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
Saturday, October 11, 2008
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/
Sixth Pay Commission arrears: Sify FinanceHyundai offers special discount for govt staff
Sixth Pay Commission arrears: Sify FinanceHyundai offers special discount for govt staff
Friday, 10 October, 2008
Chennai: Hyundai Motor India Ltd announced a special scheme for the state and central government employees. Under the scheme, there will be special pricing, attractive finance options etc to enable the government employees to own a Hyundai car.
The scheme will be run through October and November, 2008.
Hyundai has tied up with State Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank to offer finance schemes for the government employees to purchase the vehicles.
Announcing the scheme, Arvind Saxena, Senior Vice-President for Marketing & Sales, Hyundai Motor India, said: "We are pleased to offer this special scheme to all the government employees’ who will soon be enjoying the benefits of their Sixth Pay Commission arrears. It is an attractive scheme and this will be an added incentive for them to purchase a Hyundai car in this festive season."
Model wise discount (ex-showroom price): Santro Non AC Rs.17,000
Santro GL/GLS Rs.22,000
i10 Rs.10,000
Getz 1.1 Rs.22,000
Getz 1.3 Rs.27,000
Accent Executive Rs.12,000
Verna (Petrol & Diesel) Rs.31,000
Source: http://sify.com/
Friday, 10 October, 2008
Chennai: Hyundai Motor India Ltd announced a special scheme for the state and central government employees. Under the scheme, there will be special pricing, attractive finance options etc to enable the government employees to own a Hyundai car.
The scheme will be run through October and November, 2008.
Hyundai has tied up with State Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank to offer finance schemes for the government employees to purchase the vehicles.
Announcing the scheme, Arvind Saxena, Senior Vice-President for Marketing & Sales, Hyundai Motor India, said: "We are pleased to offer this special scheme to all the government employees’ who will soon be enjoying the benefits of their Sixth Pay Commission arrears. It is an attractive scheme and this will be an added incentive for them to purchase a Hyundai car in this festive season."
Model wise discount (ex-showroom price): Santro Non AC Rs.17,000
Santro GL/GLS Rs.22,000
i10 Rs.10,000
Getz 1.1 Rs.22,000
Getz 1.3 Rs.27,000
Accent Executive Rs.12,000
Verna (Petrol & Diesel) Rs.31,000
Source: http://sify.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Consumer durable sales will fall this festive season: Experts
Sixth Pay Commission: Consumer durable sales will fall this festive season: Experts
10 Oct, 2008
NEW DELHI: Sales of consumer durables this festive season will see a downward trend on account of a severe credit crunch and the stock market crash, experts and traders said here on Friday.
"Liquidity will certainly increase due to the CRR (cash reserve ratio) reduction, but the PLR (prime lending rate) has still not changed, which will deter people from taking loans from banks unless it is unavoidable," Delhi University Professor of Economics Shri Ram Khanna told reporters.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday further cut CRR by 100 basis points, which means it will leave the banks with more money to lend in the market.
CRR is the amount of funds banks have to keep with RBI against their deposits. If the central bank decides to increase this amount, funds available with the banks come down, while if it is reduced - as was the case Friday - banks are left with more disposable money.
In India, sales of consumer durables such as refrigerators and air-conditioners increase during the festive season beginning end-September and early October.
However, following a severe liquidity crunch this year in the aftermath of a global meltdown and stock market crash, sales of these goods are likely to be hit hard.
Moreover, with the PLR remaining unchanged, people are not inclined to take loans from banks.
PLR is the benchmark rate at which banks lend money.
"People will not borrow from banks to buy refrigerators or AC when there is double digit interest on them," Khanna said.
Increasing instances of terrorist activities is also deterring consumers from shopping, he added.
Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of Confederation of All India Traders (Cait), echoed the sentiment, saying: "The international economic scenario is a dampener on the festive season sales."
"Traders are incurring huge losses as consumers are not only facing financial strain but also security concerns that are deterring them from going shopping," he added.
According to D.K. Joshi, chief economist at credit rating agency Crisil, while the market is certain to be impacted, there are factors that could offset it also.
"The Sixth Pay Commission has pumped in money, which will increase purchasing power and raise demand," Joshi said.
However, the liquidity crunch is certainly a dampener on consumer durables sales especially when people make token purchases during Diwali, Joshi added.
The government needs to take extra measures to ensure extra liquidity in the market and make available soft loans to the traders to meet their production costs, Cait's Khandelwal said.
He said the markets till last year had seen sales rising 30-40 percent during the festive season that lasts till January-end to early February.
However, instead of witnessing any growth, trade is on a downswing with losses mounting, Khandelwal claimed.
"Though the Sixth Pay Commission has given the salaried class more liquid cash, it is only on paper till now. Unless people get the money in hand, sales will remain sluggish and traders will suffer losses," he added.
India's benchmark securities index crashed Friday by nearly 1,000 points within minutes of opening but recovered substantially after the central bank announced a cut in the CRR to inject an estimated Rs.400 billion.
In addition, RBI has reduced the CRR by 50 basis points Monday, which will likely inject about Rs.200 billion into the system.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
10 Oct, 2008
NEW DELHI: Sales of consumer durables this festive season will see a downward trend on account of a severe credit crunch and the stock market crash, experts and traders said here on Friday.
"Liquidity will certainly increase due to the CRR (cash reserve ratio) reduction, but the PLR (prime lending rate) has still not changed, which will deter people from taking loans from banks unless it is unavoidable," Delhi University Professor of Economics Shri Ram Khanna told reporters.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday further cut CRR by 100 basis points, which means it will leave the banks with more money to lend in the market.
CRR is the amount of funds banks have to keep with RBI against their deposits. If the central bank decides to increase this amount, funds available with the banks come down, while if it is reduced - as was the case Friday - banks are left with more disposable money.
In India, sales of consumer durables such as refrigerators and air-conditioners increase during the festive season beginning end-September and early October.
However, following a severe liquidity crunch this year in the aftermath of a global meltdown and stock market crash, sales of these goods are likely to be hit hard.
Moreover, with the PLR remaining unchanged, people are not inclined to take loans from banks.
PLR is the benchmark rate at which banks lend money.
"People will not borrow from banks to buy refrigerators or AC when there is double digit interest on them," Khanna said.
Increasing instances of terrorist activities is also deterring consumers from shopping, he added.
Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of Confederation of All India Traders (Cait), echoed the sentiment, saying: "The international economic scenario is a dampener on the festive season sales."
"Traders are incurring huge losses as consumers are not only facing financial strain but also security concerns that are deterring them from going shopping," he added.
According to D.K. Joshi, chief economist at credit rating agency Crisil, while the market is certain to be impacted, there are factors that could offset it also.
"The Sixth Pay Commission has pumped in money, which will increase purchasing power and raise demand," Joshi said.
However, the liquidity crunch is certainly a dampener on consumer durables sales especially when people make token purchases during Diwali, Joshi added.
The government needs to take extra measures to ensure extra liquidity in the market and make available soft loans to the traders to meet their production costs, Cait's Khandelwal said.
He said the markets till last year had seen sales rising 30-40 percent during the festive season that lasts till January-end to early February.
However, instead of witnessing any growth, trade is on a downswing with losses mounting, Khandelwal claimed.
"Though the Sixth Pay Commission has given the salaried class more liquid cash, it is only on paper till now. Unless people get the money in hand, sales will remain sluggish and traders will suffer losses," he added.
India's benchmark securities index crashed Friday by nearly 1,000 points within minutes of opening but recovered substantially after the central bank announced a cut in the CRR to inject an estimated Rs.400 billion.
In addition, RBI has reduced the CRR by 50 basis points Monday, which will likely inject about Rs.200 billion into the system.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Airtel Launches Satellite TV Service in India
Airtel Launches Satellite TV Service in India
Bharti Airtel (News - Alert) Limited has unveiled its new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV service. Starting Thursday, the service will be available to customers through 21,000 retail locations, including Airtel Relationship Centers in 62 cities across India.
Airtel digital TV uses the latest MPEG4 standard with DVB S2 technology. Apart from being high definition ready, this latest technology also enables delivery of more complex interactive content. The company also that Airtel digital TV uses a 20 percent larger dish antenna that offers better performance during rain.
Airtel believes that the Indian DTH segment offers immense growth potential. The company said it is well-placed to emerge as a leading player in this segment.
The new service provides interactive applications such as iMatinee (book cinema tickets), iTravel (browse and book travel packages), iShop (shop on TV for your favorite brands), iCity (get your city's information) and Widgets (update yourself on latest stock news).
Airtel will offer a universal remote for both set top boxes and TVs. The service delivers, among other things, exclusive content including world radio and games. If there is a power disruption, the system remembers the last viewed channel. There is also a low battery indicator on the screen, a straightforward search interface, and an on-screen account meter.
The company noted that it has a team of 800 professionally-trained service engineers and 24x7 customer care reps.
“Today we are starting a new chapter in our journey, one that adds a new dimension to our existing product portfolio and is a major step towards t ransforming Airtel from just a telecom brand to a lifestyle enabler,” said Manoj Kohli, CEO at Bharti Airtel (News - Alert), in a statement. “The launch of Airtel digital TV is the culmination of our three screens strategy, which is to be present across mobile phone, computer and TV screens.”
Source: http://satellite.tmcnet.com/
Bharti Airtel (News - Alert) Limited has unveiled its new direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV service. Starting Thursday, the service will be available to customers through 21,000 retail locations, including Airtel Relationship Centers in 62 cities across India.
Airtel digital TV uses the latest MPEG4 standard with DVB S2 technology. Apart from being high definition ready, this latest technology also enables delivery of more complex interactive content. The company also that Airtel digital TV uses a 20 percent larger dish antenna that offers better performance during rain.
Airtel believes that the Indian DTH segment offers immense growth potential. The company said it is well-placed to emerge as a leading player in this segment.
The new service provides interactive applications such as iMatinee (book cinema tickets), iTravel (browse and book travel packages), iShop (shop on TV for your favorite brands), iCity (get your city's information) and Widgets (update yourself on latest stock news).
Airtel will offer a universal remote for both set top boxes and TVs. The service delivers, among other things, exclusive content including world radio and games. If there is a power disruption, the system remembers the last viewed channel. There is also a low battery indicator on the screen, a straightforward search interface, and an on-screen account meter.
The company noted that it has a team of 800 professionally-trained service engineers and 24x7 customer care reps.
“Today we are starting a new chapter in our journey, one that adds a new dimension to our existing product portfolio and is a major step towards t ransforming Airtel from just a telecom brand to a lifestyle enabler,” said Manoj Kohli, CEO at Bharti Airtel (News - Alert), in a statement. “The launch of Airtel digital TV is the culmination of our three screens strategy, which is to be present across mobile phone, computer and TV screens.”
Source: http://satellite.tmcnet.com/
Sixth Pay Commission: Maternity leave raised to 6 months
Sixth Pay Commission: Maternity leave raised to 6 months
10 Oct 2008
JAIPUR: In what may be termed as a Dussehra gift in election year from the Vasundhara Raje government to its women employees,
the state government has decided to extend maternity leave from the current 135 days to 180 days.
A government communique on Thursday said that the extended leave may also be availed by those women employees who are
currently on a maternity leave.
Suitable amendments are also being made in the Rajasthan Service Act for incorporating the increased leave, it said.
In fact, the state government on Thursday also accepted the demands of a section of workers and grant Assured Career
Progression (ACP) to them at nine, 18 and 27 years of service if they have already availed of selection payscale at these
years.
Earlier, the government on September 12, 2008, while announcing the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, had decided
to follow the lines of the Centre and give ACP to its workers only after the com-pletion of 10, 20 and 30 years of service.
However, a section of the workers had been demanding ACP after completion of nine, 18 and 27 years of service. The demands
were based on the fact that the state already has provisions of opting for a selection payscale after completion of nine, 18
and 27 years of service.
On Thursday, the government announced that those workers who have already availed of a selection pay scale on the completion
of nine, 18 or 27 years of service will be able to avail the facility of an ACP at nine, 18 and 27 years of service itself
instead of the earlier announced 10, 20 and 30 years.
In yet another bonanza for its employees, the state government also changed its earlier stance of deducting the house rent
for those employees staying at government quarters from September 1, 2008 instead of the earlier announced January 1, 2007.
A release from the state government clarified that the government on September 12, 2008, had announced that the deduction for
those workers staying in government houses on a revised rate would be imple-mented from January 1, 2007 - the date from which
the state has agreed to pay arrears to its employees.
However, now the decision stands revised and the employees will not have to pay the sum accruing between January 1, 2007 to
August 31, 2008.
Rajasthan is the first state in the country to have notified the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission and has decided
to implement it in the state for its employees from September 1, 2006.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
10 Oct 2008
JAIPUR: In what may be termed as a Dussehra gift in election year from the Vasundhara Raje government to its women employees,
the state government has decided to extend maternity leave from the current 135 days to 180 days.
A government communique on Thursday said that the extended leave may also be availed by those women employees who are
currently on a maternity leave.
Suitable amendments are also being made in the Rajasthan Service Act for incorporating the increased leave, it said.
In fact, the state government on Thursday also accepted the demands of a section of workers and grant Assured Career
Progression (ACP) to them at nine, 18 and 27 years of service if they have already availed of selection payscale at these
years.
Earlier, the government on September 12, 2008, while announcing the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, had decided
to follow the lines of the Centre and give ACP to its workers only after the com-pletion of 10, 20 and 30 years of service.
However, a section of the workers had been demanding ACP after completion of nine, 18 and 27 years of service. The demands
were based on the fact that the state already has provisions of opting for a selection payscale after completion of nine, 18
and 27 years of service.
On Thursday, the government announced that those workers who have already availed of a selection pay scale on the completion
of nine, 18 or 27 years of service will be able to avail the facility of an ACP at nine, 18 and 27 years of service itself
instead of the earlier announced 10, 20 and 30 years.
In yet another bonanza for its employees, the state government also changed its earlier stance of deducting the house rent
for those employees staying at government quarters from September 1, 2008 instead of the earlier announced January 1, 2007.
A release from the state government clarified that the government on September 12, 2008, had announced that the deduction for
those workers staying in government houses on a revised rate would be imple-mented from January 1, 2007 - the date from which
the state has agreed to pay arrears to its employees.
However, now the decision stands revised and the employees will not have to pay the sum accruing between January 1, 2007 to
August 31, 2008.
Rajasthan is the first state in the country to have notified the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission and has decided
to implement it in the state for its employees from September 1, 2006.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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