSC) officers, implementation of both phases of A V Singh Committee report and implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) report.
"Tenure of SSC officers has been increased to 14 years, Phase 1 of A V Singh committee was implemented earlier, which resulted in upgrade of 750 Lieutenant-Colonel level posts to the Colonel level,” he said.
"Phase 2 of the report has also been cleared for implementation creating or upgrading 1,896 additional posts in ranks of Colonel, Brigadier, Major-General and Lieutenant- General and equivalents in other two services," the Defence minister said.
Antony said implementation of the 6th pay commission recommendations will help in arresting shortfall of officers in armed forces.
Source: http://howrah.org/
Tags: Sixth Pay Commission,6th Pay Commission,6th Central Pay Commission
Sixth Pay Commission: Too serious a business to be left to the car dealer
Sixth Pay Commission: Too serious a business to be left to the car dealer
When you buy a car, usually the car dealer offers first-year insurance free of cost. Instead of passively accepting this freebie, look closely at the policy to see if it offers you comprehensive and adequate cover
September and October have always been favourable months for car manufacturers as the festive season propels their sales higher. This year, besides festive fervour, the Sixth Pay Commission's payouts have filled car showrooms to the brim with prospective buyers. According to industry estimates and company figures, in September the top six manufacturers in India notched up a 2.4 per cent year-on-year rise in car sales.
If you are buying a car this season, pay heed to the insurance cover and make sure that it is comprehensive and adequate. Vehicle insurance protects you against several risks: theft, damage, death of driver or passenger, and damage caused by your car to some other vehicle, person or property. Although tailor-made covers have not debuted in the market yet, cut throat competition is working in the interest of consumers. With the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) freeing up prices in the general insurance space — motor, fire and engineering — in January this year, there is much scope for you to bargain and get the best possible rate.
Tumbling rates, soaring discounts
Motor insurance consists of two main parts: own damage and third-party liability. According to the law of the land, every vehicle owner must have at least third-party liability cover. The regulator has freed only the own damage insurance cover rates so far. Depending on the size and the make of the car, own damage rates have come down almost 20 to 40 per cent. Says Rahul Aggarwal, chief executive officer, Optima Brokers: "The premium for a comprehensive insurance cover has fallen between 25 and 40 per cent depending on the type of car. The fall has been more in case of premium cars that cost Rs 10 lakh and above. For smaller cars like the Santro and Maruti Alto, the drop has been nearly 20 per cent."
While the regulator freed up pricing in January, the premium rates fell steeply only during the last four months. Insurers initially started off by offering 10 per cent discount, then slowly graduated to 20 per cent, and now are giving discounts as high as 40 per cent.
Main components of the policy
A vehicle insurance cover has the following main components:
Own damage. This cover entitles you to claim compensation in the event of damage or theft of your vehicle. Various factors dictate the premium of a standard policy: type of vehicle, its engine capacity, its age, and the region in which it is registered. While these are the broad parameters, the exact premium for your car is calculated on the basis of its insured declared value (IDV). When buying a policy, never compromise on this value as this is the amount that the insurance company will pay you if your car gets completely damaged or stolen. Beware: a steep discount in premium might mean a lower IDV. While buying the policy always ask for the exact IDV to get an idea of the insurance amount you are likely to get in case of a casualty. The IDV of a vehicle declines with age (insurers generally give a depreciation schedule for up to five years).
Third party. According to the Insurance Act, it is compulsory to have third-party liability cover. In metropolitian cities it becomes imperative to have such a cover due to higher chances of accidents.
"Third party liability under the insurance law in India is unlimited," says M. Ramadoss, chairman and managing director, Oriental General Insurance. That means if you hit a person on the road, then the liability is unlimited. In case of property damage, the liability is limited to Rs 7.5 lakh.
Points to remember
Here are key aspects that you should keep in mind while buying vehicle insurance:
Premium. The insurance regulator has freed the pricing of products but not the wordings. Therefore, the whole industry is selling more or less the same product. Pricing is the only tool in their hands for driving sales. Use this to your advantage. "A customer must insist on getting quotes from different companies. Ask a friend who has the same car what premium he pays. By doing a bit of legwork and haggling, a customer can get discounts as high as 40-50 per cent," says Ramadoss.
You can bargain for a lower premium in case you have a no-claim (or fairly low claim record) history. “Longer the claim history, higher is the premium levied by companies,”says Eswaranatarajan N., head, motor insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
Moreover, keep in mind that you can transfer the vehicle insurance from your old vehicle to the new one. “The no-claim bonus goes with the driver and not with the vehicle. So when you sell a vehicle and buy a new one, the no-claim bonus from the earlier vehicle can be transferred to the new one,” he adds.
Co-payment clause. Watch out for the co-payment clause, also known as excess. While offering a lower premium, insurers pass on some of the risk to the customer using this clause. In case of a claim, the expense will then have to be borne by both the insurer and the insured. Hence, avoid the co-payment clause even if it means paying a higher premium.
Claims and customer service. These are the two most important criteria that should be kept in mind while buying or renewing a policy. Today one out of every three vehicles meets with an accident. Hence customer service plays an prominent role. According to Darvesh Panchal, practice leader, Prudent Brokers, "The ease of getting a claim settled without any hassles is a big factor in motor insurance. Always look for companies that offer cashless facility (i.e., they get the vehicle repaired at an empanelled garage). Also check out what other value-added services they provide."
A few dealers or brokers help their customers in getting the claim. "The most important thing to look for in the dealer or the intermediary is the services he offers. See how qualified and geared up the intermediary is to provide claim support and information," says Aggarwal.
In case of total loss or theft, it takes more than three months to settle the claim. In case of theft, the insured has to lodge a complaint in the local police station and wait till it issues a non-traceable report. The process takes about three months. And needless to add, it requires you to make several rounds of the court and the police station. It is only after this report is submitted that the insurance company starts its work of paying you the claim. Any help that you can get from the broker or dealer will come as welcome relief.
More regulatory changes needed
While the regulator has freed up pricing control, general insurance companies do not yet enjoy the freedom to alter the wordings of the policy. Says Eswaranatarajan N., “Today only the premiums have been de-tarriffed and not the products. What we sell in the market is basically one product with a common set of policy wordings. To open up the market and in the interest of the consumer, it is anticipated that the regulator will introduce flexibility in wordings and allow new products.”
N.K. Kedia, director (marketing), Iffco Tokio General Insurance too feels the same. “Freedom in wordings would allow us to come out with innovative products. The industry would then develop on the lines of matured markets. This move will be in the consumer's interest as it will allow introduction of new products, and lead to greater choice."
Ramadoss of Oriental Insurance is of the view that greater regulatory vigil is the need of the hour. “There should be strict vigilance against uninsured vehicles. The government should take action against them. Because so many vehicles remain uninsured, there is a lot of leakage of premium. After this is taken care of, premium rates will come down further,” he says.
Till these regulatory changes come about, make the best of the current regime and get yourself a comprehensive cover at the lowest possible cost.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/
When you buy a car, usually the car dealer offers first-year insurance free of cost. Instead of passively accepting this freebie, look closely at the policy to see if it offers you comprehensive and adequate cover
September and October have always been favourable months for car manufacturers as the festive season propels their sales higher. This year, besides festive fervour, the Sixth Pay Commission's payouts have filled car showrooms to the brim with prospective buyers. According to industry estimates and company figures, in September the top six manufacturers in India notched up a 2.4 per cent year-on-year rise in car sales.
If you are buying a car this season, pay heed to the insurance cover and make sure that it is comprehensive and adequate. Vehicle insurance protects you against several risks: theft, damage, death of driver or passenger, and damage caused by your car to some other vehicle, person or property. Although tailor-made covers have not debuted in the market yet, cut throat competition is working in the interest of consumers. With the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) freeing up prices in the general insurance space — motor, fire and engineering — in January this year, there is much scope for you to bargain and get the best possible rate.
Tumbling rates, soaring discounts
Motor insurance consists of two main parts: own damage and third-party liability. According to the law of the land, every vehicle owner must have at least third-party liability cover. The regulator has freed only the own damage insurance cover rates so far. Depending on the size and the make of the car, own damage rates have come down almost 20 to 40 per cent. Says Rahul Aggarwal, chief executive officer, Optima Brokers: "The premium for a comprehensive insurance cover has fallen between 25 and 40 per cent depending on the type of car. The fall has been more in case of premium cars that cost Rs 10 lakh and above. For smaller cars like the Santro and Maruti Alto, the drop has been nearly 20 per cent."
While the regulator freed up pricing in January, the premium rates fell steeply only during the last four months. Insurers initially started off by offering 10 per cent discount, then slowly graduated to 20 per cent, and now are giving discounts as high as 40 per cent.
Main components of the policy
A vehicle insurance cover has the following main components:
Own damage. This cover entitles you to claim compensation in the event of damage or theft of your vehicle. Various factors dictate the premium of a standard policy: type of vehicle, its engine capacity, its age, and the region in which it is registered. While these are the broad parameters, the exact premium for your car is calculated on the basis of its insured declared value (IDV). When buying a policy, never compromise on this value as this is the amount that the insurance company will pay you if your car gets completely damaged or stolen. Beware: a steep discount in premium might mean a lower IDV. While buying the policy always ask for the exact IDV to get an idea of the insurance amount you are likely to get in case of a casualty. The IDV of a vehicle declines with age (insurers generally give a depreciation schedule for up to five years).
Third party. According to the Insurance Act, it is compulsory to have third-party liability cover. In metropolitian cities it becomes imperative to have such a cover due to higher chances of accidents.
"Third party liability under the insurance law in India is unlimited," says M. Ramadoss, chairman and managing director, Oriental General Insurance. That means if you hit a person on the road, then the liability is unlimited. In case of property damage, the liability is limited to Rs 7.5 lakh.
Points to remember
Here are key aspects that you should keep in mind while buying vehicle insurance:
Premium. The insurance regulator has freed the pricing of products but not the wordings. Therefore, the whole industry is selling more or less the same product. Pricing is the only tool in their hands for driving sales. Use this to your advantage. "A customer must insist on getting quotes from different companies. Ask a friend who has the same car what premium he pays. By doing a bit of legwork and haggling, a customer can get discounts as high as 40-50 per cent," says Ramadoss.
You can bargain for a lower premium in case you have a no-claim (or fairly low claim record) history. “Longer the claim history, higher is the premium levied by companies,”says Eswaranatarajan N., head, motor insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.
Moreover, keep in mind that you can transfer the vehicle insurance from your old vehicle to the new one. “The no-claim bonus goes with the driver and not with the vehicle. So when you sell a vehicle and buy a new one, the no-claim bonus from the earlier vehicle can be transferred to the new one,” he adds.
Co-payment clause. Watch out for the co-payment clause, also known as excess. While offering a lower premium, insurers pass on some of the risk to the customer using this clause. In case of a claim, the expense will then have to be borne by both the insurer and the insured. Hence, avoid the co-payment clause even if it means paying a higher premium.
Claims and customer service. These are the two most important criteria that should be kept in mind while buying or renewing a policy. Today one out of every three vehicles meets with an accident. Hence customer service plays an prominent role. According to Darvesh Panchal, practice leader, Prudent Brokers, "The ease of getting a claim settled without any hassles is a big factor in motor insurance. Always look for companies that offer cashless facility (i.e., they get the vehicle repaired at an empanelled garage). Also check out what other value-added services they provide."
A few dealers or brokers help their customers in getting the claim. "The most important thing to look for in the dealer or the intermediary is the services he offers. See how qualified and geared up the intermediary is to provide claim support and information," says Aggarwal.
In case of total loss or theft, it takes more than three months to settle the claim. In case of theft, the insured has to lodge a complaint in the local police station and wait till it issues a non-traceable report. The process takes about three months. And needless to add, it requires you to make several rounds of the court and the police station. It is only after this report is submitted that the insurance company starts its work of paying you the claim. Any help that you can get from the broker or dealer will come as welcome relief.
More regulatory changes needed
While the regulator has freed up pricing control, general insurance companies do not yet enjoy the freedom to alter the wordings of the policy. Says Eswaranatarajan N., “Today only the premiums have been de-tarriffed and not the products. What we sell in the market is basically one product with a common set of policy wordings. To open up the market and in the interest of the consumer, it is anticipated that the regulator will introduce flexibility in wordings and allow new products.”
N.K. Kedia, director (marketing), Iffco Tokio General Insurance too feels the same. “Freedom in wordings would allow us to come out with innovative products. The industry would then develop on the lines of matured markets. This move will be in the consumer's interest as it will allow introduction of new products, and lead to greater choice."
Ramadoss of Oriental Insurance is of the view that greater regulatory vigil is the need of the hour. “There should be strict vigilance against uninsured vehicles. The government should take action against them. Because so many vehicles remain uninsured, there is a lot of leakage of premium. After this is taken care of, premium rates will come down further,” he says.
Till these regulatory changes come about, make the best of the current regime and get yourself a comprehensive cover at the lowest possible cost.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Sixth pay panel triggers hike for PSU employees
Sixth Pay Commission: Sixth pay panel triggers hike for PSU employees
20 Oct, 2008, 0123 hrs IST,Dheeraj Tiwari, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: The government has finally decided to revise the pay scales of employees working in 69 public sector undertakings (PSUs) on the lines of the Sixth Pay Commission offered to central government staff.
The benefit of pay revision will be allowed only to employees of those CPSUs that are not making losses and are in a position to absorb the additional expenditure from their own resources without any budgetary support.
The PSUs include Mahanagar Telecom Nigam (MTNL), Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), NHPC and North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) among others. These PSUs follow the central dearness allowance pattern and are governed by a separate high power pay committee.
“The pay scales of the employees will be revised with effect from January 2006. It will be now up to the board of directors of the respective public sector company to consider the pay revision, keeping in mind the affordability and capacity of the CPSU. They’ll have to submit a proposal to their respective administrative ministry, which will approve the proposal with the concurrence of its financial advisor,” a department of public enterprise official said.
As per the recommendations, there will also be a revision in city compensatory allowance, house rent allowance and dearness allowance (DA).
Already in April this year, the government had increased the DA for PSUs by 6% with effect from January this year.
“This will make a stronger case for the early implementation of the second pay revision committee report for the companies following the industrial dearness allowance pattern. However, not all companies following the CDA pattern will be able to adopt the new pay revisions as some of them are sick or loss-making units,” the official said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
20 Oct, 2008, 0123 hrs IST,Dheeraj Tiwari, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: The government has finally decided to revise the pay scales of employees working in 69 public sector undertakings (PSUs) on the lines of the Sixth Pay Commission offered to central government staff.
The benefit of pay revision will be allowed only to employees of those CPSUs that are not making losses and are in a position to absorb the additional expenditure from their own resources without any budgetary support.
The PSUs include Mahanagar Telecom Nigam (MTNL), Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), NHPC and North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) among others. These PSUs follow the central dearness allowance pattern and are governed by a separate high power pay committee.
“The pay scales of the employees will be revised with effect from January 2006. It will be now up to the board of directors of the respective public sector company to consider the pay revision, keeping in mind the affordability and capacity of the CPSU. They’ll have to submit a proposal to their respective administrative ministry, which will approve the proposal with the concurrence of its financial advisor,” a department of public enterprise official said.
As per the recommendations, there will also be a revision in city compensatory allowance, house rent allowance and dearness allowance (DA).
Already in April this year, the government had increased the DA for PSUs by 6% with effect from January this year.
“This will make a stronger case for the early implementation of the second pay revision committee report for the companies following the industrial dearness allowance pattern. However, not all companies following the CDA pattern will be able to adopt the new pay revisions as some of them are sick or loss-making units,” the official said.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Bharti Airtel to launch internet TV
Bharti Airtel to launch internet TV
According to a top company official, Airtel plans to launch its commercial services in six cities soon.
Bharti Airtel is going great guns into the media business. After launching the DTH service, they have started a trial run of their proposed internet protocol television (IPTV) services in New Delhi and are now planning to launch its commercial services in six cities soon, according to their top official.
President of Telemedia Services of the company, Atul Bindal told reporters during the launch of Airtel's DTH service in Kolkata "We are currently covering 1,000 households in New Delhi on a pilot basis. Issues like infrastructure capabilities and different pricing models are being tried there."
Since it requires a very high bandwidth, Airtel would restrict IPTV to metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, as of now, where the broadband speeds of up to 8 Mbps are available.
When asked, Mr. Bindal declined to comment about the date of IPTV launch, but he said "We will soon be having services like IPTV, DTH, landline telephone and mobile telephony. Various combo packages are being worked out."
Airtel currently has 2.5 milion Telemedia customers for both landline and broadband, whom it plans to target with IPTV services. Mr. Bindal also added that the recent guidelines by the I&B ministry about downloading IPTV content has prompted Airtel to work aggressively on its IPTV launch.
Source: techtree.com
According to a top company official, Airtel plans to launch its commercial services in six cities soon.
Bharti Airtel is going great guns into the media business. After launching the DTH service, they have started a trial run of their proposed internet protocol television (IPTV) services in New Delhi and are now planning to launch its commercial services in six cities soon, according to their top official.
President of Telemedia Services of the company, Atul Bindal told reporters during the launch of Airtel's DTH service in Kolkata "We are currently covering 1,000 households in New Delhi on a pilot basis. Issues like infrastructure capabilities and different pricing models are being tried there."
Since it requires a very high bandwidth, Airtel would restrict IPTV to metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, as of now, where the broadband speeds of up to 8 Mbps are available.
When asked, Mr. Bindal declined to comment about the date of IPTV launch, but he said "We will soon be having services like IPTV, DTH, landline telephone and mobile telephony. Various combo packages are being worked out."
Airtel currently has 2.5 milion Telemedia customers for both landline and broadband, whom it plans to target with IPTV services. Mr. Bindal also added that the recent guidelines by the I&B ministry about downloading IPTV content has prompted Airtel to work aggressively on its IPTV launch.
Source: techtree.com
Sixth Pay Commission: Paramilitary forces unhappy with pay panel
Sixth Pay Commission: Paramilitary forces unhappy with pay panel
Sudhi Ranjan Sen
Saturday, October 18, 2008, (New Delhi)
For the UPA government, the Sixth Pay Commission has created more problems than it has solved. The paramilitary -- the third largest force in the world -- too is unhappy over the recommendations and feels cheated.
Mohinder Lal was a star of the Border Security Force. But despite his 35 years in the force and medals for shooting competitions, he couldn't go beyond Deputy Inspector General.
Most cadre officers of the paramilitary face hit a promotion and pay barrier unlike their counterparts in the military. And this is taking a toll on recruitments.
Individual officers have written to the Home Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi saying that pay panel recommendations are unacceptable.
A delegation has also met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee who heads the committee reviewing the pay and perks of the armed forces.
The paramilitary are demanding more senior level post for cadre officers instead of IPS officers and parity with military specially in the cutting edge level of lieutenant Colonels.
Most of the BSF spends 90 per cent of their career guarding the borders or fighting insurgencies.
"People will join the paramilitary but good people will not come anymore," said Mohinder Lal, Deputy Inspector General, BSF.
Like the military, the points raised by paramilitary is valid and has serious implications. But what is surprising and baffling is the inability of bureaucracy to deal with them satisfactorily.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/
Sudhi Ranjan Sen
Saturday, October 18, 2008, (New Delhi)
For the UPA government, the Sixth Pay Commission has created more problems than it has solved. The paramilitary -- the third largest force in the world -- too is unhappy over the recommendations and feels cheated.
Mohinder Lal was a star of the Border Security Force. But despite his 35 years in the force and medals for shooting competitions, he couldn't go beyond Deputy Inspector General.
Most cadre officers of the paramilitary face hit a promotion and pay barrier unlike their counterparts in the military. And this is taking a toll on recruitments.
Individual officers have written to the Home Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi saying that pay panel recommendations are unacceptable.
A delegation has also met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukerjee who heads the committee reviewing the pay and perks of the armed forces.
The paramilitary are demanding more senior level post for cadre officers instead of IPS officers and parity with military specially in the cutting edge level of lieutenant Colonels.
Most of the BSF spends 90 per cent of their career guarding the borders or fighting insurgencies.
"People will join the paramilitary but good people will not come anymore," said Mohinder Lal, Deputy Inspector General, BSF.
Like the military, the points raised by paramilitary is valid and has serious implications. But what is surprising and baffling is the inability of bureaucracy to deal with them satisfactorily.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Barack Obama - Barack Obama website - Official Barack Obama website - Barack Obama Biography
Barack Obama - Barack Obama website - Official Barack Obama website - Barack Obama Biography
www.barackobama.com : Official Barack Obama website
Barack Obama
aka Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.
(1961–)
Barack Obama is the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois and the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee.
During their third and final presidential debate, Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain clashed sharply over
tax policies and some of the heated rhetoric that had been tossed between their campaigns.
McCain accused Obama of waging "class warfare" with his tax plans and said his proposals would harm the economy."
"Why would you want to increase anybody's taxes right now?" McCain asked.
Obama countered that he would cut taxes for 95 percent of earners while raising it on the richest Americans, those making
more than $250,000 a year.
"When it comes to economic policies, essentially what you're proposing is four more years of the same thing, and it hasn't
worked," Obama responded.
The debate was held October 15, 2008, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, with CBS' Bob Schieffer
moderating.
Obama and McCain also held debates on September 26 in Oxford, Mississippi, and October 7 in Nashville, Tennessee. The vice
presidential nominees, Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden, met for their only debate on October 2 in St. Louis,
Missouri.
Voters cast their ballots on Election Day, which is November 4.
Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in
Nyanza Province, Kenya. He grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British. Although
reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became an atheist at some point.
Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression. After the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up for service in World War II and marched across Europe in Patton’s army.
Dunham’s mother went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G. I. Bill, bought a house through
the Federal Housing Program, and moved to Hawaii.
Meantime, Barack’s father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya pursue his dreams in Hawaii. At the time of
his birth, Obama’s parents were students at the East–West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Obama’s parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. Obama’s father went to Harvard to pursue Ph. D.
studies and then returned to Kenya.
His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East–West Center student from Indonesia. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where
Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro–Ng was born. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian
language.
Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as "Barry") was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live
with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died of ovarian cancer in 1995).
He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was only one of three
black students at the school. This is where Obama first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an
African–American.
In his memoir, Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He saw his
biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. And he admitted using
alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.
After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia
University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science.
After working at Business International Corporation (a company that provided international business information to corporate
clients) and NYPIRG, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in
Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the city’s South Side.
It was during this time that Obama, who said he "was not raised in a religious household," joined the Trinity United Church
of Christ. He also visited relatives in Kenya, which included an emotional visit to the graves of his father and paternal
grandfather.
Obama entered Harvard Law School in 1988. In February 1990, he was elected the first African–American editor of the Harvard
Law Review. Obama graduated magna cum laude in 1991.
After law school, Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer, joining the firm of Miner, Barnhill &
Galland. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School. And he helped organize voter registration drives during Bill
Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.
Obama published an autobiography in 1995 Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. And he won a Grammy for the
audio version of the book.
Obama’s advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat. He was elected in 1996 from the south side
neighborhood of Hyde Park.
During these years, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics, expanded health care
services and early childhood education programs for the poor. He also created a state earned-income tax credit for the
working poor. And after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Obama worked with law enforcement officials to
require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
In 2000, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U. S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term
incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Obama was an early opponent of President George W. Bush’s push to war with Iraq. Obama was still
a state senator when he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago’s
Federal Plaza in October 2002.
"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard
Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas
down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."
"He's a bad guy," Obama said, referring to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better
off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors,
that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with
the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of
history."
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost,
with undetermined consequences," Obama continued. "I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without
strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses
of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda."
The war with Iraq began in 2003 and Obama decided to run for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter
Fitzgerald. In the 2004 Democratic primary, he won 52 percent of the vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull
and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes.
That summer, he was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
in Boston. Obama emphasized the importance of unity, and made veiled jabs at the Bush administration and the diversionary use
of wedge issues.
"We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red
states," he said. "We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There
are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us
pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."
After the convention, Obama returned to his U.S. Senate bid in Illinois. His opponent in the general election was suppose to
be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June
2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual allegations by Ryan's ex wife, actress Jeri Ryan.
In August 2004, diplomat and former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, who was also an African American, accepted the
Republican nomination to replace Ryan. In three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell
research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts.
In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in
Illinois history. Obama became only the third African American elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.
Sworn into office January 4, 2005, Obama partnered with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana on a bill that expanded
efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia. Then with Republican Sen. Tom Corburn of
Oklahoma, he created a website that tracks all federal spending.
Obama was also the first to raise the threat of avian flu on the Senate floor, spoke out for victims of Hurricane Katrina,
pushed for alternative energy development and championed improved veterans´ benefits. He also worked with Democrat Russ
Feingold of Wisconsin to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress.
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006.
In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He
was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and current U.S. Senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton until he
became the presumptive nominee on June 3, 2008.
Obama met his wife, Michelle, in 1988 when he was a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin. They were
married in October 1992 and live in Kenwood on Chicago's South Side with their daughters, Malia (born 1998) and Sasha (born 2001).
Source: http://www.biography.com/
www.barackobama.com : Official Barack Obama website
Barack Obama
aka Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.
(1961–)
Barack Obama is the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois and the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee.
During their third and final presidential debate, Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain clashed sharply over
tax policies and some of the heated rhetoric that had been tossed between their campaigns.
McCain accused Obama of waging "class warfare" with his tax plans and said his proposals would harm the economy."
"Why would you want to increase anybody's taxes right now?" McCain asked.
Obama countered that he would cut taxes for 95 percent of earners while raising it on the richest Americans, those making
more than $250,000 a year.
"When it comes to economic policies, essentially what you're proposing is four more years of the same thing, and it hasn't
worked," Obama responded.
The debate was held October 15, 2008, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, with CBS' Bob Schieffer
moderating.
Obama and McCain also held debates on September 26 in Oxford, Mississippi, and October 7 in Nashville, Tennessee. The vice
presidential nominees, Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden, met for their only debate on October 2 in St. Louis,
Missouri.
Voters cast their ballots on Election Day, which is November 4.
Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in
Nyanza Province, Kenya. He grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British. Although
reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became an atheist at some point.
Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression. After the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up for service in World War II and marched across Europe in Patton’s army.
Dunham’s mother went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G. I. Bill, bought a house through
the Federal Housing Program, and moved to Hawaii.
Meantime, Barack’s father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya pursue his dreams in Hawaii. At the time of
his birth, Obama’s parents were students at the East–West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Obama’s parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. Obama’s father went to Harvard to pursue Ph. D.
studies and then returned to Kenya.
His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East–West Center student from Indonesia. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where
Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro–Ng was born. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian
language.
Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as "Barry") was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live
with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died of ovarian cancer in 1995).
He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was only one of three
black students at the school. This is where Obama first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an
African–American.
In his memoir, Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He saw his
biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. And he admitted using
alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.
After high school, Obama studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. He then transferred to Columbia
University in New York, graduating in 1983 with a degree in political science.
After working at Business International Corporation (a company that provided international business information to corporate
clients) and NYPIRG, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked as a community organizer with low-income residents in
Chicago’s Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the city’s South Side.
It was during this time that Obama, who said he "was not raised in a religious household," joined the Trinity United Church
of Christ. He also visited relatives in Kenya, which included an emotional visit to the graves of his father and paternal
grandfather.
Obama entered Harvard Law School in 1988. In February 1990, he was elected the first African–American editor of the Harvard
Law Review. Obama graduated magna cum laude in 1991.
After law school, Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer, joining the firm of Miner, Barnhill &
Galland. He also taught at the University of Chicago Law School. And he helped organize voter registration drives during Bill
Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.
Obama published an autobiography in 1995 Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. And he won a Grammy for the
audio version of the book.
Obama’s advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat. He was elected in 1996 from the south side
neighborhood of Hyde Park.
During these years, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics, expanded health care
services and early childhood education programs for the poor. He also created a state earned-income tax credit for the
working poor. And after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Obama worked with law enforcement officials to
require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
In 2000, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U. S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term
incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Obama was an early opponent of President George W. Bush’s push to war with Iraq. Obama was still
a state senator when he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago’s
Federal Plaza in October 2002.
"I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars," he said. "What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard
Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas
down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne."
"He's a bad guy," Obama said, referring to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better
off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors,
that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with
the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of
history."
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U. S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost,
with undetermined consequences," Obama continued. "I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without
strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses
of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda."
The war with Iraq began in 2003 and Obama decided to run for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter
Fitzgerald. In the 2004 Democratic primary, he won 52 percent of the vote, defeating multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull
and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes.
That summer, he was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
in Boston. Obama emphasized the importance of unity, and made veiled jabs at the Bush administration and the diversionary use
of wedge issues.
"We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red
states," he said. "We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. There
are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us
pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."
After the convention, Obama returned to his U.S. Senate bid in Illinois. His opponent in the general election was suppose to
be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, a wealthy former investment banker. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June
2004, following public disclosure of unsubstantiated sexual allegations by Ryan's ex wife, actress Jeri Ryan.
In August 2004, diplomat and former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, who was also an African American, accepted the
Republican nomination to replace Ryan. In three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell
research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts.
In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in
Illinois history. Obama became only the third African American elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.
Sworn into office January 4, 2005, Obama partnered with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana on a bill that expanded
efforts to destroy weapons of mass destruction in Eastern Europe and Russia. Then with Republican Sen. Tom Corburn of
Oklahoma, he created a website that tracks all federal spending.
Obama was also the first to raise the threat of avian flu on the Senate floor, spoke out for victims of Hurricane Katrina,
pushed for alternative energy development and championed improved veterans´ benefits. He also worked with Democrat Russ
Feingold of Wisconsin to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress.
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006.
In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He
was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and current U.S. Senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton until he
became the presumptive nominee on June 3, 2008.
Obama met his wife, Michelle, in 1988 when he was a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin. They were
married in October 1992 and live in Kenwood on Chicago's South Side with their daughters, Malia (born 1998) and Sasha (born 2001).
Source: http://www.biography.com/
Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic
Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic
Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic is a 2005 comedy written by Sarah Silverman. It is notable for its edgy jokes and comedic
style. It was directed by Liam Lynch and distributed by Roadside Attractions.
The movie is a concert film consisting of 72 minutes of clips taken from Silverman's previous stand-up show of the same name,
interspersed with flashbacks and comedic sketches. Silverman addresses a number of issues, including religion, AIDS, The
Holocaust, race, sexism, political parties, the disabled, the homeless, and midgets. Silverman also performs several original
songs in the film.
The film was released November 11, 2005 in eight theatres. Receiving positive reviews, it made just under $125,000 opening
weekend. Its performance led to an expanded release in as many as 57 theatres, resulting in a box office take of more than
$1.2 million. The movie was released on DVD on June 6, 2006 in the United States and on June 13 in Canada. A soundtrack CD
was also released featuring most of the musical numbers, excerpts from Silverman's stand-up comedy, and several additional
non-movie songs.
Sarah Silverman
Directed by Liam Lynch
Written by Sarah Silverman
Starring Sarah Silverman
Laura Silverman
Brian Posehn
Music by Liam Lynch
Sarah Silverman
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release date(s) 2005
Running time 72 min.
Country USA
Language English
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Silverman:_Jesus_Is_Magic
Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic is a 2005 comedy written by Sarah Silverman. It is notable for its edgy jokes and comedic
style. It was directed by Liam Lynch and distributed by Roadside Attractions.
The movie is a concert film consisting of 72 minutes of clips taken from Silverman's previous stand-up show of the same name,
interspersed with flashbacks and comedic sketches. Silverman addresses a number of issues, including religion, AIDS, The
Holocaust, race, sexism, political parties, the disabled, the homeless, and midgets. Silverman also performs several original
songs in the film.
The film was released November 11, 2005 in eight theatres. Receiving positive reviews, it made just under $125,000 opening
weekend. Its performance led to an expanded release in as many as 57 theatres, resulting in a box office take of more than
$1.2 million. The movie was released on DVD on June 6, 2006 in the United States and on June 13 in Canada. A soundtrack CD
was also released featuring most of the musical numbers, excerpts from Silverman's stand-up comedy, and several additional
non-movie songs.
Sarah Silverman
Directed by Liam Lynch
Written by Sarah Silverman
Starring Sarah Silverman
Laura Silverman
Brian Posehn
Music by Liam Lynch
Sarah Silverman
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release date(s) 2005
Running time 72 min.
Country USA
Language English
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Silverman:_Jesus_Is_Magic
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sixth Pay Commission: Bonus hiked
Sixth Pay Commission: Bonus hiked
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 17
After the declaration of implementing the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, there is more good news awaiting Government
servants ahead of Diwali as the Centre has decided to hike the bonus by Rs 1,000.
According to information available, the Centre has increased the bonus from existing Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500.
Moreover, the increase will be effective from last year (2006-07) which means the employees would get Rs 1,000 in form of
arrears.
“We normally follow guidelines of the Centre on bonus and since it has been increased we were bound to do so”, sources told
Herald when asked whether Government would implement the same to its employees.
“We have issued circulars to all departments and employees will get the bonus ahead of Diwali”, sources claimed.
In addition to the Rs 300 crore expenditure after the Sixth Pay Commission implementation, the financial liability for the
increased bonus would be approximately Rs 6 crore.
Source: http://oheraldo.in/
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 17
After the declaration of implementing the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, there is more good news awaiting Government
servants ahead of Diwali as the Centre has decided to hike the bonus by Rs 1,000.
According to information available, the Centre has increased the bonus from existing Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500.
Moreover, the increase will be effective from last year (2006-07) which means the employees would get Rs 1,000 in form of
arrears.
“We normally follow guidelines of the Centre on bonus and since it has been increased we were bound to do so”, sources told
Herald when asked whether Government would implement the same to its employees.
“We have issued circulars to all departments and employees will get the bonus ahead of Diwali”, sources claimed.
In addition to the Rs 300 crore expenditure after the Sixth Pay Commission implementation, the financial liability for the
increased bonus would be approximately Rs 6 crore.
Source: http://oheraldo.in/
Sixth Pay Commission: CM demands larger share in Central taxes
Sixth Pay Commission: CM demands larger share in Central taxes
Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Oct. 17: "The share of the states in the total Central taxes should be enhanced to 50 per cent," said chief
minister Mr Naveen Patnaik here today.
While inaugurating the workshop on ‘State’s Memorandum to the Thirteenth Finance Commission’ Mr Patnaik also pointed out that
the states also have rights on various surcharges and cess collected by the Union government.
Mr Patnaik said that the 13th Finance Commission would take the Union government’s budget assistance for various central and
state projects, and also its liability for oil, food and fertiliser supply into consideration. "This will affect the state's
righteous share on central resources," he noted.
"While figuring out the state's share, special attention must be paid to states like Orissa in terms of her poverty, SC/ST
population," he suggested.
Acting on the recommendations of the 12th Finance Commission, many states have started cutting their expenditure, but that
ultimately affects crucial sectors like health, education and infrastructure. “Hence, the Union government should ensure
eradication of financial disparity of various states by sanctioning adequate grants to the weaker states,” Mr. Patnaik
exhorted.
"Steps should also be taken to help the states as they are burdened with the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission," he
said. The royalty on coal and other mineral resources should be calculated on the ‘ad valorem’ method, the chief minister
demanded.
The chief minister informed the meeting that the empowered committee of States’ Finance Ministers has formulated a National
Goods and Services Tax, which will be in force from April 2010. Disapproving attempts to curtail the states’ powers to
collect taxes, the chief minister expressed concern that that would affect the states’ financial freedom.
"There is an urgent need to simplify the procedure to get aid from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF)," he
observed. Against the backdrop of empowerment of panchayati raj institutes, the Finance Commission should recommend for
strengthening of the bodies’ capacity and resources.
Talking about the financial state of affairs of Orissa, he said that the state has become a surplus state and started many
development programmes like Biju KBK yojana from own resources.
Speaking on the occasion, state finance minister Mr Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said: "The state should demand for more grants in
public enterprises and power reform sectors."
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/
Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Oct. 17: "The share of the states in the total Central taxes should be enhanced to 50 per cent," said chief
minister Mr Naveen Patnaik here today.
While inaugurating the workshop on ‘State’s Memorandum to the Thirteenth Finance Commission’ Mr Patnaik also pointed out that
the states also have rights on various surcharges and cess collected by the Union government.
Mr Patnaik said that the 13th Finance Commission would take the Union government’s budget assistance for various central and
state projects, and also its liability for oil, food and fertiliser supply into consideration. "This will affect the state's
righteous share on central resources," he noted.
"While figuring out the state's share, special attention must be paid to states like Orissa in terms of her poverty, SC/ST
population," he suggested.
Acting on the recommendations of the 12th Finance Commission, many states have started cutting their expenditure, but that
ultimately affects crucial sectors like health, education and infrastructure. “Hence, the Union government should ensure
eradication of financial disparity of various states by sanctioning adequate grants to the weaker states,” Mr. Patnaik
exhorted.
"Steps should also be taken to help the states as they are burdened with the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission," he
said. The royalty on coal and other mineral resources should be calculated on the ‘ad valorem’ method, the chief minister
demanded.
The chief minister informed the meeting that the empowered committee of States’ Finance Ministers has formulated a National
Goods and Services Tax, which will be in force from April 2010. Disapproving attempts to curtail the states’ powers to
collect taxes, the chief minister expressed concern that that would affect the states’ financial freedom.
"There is an urgent need to simplify the procedure to get aid from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF)," he
observed. Against the backdrop of empowerment of panchayati raj institutes, the Finance Commission should recommend for
strengthening of the bodies’ capacity and resources.
Talking about the financial state of affairs of Orissa, he said that the state has become a surplus state and started many
development programmes like Biju KBK yojana from own resources.
Speaking on the occasion, state finance minister Mr Prafulla Chandra Ghadei said: "The state should demand for more grants in
public enterprises and power reform sectors."
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/
Friday, October 17, 2008
Intel launches atom processor
Intel launches atom processorIntel announced the launch of the Intel Atom Processor N270 which would power an array of small-sized devices, from simple point-of-sale (POS) terminals to in-vehicle infotainment systems, digital signage, digital security systems and miniature medical patient monitoring systems. It is releasing some reference designs for development of local platforms based in Intel architecture.
The embedded hand held appliance reference design was targeted at portable appliances for areas, including sales force automation, financial inclusion, inventory management and general point-of-services applications in restaurants and airports.
The processor measures less than a 25-paisa coin in size and consumes less than 2.5 watt of power. R Ravichandran, Director (Sales), Intel South Asia informed that the single core processor is validated with Mobile Intel 945GSE Express chipset. He further added that there was tremendous opportunity for these smart solutions in the market as the number of Internet-connected devices reaches into billions, performance expectations rise and device size shrink.
Source: http://www.newsline365.com
Sixth Pay Commission: Pay panel: Central police forces against raising Lt Col rank above commandant
Sixth Pay Commission: Pay panel: Central police forces against raising Lt Col rank above commandant
New Delhi, October 16 : Continuing their tug-of-war on recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission report, central police
organisations (CPOs) have strongly opposed some of the demands being made by the Armed Forces, including a proposal to
elevate the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel above that of a commandant in central paramilitary forces (CPMFs).
In a memorandum submitted to Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the committee to look into the
grievances of the Armed Forces on the pay commission recommendations, the CPOs have argued that the demand of the Armed
Forces was entirely unjustified and would result in operational difficulties if acceded to.
A delegation comprising officials from BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF met Mukherjee on Wednesday and explained why they were
opposed to certain proposals, sources said. The delegation told the minister that the Armed Forces were using pressure
tactics to get their demands met.
The Armed Forces have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the pay commission recommendations and one of their demands
has been to elevate the rank of a Lt Colonel above that of a commandant in a central police force. Both Lt Colonel and a
commandant are placed as the commanding officer of a battalion but during times of joint operations, the Armed Forces
commander takes precedence. The Armed Forces have used this to argue that a Lt Colonel should be treated as a higher rank.
However, the CPOs have pointed out a number of discrepancies in this argument. Sources said the delegation brought to the
notice of the minister that while there were usually more than one Lt Colonel in a battalion — with the senior most being the
commanding officer — only one commandant was present in a CPMF battalion.
The delegation argued that the work profile of a commandant was completely different and his promotion was based on his
performance unlike that of a Lt Colonel who gets time-bound promotions. Sources said it was only after considering these that
the Sixth Pay Panel had recommended a higher rank for the commandant but the Armed Forces want it reversed.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/
New Delhi, October 16 : Continuing their tug-of-war on recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission report, central police
organisations (CPOs) have strongly opposed some of the demands being made by the Armed Forces, including a proposal to
elevate the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel above that of a commandant in central paramilitary forces (CPMFs).
In a memorandum submitted to Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the committee to look into the
grievances of the Armed Forces on the pay commission recommendations, the CPOs have argued that the demand of the Armed
Forces was entirely unjustified and would result in operational difficulties if acceded to.
A delegation comprising officials from BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF met Mukherjee on Wednesday and explained why they were
opposed to certain proposals, sources said. The delegation told the minister that the Armed Forces were using pressure
tactics to get their demands met.
The Armed Forces have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the pay commission recommendations and one of their demands
has been to elevate the rank of a Lt Colonel above that of a commandant in a central police force. Both Lt Colonel and a
commandant are placed as the commanding officer of a battalion but during times of joint operations, the Armed Forces
commander takes precedence. The Armed Forces have used this to argue that a Lt Colonel should be treated as a higher rank.
However, the CPOs have pointed out a number of discrepancies in this argument. Sources said the delegation brought to the
notice of the minister that while there were usually more than one Lt Colonel in a battalion — with the senior most being the
commanding officer — only one commandant was present in a CPMF battalion.
The delegation argued that the work profile of a commandant was completely different and his promotion was based on his
performance unlike that of a Lt Colonel who gets time-bound promotions. Sources said it was only after considering these that
the Sixth Pay Panel had recommended a higher rank for the commandant but the Armed Forces want it reversed.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sixth Pay Commission: Gujarat employees to Strike on Nov 5
Sixth Pay Commission: Gujarat employees to Strike on Nov 5
There seems to be a wide-spread anger in the government employee committee in Gujarat state regarding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The Gujarat government employees are planning mass strike on November 5, 2008 or better to say take a Mass Casual leave. This strike is against the delay by the government in implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
It is expected that around 8 lakh employees will be taking part in the mass strike across entire Gujarat. The protest is because the salary hike of Sixth Pay Commission recommendation is not yet implemented. The employee organization, called Gujarat Rajya Karmachari Mahamandal convened by Girish Raval has also threatened that if the implementation is not made till Diwali, the protest will be intensified.
As per the news, a 5-member Cabinet sub-committee, set up to study the implications of the Commission’s recommendations, had on Monday last, submitted its report to the government, suggesting that it could be implemented in the state.
Despite the "positive" report submitted by a sub-committee headed by Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, the Modi government was dilly-dallying in announcing the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, he said.
The Mahamandal leader said that apart from the Central government, six other state governments had announced that they will implement the recommendations in toto. But, the Gujarat government continues to keep its employees on tenterhooks, he said.
What is the stand of the Gujarat Government in implementing the Sixth Pay Commission Recommendations?
The state Finance Department official are putting the blame on the additional burden of about Rs 3,000 crore in the first year when it decides to implement the Commission’s recommendations for its employees with retrospective effect from January 2006.
Later, the government would have to shoulder an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore annually if the recommendations hiking the employees’ salaries were implemented in toto, at par with the Central government employees.
There are over eight lakh government employees, including those serving in the state-owned Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in Gujarat. Besides, there are over two lakh pensioners in the state, who will also benefit from the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Source: http://www.khabrein.info/
There seems to be a wide-spread anger in the government employee committee in Gujarat state regarding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. The Gujarat government employees are planning mass strike on November 5, 2008 or better to say take a Mass Casual leave. This strike is against the delay by the government in implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
It is expected that around 8 lakh employees will be taking part in the mass strike across entire Gujarat. The protest is because the salary hike of Sixth Pay Commission recommendation is not yet implemented. The employee organization, called Gujarat Rajya Karmachari Mahamandal convened by Girish Raval has also threatened that if the implementation is not made till Diwali, the protest will be intensified.
As per the news, a 5-member Cabinet sub-committee, set up to study the implications of the Commission’s recommendations, had on Monday last, submitted its report to the government, suggesting that it could be implemented in the state.
Despite the "positive" report submitted by a sub-committee headed by Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, the Modi government was dilly-dallying in announcing the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, he said.
The Mahamandal leader said that apart from the Central government, six other state governments had announced that they will implement the recommendations in toto. But, the Gujarat government continues to keep its employees on tenterhooks, he said.
What is the stand of the Gujarat Government in implementing the Sixth Pay Commission Recommendations?
The state Finance Department official are putting the blame on the additional burden of about Rs 3,000 crore in the first year when it decides to implement the Commission’s recommendations for its employees with retrospective effect from January 2006.
Later, the government would have to shoulder an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore annually if the recommendations hiking the employees’ salaries were implemented in toto, at par with the Central government employees.
There are over eight lakh government employees, including those serving in the state-owned Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in Gujarat. Besides, there are over two lakh pensioners in the state, who will also benefit from the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Source: http://www.khabrein.info/
Sixth Pay Commission: Realty cools but home retail still hot
Sixth Pay Commission: Realty cools but home retail still hot
Tanvi Shukla
Thursday, October 16, 2008 03:46 IST
Despite tight purse strings, furniture and home accessories are flying off the shelves
MUMBAI: The real estate market is facing tough times, home loans have become expensive and consumers have tightened their purse strings. But there is one related sector that is still growing at 35% —home retail.
Simply put, buyers are still spending on furniture and home décor accessories at organised retail outlets.
@Home, the Rs 150-crore lifestyle furniture retail venture of Nilkamal Ltd, saw its same store sales grow at 42% in the first half of FY09. Same store sales is a statistic used to compare sales of stores that have been open for a year or more.
Manish Parekh, the director of Nilkamal Ltd, said the @Home venture hasn’t witnessed a slowdown. “The middle and upper-middle class still have access to high disposable incomes with steady increments continuing. Also, the Sixth Pay Commission has brought in a new segment of consumers for us,” he added.
One of the consumers in this new segment is the ‘normally conservative’ Rama Tiwari, a Pune resident and wife of a retired railways officer. Thanks to the Sixth Pay Commission, she can now indulge some of her wants. “I recently bought a couch for Rs 70,000 from one of the big showrooms. Our new house is still under construction, but since we have the money now, we might as well buy what we will need someday,” she said.
The organised home furnishings and décor business has a small base and so, is expected to post healthy growth. The fact that it hasn’t seen a slowdown despite the global economic turmoil is good news for those in the business. Interestingly, though the option of consumer loans exists, less than 5% of sales are through these loans. This means that consumers do have cash in hand.
So what are people buying? “Showpieces, artefacts, paintings, artificial flowers and furniture sell the most,” Parekh said.
Mahesh Shah, the chief executive officer of HomeTown, the home improvement format of retail giant Future Group, added that furniture is still selling ‘like hot cakes’. “Modular kitchens and wardrobes are very popular. We have seen a certain amount of downtrading, but being a value retailer, we will only benefit from such a trend,” Shah said.
Of the Rs 70,000-crore furniture market, just Rs 3,500-4,000 crore comprises organised retail, led by HomeTown, @Home and Lifestyle retail chain.
However, the consumer seems to have shifted from calling a carpenter to make furniture to buying completely designed and matched furniture sets from a showroom. This shift is what is driving the home retail segment.
At HomeTown, same store sales growth stood at 30.3% for the month of September. The group intends to add seven more stores by the end of this year.
But not everyone is witnessing similar growth. The same store sales at Godrej Interio, the furniture division of Godrej Industries, grew at an average of just 15% over the last year. Subodh Mehta, senior general manager, Godrej Interio (home division), said, “We are growing but the fact is that people are not buying houses with the same momentum as they were. That has brought down our same store sales growth from 30% to 15%.”
Godrej Interio might be an exception more than the rule. The industry is betting big on home retail, especially décor and accessories, and its expansion plans are on track.
Though shying away from buying new homes, consumers are going in for interior decoration, opting for expensive tiles, designer drapes and elaborate colour schemes, even if it is for a cramped one-bedroom-hall house.
With dreams of a new house postponed, they’re content to make the most of what they have. The retailers aren’t complaining.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/
Tanvi Shukla
Thursday, October 16, 2008 03:46 IST
Despite tight purse strings, furniture and home accessories are flying off the shelves
MUMBAI: The real estate market is facing tough times, home loans have become expensive and consumers have tightened their purse strings. But there is one related sector that is still growing at 35% —home retail.
Simply put, buyers are still spending on furniture and home décor accessories at organised retail outlets.
@Home, the Rs 150-crore lifestyle furniture retail venture of Nilkamal Ltd, saw its same store sales grow at 42% in the first half of FY09. Same store sales is a statistic used to compare sales of stores that have been open for a year or more.
Manish Parekh, the director of Nilkamal Ltd, said the @Home venture hasn’t witnessed a slowdown. “The middle and upper-middle class still have access to high disposable incomes with steady increments continuing. Also, the Sixth Pay Commission has brought in a new segment of consumers for us,” he added.
One of the consumers in this new segment is the ‘normally conservative’ Rama Tiwari, a Pune resident and wife of a retired railways officer. Thanks to the Sixth Pay Commission, she can now indulge some of her wants. “I recently bought a couch for Rs 70,000 from one of the big showrooms. Our new house is still under construction, but since we have the money now, we might as well buy what we will need someday,” she said.
The organised home furnishings and décor business has a small base and so, is expected to post healthy growth. The fact that it hasn’t seen a slowdown despite the global economic turmoil is good news for those in the business. Interestingly, though the option of consumer loans exists, less than 5% of sales are through these loans. This means that consumers do have cash in hand.
So what are people buying? “Showpieces, artefacts, paintings, artificial flowers and furniture sell the most,” Parekh said.
Mahesh Shah, the chief executive officer of HomeTown, the home improvement format of retail giant Future Group, added that furniture is still selling ‘like hot cakes’. “Modular kitchens and wardrobes are very popular. We have seen a certain amount of downtrading, but being a value retailer, we will only benefit from such a trend,” Shah said.
Of the Rs 70,000-crore furniture market, just Rs 3,500-4,000 crore comprises organised retail, led by HomeTown, @Home and Lifestyle retail chain.
However, the consumer seems to have shifted from calling a carpenter to make furniture to buying completely designed and matched furniture sets from a showroom. This shift is what is driving the home retail segment.
At HomeTown, same store sales growth stood at 30.3% for the month of September. The group intends to add seven more stores by the end of this year.
But not everyone is witnessing similar growth. The same store sales at Godrej Interio, the furniture division of Godrej Industries, grew at an average of just 15% over the last year. Subodh Mehta, senior general manager, Godrej Interio (home division), said, “We are growing but the fact is that people are not buying houses with the same momentum as they were. That has brought down our same store sales growth from 30% to 15%.”
Godrej Interio might be an exception more than the rule. The industry is betting big on home retail, especially décor and accessories, and its expansion plans are on track.
Though shying away from buying new homes, consumers are going in for interior decoration, opting for expensive tiles, designer drapes and elaborate colour schemes, even if it is for a cramped one-bedroom-hall house.
With dreams of a new house postponed, they’re content to make the most of what they have. The retailers aren’t complaining.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Government staff to go on mass leave in protest
Sixth Pay Commission: Government staff to go on mass leave in protest
Ahmedabad, October 15 Anger against delay in implementation of pay panel’s recommendations
Over eight lakh Government employees across Gujarat will go on a day’s mass casual leave on November 5, to protest against the government’s delay in announcing the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations to hike employees’ salaries.
“We have already served an ultimatum to the government that the employees will go on a mass CL on November 5. We have also decided to intensify our agitation if the government fails to make an announcement on the Commission’s recommendations before Diwali,” said Girish Raval, Convenor of the Gujarat Rajya Karmachari Mahamandal.
Raval told Newsline today that a five-member Cabinet sub-committee, set up to study the implications of the Commission’s recommendations, had on Monday last, submitted its report to the government, suggesting that it could be implemented in the state.
Despite the “positive” report submitted by a sub-committee headed by Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, the Modi government was dilly-dallying in announcing the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, he said.
The Mahamandal leader said that apart from the Central government, six other state governments had announced that they will implement the recommendations in toto. But, the Gujarat government continues to keep its employees on tenterhooks, he said.
The various government employees’ bodies in the state expected that the government would take a decision on this issue at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. But, the Cabinet failed to take a decision on this, causing a great deal of disappointment among lakhs of its employees, Raval said.
Meanwhile, a senior official in the state Finance Department said the government would have to entail an additional burden of about Rs 3,000 crore in the first year when it decides to implement the Commission’s recommendations for its employees with retrospective effect from January 2006.
Later, the government would have to shoulder an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore annually if the recommendations hiking the employees’ salaries were implemented in toto, at par with the Central government employees, the official said.
There are over eight lakh government employees, including those serving in the state-owned Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in Gujarat. Besides, there are over two lakh pensioners in the state, who will also benefit from the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/
Ahmedabad, October 15 Anger against delay in implementation of pay panel’s recommendations
Over eight lakh Government employees across Gujarat will go on a day’s mass casual leave on November 5, to protest against the government’s delay in announcing the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations to hike employees’ salaries.
“We have already served an ultimatum to the government that the employees will go on a mass CL on November 5. We have also decided to intensify our agitation if the government fails to make an announcement on the Commission’s recommendations before Diwali,” said Girish Raval, Convenor of the Gujarat Rajya Karmachari Mahamandal.
Raval told Newsline today that a five-member Cabinet sub-committee, set up to study the implications of the Commission’s recommendations, had on Monday last, submitted its report to the government, suggesting that it could be implemented in the state.
Despite the “positive” report submitted by a sub-committee headed by Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala, the Modi government was dilly-dallying in announcing the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, he said.
The Mahamandal leader said that apart from the Central government, six other state governments had announced that they will implement the recommendations in toto. But, the Gujarat government continues to keep its employees on tenterhooks, he said.
The various government employees’ bodies in the state expected that the government would take a decision on this issue at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. But, the Cabinet failed to take a decision on this, causing a great deal of disappointment among lakhs of its employees, Raval said.
Meanwhile, a senior official in the state Finance Department said the government would have to entail an additional burden of about Rs 3,000 crore in the first year when it decides to implement the Commission’s recommendations for its employees with retrospective effect from January 2006.
Later, the government would have to shoulder an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore annually if the recommendations hiking the employees’ salaries were implemented in toto, at par with the Central government employees, the official said.
There are over eight lakh government employees, including those serving in the state-owned Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in Gujarat. Besides, there are over two lakh pensioners in the state, who will also benefit from the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Centre to pump in Rs 30,000 crore through supplementary demand
Sixth Pay Commission: Centre to pump in Rs 30,000 crore through supplementary demand
Economy Bureau
Oct 16, 2008
After announcing a slew of measures to address concerns over inadequate liquidity, the government is expected to pump in at least another Rs 30,000 crore of cash when it raises the first and second batch of supplementary demand for grants in Parliament next week.
With its obligations under the Sixth Pay Commission, farm loan waiver and oil and fertiliser bonds, back of the envelope calculations reveal that this year it could rise to as much as Rs 60,000 crore. The government raised a total of Rs 53,703 crore in the first and second supplementary demand for grants in 2007-08.
Of this about Rs 30,000 crore is likely to be raised as cash while the balance would be matched through savings and recoveries by administrative departments and ministries. The money would come in handy at a time when the economy is reeling under a credit crisis.
In fact stressing that the domestic credit situation would improve, finance minister P Chidambaram had said last week, “Ten or 12 days from today, when the supplementary (spending bill) is passed, a substantial amount of liquidity will be infused into the market.”
Getting additional funds through the demand for grants for the fiscal will be a key issue for the UPA government since this is the last full session of the Lok Sabha before general elections are announced. Government functioning and more importantly implementation of key social sector programmes will be affected without the requisite funds.
Although the government is trying to cut down costs, it has to foot a heavy expenditure bill with payouts for the sixth pay commission pay out. As per the pay commission’s recommendations, the salary hikes will cost Rs 22,100 crore this fiscal, while the farm loans to be waived in three installments is estimated at Rs 71,680 crore. The government has also budgeted Rs 7,500 crore for fertiliser bonds. Oil bonds for the fourth quarter of 2007-08 amounting to Rs 14,956 crore and for the first quarter of 2008-09 estimated at Rs 24,408 crore will be issued after parliamentary nod.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/
Economy Bureau
Oct 16, 2008
After announcing a slew of measures to address concerns over inadequate liquidity, the government is expected to pump in at least another Rs 30,000 crore of cash when it raises the first and second batch of supplementary demand for grants in Parliament next week.
With its obligations under the Sixth Pay Commission, farm loan waiver and oil and fertiliser bonds, back of the envelope calculations reveal that this year it could rise to as much as Rs 60,000 crore. The government raised a total of Rs 53,703 crore in the first and second supplementary demand for grants in 2007-08.
Of this about Rs 30,000 crore is likely to be raised as cash while the balance would be matched through savings and recoveries by administrative departments and ministries. The money would come in handy at a time when the economy is reeling under a credit crisis.
In fact stressing that the domestic credit situation would improve, finance minister P Chidambaram had said last week, “Ten or 12 days from today, when the supplementary (spending bill) is passed, a substantial amount of liquidity will be infused into the market.”
Getting additional funds through the demand for grants for the fiscal will be a key issue for the UPA government since this is the last full session of the Lok Sabha before general elections are announced. Government functioning and more importantly implementation of key social sector programmes will be affected without the requisite funds.
Although the government is trying to cut down costs, it has to foot a heavy expenditure bill with payouts for the sixth pay commission pay out. As per the pay commission’s recommendations, the salary hikes will cost Rs 22,100 crore this fiscal, while the farm loans to be waived in three installments is estimated at Rs 71,680 crore. The government has also budgeted Rs 7,500 crore for fertiliser bonds. Oil bonds for the fourth quarter of 2007-08 amounting to Rs 14,956 crore and for the first quarter of 2008-09 estimated at Rs 24,408 crore will be issued after parliamentary nod.
Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Delhi govt's no to fee hike by pvt schools
Sixth Pay Commission: Delhi govt's no to fee hike by pvt schools
15 Oct 2008, 1756 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: Delhi Government is considering the demand of private schools to hike the fees ostensibly to pay their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission but will not concede to their proposal for a 50 per cent increase across the board.
The Government will not allow any across the board hike and the schools' demand will be examined on a case-by-case basis, a senior official of the Education Department said.
"We are considering their demand and a decision on this matter will be taken soon," the official said.
He said there was no question of accepting the demand for a 50 per cent hike as some schools have surplus money in their kitty to increase salaries of their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
"We will examine the financial health of each and every school before taking a decision on it," he said.
The private schools are demanding a hike of 50 per cent in fees ostensibly to pay salaries to their teachers on the lines of recommendations the Sixth Pay Commission. However, parents are opposing the move.
The BJP has termed the demand as unjustified and said any hike in school fees would be gross injustice with the guardians of the students studying in private schools.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
15 Oct 2008, 1756 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: Delhi Government is considering the demand of private schools to hike the fees ostensibly to pay their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission but will not concede to their proposal for a 50 per cent increase across the board.
The Government will not allow any across the board hike and the schools' demand will be examined on a case-by-case basis, a senior official of the Education Department said.
"We are considering their demand and a decision on this matter will be taken soon," the official said.
He said there was no question of accepting the demand for a 50 per cent hike as some schools have surplus money in their kitty to increase salaries of their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
"We will examine the financial health of each and every school before taking a decision on it," he said.
The private schools are demanding a hike of 50 per cent in fees ostensibly to pay salaries to their teachers on the lines of recommendations the Sixth Pay Commission. However, parents are opposing the move.
The BJP has termed the demand as unjustified and said any hike in school fees would be gross injustice with the guardians of the students studying in private schools.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Any govt decision on pay issue will be good for country: Army
Sixth Pay Commission: Any govt decision on pay issue will be good for country: Army
New Delhi, October 15: As the committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is looking into the armed forces’ grievances over their new pay scales, the army on Wednesday said any decision by the government on the issue will be for the good of the country and the Services.
“The pay anomalies issues is currently with the Cabinet and I am sure it will take care of it. Whatever it decides, it will be for the good of the country and the armed forces,” Vice-Chief of the Army, Lieutenant-General M L Naidu, said on the sidelines of an Army Postal Service Awards ceremony ihn New Delhi.
“They (the committee members) are our national leaders and they will keep all issues in mind before taking a decision. It (pay issues) is not a matter of our expectations,” Naidu said, replying to a query on the course of action the armed forces would take if all their expectations are not met by the Mukherjee committee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had late last month set up the Mukherjee committee with Defence Minister A K Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as members to consider the four “core issues” raised by the armed forces on what they called a “discriminatory” 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) report.
In fact, the issues had snowballed into a controversy over the armed forces’ reluctance to implement the Cabinet decision on the CPC taken last month.
Consequently, the 1.5 million armed forces personnel took home their old pay scales in October, while their 3.5 million civilian counterparts got their revised pay scales under the CPC.
To another query, Naidu said pointing out some discrepancies in the CPC was not “defiance”, but professional duty (of the armed forces).
The armed forces are demanding that the government place Lieutenant-Colonels and their equivalents in Pay Band-4, ensure parity in Grade Pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers with their civilian counterparts, accord the Higher Administrative Grade Plus status in pay scales to Lieutenant Generals and restore 70 per cent pensionary benefits to jawans.
To another question over the misuse of army’s combat fatigues by paramilitary and police forces, Naidu said the army had already informed the Centre and the state governments about it.
“Now, the state governments have taken very strict action, because they have realized that by not insisting on this, it is causing some confusing. Now they have done it (enforce laws against misuse of army uniforms). And hopefully it will be sorted out,” Naidu said.
Asked about the uniforms and camouflages being freely available in the open market, the army vice-chief said as far as clothes, low-quality products are concerned, they were available (but not the Army’s).
“A solution is being worked out and the Home Ministry is doing what is necessary to curb such sales. By law, sale of military uniform in the open market is banned. It should not be available. If it is, there is a separate enforcement agency working on curbing the sale of military uniform. In J&K, they are very actively curbing the sale,” he added.
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/
New Delhi, October 15: As the committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is looking into the armed forces’ grievances over their new pay scales, the army on Wednesday said any decision by the government on the issue will be for the good of the country and the Services.
“The pay anomalies issues is currently with the Cabinet and I am sure it will take care of it. Whatever it decides, it will be for the good of the country and the armed forces,” Vice-Chief of the Army, Lieutenant-General M L Naidu, said on the sidelines of an Army Postal Service Awards ceremony ihn New Delhi.
“They (the committee members) are our national leaders and they will keep all issues in mind before taking a decision. It (pay issues) is not a matter of our expectations,” Naidu said, replying to a query on the course of action the armed forces would take if all their expectations are not met by the Mukherjee committee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had late last month set up the Mukherjee committee with Defence Minister A K Antony and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as members to consider the four “core issues” raised by the armed forces on what they called a “discriminatory” 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) report.
In fact, the issues had snowballed into a controversy over the armed forces’ reluctance to implement the Cabinet decision on the CPC taken last month.
Consequently, the 1.5 million armed forces personnel took home their old pay scales in October, while their 3.5 million civilian counterparts got their revised pay scales under the CPC.
To another query, Naidu said pointing out some discrepancies in the CPC was not “defiance”, but professional duty (of the armed forces).
The armed forces are demanding that the government place Lieutenant-Colonels and their equivalents in Pay Band-4, ensure parity in Grade Pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers with their civilian counterparts, accord the Higher Administrative Grade Plus status in pay scales to Lieutenant Generals and restore 70 per cent pensionary benefits to jawans.
To another question over the misuse of army’s combat fatigues by paramilitary and police forces, Naidu said the army had already informed the Centre and the state governments about it.
“Now, the state governments have taken very strict action, because they have realized that by not insisting on this, it is causing some confusing. Now they have done it (enforce laws against misuse of army uniforms). And hopefully it will be sorted out,” Naidu said.
Asked about the uniforms and camouflages being freely available in the open market, the army vice-chief said as far as clothes, low-quality products are concerned, they were available (but not the Army’s).
“A solution is being worked out and the Home Ministry is doing what is necessary to curb such sales. By law, sale of military uniform in the open market is banned. It should not be available. If it is, there is a separate enforcement agency working on curbing the sale of military uniform. In J&K, they are very actively curbing the sale,” he added.
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Ministerial committee to resolve pay anomalies of armed forces shortly
Sixth Pay Commission: Ministerial committee to resolve pay anomalies of armed forces shortly
New Delhi, Oct 13(ANI): A ministerial committee led by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, set up to look into the armed forces’ grievance about pay anomalies, is likely to sort out the matter soon.
Mukherjee, who heads the three-member committee, said on Monday that he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony.
“Shortly, I am going to discuss with the Finance Minister P Chidambaram,” he told reporters here when asked about the issue.
Without giving details of his discussions with the Prime Minister, Mukherjee merely said: “I do hope we will be able to sort out the issue shortly.”
The Prime Minister set up the committee, which also includes Antony and Chidambaram, on September 25 in the wake of deep resentment in the armed forces, who complained that there were “anomalies” in the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and that it had lowered the status of their officers.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, the issues of anomalies in the pay for officers was first raised by Air Chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have been voicing their resentment.
Antony has strongly favoured resolution of core issues raised by the three services chiefs in their representation to the government. (ANI)
http://www.newspostonline.com/
New Delhi, Oct 13(ANI): A ministerial committee led by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, set up to look into the armed forces’ grievance about pay anomalies, is likely to sort out the matter soon.
Mukherjee, who heads the three-member committee, said on Monday that he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony.
“Shortly, I am going to discuss with the Finance Minister P Chidambaram,” he told reporters here when asked about the issue.
Without giving details of his discussions with the Prime Minister, Mukherjee merely said: “I do hope we will be able to sort out the issue shortly.”
The Prime Minister set up the committee, which also includes Antony and Chidambaram, on September 25 in the wake of deep resentment in the armed forces, who complained that there were “anomalies” in the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and that it had lowered the status of their officers.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, the issues of anomalies in the pay for officers was first raised by Air Chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have been voicing their resentment.
Antony has strongly favoured resolution of core issues raised by the three services chiefs in their representation to the government. (ANI)
http://www.newspostonline.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Police, paramilitary raise pitch for better pay scales
Sixth Pay Commission: Police, paramilitary raise pitch for better pay scales
15 Oct 2008, 1046 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: After the three armed forces, it is now the turn of the central police organisations (CPOs) and paramilitary forces (CPMFs) to raise a pitch for "parity" in pay scales with their military counterparts.
With the government setting up a three-member ministerial committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to consider the armed forces' plea, the CPOs too have decided to seek a political intervention to resolve issues concerning their pay scales.
The chiefs of ITBP, BSF, CRPF and SSB will meet Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to submit a memorandum seeking a political decision on the lines of Mukherjee committee for inclusion of their "second-in-command" rank officers in Pay Band-4, if the tri-services' Lieutenant Colonels and equivalents are included in this pay bracket.
The Pay Band-4 for Lt Cols is among the four "core issues" raised by the Army, Navy and Air Force in the 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) and that led to Services refusing to implement the CPC, a decision taken by the Cabinet in August this year.
"The Director Generals (DGs) of all the CPOs and CPMFs will present a memorandum to the Home Secretary this week. We will urge Home Minister Shivraj Patil to request his cabinet colleague, Pranab Mukherjee, to include 'Second-in-Command' ranks also in Pay Band-4," Home Ministry sources said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
15 Oct 2008, 1046 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: After the three armed forces, it is now the turn of the central police organisations (CPOs) and paramilitary forces (CPMFs) to raise a pitch for "parity" in pay scales with their military counterparts.
With the government setting up a three-member ministerial committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to consider the armed forces' plea, the CPOs too have decided to seek a political intervention to resolve issues concerning their pay scales.
The chiefs of ITBP, BSF, CRPF and SSB will meet Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta to submit a memorandum seeking a political decision on the lines of Mukherjee committee for inclusion of their "second-in-command" rank officers in Pay Band-4, if the tri-services' Lieutenant Colonels and equivalents are included in this pay bracket.
The Pay Band-4 for Lt Cols is among the four "core issues" raised by the Army, Navy and Air Force in the 6th Central Pay Commission (CPC) and that led to Services refusing to implement the CPC, a decision taken by the Cabinet in August this year.
"The Director Generals (DGs) of all the CPOs and CPMFs will present a memorandum to the Home Secretary this week. We will urge Home Minister Shivraj Patil to request his cabinet colleague, Pranab Mukherjee, to include 'Second-in-Command' ranks also in Pay Band-4," Home Ministry sources said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: GM's special offer for govt employees
Sixth Pay Commission: GM's special offer for govt employees
15 Oct 2008, 0210 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: Aiming to cash in on the salary revision by Sixth Pay Commission recently, carmaker General Motors India has announced a limited-period discount of up to Rs 62000 on various models during the festive season.
Under the scheme government employees would get a discount of Rs 31000 on Chevrolet U-VA and Rs 62000 on Chevrolet Spark, inclusive of all discounts and special offers that already exist.
"Similar special discounts would also be available on Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Optra," the company said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
15 Oct 2008, 0210 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: Aiming to cash in on the salary revision by Sixth Pay Commission recently, carmaker General Motors India has announced a limited-period discount of up to Rs 62000 on various models during the festive season.
Under the scheme government employees would get a discount of Rs 31000 on Chevrolet U-VA and Rs 62000 on Chevrolet Spark, inclusive of all discounts and special offers that already exist.
"Similar special discounts would also be available on Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Optra," the company said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Sixth Pay Commission: Demand for 50 pc fee hike by private schools improper: BJP
Sixth Pay Commission: Demand for 50 pc fee hike by private schools improper: BJP
New Delhi, Oct 13: The Delhi BJP today termed as "improper" the demand for 50 per cent hike in fee by private schools ostensibly to pay their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
The demand is unjustified as any hike in school fees will be gross injustice done to guardians of students studying in private schools, Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan said.
The private schools have been constructed on the land provided by Government at concessional rates and therefore the commercialisation of these schools was not justified at all, he said.
The private schools are demanding a hike of 50 percent in fees ostensibly to pay salaries to their teachers on the lines of recommendations the Sixth Pay Commission. However parents are opposing the move.
These schools increase the fees by about 10 percent every year and hence the demand for increasing fees by 50 percent on the pretext of the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission should not be accepted, Vardhan said.
He said the people are already hit hard by the price rise and an increase in fees would have a severe impact on the citizens.
Noting that education is the fundamental right of the children, he said if the BJP came to power then it will not allow the commercialisation of education.
Bureau Report
Source: http://www.zeenews.com/
New Delhi, Oct 13: The Delhi BJP today termed as "improper" the demand for 50 per cent hike in fee by private schools ostensibly to pay their teachers as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
The demand is unjustified as any hike in school fees will be gross injustice done to guardians of students studying in private schools, Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan said.
The private schools have been constructed on the land provided by Government at concessional rates and therefore the commercialisation of these schools was not justified at all, he said.
The private schools are demanding a hike of 50 percent in fees ostensibly to pay salaries to their teachers on the lines of recommendations the Sixth Pay Commission. However parents are opposing the move.
These schools increase the fees by about 10 percent every year and hence the demand for increasing fees by 50 percent on the pretext of the recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission should not be accepted, Vardhan said.
He said the people are already hit hard by the price rise and an increase in fees would have a severe impact on the citizens.
Noting that education is the fundamental right of the children, he said if the BJP came to power then it will not allow the commercialisation of education.
Bureau Report
Source: http://www.zeenews.com/
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
DBRAU - DBRAU Results - www.dbrau.ac.in
DBRAU - DBRAU Results - www.dbrau.ac.in
Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University (earlier known as Agra University) – www.dbrau.ac.in announced DBRAU results. Dr.BR Ambedkar University or Agra University results can be accessed at http://www.dbrau.ac.in/result.asp
For more go to : http://www.dbrau.ac.in/
Tags: www.dbrau.ac.in, agra university, dbrau.ac.in, dbrau agra, dr. bhim rao ambedkar university
Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University (earlier known as Agra University) – www.dbrau.ac.in announced DBRAU results. Dr.BR Ambedkar University or Agra University results can be accessed at http://www.dbrau.ac.in/result.asp
For more go to : http://www.dbrau.ac.in/
Tags: www.dbrau.ac.in, agra university, dbrau.ac.in, dbrau agra, dr. bhim rao ambedkar university
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sixth Pay Commission: Pay issue of armed forces to be resolved soon: Pranab
Sixth Pay Commission: Pay issue of armed forces to be resolved soon: Pranab
Oct 13, 2008
New Delhi, October 13: A ministerial committee, set up to look into the armed forces' grievance about pay "anomalies", is
likely to sort out the matter soon.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the three-member committee, on Monday said he had discussed the matter
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony.
"Shortly, I am going to discuss with the Finance Minister (P Chidambaram)," he told reporters here when asked about the
issue.
Without giving details of his discussions with the Prime Minister, Mukherjee merely said "I do hope we will be able to sort
out the issue shortly".
The committee, which also includes Antony and Chidambaram, was set up by the Prime Minister on September 25 in the wake of
deep resentment in the armed forces, who complained that there were "anomalies" in the 6th Pay Commission recommendations and
that it had lowered the status of their officers.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, the issues of "anomalies" in the pay for officers was first raised
by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have been voicing their resentment.
Antony has strongly favoured resolution of core issues raised by the three services chiefs in their representation to the
government.
He wrote to Chidambaram, raising issues of disparities", including the ones relating to Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBORs).
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/
Oct 13, 2008
New Delhi, October 13: A ministerial committee, set up to look into the armed forces' grievance about pay "anomalies", is
likely to sort out the matter soon.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the three-member committee, on Monday said he had discussed the matter
with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony.
"Shortly, I am going to discuss with the Finance Minister (P Chidambaram)," he told reporters here when asked about the
issue.
Without giving details of his discussions with the Prime Minister, Mukherjee merely said "I do hope we will be able to sort
out the issue shortly".
The committee, which also includes Antony and Chidambaram, was set up by the Prime Minister on September 25 in the wake of
deep resentment in the armed forces, who complained that there were "anomalies" in the 6th Pay Commission recommendations and
that it had lowered the status of their officers.
After the government notification was issued on August 29, the issues of "anomalies" in the pay for officers was first raised
by Air chief Fali Homi Major in his letter in his capacity as acting Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC).
Chiefs of Navy and Army too have been voicing their resentment.
Antony has strongly favoured resolution of core issues raised by the three services chiefs in their representation to the
government.
He wrote to Chidambaram, raising issues of disparities", including the ones relating to Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBORs).
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Hyundai Motor offers discounts to Indian govt employees
Sixth Pay Commission: Hyundai Motor offers discounts to Indian govt employees
NEW DELHI, Oct 13, 2008 (Asia In Focus via COMTEX)
India's second largest carmaker HYUNDAI on Friday announced a special discount of up to Rs 31,000 (US$641) on its various
cars for government employees aiming to cash in on the higher salaries and arrears under the Sixth Pay Commission. The
scheme, offered during October and November, would be for both state and central government employees, a company statement
said.
* In view of the fact that government employees are due to receive the arrears after revision in the Sixth Pay Commission,
the arrears can be utilised as down payment for purchase and the revised salary increment would help them to accommodate
their monthly installments, the company said.
* Hyundai said it has tied up with STATE BANK OF INDIA (BSE:500112), AXIS BANK (BSE:532215) and HDFC BANK (BSE:500180) to
offer finance schemes to the government employees for car purchase.
Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/
NEW DELHI, Oct 13, 2008 (Asia In Focus via COMTEX)
India's second largest carmaker HYUNDAI on Friday announced a special discount of up to Rs 31,000 (US$641) on its various
cars for government employees aiming to cash in on the higher salaries and arrears under the Sixth Pay Commission. The
scheme, offered during October and November, would be for both state and central government employees, a company statement
said.
* In view of the fact that government employees are due to receive the arrears after revision in the Sixth Pay Commission,
the arrears can be utilised as down payment for purchase and the revised salary increment would help them to accommodate
their monthly installments, the company said.
* Hyundai said it has tied up with STATE BANK OF INDIA (BSE:500112), AXIS BANK (BSE:532215) and HDFC BANK (BSE:500180) to
offer finance schemes to the government employees for car purchase.
Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Fertiliser subsidy: Govt may soon release Rs 50,000 cr
Sixth Pay Commission: Fertiliser subsidy: Govt may soon release Rs 50,000 cr
Joe C Mathew / New Delhi October 13, 2008, 0:58 IST
80% of delivered cost of fertiliser is realised from govt payouts.
The government may sanction nearly Rs 50,000 crore as the first supplementary grant for settling fertiliser subsidy bills in the upcoming Parliament session beginning October 17. It intends to issue bulk of this amount in cash and nearly Rs 12,000 crore in bonds to fertiliser companies.
The first supplementary demand for grants in 2008-09 is expected to be taken up for discussion and approval around October 20-22.
In the last few months, the Centre has committed itself to several new expenditure, including the farm debt waiver (which will cost Rs 25,000 crore this fiscal), Rs 22,100 crore on account of the Sixth Pay Commission award and several new social sector initiatives.
In addition, the government is expected to release around Rs 70,000 crore worth of bonds to public sector oil companies.
All this is expected to ease liquidity, a point that Finance Minister P Chidambaram emphasised last Friday. Referring to the first supplementary demand for grants, he told a private TV channel that “in about 10-12 days from today, when the supplementary is passed (by Parliament), a substantial amount of liquidity will be infused into the market”.
Also, the fertliser sector should be impacted positively. Although lower than the Rs 66,450 crore demanded by the Department of Fertilisers, the release of nearly Rs 50,000 crore will be a substantial move, say officials.
The entire amount, however, will not be for the fertiliser industry, as it includes Rs 22,000 crore that was released as the second tranche of the subsidy two months ago.
The government had asked public sector banks to disburse this amount to rescue fertiliser units from liquidity crunch. While Rs 22,000 crore will be for repayment to banks, the rest — Rs 16,000 crore in cash and Rs 12,000 as bonds — will be for fresh disbursements.
According to official sources, the finance ministry is in the process of finalising the subsidy break-up for various fertilisers like urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP).
Increasing prices of imported raw materials have resulted in a steep escalation of production costs in recent months. This had also compelled the department to revise its estimate of annual subsidy burden for 2008-09 from Rs 95,013 crore in March to Rs 1,19,772 crore in June.
Industry estimates put the current fertiliser subsidy at Rs 1,25,000 crore, three times larger than the actual subsidy burden (Rs 40,338 crore) shouldered by the government in 2007-08.
Meanwhile, the fertiliser industry is lobbying hard to ensure that the entire subsidy is paid in cash. “The liquidity crunch is severe and we cannot afford to get subsidies in bonds. The fertiliser bonds (worth Rs 7,500 crore) issued in 2007-08 were encashed at 10-15 per cent discount due to our urgent need for working capital. A similar situation now will put us in deep trouble,” said a fertiliser industry official.
The industry feels a cisis is imminent unless the government sanctions the entire amount at one go, “There may not be another session during the tenure of the current Parliament. If the entire amount is not sanctioned now, delay in payments is just a matter of months. That will lead to problems,” the official added.
The Fertiliser Association of India has also said that the industry wants the subsidy bill to be cleared on time as 80 per cent of the delivered cost of fertiliser is realised from government payouts.
The government had allocated Rs 30,986 crore for the fertiliser subsidy in the Union Budget 2008-09. It also released Rs 22,000 crore under a special arrangement in August.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com
Joe C Mathew / New Delhi October 13, 2008, 0:58 IST
80% of delivered cost of fertiliser is realised from govt payouts.
The government may sanction nearly Rs 50,000 crore as the first supplementary grant for settling fertiliser subsidy bills in the upcoming Parliament session beginning October 17. It intends to issue bulk of this amount in cash and nearly Rs 12,000 crore in bonds to fertiliser companies.
The first supplementary demand for grants in 2008-09 is expected to be taken up for discussion and approval around October 20-22.
In the last few months, the Centre has committed itself to several new expenditure, including the farm debt waiver (which will cost Rs 25,000 crore this fiscal), Rs 22,100 crore on account of the Sixth Pay Commission award and several new social sector initiatives.
In addition, the government is expected to release around Rs 70,000 crore worth of bonds to public sector oil companies.
All this is expected to ease liquidity, a point that Finance Minister P Chidambaram emphasised last Friday. Referring to the first supplementary demand for grants, he told a private TV channel that “in about 10-12 days from today, when the supplementary is passed (by Parliament), a substantial amount of liquidity will be infused into the market”.
Also, the fertliser sector should be impacted positively. Although lower than the Rs 66,450 crore demanded by the Department of Fertilisers, the release of nearly Rs 50,000 crore will be a substantial move, say officials.
The entire amount, however, will not be for the fertiliser industry, as it includes Rs 22,000 crore that was released as the second tranche of the subsidy two months ago.
The government had asked public sector banks to disburse this amount to rescue fertiliser units from liquidity crunch. While Rs 22,000 crore will be for repayment to banks, the rest — Rs 16,000 crore in cash and Rs 12,000 as bonds — will be for fresh disbursements.
According to official sources, the finance ministry is in the process of finalising the subsidy break-up for various fertilisers like urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP).
Increasing prices of imported raw materials have resulted in a steep escalation of production costs in recent months. This had also compelled the department to revise its estimate of annual subsidy burden for 2008-09 from Rs 95,013 crore in March to Rs 1,19,772 crore in June.
Industry estimates put the current fertiliser subsidy at Rs 1,25,000 crore, three times larger than the actual subsidy burden (Rs 40,338 crore) shouldered by the government in 2007-08.
Meanwhile, the fertiliser industry is lobbying hard to ensure that the entire subsidy is paid in cash. “The liquidity crunch is severe and we cannot afford to get subsidies in bonds. The fertiliser bonds (worth Rs 7,500 crore) issued in 2007-08 were encashed at 10-15 per cent discount due to our urgent need for working capital. A similar situation now will put us in deep trouble,” said a fertiliser industry official.
The industry feels a cisis is imminent unless the government sanctions the entire amount at one go, “There may not be another session during the tenure of the current Parliament. If the entire amount is not sanctioned now, delay in payments is just a matter of months. That will lead to problems,” the official added.
The Fertiliser Association of India has also said that the industry wants the subsidy bill to be cleared on time as 80 per cent of the delivered cost of fertiliser is realised from government payouts.
The government had allocated Rs 30,986 crore for the fertiliser subsidy in the Union Budget 2008-09. It also released Rs 22,000 crore under a special arrangement in August.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sixth Pay Commission: It's not pay - it's a question of status
Sixth Pay Commission: It's not pay - it's a question of status
Q&A: Lt Gen HS Bagga
Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi October 12, 2008, 0:44 IST
(Retd), former Director General (Personnel) in the Army and co-author of the Ajay Vikram Singh (AVS) Committee report on
restructuring the Army officer cadre, tells Aditi Phadnis why the men in uniform are not happy.
The government has taken two important HR steps to address the problems of defence personnel. It has announced some financial
breaks in the Sixth Pay Commission report, and it has accepted recommendations of the AVS Committee relating to promotions.
Are you satisfied?
Let’s take the AVS committee first. A few recommendations have been accepted, but most haven’t. The government has agreed to
create and fill additional vacancies of selection grade officers ranging from Colonel to Lieutenant General. It has also
agreed to reduce, for purposes of promotion, the number of years in service put in by officers of the rank of Captain and
Major. The Lieutenant Colonel was earlier a selection grade rank given after 16 to 17 years. It has now been made a
time-based rank after 13 years. The government needs to be complimented for this decision.
But the most important recommendation which could have been a permanent solution to HR issues — making the Short Service
Commission (SSC) the prime entry system into the Army — has not been accepted.
When you join the Army, you have the option of making a permanent career of it or leaving it after a fixed tenure. SSC is not
an attractive proposition for youngsters today as it does not provide them a full career. After serving for a short tenure,
their rehabilitation is the central issue. The report suggests that they be trained for another profession while they are in
service.
At this point, we take in 1,000 regular commission and 500 SSC. This ratio, it was suggested, should be reversed as the
utility of an officer is felt the most at the junior level. We don’t need so many senior officers because the Army follows a
hierarchical system — a steep pyramid, if you like, having a large number of junior officers and very few senior officers
The problem is that all junior officers are extremely capable and it is very difficult to overlook them for promotion if they
stay in the system.We need officers to peel off after 12-15 years of service. This can be achieved and more SSC appointed if
we do the following:
Pay Rs 1 lakh for every year of service (because these officers will not be entitled to pension, for which the minimum
service needed is 20 years).
Give two years’ study leave before the end of the tenure so that they can find an appropriate alternative career.
Relax the age norms for the UPSC exam so that these officers can take the central services examination.
Make Military Science a subject in the UPSC and allow them to take only four subjects in the examination.
Transfer them laterally to paramilitary forces as an alternative career.
Till the SSC is effective, the age profile of our Army will not change.
What happens today?
Today, 1,000 officers join as permanent commissioned officers and all 1,000 are in the reckoning for promotions. We promote
approximately 400 out of 1,000 as Colonels every year. The rest are superseded as there are no vacancies. If there are only
500 in the reckoning, hardly anyone will be left out.
You cannot lower the age profile overnight. In the interim, we had suggested five steps:
Additional selection grade vacancies — Col and above — which the government has done. This will bring the age profile down
for a few years.
Allow officers to undertake any course in any university at the Army’s cost, while being considered on duty.
Provide paid vocational training or study leave without asking the officer to do residual service.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is ready to take Army officers but they say they must be trained. So the
government could attach superseded officers with any industrial house at the Army’s cost.
An attractive Voluntary Service Severance Scheme that encourages superseded officers to leave after 20 years of service to
start their own venture.
So what has the government done?
What they’ve done is accepted the recommendation to create additional vacancies across all ranks, without creating the
peel-off effect as suggested. This is shortsighted, because it just postpones the problem that will have to be faced again
four or five years hence.
We’ve heard the views of the Chiefs on the Sixth Pay Commission. There is a feeling that whatever you give them, the services
are always whining.
This is not true. The Chiefs are not asking for additional salary — it is a question of status. Successive Pay Commissions
have succeeded only in elevating the status of civil, police and paramilitary forces. In the 1960s, the Raghuramiah Committee
had recommended the Army be equated with the IPS. Okay, we said. But over the years, the police have been upgrading their
senior ranks, so the senior ranks in the Army are automatically downgraded. For example, in the Warrant of Precedence
pre-1947, the head of the police in a state, that is, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), was equal to a Brigadier.
Post-1947, an IGP became equal to a Major General. This obtained till the mid 1970s. Today a Director General of Police draws
a salary higher than a Lieutenant General, because successive Pay Commissions have increased his salary to match a Lt
General’s. Is this justified?
Status today in the Order of Precedence is equated with the salary, or the pay band in which one is located. The Sixth Pay
Commission has fixed four pay bands. The civil and paramilitary forces including those working in Army Headquarters who were
junior or equal to a Lt Col have been placed in pay band 3, whereas a Lt Col has been placed in pay band 4. We have a large
number of Lieutenant Colonels. While their status has not been lowered, the status of other officers has been raised higher
than them. This can create operational problems.
Let me give you an example. We have a Lt Gen commanding troops in the north-east which comprises several small states. He
handles counterinsurgency operations. Each state has a DG police who was earlier drawing less pay than a Lt Gen and was
required to attend all the meetings called by the Lt Gen to coordinate operations among several states. However, ever since
the pay of DG Police was raised higher than that of a Lt Gen, they are reluctant to attend such meetings. If the Service
Chiefs have voiced their concerns on these two issues should it be taken as an affront ?
This is not the only issue. Earlier Persons Below Officer Rank (PBOR) drew 75 per cent of their pay as pension. Normally a
person’s pension is calculated on the basis of the last pay drawn, whereas in the case of PBOR it is calculated on the basis
of the highest pay scale of the rank he was holding: for example, a Sepoy may have drawn Rs 3,700 per month at the time of
his retirement, but if the highest grade in a sepoy’s salary was Rs 4,700, it was on Rs 4,700 that his pension was
calculated. This actually worked out to a pension of nearly 75 per cent. The Sixth Pay Commission has reduced this to 50 per
cent, on the ground that the soldier will be entitled to serve in the paramilitary forces after they leave the Army. The
problem is, the second part is not happening. So the Chiefs are saying: give them their original pension.
We should not look at this as a problem of the defence forces. We should see it as a national problem.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com
Q&A: Lt Gen HS Bagga
Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi October 12, 2008, 0:44 IST
(Retd), former Director General (Personnel) in the Army and co-author of the Ajay Vikram Singh (AVS) Committee report on
restructuring the Army officer cadre, tells Aditi Phadnis why the men in uniform are not happy.
The government has taken two important HR steps to address the problems of defence personnel. It has announced some financial
breaks in the Sixth Pay Commission report, and it has accepted recommendations of the AVS Committee relating to promotions.
Are you satisfied?
Let’s take the AVS committee first. A few recommendations have been accepted, but most haven’t. The government has agreed to
create and fill additional vacancies of selection grade officers ranging from Colonel to Lieutenant General. It has also
agreed to reduce, for purposes of promotion, the number of years in service put in by officers of the rank of Captain and
Major. The Lieutenant Colonel was earlier a selection grade rank given after 16 to 17 years. It has now been made a
time-based rank after 13 years. The government needs to be complimented for this decision.
But the most important recommendation which could have been a permanent solution to HR issues — making the Short Service
Commission (SSC) the prime entry system into the Army — has not been accepted.
When you join the Army, you have the option of making a permanent career of it or leaving it after a fixed tenure. SSC is not
an attractive proposition for youngsters today as it does not provide them a full career. After serving for a short tenure,
their rehabilitation is the central issue. The report suggests that they be trained for another profession while they are in
service.
At this point, we take in 1,000 regular commission and 500 SSC. This ratio, it was suggested, should be reversed as the
utility of an officer is felt the most at the junior level. We don’t need so many senior officers because the Army follows a
hierarchical system — a steep pyramid, if you like, having a large number of junior officers and very few senior officers
The problem is that all junior officers are extremely capable and it is very difficult to overlook them for promotion if they
stay in the system.We need officers to peel off after 12-15 years of service. This can be achieved and more SSC appointed if
we do the following:
Pay Rs 1 lakh for every year of service (because these officers will not be entitled to pension, for which the minimum
service needed is 20 years).
Give two years’ study leave before the end of the tenure so that they can find an appropriate alternative career.
Relax the age norms for the UPSC exam so that these officers can take the central services examination.
Make Military Science a subject in the UPSC and allow them to take only four subjects in the examination.
Transfer them laterally to paramilitary forces as an alternative career.
Till the SSC is effective, the age profile of our Army will not change.
What happens today?
Today, 1,000 officers join as permanent commissioned officers and all 1,000 are in the reckoning for promotions. We promote
approximately 400 out of 1,000 as Colonels every year. The rest are superseded as there are no vacancies. If there are only
500 in the reckoning, hardly anyone will be left out.
You cannot lower the age profile overnight. In the interim, we had suggested five steps:
Additional selection grade vacancies — Col and above — which the government has done. This will bring the age profile down
for a few years.
Allow officers to undertake any course in any university at the Army’s cost, while being considered on duty.
Provide paid vocational training or study leave without asking the officer to do residual service.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is ready to take Army officers but they say they must be trained. So the
government could attach superseded officers with any industrial house at the Army’s cost.
An attractive Voluntary Service Severance Scheme that encourages superseded officers to leave after 20 years of service to
start their own venture.
So what has the government done?
What they’ve done is accepted the recommendation to create additional vacancies across all ranks, without creating the
peel-off effect as suggested. This is shortsighted, because it just postpones the problem that will have to be faced again
four or five years hence.
We’ve heard the views of the Chiefs on the Sixth Pay Commission. There is a feeling that whatever you give them, the services
are always whining.
This is not true. The Chiefs are not asking for additional salary — it is a question of status. Successive Pay Commissions
have succeeded only in elevating the status of civil, police and paramilitary forces. In the 1960s, the Raghuramiah Committee
had recommended the Army be equated with the IPS. Okay, we said. But over the years, the police have been upgrading their
senior ranks, so the senior ranks in the Army are automatically downgraded. For example, in the Warrant of Precedence
pre-1947, the head of the police in a state, that is, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), was equal to a Brigadier.
Post-1947, an IGP became equal to a Major General. This obtained till the mid 1970s. Today a Director General of Police draws
a salary higher than a Lieutenant General, because successive Pay Commissions have increased his salary to match a Lt
General’s. Is this justified?
Status today in the Order of Precedence is equated with the salary, or the pay band in which one is located. The Sixth Pay
Commission has fixed four pay bands. The civil and paramilitary forces including those working in Army Headquarters who were
junior or equal to a Lt Col have been placed in pay band 3, whereas a Lt Col has been placed in pay band 4. We have a large
number of Lieutenant Colonels. While their status has not been lowered, the status of other officers has been raised higher
than them. This can create operational problems.
Let me give you an example. We have a Lt Gen commanding troops in the north-east which comprises several small states. He
handles counterinsurgency operations. Each state has a DG police who was earlier drawing less pay than a Lt Gen and was
required to attend all the meetings called by the Lt Gen to coordinate operations among several states. However, ever since
the pay of DG Police was raised higher than that of a Lt Gen, they are reluctant to attend such meetings. If the Service
Chiefs have voiced their concerns on these two issues should it be taken as an affront ?
This is not the only issue. Earlier Persons Below Officer Rank (PBOR) drew 75 per cent of their pay as pension. Normally a
person’s pension is calculated on the basis of the last pay drawn, whereas in the case of PBOR it is calculated on the basis
of the highest pay scale of the rank he was holding: for example, a Sepoy may have drawn Rs 3,700 per month at the time of
his retirement, but if the highest grade in a sepoy’s salary was Rs 4,700, it was on Rs 4,700 that his pension was
calculated. This actually worked out to a pension of nearly 75 per cent. The Sixth Pay Commission has reduced this to 50 per
cent, on the ground that the soldier will be entitled to serve in the paramilitary forces after they leave the Army. The
problem is, the second part is not happening. So the Chiefs are saying: give them their original pension.
We should not look at this as a problem of the defence forces. We should see it as a national problem.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com
Sixth Pay Commission: Teachers against admin pay commission implementation
Sixth Pay Commission: Teachers against admin pay commission implementation
Puducherry,Oct 11:Teachers in government schools here are up in arms against the administration for the `delay in enforcing
the report of the Sixth Pay Commission` to pay increased pay and allowances to them. Puducherry is perhaps the only State in
the country where Teachers Day (September 5)highlighting the birth anniversary of former President Dr S.Radhakrishnan) is yet
to be celebrated this year.
As there was virtual delay in finalising the portfolios for the new incumbents of the six member congress ministry headed by
V.Vaithilingam which was sworn in on September 4 the administration put off the Teachers Day celebration without announcing
fresh dates.
An attempt was made to hold it yesterday and again it was put off without finalising the fresh date. Associations of Teachers
had gone on record stating that they would hold picketing and intensify their stir if the celebration was held without
implementing the report of the Sixth Pay Commission for them.
Teachers of all categories in government schools had Resorted to sit in yesterday and have also planned to hold a fast on
October 15 after taking a mass leave to urge the administration to implement the pay commission report.
Official sources pointed out that the plea of the teachers to extend them the benefit of Assured Career Progression for
senior teachers would have to be met first and once this was finalised the new pay scales would be available to them.
Also around 1400 teachers who come under the category of `directly recruited trained graduate teachers` in government schools
also want immediate implementation of new pay scales. When the government staff had received enhanced pay scales, teachers
were paid only the "salaries under old system as the pay commission report was kept out of bounds" for them which they said
was `unjustified and discriminatory` - Agencies
Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Source: http://www.chennaionline.com
Puducherry,Oct 11:Teachers in government schools here are up in arms against the administration for the `delay in enforcing
the report of the Sixth Pay Commission` to pay increased pay and allowances to them. Puducherry is perhaps the only State in
the country where Teachers Day (September 5)highlighting the birth anniversary of former President Dr S.Radhakrishnan) is yet
to be celebrated this year.
As there was virtual delay in finalising the portfolios for the new incumbents of the six member congress ministry headed by
V.Vaithilingam which was sworn in on September 4 the administration put off the Teachers Day celebration without announcing
fresh dates.
An attempt was made to hold it yesterday and again it was put off without finalising the fresh date. Associations of Teachers
had gone on record stating that they would hold picketing and intensify their stir if the celebration was held without
implementing the report of the Sixth Pay Commission for them.
Teachers of all categories in government schools had Resorted to sit in yesterday and have also planned to hold a fast on
October 15 after taking a mass leave to urge the administration to implement the pay commission report.
Official sources pointed out that the plea of the teachers to extend them the benefit of Assured Career Progression for
senior teachers would have to be met first and once this was finalised the new pay scales would be available to them.
Also around 1400 teachers who come under the category of `directly recruited trained graduate teachers` in government schools
also want immediate implementation of new pay scales. When the government staff had received enhanced pay scales, teachers
were paid only the "salaries under old system as the pay commission report was kept out of bounds" for them which they said
was `unjustified and discriminatory` - Agencies
Published: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Source: http://www.chennaionline.com
GUNS N ROSES - GUNS N' ROSES 'ANNOUNCE RELEASE DATE FOR NEW ALBUM'
GUNS N ROSES - GUNS N' ROSES 'ANNOUNCE RELEASE DATE FOR NEW ALBUM'
Guns N Roses' new album CHINESE DEMOCRACY will be released next month, reports suggest.
Speculation on the internet suggests that the follow-up to 1993's The Spaghetti Incident? will hit the shelves on the
November 23rd in the US, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The potential release date would give the record seven days before entering the Billboard chart.
The Hits Daily Double website reported the news today but the band's label Interscope has not yet confirmed the news.
The band achieved worldwide notoriety in the 1980s and 1990s after the release of the hugely successful albums Appetite for
Destruction, G N' R Lies and Use Your Illusion I and II.
In March, reports suggested that Dr Pepper had offered a free can of the drink to everyone in America, except the band's
former guitarists Saul 'Slash' Hudson and Brian Carroll, if Chinese Democracy was released in 2008.
Tracks expected to feature on the LP include 'Rhiad And The Bedouins', 'Shackler's Revenge', 'If The World' and 'Madagascar'.
The record is rumoured to have cost £6.5 million to produce.
The group's debut album Appetite For Destruction is also being re-released at the end of October.
Sources: contactmusic.com,digitalspy.co.uk
Guns N Roses' new album CHINESE DEMOCRACY will be released next month, reports suggest.
Speculation on the internet suggests that the follow-up to 1993's The Spaghetti Incident? will hit the shelves on the
November 23rd in the US, the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
The potential release date would give the record seven days before entering the Billboard chart.
The Hits Daily Double website reported the news today but the band's label Interscope has not yet confirmed the news.
The band achieved worldwide notoriety in the 1980s and 1990s after the release of the hugely successful albums Appetite for
Destruction, G N' R Lies and Use Your Illusion I and II.
In March, reports suggested that Dr Pepper had offered a free can of the drink to everyone in America, except the band's
former guitarists Saul 'Slash' Hudson and Brian Carroll, if Chinese Democracy was released in 2008.
Tracks expected to feature on the LP include 'Rhiad And The Bedouins', 'Shackler's Revenge', 'If The World' and 'Madagascar'.
The record is rumoured to have cost £6.5 million to produce.
The group's debut album Appetite For Destruction is also being re-released at the end of October.
Sources: contactmusic.com,digitalspy.co.uk
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sixth Central Pay Commission: The war of wages
Sixth Central Pay Commission: The war of wages
Sandeep Unnithan
October 10, 2008
On September 24, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta sent out an unclassified signal to his men. It spoke of how the navy was delaying the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations passed by the Union Cabinet.
Two days later, it was followed by a similar signal from the Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. Shaken by this unprecedented move, which some whispered was nothing short of a revolt, Defence Minister A.K. Antony pulled them up, following which the forces released 40 per cent arrears to their men.
The Government stepped in days later to announce the formation of a three-member committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, including Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Antony.
The services have also delayed the implementation of another government order to implement the revised pay scales, preferring instead to wait for the recommendations of the committee.
But what compelled the chiefs to cross the line in disobeying a Cabinet decision? "Such a situation has never been seen. It sets a bad precedent. Tomorrow, it could be used for any issue at the local level," says former defence secretary Ajai Vikram Singh.
Army officials insist the chiefs did not send out the service instructions which would implement the new pay commission from October 1 only to quell the possibility of unrest among the ranks. "The chiefs had no other recourse. They could not afford to let their men down," says Lt-General (retd) Vinay Shankar.
Protests from the armed forces have left the Sixth CPC hanging fire for over six months. The forces have painted the bureaucrats as villains of the piece for keeping them out of the panel that formulated the pay commission.
This despite an internal report of Ministry of Defence (MoD) that explicitly states that key proposal of the Task Force On the Management of Defence-the appointment of an armed forces' representative on the Sixth CPC-has been implemented.
The armed forces emphasise that their grievances are not about money but about how the existing pecking order has been disrupted. Lt-colonels and their equivalent, wing commanders and commanders, have been put in a pay bracket lower than their counterparts in the police and paramilitary forces.
This grievance ironically surfaced after the recommendations of an anomaly committee set up to review the Sixth CPC. Lt-generals have been kept out of the higher administrative grade where director-generals of police are included. Even pension of soldier has been reduced.
"The issue is not about money but of status equivalence. There are certain functional requirements working at a certain level," says Admiral Mehta, who is also the chairman of Chiefs of Staffs Committee.
Government rules determine an officer's seniority on pay and the date of his entry into the pay band. While raising IPS ranks, what the Sixth CPC did was to raise paramilitary ranks also.
An imbalances which can prove disastrous when the armed forces operate in conjunction with police and paramilitary agencies. "India will be the first country where the paramilitary will be senior to the armed forces," says Vice Admiral (retd) A.K. Singh.
Murmurs of the status quo being upset are already apparent. Last week, the Indian Defence Services Employees' Association, which represents civil engineers, informed employees of 'altered relativities' of the Sixth CPC. The implication was quite clear-the civil engineers have been upgraded to the pay bracket of their erstwhile superiors, the army officers.
The last two commissions were hotly contested by the armed forces with the Fifth CPC triggering off a near-revolt among the technical cadre of the Indian Air Force. "This time around the Government has been more standoffish, leaving the services little room for manoeuvre," says Major General (retd) Surjit Singh , a member of two previous commissions.
The Sixth CPC has led to silent yet widespread discontent among the men in uniform and continuing protests by ex-servicemen's organisations. This peculiar situation has led to the unhappy sight of service chiefs almost reduced to the role of playing union leaders bargaining for higher pay.
Expressing a lack of faith in the committee of secretaries which was to look into their grievances, they have turned to the political leadership. The chiefs have pushed their case with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. How did these imbalances creep in?
The chiefs say they were not consulted by the Government before the gazette notification was issued. The military points to their old bete noire-the civilian bureaucrats at the MoD-and allege the entire episode is the outcome of their 'subverting the democratic functioning of the state'.
When the chiefs met Antony last month to protest over the four anomalies, he assured them that he would take up the issue with the Prime Minister. MOD bureaucrats were instructed to communicate with the Prime Minister. But inexplicably, they sent it to the Finance Ministry without mentioning these anomalies.
"The military is subservient to civil authority which includes the government, Parliament and the Constitution. On day-to-day functioning the bureaucracy may represent the Government but it cannot replace it," says an army official.
Antony, however, chose to play down the rift. "There is no difference between the government and the services, because they are also part of the Government," he says.
The three-member ministerial committee which Antony is part of is set to present its findings well before the unofficial Diwali deadline. MOD officials say the committee is not averse to putting Lt-colonels in the higher pay band and giving them the same grade pay as their civilian counterparts.
But it is unwilling to accede to the other two demands. The only certainty in this sad dispute is that the gap between the bureaucracy and the armed forces is set to widen into a chasm.
Whine list
Lt-cols are in Pay Band 3, lower than their counterparts in police and paramilitary.
Armed forces officers have lower grade pay than civilians.
Lt-generals left out of higher administrative grade while their civilian counterparts have been included.
Pension of persons below Officer Rank has been cut.
Source: http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in
Sandeep Unnithan
October 10, 2008
On September 24, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Suresh Mehta sent out an unclassified signal to his men. It spoke of how the navy was delaying the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations passed by the Union Cabinet.
Two days later, it was followed by a similar signal from the Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor. Shaken by this unprecedented move, which some whispered was nothing short of a revolt, Defence Minister A.K. Antony pulled them up, following which the forces released 40 per cent arrears to their men.
The Government stepped in days later to announce the formation of a three-member committee headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, including Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Antony.
The services have also delayed the implementation of another government order to implement the revised pay scales, preferring instead to wait for the recommendations of the committee.
But what compelled the chiefs to cross the line in disobeying a Cabinet decision? "Such a situation has never been seen. It sets a bad precedent. Tomorrow, it could be used for any issue at the local level," says former defence secretary Ajai Vikram Singh.
Army officials insist the chiefs did not send out the service instructions which would implement the new pay commission from October 1 only to quell the possibility of unrest among the ranks. "The chiefs had no other recourse. They could not afford to let their men down," says Lt-General (retd) Vinay Shankar.
Protests from the armed forces have left the Sixth CPC hanging fire for over six months. The forces have painted the bureaucrats as villains of the piece for keeping them out of the panel that formulated the pay commission.
This despite an internal report of Ministry of Defence (MoD) that explicitly states that key proposal of the Task Force On the Management of Defence-the appointment of an armed forces' representative on the Sixth CPC-has been implemented.
The armed forces emphasise that their grievances are not about money but about how the existing pecking order has been disrupted. Lt-colonels and their equivalent, wing commanders and commanders, have been put in a pay bracket lower than their counterparts in the police and paramilitary forces.
This grievance ironically surfaced after the recommendations of an anomaly committee set up to review the Sixth CPC. Lt-generals have been kept out of the higher administrative grade where director-generals of police are included. Even pension of soldier has been reduced.
"The issue is not about money but of status equivalence. There are certain functional requirements working at a certain level," says Admiral Mehta, who is also the chairman of Chiefs of Staffs Committee.
Government rules determine an officer's seniority on pay and the date of his entry into the pay band. While raising IPS ranks, what the Sixth CPC did was to raise paramilitary ranks also.
An imbalances which can prove disastrous when the armed forces operate in conjunction with police and paramilitary agencies. "India will be the first country where the paramilitary will be senior to the armed forces," says Vice Admiral (retd) A.K. Singh.
Murmurs of the status quo being upset are already apparent. Last week, the Indian Defence Services Employees' Association, which represents civil engineers, informed employees of 'altered relativities' of the Sixth CPC. The implication was quite clear-the civil engineers have been upgraded to the pay bracket of their erstwhile superiors, the army officers.
The last two commissions were hotly contested by the armed forces with the Fifth CPC triggering off a near-revolt among the technical cadre of the Indian Air Force. "This time around the Government has been more standoffish, leaving the services little room for manoeuvre," says Major General (retd) Surjit Singh , a member of two previous commissions.
The Sixth CPC has led to silent yet widespread discontent among the men in uniform and continuing protests by ex-servicemen's organisations. This peculiar situation has led to the unhappy sight of service chiefs almost reduced to the role of playing union leaders bargaining for higher pay.
Expressing a lack of faith in the committee of secretaries which was to look into their grievances, they have turned to the political leadership. The chiefs have pushed their case with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. How did these imbalances creep in?
The chiefs say they were not consulted by the Government before the gazette notification was issued. The military points to their old bete noire-the civilian bureaucrats at the MoD-and allege the entire episode is the outcome of their 'subverting the democratic functioning of the state'.
When the chiefs met Antony last month to protest over the four anomalies, he assured them that he would take up the issue with the Prime Minister. MOD bureaucrats were instructed to communicate with the Prime Minister. But inexplicably, they sent it to the Finance Ministry without mentioning these anomalies.
"The military is subservient to civil authority which includes the government, Parliament and the Constitution. On day-to-day functioning the bureaucracy may represent the Government but it cannot replace it," says an army official.
Antony, however, chose to play down the rift. "There is no difference between the government and the services, because they are also part of the Government," he says.
The three-member ministerial committee which Antony is part of is set to present its findings well before the unofficial Diwali deadline. MOD officials say the committee is not averse to putting Lt-colonels in the higher pay band and giving them the same grade pay as their civilian counterparts.
But it is unwilling to accede to the other two demands. The only certainty in this sad dispute is that the gap between the bureaucracy and the armed forces is set to widen into a chasm.
Whine list
Lt-cols are in Pay Band 3, lower than their counterparts in police and paramilitary.
Armed forces officers have lower grade pay than civilians.
Lt-generals left out of higher administrative grade while their civilian counterparts have been included.
Pension of persons below Officer Rank has been cut.
Source: http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in
Sixth Pay Commission: Higher salaries now official Payscales of 1500 rolled back
Sixth Pay Commission: Higher salaries now official Payscales of 1500 rolled back
PANJIM, OCT 10 The Finance Department today issued the orders on the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations
from the November salary but made it clear that the upgradation in pay scales given to some 1500-odd employees in around 21
departments, will be rolled back.
“All revisions, upgradations of pay scales done for Secretariat and non-Secretariat staff (excluding part B scales given to
teachers) subsequent to the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission shall be ignored, without protecting the basic pay in
the upgraded scale, for the purpose of fixation of replacement pay scales under the Sixth Pay Commission pay bands and grade
pay,” the order says adding “The cases of such revision or up gradations of pay scales including those effected pursuant to
the court order shall be reviewed by the Finance Department on case to case basis for appropriate decision by the
government”, the order says.
Regarding the arrears which was the major focus of discussion among employees, the order states that the arrears for the
September and October would be paid after making necessary budgetary provision.
“The arrears from January 1, 2006 to August, 31, 2008 shall be credited to Government Employees Provident Fund account in
three installments with a lock in period of three years,” the order states.
“In respect of employees covered under the new defined pension contribution scheme it is proposed to open a separate account
under the public account of the State to deposit their arrears n three installments with a lock in period of three years,”
order states.
What could disappoint one and all government employees is that the Finance Department has withdrawn the wide notification
No. 6/5/87-PER dated 30-3-207 on the leave encashment facility extended to the employees with immediate effect.
While the employees would be benefited from November, the pensioners would have to wait for some more time as the order
states that the same would implemented after the Directorate of Accounts fixes the pension under revised structure.
Also the corporation and the municipal employees will have to wait for their turn as the decision regarding implementation
would be taken by the corporations and the municipalities themselves, said a source in the Finance Department.
Source: http://oheraldo.in/
PANJIM, OCT 10 The Finance Department today issued the orders on the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations
from the November salary but made it clear that the upgradation in pay scales given to some 1500-odd employees in around 21
departments, will be rolled back.
“All revisions, upgradations of pay scales done for Secretariat and non-Secretariat staff (excluding part B scales given to
teachers) subsequent to the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission shall be ignored, without protecting the basic pay in
the upgraded scale, for the purpose of fixation of replacement pay scales under the Sixth Pay Commission pay bands and grade
pay,” the order says adding “The cases of such revision or up gradations of pay scales including those effected pursuant to
the court order shall be reviewed by the Finance Department on case to case basis for appropriate decision by the
government”, the order says.
Regarding the arrears which was the major focus of discussion among employees, the order states that the arrears for the
September and October would be paid after making necessary budgetary provision.
“The arrears from January 1, 2006 to August, 31, 2008 shall be credited to Government Employees Provident Fund account in
three installments with a lock in period of three years,” the order states.
“In respect of employees covered under the new defined pension contribution scheme it is proposed to open a separate account
under the public account of the State to deposit their arrears n three installments with a lock in period of three years,”
order states.
What could disappoint one and all government employees is that the Finance Department has withdrawn the wide notification
No. 6/5/87-PER dated 30-3-207 on the leave encashment facility extended to the employees with immediate effect.
While the employees would be benefited from November, the pensioners would have to wait for some more time as the order
states that the same would implemented after the Directorate of Accounts fixes the pension under revised structure.
Also the corporation and the municipal employees will have to wait for their turn as the decision regarding implementation
would be taken by the corporations and the municipalities themselves, said a source in the Finance Department.
Source: http://oheraldo.in/
Sixth Pay Commission: No blanket hike in fees: Minister
Sixth Pay Commission: No blanket hike in fees: Minister
11 Oct 2008
NEW DELHI: Parents can relax. Schools may be looking for a green signal to increase fees by 50%, but the state education minister has completely ruled out any such blanket hike. Speaking to Times City, Arvinder Singh Lovely said, "Schools can demand anything. But it is certain that we will not allow a hike of 50% for all schools. Strict action will be taken against any school that hikes fees without the permission of the Directorate of Education (DoE).''
Representatives of different schools have met the chief minister and also visited the DoE in the last few days to convince the government that a steep rise in fees is inevitable. Their contention has been that they have to pay 50-60% hike in the salary to their teachers along with arrears starting January 2006, as first reported by Times City. However, Lovely clarified that any hike would only be allowed on school-to-school basis. "Each school should come up with a proposal for a fee hike and tell us its requirement. The amount of hike will only be allowed depending on the accounts of each school, their strength of teachers and students, their expenditure, surplus money and other details,'' Lovely said.
According to the education minister, the directorate keeps a record of the financial accounts of all the schools, and each school will have to prove its requirement to get permission for a fee hike. "Why will we allow a fee hike if a school already has surplus money,'' said Lovely. But schools insisted that they may not be able to hike the salaries of their teachers unless they increase the fees.
As per the Sixth Pay Commission, the teachers have to get a hiked salary from October. "The student fees is the only source of our revenue. Despite being in private hands, schools have to go by the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission. In our school, we will have to pay over a crore as total arrears to teachers. So we are being forced to hike the fees,'' said Madhulika Sen, principal, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar. She added that a 50% hike in fees was justified if the arrears for 32 months have to be paid. She said that after the Fifth Pay Commission, HC had allowed a feel hike of 40% even when teachers had to be paid arrears of only 18 months.
Said Suman Kumar, principal, Bluebells International School, "Schools are making a collective effort to reach out to the government. But even a hike of 50% is probably insufficient."
However, parents refuse to buy the argument. Looking at the long list of funds that the schools charge every year, parents feel that schools can never fall short of money.
"I pay development fund, grooming fund, building fund etc every year. Besides, where does the fee hike of 10% made by schools year after year go?" wondered a parent, who did not wish to be named. S L Jain, chairperson of National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC) replied, "School gives regular increments to teachers and other staff and the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission are over and above it. Our budget is always tight. We will soon approach the DoE again.''
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
11 Oct 2008
NEW DELHI: Parents can relax. Schools may be looking for a green signal to increase fees by 50%, but the state education minister has completely ruled out any such blanket hike. Speaking to Times City, Arvinder Singh Lovely said, "Schools can demand anything. But it is certain that we will not allow a hike of 50% for all schools. Strict action will be taken against any school that hikes fees without the permission of the Directorate of Education (DoE).''
Representatives of different schools have met the chief minister and also visited the DoE in the last few days to convince the government that a steep rise in fees is inevitable. Their contention has been that they have to pay 50-60% hike in the salary to their teachers along with arrears starting January 2006, as first reported by Times City. However, Lovely clarified that any hike would only be allowed on school-to-school basis. "Each school should come up with a proposal for a fee hike and tell us its requirement. The amount of hike will only be allowed depending on the accounts of each school, their strength of teachers and students, their expenditure, surplus money and other details,'' Lovely said.
According to the education minister, the directorate keeps a record of the financial accounts of all the schools, and each school will have to prove its requirement to get permission for a fee hike. "Why will we allow a fee hike if a school already has surplus money,'' said Lovely. But schools insisted that they may not be able to hike the salaries of their teachers unless they increase the fees.
As per the Sixth Pay Commission, the teachers have to get a hiked salary from October. "The student fees is the only source of our revenue. Despite being in private hands, schools have to go by the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission. In our school, we will have to pay over a crore as total arrears to teachers. So we are being forced to hike the fees,'' said Madhulika Sen, principal, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar. She added that a 50% hike in fees was justified if the arrears for 32 months have to be paid. She said that after the Fifth Pay Commission, HC had allowed a feel hike of 40% even when teachers had to be paid arrears of only 18 months.
Said Suman Kumar, principal, Bluebells International School, "Schools are making a collective effort to reach out to the government. But even a hike of 50% is probably insufficient."
However, parents refuse to buy the argument. Looking at the long list of funds that the schools charge every year, parents feel that schools can never fall short of money.
"I pay development fund, grooming fund, building fund etc every year. Besides, where does the fee hike of 10% made by schools year after year go?" wondered a parent, who did not wish to be named. S L Jain, chairperson of National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC) replied, "School gives regular increments to teachers and other staff and the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission are over and above it. Our budget is always tight. We will soon approach the DoE again.''
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Fees may rise,not teachers’ salaries
Sixth Pay Commission: Fees may rise,not teachers’ salaries
New Delhi, October 11, 2008
Private schools may be pushing for a 50 per cent hike in fee paid by parents ostensibly to pay teachers as per the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission, but a number of them do not even follow government scales for paying teachers.
Teachers say that although these schools are burdening parents with increased fee, it was unlikely that the money would reach their pockets.
Several teachers, who spoke to Hindustan Times on conditions of anonymity, revealed that many lesser-known private schools, which are also asking for the 50 per cent increase, currently pay less than even what was recommended in 1997 by the 5th Pay Commission.
Ayesha Thapa (name changed), who works in a private institution in Rohini, teaches Classes VI to VIII and has nine years of work experience, but earns only Rs 10,000 per month.
As per the fifth pay commission recommendation, others at Ayesha’s level (that is middle school level) should earn roughly between Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000 as their starting salary.
“This is a common phenomenon in many unaided schools. In fact, I don’t even know the break up of my salary. At the time of recruitment I was hired for one consolidated amount of Rs 10,000 and even today I don’t know what my basic salary is,” said Thapa.
Jyoti Bose, Principal, Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, is aware of such malpractices.
“I have heard of these problems from parents who have been teachers in other schools. The Directorate of Education should have taken such errant institutions to task,” she said.
Teachers in some schools are even forced to return a part of their salary in cash. “They are given better salaries in cheque and then asked to return money in cash. So the school looks good on paper,” said a teacher of a school in Pitampura.
Parents, who will be footed the bill for pay increase, are obviously not happy.
“My interaction with my son’s teachers gives me the impression that they’re not happy with their salaries. It’s strange how private schools charge a bomb and their teacher’s still seem to unhappy,” said a parent, whose son studies in a prominent south Delhi school, and recently paid an annual fee of Rs 30,000.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/
New Delhi, October 11, 2008
Private schools may be pushing for a 50 per cent hike in fee paid by parents ostensibly to pay teachers as per the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission, but a number of them do not even follow government scales for paying teachers.
Teachers say that although these schools are burdening parents with increased fee, it was unlikely that the money would reach their pockets.
Several teachers, who spoke to Hindustan Times on conditions of anonymity, revealed that many lesser-known private schools, which are also asking for the 50 per cent increase, currently pay less than even what was recommended in 1997 by the 5th Pay Commission.
Ayesha Thapa (name changed), who works in a private institution in Rohini, teaches Classes VI to VIII and has nine years of work experience, but earns only Rs 10,000 per month.
As per the fifth pay commission recommendation, others at Ayesha’s level (that is middle school level) should earn roughly between Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000 as their starting salary.
“This is a common phenomenon in many unaided schools. In fact, I don’t even know the break up of my salary. At the time of recruitment I was hired for one consolidated amount of Rs 10,000 and even today I don’t know what my basic salary is,” said Thapa.
Jyoti Bose, Principal, Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, is aware of such malpractices.
“I have heard of these problems from parents who have been teachers in other schools. The Directorate of Education should have taken such errant institutions to task,” she said.
Teachers in some schools are even forced to return a part of their salary in cash. “They are given better salaries in cheque and then asked to return money in cash. So the school looks good on paper,” said a teacher of a school in Pitampura.
Parents, who will be footed the bill for pay increase, are obviously not happy.
“My interaction with my son’s teachers gives me the impression that they’re not happy with their salaries. It’s strange how private schools charge a bomb and their teacher’s still seem to unhappy,” said a parent, whose son studies in a prominent south Delhi school, and recently paid an annual fee of Rs 30,000.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
