Computer Training for staff

2 days Computer Training to Postal Staff on different modules of department .

Is it sufficient?

ACP Issue

The ACP file relating to Department of Posts,India

sent to JS & FA for further action.

Transfer and Posting of LSG/HSG officials

All the LSG officials under fast track scheme have been

promoted and posted in HSG-II cadres

and directed to join in their new assignment.

postalinfo congratulates all ofthem for their new mission.

Implementation of MACP

Implementation of modified ACP Scheme

As enquired from CHQ ,it is ascertained the draft copy of the order is ready and most probably orders are expected in First Week of September-09.

The delay is caused due to busy at the establishment section in replying the querries of the nodal ministries in regard to implementation of GDS Committee recommendations.

source-CHQ

GDS Pay Revision Issue

Implementation of GDS Committee Recommendations

As confirmed from reliable sources, it is learnt that the nodal ministries have raised some querries and suggested some modifications in the issue of implementation of GDS committee report and all those were incorporated. The file is expected to be returned to the Dept. of Posts today evening. The cabinet note is ready. The file may be sent to Hon'ble MoC next week with cabinet note for approval by the Cabinet.

source-CHQ

GDS PAY REVISION

GDS Pay Revision may be delayed for some more days.

60% 6 CPC Arrear for Postal Staff

60% 6 CPC Arrear

for Postal Staff

Department of Posts,India has issued orders regarding payment of 2nd Installment of 6 CPC Arrear

vide Dte. letter no. 4-4/2008-PCC. The copy of Finance Ministry O.M. no. 1/1/2008 IC dated 25-08-2009 has been forwarded to all circles etc.

Department of Posts to Automate Business Process

Department of Posts to Automate Business Process

India’s department of posts (DoP) is set to spend up to $1 billion on its IT-led business revamp over the next five years DoP, which has already short-listed Accenture, Ernst &Young , KPMG, McKinsey and PwC as potential consultants for this project, will be announcing one of them as partner for selecting a tech vendor and also defining the scope of 3-5 year IT revamp by end of this month. DoP will select different vendors for system integration, software , data centres and network management.
“We plan to select a consultant by the month end, flesh out budget by March next year, and start rolling out the project from April,” said a senior DoP official on conditions of anonymity. “Initially we were only looking at an IT revamp, but the scope is much bigger now with business process reengineering becoming a significant part of this entire exercise,” he added. The department was allocated around Rs 2,000 crore under the eleventh plan by India’s Planning Commission recently for different IT investments.
DoP’s IT revamp is a classic example of old, legacy systems and software applications being unable to cope with rising operational pressures and newer business models. The department has been using software applications such as Meghdoot developed in-house for over a decade. With the government seeking to evolve DoP as a well diversified services provider offering postal, insurance and financial solutions across remote parts of the country, there is a need to upgrade the systems.“Our Meghdoot software for instance, is not yet upgraded to work in a wide area network (WAN) environment. We will need to take a call about whether we should upgrade the existing software or go for a new packaged application from a company such as SAP, Oracle,” the DoP official added. The department will also need a new corebanking software solution. “We currently use Sanchay Post developed internally, but it has lived its life.”
A consultant, to be finalised by this month end, will help India Post decide whether to continue upgrading its in-house developed software applications such as Meghdoot or switch to more sophisticated software platform from SAP or Oracle. An enterprise resource planning (ERP) software from SAP or Oracle will help the department standardise its different business processes without having to dedicate internal resources for deployment and maintenance.
Apart from several outsourcing, system integration projects, the department will also need to invest in procuring computer hardware systems for modernisation of around 1.55 lakh post offices across the country. “The government is now looking at post offices as a vehicle for distribution for different services, and therefore, it’s critical for us to upgrade the infrastructure,” said another government official involved with India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
At a time when India’s government departments and state-owned enterprises such as BSNL, ONGC and other ministries are seeking to become more efficient with the help of technology , vendors such as IBM, TCS, Infosys and Wipro are seeing newer opportunities emerge even during a global slowdown in software spending.
According to the experts tracking this sector, Indian government organisations such as India Post, Indian Railways and other departments including LIC will spend around $2 billion on information technology this year, as the government’s share of total IT spend in India is set to cross 10% over next two years.
“The government has changed its buying strategy-now the tenders are talking about revenuedriven models,” said HR Binod, head of Infosys’ India business unit, which was established in November 2007. “We are also approaching these opportunities with a business solution and not merely a technology solution,” he added.
BLOCK LETTER
With the govt seeking to evolve DoP as a welldiversified services provider offering postal, insurance and financial solutions across the country, there is a need to upgrade the systems
DoP will select different IT vendors for system integration, software, data centres & network mgmt
Apart from several system integration projects, the dept also needs to invest in procuring computer hardware systems for modernisation of around 1.55 lakh post offices

source-economic times

Finance Ministry cleared 60% 6CPC Arrear

Orders for payment of 2nd Installment(60%) Arrear of 6 CPC released released by Ministry of Finance on 25-08-2009. Copy reproduced below.

F.No. l/l/2008-IC
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
Implementation Cell
NewDelhi,Dated 25th August,2009.
OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Payment of second instalment of arrears on account of implementation of Sixth Central Pay Commission's recommendations.
As communicated vide this Department's Resolution No.l/l/2008-IC dated 29th August, 2008, the Government had decided that the arrears on account of implementation of Sixth Central Pay Commission's recommendations will be paid in cash in two instalments - first instalment of 40% during the year 2008-09 and the remaining 60% in the financial year 2009-10. The first instalment has already been paid in 2008-09. It has now been decided that the remaining 60% of arrears may now be paid to the concerned Government servants.
2. Further, as already stipulated vide this Department's O.M. No 1 (2)/ EV/2008 dated 17th August, 2009, in the case of post - 0l.01.2004 entrants into the Central Government, the second instalment of arrears may be released only after individual application forms for registration to the New Pension Scheme have been obtained by the DDO/PAO from the concerned Government servant.
3. As in the case of the first instalment of arrears, Government servants will be permitted to deposit their arrears in their GPF Accounts. Though not mandated, Government servants are encouraged to deposit their arrears in their GPF accounts.

Postal Dept. to verify Citizens' data for ID

Dept of Posts offers to verify citizens' data for unique ID project

The Department of Posts has offered its help to the Unique Identification Database Authority of India (UIDAI) in verifying the data of citizens that will help the authority issue unique identification numbers to Indian residents. The department has a huge database of over 20 crore savings bank account holders all over the country. This would come in handy when UIDAI starts the citizen verification process, especially in rural areas. “The department of posts is interested in being the ‘enroller’ for the UIDAI. Enrollers would authenticate data provided by registrars as per UID norms,” a government official said. “The discussions are at a preliminary stage. More talks are likely to be held before the plans are implemented,” the official said requesting anonymity. The postal department has shown interest in acting as a platform to ‘authenticate’ the citizens to whom the unique number will be given. It has already made a presentation in this regard before UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani. As per the initial rollout plan for providing unique identification numbers, the UIDAI would first appoint registrars who would take up the herculean task of collecting data of all Indian residents. Registrars could be state governments, the Election Commission of India, ration shops, oil companies, telecom companies or even post offices. “The department of posts can play an important role in the UID project as we have a strong network, especially in rural areas,” the official said. The UID project plans to create unique identification numbers for all Indians by 2011. The identification number will primarily help to ‘authenticate’ an individual in the country and will be issued to Indian residents on a voluntary basis. The unique identification numbers will eliminate the need for existing identification cards such as electoral card, ration card, driving licence, passport and PAN card as the cards issued under the scheme will carry all the required details, including the biometric details of all Indian citizens.

Source-india times

PLB for Postal Employees

Productivity Linked Bonus

for Postal Employees:-

60 days cap

may be removed this year.

A Better Way to Go Postal

A Better Way to Go Postal
The justification for the Postal Service's monopoly is long past.
Whatever possessed President Obama to mention the travails of the post office while discussing health care the other day, his timing was certainly apt. The Postal Service is headed toward a loss of $7 billion this year and another $7 billion in 2010. Naturally, Congress is planning another
bailout rather than the kind of reform that would recognize how technology has transformed modern communications.Most mail today is delivered electronically via email. Traditional postal mail volume has fallen by nearly 20% since 2000, and the average household gets one-third fewer letters than a decade ago. But this is only the first stage of the decline. The transition to Internet communications means that the Postal Service's core business—from paying bills, to sending birthday greetings, to delivering magazines—is slowly vanishing. This is on top of the package business that has already been transformed by Federal Express and UPS.Not that the Postal Service has ever been a paragon of efficiency. If the cost of a postage stamp had risen at merely the rate of inflation since 1950 when a stamp cost two cents, today you could send a first-class letter for 30 cents. Instead the cost rose in May to 44 cents from 42 cents.These higher prices have corresponded with worsening service. The mailman used to deliver twice a day in urban areas, but now Postal Service Chief Executive John Potter says he wants to stop Saturday service to reduce costs. No private business in America could continually raise prices, lose billions of dollars and then hope to win back customers by promising poorer service. Here's a secret Washington doesn't want to admit: That 14 cent per letter cost hike after inflation over the past 60 years imposes a $20 billion a year toll on the U.S. economy. The government mail system is
essentially a $20 billion annual income transfer from businesses and households to the postal unions. About 80 cents of every postal dollar pays for employee salaries and benefits (compared to less than 50 cents for Fed Ex and UPS). What that means is that if you want to cut costs at the
post office, you have to slash labor expenses. Mr. Potter has reduced Postal Service employment to 650,000 from 800,000 the past four years, largely through attrition. But he still employs 650,000 workers who have among the best wages and benefits in all of American life.Most employees have no-layoff clauses, the starting salaries are about 25% to 30% higher than for comparably skilled private workers, and the fringe benefits are so expensive that the Government Accountability Office says $500 million a year could be saved merely by bringing health benefits into line with those of other federal workers. Mr. Potter has to set aside $5 billion a year just to pay for health insurance. Postal management now wants to "save" money by not
advance-funding those obligations, and Congress is likely to say yes. But that doesn't save a dime; it simply creates even larger unfunded liabilities down the road.The four biggest postal-carrier union contracts come up for renewal in 2010 and 2011, and Congress and the Obama Administration can best serve the public by using the negotiations to promote a major restructuring. One priority should be closing thousands of obsolete post offices around the country; many post offices now serve towns with fewer than 250 people. This is something Mr. Potter has long wanted to do, but thanks to Congressional meddling, closing a small town post office can be harder than shutting a military base. The most overdue reform is to strip away the Post Service's monopoly on first-class mail and bulk mail. Competition is the key ingredient to innovation, low prices and good service. This was Mr. Obama's insight at his recent health-care town hall when he noted that "UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? No, they are. It's the Post Office that's always having problems."The argument has been made for 200 years that the postal monopoly is necessary to "bind the nation together." Once that was at least plausible. But today the Internet delivers to the most remote corners of Alaska and the Badlands at one-one-hundredth the cost of snail mail. The sooner Congress requires the Postal Service to shrink and adapt to this reality, the smaller will be the losses imposed on taxpayers.
Source-The Wall Street Journal

Use of other banks ATM free for 5 times in a month

Use of other banks ATM for more than 5 times a month will cost from October

Barely five months after the service charge on using automated teller machines (ATMs) of other banks was scrapped, it will be re-introduced if someone uses this facility more than five times a month, a high-ranking banking sector official said here on Friday. The Indian Banks Association (IBA), the representative organisation of private and public sector banks in India, has proposed that instead of allowing an unlimited number of free transactions at another bank’s ATM, there should be a limit of up to five free transactions a month.
“Beyond five transactions, we propose to levy a transaction fee of Rs.20 per transaction for using another bank’s ATM,” said IBA deputy chief executive K Unnikrishnan.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accepted the IBA proposal, but it will be implemented only by October, Unnikrishnan said on Friday.
A RBI spokesperson confirmed the development.
“It will be optional on the part of the banks to levy this charge on customers. We have not made it mandatory but left it to their (banks’) discretion,” Unnikrishnan said.
He explained that since the RBI’s permission has been taken, it would not be improper on the part of banks to levy the charges if they wanted.
There are a little over 40,000 ATMs in India, of which nearly 30,000 are in urban centres and metros. The remaining 10,000 are in semi-urban centres with only a sprinkling in rural areas.
There are around 80 public sector, private, cooperative and foreign participating banks in the ATM network in the country.
After the ATM transactions fees on using other banks’ ATMs was scrapped in April, the IBA studied the entire gamut of ATM transactions.
“We found that a majority of the ATM transactions were in the range of average withdrawals of Rs.3,500-4,000, and 90 percent of all transactions were below Rs.10,000. Hence, the intended purpose to serve the common man was achieved,” Unnikrishnan said.
However, there was a small minority of users who withdrew very large sums on account of high card limits given by some banks to privileged customers.
At the other extreme, there were some customers who withdrew miniscule amounts, or made other kinds of inquiries. This created several logistics problems causing avoidable expenditure for banks at the cost of the common user, he said.
Taking into account these and related aspects, the IBA submitted a proposal to RBI last month.
“We shall give sufficient notice to the customers before implementing it, and individual banks can also inform their customers about the proposal and whether or not they would charge their customers. It will give time to effect suitable modifications in the ATM programmes to implement it,” Unnikrishnan said.
No charge on cash withdrawal from ATM machine of other bank w.e.f. 01.04.2009

Information on GDS and ACP issue

Information (21-08-2009 )

on

GDS and ACP issue

1. GDS pay revision issue-

Cabinet note has not yet gone. Minimum expected time is 10 days.
2. ACP issue:-

Still under discussion. Orders are expected shortly.

Asian Postal Agencies dip feet in RFID

Asian Postal Agencies( including India Post) dip feet in RFID

Postal agencies from India, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore are among mail administrations from 21 countries participating in a trial of a new service quality monitoring system based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Developed by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Global Monitoring System (GMS) aims to measure local posts' service quality for mail delivery.
The trial began on Aug. 5 and is expected to last till December, Akio Miyagi, UPU's quality of service coordinator, told ZDNet Asia in a phone interview. It involves 24,000 test letters sent by 530 independent testers from 38 countries. Each test letter contains a unique RFID transponder-tag, which costs US$0.30.
Stepping up postal service levels with RFID
The Universal Postal Union's trial from this month till December will involve 24,000 cards with RFID transponders affixed to them. These cards will be inserted into the test letters. According to Akio Miyagi, UPU's quality of service coordinator, each test sender is required to key into the central information system, the date and time of posting the overseas-bound test mail. Upon arrival at the destination city, the date and time will be recorded by an RFID gateway. Once the recipient receives the test letter, he or she will log in the same information into the database. "High-volume" countries would expect to receive more test letters. For example, Switzerland would be allocated 10,000 test letters, while Singapore is expected to receive 3,800. The service quality is linked to a "delivery charge or remuneration system", said Miyagi. Posts that achieve the target against their domestic standard will receive an additional bonus of 2.5 percent of their delivery charge; those that fail to meet the standard will face a maximum penalty of 2.5 percent. By end-August, UPU expects to be able to "start providing information captured in the GMS back to participating countries", said Miyagi.
Posts, he explained, have publicized domestic mail standards as well as a target for delivering upon those standards. For instance, an agency may guarantee next-day delivery for a letter posted before 4 p.m., and may commit to do this for 99 percent of all mail.
In the past, service quality was tracked manually--not only a tedious process but was also not exact and accurate enough, said Miyagi.
RFID is commonly used in industries from logistics and supply chain to retail and healthcare--to track and identify goods or even ensure the legitimacy of products.
The use of RFID to track mail, however, is also not new. According to the RFID Journal, Finland adopted the use of RFID in its postal system in 2008.
More RFID to come to Asia posts Lee Hon Chew, director of international affairs at Singapore Post, confirmed in an e-mail the organization's participation in the GMS trial is its initiation into RFID technology. There will be "some costs involved", he noted, adding that it was "too preliminary for discussion".
According to SingPost, its mail offices handle 2.8 million mail items daily, but it was unable to break the figure down to overseas and domestic items.
"This GMS trial is our first involvement in the use of RFID to measure the performance of our inbound international mail," added Lee. "After the trial, we will then evaluate the use of RFID to other aspects of the mail business."
Over at Indiapost, the agency is in the process of also tapping on RFID for domestic mail tracking and asset management. Faiz ur Rehman, Indiapost's deputy director general overseeing international relations, said in an e-mail that this project is separately supported by the UPU Quality of service fund. He was, however, unable to share more details as the project is in its early stages.
According to Rehman, the agency handles some 2,500 tons of inbound mail annually. Its delivery matrix varies depending on the location within the country, which has nine postal zones. Next-day delivery for domestic mail is limited to intra-city services. An additional day is added to overseas mail, he added, as the post requires "a day's processing at every office of exchange" before the item is transferred into the domestic stream.
For Pos Malaysia, the GMS trial will not be its first RFID project. Han Chum Choy, head of international and regulatory affairs at Pos Malaysia, told ZDNet Asia the organization has previously implemented a mail monitoring system between government departments in Putrajaya, which used passive RFID tags.
The postal agency, she added, intends to extend the use of RFID beyond the GMS trial. "Pos Malaysia plans to use RFID for part of its domestic mail service measurement," she said in an e-mail. "The initiative is still in conceptual and planning stage."
For the GMS trial, there will be 34 panelists located in five Malaysian cities, who are expected to receive some 3,800 test letters. Pos Malaysia handles an average annual inbound mail volume of 1,158 tons.

Lady Umbrella for female GDS

Department of Posts issued orders regarding issue of Umbrellas to female GDS

Lady umbrella to the female Gramin Dak Sevak employees has been considered and it has been decided that the criteria as laid down for regular employees in the Directorate letter shall be made applicable to G.D.S inclucing female G.D.S.

No HRA for govt employees staying in spouse's govt flat

Delhi HC: No HRA for govt employees if staying in spouse's govt flat

The Delhi High Court said any government employee who is staying with his spouse in a government flat is not entitled to HRA (House Rent Allowance).

Stating that if both the husband and wife are government employees, Justice Sunil Gaur said only one can be allotted such accommodation and the other cannot claim house rent allowance.

The Court’s decision came on a petition filed by a government employee challenging the Centre’s order directing her to refund the HRA for nine years during which she was living with her husband(also a Government employee)in a government accommodation allotted to him.

Justice Sunil Gaur dismissed the petition of the employee Rajni Devi, a hostel warden in National Bal Bhawan, and directed her to refund Rs 1.19 lakh which she got as HRA between 1996-2005.

‘Since the petitioner (Rajni) is not able to justify to the payment of House Rent Allowance made to her, she has no reasonable justification to retain it. Therefore, no fault can be found in the government’s order directing recovery of the HRA paid to her,’ Justice Gaur said.

Rajni was residing with her husband in a flat allotted to him at Rajya Sabha Niwas since 1996 but she continued to receive HRA till 2005.

In July 2005, the Central Audit found that HRA paid to her was irregular and the government then asked her to refund the allowance paid to her for the nine years.

UNI

Postal Strike-abroad

U.K. Royal Mail Postal Strike

Royal Mail employees are on strike at various days between the 17th and 24th of August. London, Coventry and Nottingham are just a few cities which have already seen the strikes which are spreading across the UK. The Union claims Royal Mail is not investing into modernisation and is making employees redundant without their agreement. Royal Mail defends itself by stating the union is against vital changes.Collections may be disrupted in some areas. Last Updated: 18.08.09 Ministers have been accused of not negotiating the strikes. Billy Hayes from the Communication Workers Union told the BBC that ministers "appeared to be on strike themselves".Locations of Strikes:19 August: Birmingham, Coventry, London, Essex, Peterborough, Bristol, Leeds20 August: Peterborough21 August: Peterborough, Kings Lynn22 August: Boston, Carrickfergus24 August: Skegness, Huntingdon

'Racism' sparks postal strike

Johannesburg - Around 14 000 post office workers will embark on a countrywide strike over salaries from Thursday, the Communication Workers Union said on Tuesday.
"It will start from August 20 and will continue until a favourable agreement is reached," said CWU general secretary Gallant Roberts.
The union members would embark on a national stayaway and pickets at the SA Post Office (SAPO) in each of the nine provinces and hand over memorandums detailing their grievances.
Roberts said the union was expected to convene meetings on August 27 with members to assess developments and consider a way forward.
"We have told the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration that we are only prepared to meet with the employer on August 21 and August 24," said Roberts.
"This is a full blown industrial action and workers will not go back until the demands are met."
The union received a CCMA certificate to embark on a protected strike on Monday and it gave the SAPO a 48-hour notice of compliance.
Roberts said workers wanted an eradication of the "apartheid wage gap" within the post office. He said black workers were earning the lowest salaries.
"It is now more than ten years that we as workers in South Africa have been enjoying the least of the rewards of our hard-fought-for democracy, a matter that CWU is not prepared to tolerate any longer," he said in a statement. John Wentzel, SAPO's chief operating officer, said the certificate of a protected strike had been acknowledged.
"The issue upon which the certificate has been issued relates to salary differentials within the various salary bands."
The issue had been under discussion with the CWU since 2002/3.
"We believe that SAPO has substantively addressed this issue, however the current dispute relates to that component which remains unaddressed. The situation has its roots in history and there are a number of causes for the salary differentials," said Wentzel.
He said it would be "simplistic" to look at the issue as one of race.
"We as SAPO remain committed to dialogue, notwithstanding CWU's intention to embark on industrial action and we hope that the situation can be speedily resolved through dialogue," Wentzel said.

source- various news service

Retirement Age 62

( Pl. Click to enlarge the picture)

Government may Rise Retirement Age of

Central Government Employees from 60 to 62

India Post sports new look

India Post sports new look

MANGALORE: Come September and a visit to the head post office at Pandeshwar here should be a refreshing exercise for customers of India Post, thanks to extensive image makeover that the office is getting. Ongoing civil work at the post office is scheduled for completion by the end of this month. This new look and feel is the result of `Project Arrow' launched by India Post last year in an effort to give a modern look to the post offices in India. Naveenchandra, assistant superintendent of post offices told TOI here on Monday that `Project Arrow' addresses eight different areas of improvement right from mail delivery to branding exercise being undertaken by India Post. Real time savings bank operations, office service, remittances on same day, web enabled services for customers, HR development, infrastructure and technology, are other areas marked out for improvement. While infrastructure issues need time to be implemented, Naveenchandra said, India Post has already started implementing some of the other issues such as mail delivery. "Ordinary mail is being delivered the same day and the delivery time for other types of mail including registered post, money order, speed post too has seen vast improvement," he said. "The final aim is to ensure 100% delivery of all types of mail," he added. A dominant mix of white and red will greet customers both inside and outside the head post office once the civil work on it is completed, he said. All the counters will have the same look in terms of accessories and the counter staff will sport red jackets as and when it is supplied, he said. "Even the postman on beat will sport a red bag with the India Post logo on it to reinforce the image of the organisation among the masses", he said. While India Post initially selected a dozen post offices in Mangalore division under Project Arrow, it was finally implemented at head post office here for various reasons. The head post office at Udupi and the post office at Manipal in Udupi district are the others in the region getting a swanky touch under Project Arrow. The ultimate aim of this entire exercise is to roll out higher level of customer satisfaction at revamped branches.
Source-TOI

India Posts subscribes to Global Monitoring System

India Posts subscribes to Global Monitoring System QUALITY MONITORING OF INTERNATIONAL MAIL TO BE ENSURED

The Department of Posts has subscribed to the Global Monitoring System(GSM) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). This is a quality monitoring system for International mails. India Post delivers about 2100 tonnes of International Letter Mail received from different countries. This translates into 31 million articles per year, which are deliverable in every corner of the country. India Post aims to achieve better service quality in delivery of International letter mail to its customers and has therefore made a substantial investment in this project. At present the Global Monitoring System (GMS) is being tested in ten countries including India. The testing will continue up to December, 2009. The Global Monitoring System (GMS) uses RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for a precise diagnosis of the quality of service provided by the Postal operator. This involves testing of adherence to delivery standards by an independent Auditor selected by the Secretariat of the UPU. The independent Auditor has selected a panel consisting of a number of senders and recipients of letter mail in various countries. These panelists will send and receive letters which have RFID chips inside the envelope. The panelist and their location are not disclosed to the participating Postal organization. RFID readers (gates) have been installed at the postal facilities where mail is received from foreign countries at the Airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi. These readers will detect letters, which have the RFID chip inside and record the time of arrival in the postal facility. At the time of delivery of the article, the recipients will record the exact date and time of delivery. The data recorded will be automatically transmitted to the independent auditor, who will analyse this data and forward it to the UPU. The UPU will be compiling this data and providing India Post with details of time taken for delivery of an article from time of receipt in India. Since the exact time of receipt and exit from the postal facilities at the Airport and the time of delivery in different cities will be known, it will be possible for India Post to take corrective action to improve quality.

source-PIB

U.S. Postal Service Fights for Survival

U.S. Postal Service Fights for Survival

The bad economy and the shift to electronic communication could lead to the death of snail mail
The U.S. Postal Service is in serious financial trouble. Last year, it had a $2 billion deficit. This year, it is on track to lose $7 billion, and future predictions are equally dire as the economy, rising healthcare costs, and the shift to electronic communication take their toll on the bottom line.
The sea of red ink has lawmakers and postal officials struggling to find a way to keep the mail system operating while slashing unsustainably high costs. Job cuts are on the table, and hundreds of post offices will most likely be shuttered too. The postmaster general, meanwhile, is pushing to cut delivery from six to five days per week, a change that must be approved by Congress.
Mail volume has plunged more than 12 percent this year, meaning that the Postal Service handled some 20 billion fewer pieces of mail, the largest decline since the Great Depression. By 2010, volume is expected to fall by an additional 10 billion pieces, while the service's debt could top $13 billion. At the same time, the service is dealing with healthcare and retirement costs that postal officials insist are debilitatingly high. A law passed three years ago mandates preretirement contributions to an employee healthcare fund, payments that now amount to more than $5 billion per year.
The economic downturn is one reason for the sharp decline in mail volume. But the larger and more systemic issue is that Americans have abandoned stamps and letters in favor of online bill payments, digital advertising, and E-mail. In 2000, about 80 percent of U.S. households paid their bills through the mail. Now, 56 percent do so. The volume of advertising mail fell 20 percent in the past year. Personal letters, meanwhile, are estimated to make up only 6 percent of mail traffic.
Since 2000, the Postal Service has cut 150,000 jobs, but it's not bringing costs under control fast enough, critics charge. "The post office has to adjust, or it will go the way of the horse and buggy," Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said this month during a meeting of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service. Last month, the Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, placed the Postal Service on its high-risk list of federal offices with serious operational problems and recommended cuts in employees and capacity. But the Postal Service is a large and sluggish ship to turn. With over 600,000 employees at more than 34,000 facilities, it is the third-largest employer in the country, behind the Defense Department and Wal-Mart. Suggested cuts from postal officials include 700 facilities that could be closed or consolidated. "We simply don't need this many facilities in this day and age," Sen. Tom Carper, a Democrat from Delaware, said during the hearing.
Salaries represent 80 percent of postal costs, so facility closures will have only a modest impact, officials say. Contracts for the four major postal unions will be up for negotiation in 2010 and 2011.
Bills moving through the House and Senate could provide temporary relief by allowing the Postal Service to delay retirement contributions, but Postmaster General John Potter insists that the country needs to have a larger discussion on the future of its mail system and accept the reforms that would result. If not, he told lawmakers, the system will continue to limp along until "enough customers abandon the system to make financial failure unavoidable." Whether that moment has already passed remains to be seen.

Source:US News and World Report

75 days PLB for Railway Employees

75 days PLB for Railway Employees

The Railway employees will get 75 days

productive Linked Bonus for the year 2008-09

Independence Day Greetings

postalinfo wishes all its viewers a Happy Independence Day

Retirement age may be raised to 62 years

Retirement age of Govt.Employees

may be raised to 62 years

The government is actively considering raising the retirement age of all central government employees, including those in the armed forces, from the present 60 to 62 years. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has submitted a report to the prime minister outlining all the pros and cons of the move, including the “cascading effects” on government employment and the huge savings, at least for two years, on account of retirement payouts.If the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the prime minister find the arguments forwarded by the finance ministry credible and convincing, the announcement may come as early as August 15, as part of Manmohan Singh’s Independence Day speech.The Cabinet may discuss the matter .
Although the finance ministry is making a strong case for the move, the DoPT is taking time to make up its mind, possibly out of consideration for the 1979 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and other central services. Officers of the 1979 batch have been empanelled for promotion to the ranks of additional secretary and secretary but can take up their posts only after the present incumbents retire. If an announcement extending the retirement age comes before November, a batch of empanelled joint secretaries stand to lose their future ranks. In turn, this will also affect those who joined the central administrative services in 1980. The DoPT also says that the age profile of Indian bureaucrats, instead of becoming younger, will become older, out of tune with the rest of the world.
For the finance ministry, the gains from the move are clear. The pension payout of all armed forces personnel of the rank of Lieutenant General and equivalent who were to retire this year will be postponed by 24 months; the government will also defer by two years the liability of paying pension to more than 100,000 employees. While salaries will have to continue to be paid, this will be cheaper than paying upfront benefits like gratuity.
This is all the more important given the government’s other financial liabilities on account of stimulus spending and one drought, though the effects of the latter will kick in only in the next fiscal year. The fiscal deficit is 6.8 per cent of gross domestic product this year and a two-year lag in paying pensions will help in bridging this.
In 1998, the National Democratic Alliance government had raised the retirement age from 58 to 60, a move that benefitted 90,000 government servants and 50,000 defence personnel. At the time, the logic was: the retirement of 140,000 employees would have cost Rs 5,200 crore whereas paying salaries cost only Rs 1,493 crore.
That move came in the wake of the 5th Pay Commission report which had just been implemented by the then United Front government. In 2003, the government also right-sized the central government employee workforce by 30 per cent.
Every time the Centre announces an increase or concession on pay packages, both public-sector units and state governments follow suit. If the prime minister does decide to raise the retirement age, state governments and Public Sector Units (PSUs) will mirror this action. This has its own implications for many cash-strapped states like Punjab.
If the decision is finally taken, it will only be the third time the government will have raised the retirement age. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister to have increased the age of superannuation from 55 to 58 following the 1962 war with China. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government did it a second time in 1998.

Govt. may release 60% 6th CPC Arrear

Proposed Income Tax Rate

NEW TAX CODE

TAX DEDUCTION LIMIT ON SAVINGS TO BE HIKED to Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).
Proposed Income Tax Rates for Individuals
Up to Rs.1,60,000 Nil
From Rs.1,61,000 to Rs.10,00,000 10 Per cent (Income exceeds Rs.1,60,000)
From Rs.10,01,000 to 25,00,000 20 Per cent (Rs.84,000 + Income exceeds Rs.10,00,000)
Above Rs.25,00,000 30 Per cent (Rs.3,84,000 + Income exceeds Rs.25,00,000)
Proposed Income Tax Rates for Women-below 65 years
Up to Rs.1,90,000 Nil
From Rs.1,91,000 to Rs.10,00,000 10 Per cent (Income exceeds Rs.1,90,000)
From Rs.10,01,000 to 25,00,000 20 Per cent (Rs.81,000 + Income exceeds Rs.10,00,000)
Above Rs.25,00,000 30 Per cent (Rs.3,81,000 + Income exceeds Rs.25,00,000)
Proposed Income Tax Rates for Senior Citizens
Up to Rs.2,40,000 Nil
From Rs.2,41,000 to Rs.10,00,000 10 Per cent (Income exceeds Rs.2,40,000)
From Rs.10,01,000 to 25,00,000 20 Per cent (Rs.76,000 + Income exceeds Rs.10,00,000)
Above Rs.25,00,000 30 Per cent (Rs.3,76,000 + Income exceeds Rs.25,00,000)

Postage Stamp-in honour of Tri-Clor Designer

88 yrs on, Tricolour designer remembered

During a meeting of the Indian National Congress (INC) at Vijayawada in 1921, an Andhra Pradesh youth approached Mahatma Gandhi and showed him design of a flag. Thus was born the Tricolour. But, it was over 88 years later that the designer of the National Flag, Pingali Venkaiah, finally got his due: A commemorative postal stamp has been released in the memory of the freedom fighter.
India Post (Philately) division has honoured Venkaiah by releasing the stamp, priced at Rs 5, on the occasion of his 132nd birth anniversary. The stamp was released by Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy at a simple function held at the state Secretariat here.
“The stamp will be priced at Rs 5 while the first day cover and information brochure will be for Rs 2 each. The stamps will be available at four GPOs, including Hyderabad, Kurnool, Visakhaptanm and Vijayawada,” the Director of Postal Services, Hyderabad, M Venkateswarlu, said.
Pingali Venkaiah, who was born at Bhatlapenumarru village near Machilipatnam in Krishna district in 1876, had spent five years researching flags of over 30 countries and finally came up with the design for the National Flag in 1921. After Mahatma Gandhi approved the design, it was hoisted at all Congress sessions that followed.
In the meantime, another person, Hansraj from Jalandhar, suggested representation of ‘charkha’, symbolising progress and the common man. Gandhi amended and wanted one more addition of white strip to represent the remaining minority communities of India.
Finally, in 1931, the INC passed a resolution at its Karachi plenary and adopted the Tricolour -- saffron, green and white. The saffron colour represented courage, white for truth and peace and green for faith and prosperity. The dharma chakra, which appears on the abacus of Sarnath, the capital of emperor Ashoka, was adopted in place of spindle and string as emblem of the national flag.
After his initial education, Pingali Venkaiah worked as a railway guard and later went to Colombo to complete higher studies. After returning to India, he began research on flags and came up with his design. It was adopted with some modifications.
Source-The Tribune

Electricity Bill payment at Post Offices

Coming, power bill payment at Post Offices

CHENNAI: Electricity bills can soon be remitted in post offices in the State. In an effort to help consumers pay their power bills without any hassles, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has taken a number of measures. This include payment through Any Time Payment (ATP) machines and online remittance besides allowing consumers to pay 20 days after the assessment of the reading, effective September 1 by scrapping the present system of fixed day remittances. In the series, now comes a commercial arrangement with the postal department. The electricity board is in the final stages of negotiating a deal with India Post that will open up post offices for making electricity bill payments. According to TNEB and India Post sources, the new plan is likely to come into force by October 1. “The postal department needs to make some changes in its software to facilitate this and we hope that things will be in place in a couple of weeks,” a senior official of the EB told Express. Postal authorities said besides technological issues, those related to commercial terms also needed to be worked out. “As regards location, we have offered to work for them throughout the State, but it is left to them to take a call.” Besides tying up with India Post, the TNEB would also increase the number of ATP machines in different parts of Chennai city. Four ATP kiosks are already functioning on Anna Salai, Wallajah Road and in Sowcarpet and T Nagar and 15-20 machines are likely to be installed in a couple of months, the sources added. Currently, about 22,000 consumers use the online payment facility and around 11,000 use ATPs in Chennai. The payment through post offices plan is likely to be introduced first in Chennai closely followed by all urban, semi-urban and rural regions in Tamil Nadu. Value addition: When the EB bill payment facility is launched, it shall be a significant value-addition in the services of the postal department. Modernisation of post offices under Project Arrow, sale of gold coins and foreign exchange, proof of address cards and pack post services, rural banking in tie-up with the State Bank of India and a host of other services brought a change in the perception about the postal department. With the new power bill payment services, India Post hopes to get one step closer to the consumers.

Source:Expressbuzz

Amendment to GPF Rules

Ammendment to GPF Rules

MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBUC GRJEV ANCES AND PENSIONS
(Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare)

New Delhi, the 27th May, 2009
S.O. 1529.-In exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to article 309 and clause (5) of article 148 cfthe Constitution, and after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General ofIndia in relation to persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, the President hereby makes the following rules further to amend the General Provident Fund (Central Services) Rules, 1960, namely:-1. (1) These rules may be called the General Provident Fund (Central Services) Amendment Rules, 2009. (2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. In the General Provident Fund (Central Services) Rules, 1960, in rule 33-B, for clauses (a) and (b), the following clauses shall be substituted, namely :-
"(a) the balance at the credit of such subscriber shall not at anytime during the three years preceding the month of death have fallen below the limits of:- (i) Rs. 25,000 in the case of a subscriber holding a post in the Pay Band-2 (Rs. 9,300-34,800) or above and drawing a Grade Pay ofRs. 4,800 p.m. ormore as per Central GWiJ Service {Revised Pay) Rules, 2008; (ii) Rs. 15,000 in the case of a subscriber holding a post in the Pay Band-2 (Rs. 9,300-34,800) and drawing a Grade Pay of Rs. 4,200 p.m. or more but
less than Rs. 4,800 p.m. as per Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008; (iii) Rs. 10,000 in the case of a subscriber holding a post in the Pay Band-2, Pay Band-lor Pay Band- 1S (Rs. 4,440-7,440) and drawing a Grade Pay of Rs. 1,400 p.m. or more but less than Rs. 4,200 p.m. as per Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008; (iv) Rs. 6,000 in the case of a subscriber holding a post in the Pay Band-IS (Rs.4,440-7,440) and drawing a Grade Pay ofRs. 1,300 p.m. or more but less than Rs. 1,400 p.m. as per Central Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2008; and (b) the additional amount payable under this rule shall not exceed Rs. 60,000." Note:- Pre-revised Scheme which existed before this Notification published in the Gazette of India vide S.O. 826 dated 25th April, 1998, shall apply in cases of death of subscriber on or before the publication of this date and to whom aforesaid amended rule 33-B does not apply.

The pension regulator will lower record-keeping charges for NPS

The pension regulator will lower record-keeping charges for NPS

The pension regulator will soon lower record-keeping charges for the New Pension System (NPS) which accounts for nearly three-fourths of the yearly cost incurred by a customer. Lowering the charges, expected by this year-end, will make this retirement income scheme more attractive, particularly for small savers. The Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority (PFRDA) will achieve this by two ways: appointing more record-keeping agencies so that competition will reduce costs and mobilising more customers that will achieve economy of scale, PFRDA chairman D Swarup told ET. NPS, which is compulsory for those who joined central government service on or after January 1, 2004, was opened up to all citizens in May this year. Since then, over 1,100 have signed up for the scheme. PFRDA was set up using the government’s executive powers and now functions more or less like an arm of the government rather than as a full-fledged statutory regulator. That is because the PFRDA Bill, giving the regulator the necessary discretion, is yet to be passed by Parliament. The bill, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament in the winter session, empowers the regulator to appoint more than one record-keeping agency. The current agency, National Securities Depository Ltd, that charges Rs 350 a year for maintaining the records of a customer, was chosen because the government has a say in it by way of nominated directors and holdings through public financial institutions. The regulator will bring in more record keepers after it gets full statutory powers. Secondly, the NPS is approaching the threshold for lowering the charges based on customer subscription that is built into the pension fund regulator’s contract with NSDL. With just two state governments joining the system, the total number of beneficiaries have crossed six lakh, which also includes some central government employees and other citizens. “Twenty-one states have already agreed to join the scheme and have notified. With their contribution coming in, higher volume discounts will further lower the cost of record-keeping,” said Mr Swarup.

The regulator has also asked the government to foot the record-keeping charges of ordinary citizens signing up for the scheme, which will make it more attractive for them. The government already pays the same for central government employees who are members of NPS. Also, the government pays 1.16% of the salary of a member of the Employee Provident Fund Organisation’s pension scheme.

source-Economic Times

Fixing the Postal Service.......

Fixing the Postal Service in US

It is clear now that there will be legislation within the next year that will change the business model within which the Postal Service now operates. The fact that new legislation is needed so soon after the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) was enacted raises questions two critical questions. Did the act cause the crisis that is now focusing policy-maker's attention on the new legislation? Does the current crisis change the political environment sufficiently to allow policymakers to choose options that stakeholders were then unwilling to accept? What is driving the crisis now is a combination of the economic downturn and the requirement that the Postal Service must pre-fund its post retirement benefit. While electronic diversion creates a challenge for the Postal Service, diversion did not generate the precipitous decline in volume over the past two fiscal years.Impact of the Economic DownturnThe economic downturn for the Postal Service began when the vertical markets (e.g. industries like automotive, financial, housing, retail, etc.) began experiencing significant declines in business in 2008 and cut all forms of advertising. Advertising mail is both more economically sensitive than the rest of the Postal Service's products and its price sensitivity rises and falls depending upon the business cycle. As the economy worsened after the Lehman bankruptcy, so did the decline in advertising and the volume of mail delivered, with a particular focus on the mail deliveries to households. The economic decline exposed four key flaws in the current business model First, the current business model does not allow the Postal Service to react to changes to business conditions in as timely fashion as it must. Both the producers of mail and the Postal Service's competitors reacted significantly faster to the decline in volume and most were able to survive the downturn in shape to compete when the economic cycle turns upwards. Second, the decline in business exposed why the pricing models and historical price relationships may no longer make sense. The economic decline exposed the fact that all mail has a return on investment for the sender. Mail business can thrive when the return is sufficiently positive and both prices and costs must reflect the challenge of ensuring that the Postal Service's customer's can generate a positive return in all business conditions.Third, the business model created by the PAEA underestimated the capital needs of the Postal Service to deal with both modernization, structural changes, and the cost of adjusting plant and equipment to deal with changes in business conditions and market opportunities.Fourth, the business model created by the PAEA limits the Postal Service in a way that made it increasingly dependent on the success or failure of one product, advertising mail, and one part of the conception to delivery process, the last mile. While mail advertising, appears to have survived the downturn in better shape than broadcast advertising, not all delivery services are as bi-polar. The focus on the last mile may have prevented the Postal Service from fully participating in the vertical production consolidation that is occurring in the mail industry.Impact of Pre-funding Post Retirement BenefitsThe presentations that Postmaster General Potter made this week provided the clearest picture as to the impact that pre-funding has had on the Postal Service. Since 2007, the Postal Service has made payments to OPM of $18.3 billion. Some of the payments was funded from borrowing from the Treasury with the rest coming from cash generated by the sale of products and services. As the Postal Service's primary creditor, to whom the Postal Service must pay its obligations for debt, retiree benefit obligations, and workers compensation obligations, the Federal Government is not made any better (except possibly in an artificial budget score-keeping sense) if the Postal Service must borrow from the Treasury to pay the Office of Personnel Management for retiree benefits. The amount the Postal Service owes the Treasury does not change, only the account that the money has to paid to changes. Based on what the Senate and the House of Representatives are now discussing, and the Postal Service's projections of its borrowing needs to cover operating losses, the Postal Service now owes the Federal Government around $65 billion dollars. In requiring the Postal Service to pay its retiree benefits in the manner it did, the PAEA in effect required the Postal Service to speed up payments on obligations to its creditor. This is the equivalent to a creditor requiring faster repayments from a debtor, that the creditor was worried may not be around long enough to pay off all of its debt so it requests a faster payment schedule. Just as a creditor may not worry whether the faster payment schedule would force the debtor out of business, neither did the PAEA take into account whether the Postal Service could take the necessary actions to generate the cash necessary to speed repayment of its obligations. So the Postal Service is now faced with the equivalent of bankruptcy, insufficient assets to pay off its obligations, and insufficient cash flows to make the required payment schedules.While there is no disagreement that the Postal Service has obligations for retiree benefits, debt and workers compensation claims, the Federal Government has limited options to ensure that the obligations are paid right now. Liquidation of the Postal Service, which would be available in bankruptcy is not an option and would unlikely provide sufficient cash to cover all of the obligations. Liquidation is also not an obligation also because of the Federal Government's constitutional responsibility to provide a postal service and the untenable impact that shutting down the Postal Service would have on the American economy.In essence, the Federal Government, as a creditor, as little choice but to renegotiate the payment schedules on the Postal Service's obligations, while at the same time it must develop a business model and business plan that will allow the Postal Service to generate the cash flow that will pay some if not all of its obligations. In many ways it is in the same position as creditors of railroads were when nearly all of the railroads in the Northeast went into bankruptcy over three decades ago. The public interest required that the railroad continue to operate as long as a viable business model could be derived that will allow the creditors to be paid. Of the two most attention-getting proposals that the Postal Service has presented to cut costs, only the elimination of one day of delivery could have a substantial impact on the Postal Service's ability to remain a competitive enterprise and generate the cash necessary to pay off its obligations to the Federal Government. As the Postal Service's creditor, Congress has to think long and hard whether the short term savings is worth the risk that future loss of business would weaken the Postal Service's ability to pay its obligations to the Treasury. If it believes that the risk is too great than it must provide sufficient funds to continue the service. At the same time, it may need to give the Postal Service the opportunity and funds to streamline its operations in ways not apparent to customers. Otherwise the potential for the turnaround necessary to pay off the Treasury cannot occur. The proposals on the table appear to reflect the Congress's understanding that it is a creditor and the Postal Service is a debtor. The changes in payment schedules and increases in loan limits provide for a short-term fix until a more viable business model and comprehensive business plan is set for the Postal Service. Time is short but for those that know the mail business and the people at the Postal Service the potential for a successful solution exists.

source-courier,express..

Information on Modified ACP and GDS pay revision

Latest information on MACP and GDS pay revision
(As on 07-08-2009, weekend –Friday)

Modified ACP:
As learnt from reliable sources, the Secretary General, FNPO has contacted Directorate on 07-08-2009 and it is informed that Modified A C P orders are in the process for issue. Now the file is with JS & FA

GDS Pay revision:
It is learnt from reliable sources that the issue of Pay Revision of GDS is reported to be on the pipe line.

Source-fnpo

US Postal Service To Enter New Lines Of Business

US Postal Service To Enter New Lines Of Business

The U.S. Postal Service is seeking permission from Congress to enter new lines of business, hoping to boost revenue at a time when traditional mail volumes are posting double-digit losses, putting the Postal Service into a deep financial hole.A green light from lawmakers could allow 30,000 post offices to offer banking and insurance products, renew drivers' licenses or sell pre-paid cellular telephone service, offsetting hits from the recession and a shift to electronic bill payment."We cannot just sell stamps in those outlets," U.S. Postmaster General John Potter said at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing Thursday.While Potter stressed that the Postal Service hasn't spent a nickel exploring alternative businesses, he said it would do so if lawmakers lift a ban on non- postal business.
"I think we'd be prepared very quickly to test it," Potter told reporters after the hearing, saying, "there have been enough people knocking on our door," that the Postal Service would have plenty of options to choose from.
Sales of pre-paid cellular telephone service are one of the ideas that have been pitched, according to Potter, who declined to name the firm or firms that made the pitch.
In addition to looking for new sources of revenue, the Postal Service is aiming to cut costs and obtain short-term relief from a $5.8 billion health-care bill that comes due Sept. 30.
The postal service expects to post a loss of more than $7 billion this year and probably won't have enough cash on hand to cover the hefty pre-payment for retiree health benefits. Congress is looking to provide relief by increasing the Postal Service's borrowing authority and temporarily lowering retiree health pre-payments.
Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., chair of the Senate postal subcommittee and sponsor of a bill to ease the Postal Service's cash crunch, said he wants to give the Postal Service "breathing room" as it considers longer-term changes such as closing postal facilities and moving from six- to five-day-a-week mail delivery.
Potter testified in support of the Senate bill, saying that if Congress doesn't act in time, the Postal Service will skip some or all of the pre- payments for retiree health benefits. He expressed optimism that the Postal Service will be able to ramp up the payments in five years' time, helped in part by cost-cutting efforts.
Eliminating Saturday delivery service would save $3.3 billion a year and savings would kick in immediately, Potter told the Senate panel. Just 11% of mail is delivered on Saturday and many businesses are closed then, said Potter, making it a good choice as the Postal Service pushes to curtail carrier delivery to five days a week.
In another cost-cutting move, the Postal Service has a list of about 675 postal facilities that could be closed, chiefly in cities and suburbs. Potter played down alternatives such as a big increase in postal rates, saying that would "drive mail away," further depressing revenue.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., said lawmakers aren't happy about closing post offices or going to five-day-a-week mail delivery, but may have to accept such changes to keep the Postal Service afloat. He predicted the full Senate would likely act on the postal bill, S.1507, when it returns in September.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, supported giving short-term relief to the Postal Service but questioned whether it would be financially stable enough after five years to make the requisite retiree health fund payments. She also questioned the Postal Service plan to enter non-postal business, noting past forays "had very little success."
Phillip Herr, the Government Accountability Office's director of physical infrastructure issues, told the panel that the bill is "a short-term fix," and suggested lawmakers demand longer-term restructuring of the Postal Service that would put it on a sounder financial footing. He said the Postal Service has 50% excess capacity in mail processing facilities and suggested it use early retirement incentives to streamline its workforce and cut labor costs.
Prospects for the Senate bill could be clouded by opposition from postal labor unions, which object to a mandatory arbitration provision. Union officials testified Thursday that although they support the bill's goals, they believe the arbitration provision undercuts the collective bargaining process, and they vowed to opposed the bill unless the provision is stripped from it.

Source-nasdaq

Postal dept to launch packaging service soon

Postal dept to launch packaging service soon

RANCHI: The postal department will soon start packaging service for its customers in post offices across the state. With this the residents can have packaging of goods at the post offices before they dispatch the parcel. According to sources, the department has been working on a plan to add packaging service for its customers. The people and business houses would not have to worry about packaging their goods before getting it parcelled. Postal department would soon open counters at post offices in which packaging of the goods would be done by postal staff. Postal department would charge very nominal rate for packaging, the sources said. This would take care of the problem of packaging of goods for customers. Chief postmaster general (Jharkhand circle) R R P Singh said the launch of packaging service would definitely help in pushing up the parcel business in post offices. "The post offices in the state are being upgraded to provide value added service to customers," Singh added.

U S Postal Service Faces Gloom Of Economy

U S Postal Service Faces Gloom Of Economy

The U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday that it lost $2.4 billion between April and June. It's on track to be $7 billion in debt by the end of September.
"What has occurred with the economy is unprecedented," Postmaster General John Potter said. "It's created, obviously, a much bigger challenge than we are able to respond to in a very quick manner."
Potter is appearing before a Senate panel Thursday to talk about the financial troubles.
Lawmakers have urged the Postal Service to make hard choices. But truth be told, lawmakers, not the Postal Service, have been the ones dragging their feet.
"This is a mixed message that we're sending," Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said.
While Carper has urged the Postal Service to act like a business and come up with its own solutions, the senator won't sign on to the biggest structural change the Postal Service wants: permission to end Saturday delivery.
"I'm not sure it's something they ought to do, but it's got to be on the table," Carper said. "For a long time in this country, we delivered mail six days a week. For a lot of people, that's an important thing to do."
Eliminating Saturday delivery would still leave a sizable deficit, and other solutions would probably be necessary. For his part, Carper wants to ease a law that requires the agency to pre-pay benefits for future retirees.
Again and again, the challenge is the same. Lawmakers can seem supportive of cost-cutting measures — only less so if their constituents are affected.
At a hearing last week, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C.'s delegate to the House, slammed the Postal Service for not doing enough.
"I don't know what is pending here except collapse," Norton said. "I don't hear that there is a right-sizing plan of any kind that the Postal Service is engaged in."
Norton asked, "Are there any post offices in the District of Columbia, postal stations, under review for closing? ... That's something any member ought to be able to ask and get an answer to."
As the Postal Service navigates Congress, it has already been cutting its work force through attrition, consolidating mail routes and offering early retirements. But everyone knows that's not enough.
"Most members of Congress are in denial," said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who is chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing the Postal Service. Lynch once opposed cutting back delivery to five days.
"I don't welcome it," Lynch said. "But I don't see any other options out there in terms of the ability to bring down costs."
Plenty of lawmakers say, however, that they will stand in the Postal Service's way.
"I am on my 14th annual farm tour," Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) said. "There's no doubt that the decision makers at the Postal Service — I don't believe they have any clue of what it's like in small-town America."
Emerson added that plenty of senior citizens in Missouri don't have their checks direct-deposited. And if their Social Security checks are available on a Saturday, they want them delivered on Saturday.

Source-npr

India Post stops MF distribution

India Post stops MF distribution

MUMBAI: The ban on entry load on mutual funds (MFs) has struck its first blow to the asset management industry, with the government-run India Post stopping the distribution of MF schemes through its designated post offices. India Post — a 'national distributor' in the real sense, thanks to its expansive distribution channel covering over 210 post offices — has informed mutual funds (with which India Post has exclusive tie-ups) that it will not sell schemes until there is clarity on distribution commission. "We will not sell mutual funds until we get some clarity on entry load. We'll see how the issue unfolds over the next few weeks. The final decision will depend on how Sebi settles the issue without really hurting the distributor,"a senior official at India Post told ET. A circular sent to the heads of concerned postal circles states that: "in view of Sebi guidelines, empowering investors through transparency in payment of commission and load structure which will come into force on August 1, it has been decided to suspend the retailing of MF products on all MF companies with effect from August 1." But the department will distribute Franklin Templeton's Build India Fund as "it will get commission as per the existing terms (referring to the earlier commission structure) and conditions for retailing the NFO,"the circular added. India Post sells schemes of Principal MF, SBI, UTI, Franklin Templeton and Reliance Mutual Fund through designated post offices in India. According to the official, India Post has sold mutual fund schemes worth Rs 150 crore last fiscal. Ballpark estimates suggest that the postal behemoth would have earned anywhere between Rs 5 crore and Rs 10 crore on it, including upfront and trail commissions. India Post started distributing mutual funds in 2001, first by signing an exclusive tie-up with IDBI-Principal. The India Post website says the department has stationed one AMFI qualified personnel at every designated post office to sell mutual funds. "We've not yet received any official communication regarding it. But if it is true, the long-term impact is going to be very drastic. India Post — though not much of a big contributor to AUMs currently — has all that it takes to be a big rural distributor in future,"said the channel head of bank-promoted fund house. India Post's decision to stop fund distribution stems from the recent Sebi ban on entry loads in mutual funds. According to the new rules, investors now have the freedom to directly negotiate on the fee that they pay for the services of distributors, or brokers, during the purchase of mutual fund schemes. Industry watchers are concerned that many more distributors may stop selling mutual fund products because of unviable profit margins. Though not officially confirmed, Bajaj Allianz Financial Distributors, the third joint venture business between Bajaj Finserv and Allianz SE, is seriously considering to shut operations soon. The Pune-headquartered distribution company has a presence in over 30 locations, and has exclusive tie-ups with fund houses such as Fidelity MF, Principal MF and Taurus Mutual.

source-Economic Times

HSG-II Posts are classified as Group-B cadre

The Department of Posts, India has issued orders regarding classification of HSG-II posts carrying Grade Pay Rs 4200/- as Group-B cadre.

America needs a smaller Postal Service!

America needs a smaller Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service is considering closing hundreds of post offices, including five around Roanoke. A place remains in America for snail mail, but the service is wise to slim its operations.
If you stop to think about it, the mail is almost magical. Anyone can affix a stamp that costs less than a soda to an envelope, drop it into a blue box on the corner and expect it to arrive at its destination across the country, even across the world, in just a few days.
New magics, however, have overtaken it. More people use the Internet and cellphones to keep in touch. Fewer people subscribe to magazines. They pay their bills online. And the recession has hammered direct marketing. The postal service delivers less mail than it did just a few years ago, and that has left gaping holes in its budget.
Indeed, the numbers have dropped precipitously just since last year.
First class mail, which includes most letters and bills citizens send, were off 7.8 percent in the second quarter of 2009 compared to 2008. On the plus side for citizens, if not postal revenue, standard mail, which includes most junk mail, fell even more dramatically, down 19 percent year-to-year.
There is still plenty of mail to deliver, though. Mail carriers handled 91.7 million pieces of first class mail last year. Some people do not have good Internet access; some prefer the permanency of paper.
The smaller market needs only a streamlined postal service. Fewer post offices will help, and the closures under consideration seem mostly logical. Roanoke could get by with fewer than 11 post offices in and around the city.
The only local office on the possible cut list we dispute is the one downtown on Church Avenue. Closure should not be an option for the office that serves downtown businesses and workers. Maybe delivery could be routed through another office, but drop-off services and sales should remain there.
Perhaps someday postal mail will become obsolete. That day has not yet arrived.

Source-Roanoke.com

U S Postal Service reviewing closure of Post Offices

U S Postal Service reviewing

closure of 1000 Post Offices

The U.S. Postal Service wants to study roughly 1,000 post offices for possible closure - the latest cost-cutting step from an agency that is scrambling to deal with a projected $7 billion deficit this year and larger losses in 2010.
The agency started its review earlier this year with approximately 3,200 post offices, and decided about 1,000 of them are “candidates for further review.” Postal managers say they will consider several factors in deciding whether to close those facilities: mail volume, proximity to other post offices, and the potential savings in labor and utility costs.
Post offices only generate about 71 percent of the Postal Service’s revenues each year; the rest comes through alternative channels, particularly the Postal Service’s Web site.
“Each year more and more postal transactions are now accomplished online,” said Jordan Small, the Postal Service’s acting vice president for network operations. “We consider this a success… [but we need] to determine if there is, indeed, excess capacity in the network.”
The post office review is one recommendation from the Government Accountability Office, which added the Postal Service to its high-risk list last week. GAO analysts say they are deeply concerned about the agency’s finances. Postal officials say they will probably post another $7 billion deficit next year - even after slashing $8 billion in costs.
“The Postal Service urgently needs to restructure,” said Phillip Herr, the GAO’s director of physical infrastructure issues. “With regards to delivery operations, the Postal Service has more than 350,000 carriers, and delivery services represent the largest cost segment.”

source: Federal News

CBI nabs Postal Dept officer for Rs 1 cr fraud

CBI nabs Postal Dept officer for Rs 1 cr fraud

The CBI arrested a postal department official from Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh on charge of ‘fraudulently’ withdrawing funds to the tune of over Rs one crore deposited under different postal savings schemes. According to CBI sources, Venu Madhav Chittempalli, a sub-post master at Godavarikhani in Karimnagar district allegedly committed the fraud through fabrication of documents of various schemes that come under Postal Savings Schemes and withdrew over Rs 90 lakh. "The accused postal official was indulged in the fraud since 2005, but the matter came to light few months ago when a woman depositor approached the post office seeking withdrawal of her deposited amount after its maturity period and found that the amount had already been withdrawn," a CBI officer told PTI. The Department of Posts had begun an internal enquiry into the matter after which Chittempalli went absconding, due to which the Postal Department even could not issue him suspension orders, the sources said adding after that they filed a complaint with CBI, which booked a case on June 30.

Source-Indian Express

Many Post Offices may be closed in USA

Post Offices may be closed

A number of post offices around the country may close if the government gives its stamp of approval. The Washington Post is reporting the Postal Service plans a national restructuring as it faces a projected decline of 28 billion pieces of mail in the 2009 fiscal year. Postal officials blame the decline on a major shift in customer mailing practices, including increased reliance on e-mail and paying bills online. The local facilities were on a national list of 677 "candidates for closing," which was "pared down" from more than 3,200 facilities more than a month ago.

Source-Washington Post

Postal dept to ensure timely delivery of rakhis

Postal dept to ensure timely delivery of rakhis

KANPUR: Come August and the postal department has to ready itself for a task every year which involves emotional bonds: The task of strengthening the bond between a brother and sister with the delivery of rakhi on Rakshabandhan. And considering the sentiments of the individuals associated with rakhi, the department has made special arrangements for speedy and timely delivery of rakhi mails across the country. With this, the department has also come up with designer rakhi envelopes to make the bond stronger. Though, e-rakhis are a craze these days, but sending rakhis via post has its own charm. "In comparison to last year where 35,000 rakhis were delivered in 2008, this year more than 25,000 rakhis have been dispatched till date and we are hopeful that the number of rakhi mails would be quite high in the last two days," says Krishna Kumar Yadav, chief postmaster, GPO. In order to avoid any mismanagement in rakhi posts, the department has separated rakhi mails from the ordinary mails. For the sake of convenience of the customers coming to the post office, 30 baskets have been arranged for different cities with the names of the places on them so that one should directly keep their postal packets in the respective baskets. Postal department has even made special preparations to carry the rakhi-packets having necessary ritual items to the distant places where the army jawans are posted. Interestingly, especially designed rakhi envelopes are available for sale at Post Office. "Keeping up with the time, this year we have designer and water-proof envelopes in five different attractive designs so as to make the recipient happier. These colourful envelopes cost somewhere between Rs 5 and Rs 10 along with stamp," says the chief postmaster. "All the rakhi mails would be delivered to the respective post offices by Wednesday morning after filtering the mails during the intervening night, so as to ensure their delivery by 11.00am on Wednesday morning," he added

source-The Times of India

Special Covers/Letter Boxes for Raakhi mails

Special letter boxes to speed up Raakhi mail

The festival of Raakhi is on August 5. The people are busy sending Raakhis to their brothers living at distant places either by courier or by post. The Department of Posts has also done its bit to ensure that the sacred thread reaches its destination in time. Special letter boxes have been installed at various points in the city where you can drop your Raakhi envelopes.
According to an officer of the Postal Department, "We have installed these letter boxes at Millar-Ganj, Focal Point, General Post Office, Model Town, Rajguru Nagar and at PAU Post Office. This will facilitate in quick sorting out of the Raakhi special dak and that too without any damage."
Another employee said, "If there are about 100 Raakhi special envelopes to be sent to a particular city, these will be sent in a separate bag. This will further help in quick delivery of Raakhi special envelopes."
The department is also providing Raakhi special water-proof envelopes at all the post offices. The cost of these envelopes is Rs 5 each. These envelopes are water-proof as well as tear proof. An officer of the department said, "These envelopes, which are coloured, have been prepared especially keeping in view the rainy season."
Meanwhile, the city shops have been also been decked up with beautiful coloured Raakhis made up of silken and cotton threads and decorated with different materials. Like every year, this year also different cartoon characters can be seen on Raakhis of the children.

Source-The Times of India