“Forward ever, backward never: onwards with Breaking Through”

22-04-2015

1. Postal department will train its staff to meet challenges of e-world:


In a move to strengthen postal services in the country, Indian postal department will set up six additional Postal Training Centers (PTCs) in the country. 
To ensure committed and efficient employees, the department is mulling over setting up additional training centers under the 12th Five Year Plan, said S K Sinha, member of human resources development, Postal Services Board. 


Delivering the keynote address of golden jubilee celebrations of PTC (Mysore) here on Monday, he said that the proposed centers will impart training in recent technologies and enable employees meet present-day challenges. 


Commitment from employees is much required to meet the challenges, he said, adding that training would play an important role in changing the attitude of employees. 
The department is also planning to impart training among group A and B employees to make them efficient, he added. Since 1980s, the nature of business has changed, he pointed. 
He also lauded PTC (Mysore) for its training programmes and other activities. Ever since its inception on April 20, 1965, the centre has trained 1,16,590 employees in various courses. It follows Universal Postal Union Train Post Methodology to train the employees. PTC (Mysore) has been catering to the needs of the postal circles of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. 
Chief postmaster general (Karnataka circle) M S Ramanujan said that the department is gearing up (to meet the challenges), but it takes some time to absorb recent technologies and services. He said that e-commerce business needs the help of post department, and "it is certain they will come to us". e-commerce is the new baby of the department, and it will nourish the baby, he said, asking employees to be sensitive in handling e-commerce services. 
On the occasion, former directors of PTC were felicitated and a special cover on PTC (Mysuru), picture post cards on the wood works of PTC and a sovereign were unveiled. PTC (Mysuru) director D Veena Kumari presented a report on the journey of PTC.

 2. General Provident Fund Interest Rate 8.7%  

Government Decides to Fix Interest Rates at 8.7% for General Provident Fund(GPF) and other Similar Funds Including Special Deposit Scheme, 1975(SDS,1975) for Non-Government Provident, Superannuation and Gratuity Funds for the Financial Year 2015-16.

It was decided by the Government to link the interest rates of State PFs (General Provident Fund and other similar funds) including Special Deposit Scheme, 1975 (SDS, 1975) for Non-Government Provident, Superannuation and Gratuity Funds for the FY 2015-16 to Public Provident Fund (PPF) rates. In pursuance of that decision, the Government has decided to fix the rates 8.7% per annum applicable to the following:-
· The General Provident Fund (Central Services).
· The Contributory Provident Fund (India).
· The All India Service Provident Fund.
· The State Railway Provident Fund.
· The General Provident Fund (Defence Services).
· The Indian Ordnance Provident Fund.
· The Indian Ordnance Factories Workmen’s Provident Fund.
· The Indian Naval Dockyard Workmen’s Provident Fund.
· The Defence Services Officers Provident Fund.
· The Armed Forces Personnel Provident Fund.

The rate of interest is applicable to the above funds w.e.f. 1st April, 2015 and until further orders.

Recently, the Government had kept the interest rates for PPF and other Small Savings Schemes intact. However, interest rates for 5 year Senior citizen Saving Scheme and Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme have been increased from 9.2 to 9.3% and 9.1 to 9.2% respectively, keeping in view the commitment of the Government towards the welfare of the girl child and the senior citizens.

Source: PIB News

3. Special concessions to Central Government Employees working in Kashmir Valley in attached/subordinate offices or PSUs falling
under the control of Central Government.

Personnel Ministry has announced special concessions to the Central Govt Employees working in Kashmir Valley. The OM is reproduced here.
No. 18016/3/2011-Estt.(L) Government of India Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) 
***
New Delhi, the 20th April, 2015.
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject:- Special concessions to Central Government Employees working in Kashmir Valley in attached/subordinate offices or PSUs falling under the control of Central Government.
The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department’s O.M. No.
18016/3/201l-Estt.(L) dated 27th February, 2014 on the subject mentioned above and to state that it has been ·decided by the competent authority to extend the package of concessions/incentives to Central Government employees working in Kashmir Valley for a further period of two years w.e.f. 01.01.2014. The package of special incentives for the year 2014 will continue to be the same as in 2013 and the package from 01.01.2015 to 31.12.2015 has been revised. The package for two years is as per Annexure.
2. The package of incentives is uniformly applicable to all Ministries/ Departments and PSUs under the Government of India and they should ensure strict adherence to the rates prescribed in the package. The concerned Ministry/Department may ensure implementation and monitoring of the package in conformity with the approved package, and therefore, all Court cases in which verdicts are given contrary to the package would have to be contested by the Ministries/Departments concerned.
(Mukul Ratra)
Director