Wednesday 31 December 2014

Introduction of Biometric Attendance System on Indian Railways



Introduction of Biometric Attendance System on Indian Railways


As per the decision of Central Government on the newly introudction in attendance of its employees, the detailed DOPT order is enclosed here with. 





Biometric Attendance System has to be implemented on Indian Railways by 26th January, 2015. An Aadbar based Biometric Attendance System has already been successfully put in place at the Railway Board office and it has been decided to replicate the same on Zonal Railways in a phased manner.



Click here to read continue...

Temporary allotment of GPRA for marriage, Scoial Purpose - Directorate of Estates Orders



Temporary allotment of GPRA for marriage, Scoial Purpose - Directorate of Estates Orders





Consolidated instructions for temporary allotment of general pool residential accommodation for marriage/social purposes. In order to consolidate the extant instructions and streamline the procedure for temporary allotment of general pool residential accommodation for marriage/social purposes shall be governed by the following norms...






Click here to read continue...

Transfer Guidelines for LDC posted in Regional Offices under the administrative control of Directorate of Estates



Transfer Guidelines for Lower Division Clerks posted in Regional Offices under the administrative control of Directorate of Estates.





Directorate of Estates has eight (8) regional offices under its administrative control at different places i.e. Kolkata, Shimla, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Nagpur & Chennai. So far there is no any guidelines for transfer from one office to another regional office. Now, the Ministry has decided to issue the frame of gudelines for transfer...





Click here to read continue...

Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) – November, 2014



Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) – November, 2014






G.I., MoL&E., Press Release No. 5/1/2014- CPI, dated 31.12.2014




Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) – November, 2014





The All-India CPI-IW for November, 2014 remained stationary at 253 (two hundred and fifty three). On 1-month percentage change, it remained static between October, 2014 and November, 2014 when compared with the rise of 0.83 per cent between the same two months a year ago.






Click here to read continue...

Happy New Year 2015

"But in Malaysia, a sombre mood prevailed after the crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 carrying 162 people in Indonesia and flooding in the country's northeast which has displaced almost 250,000 people.

Year-end countdown celebrations have been cancelled, with many companies instead launching fundraising campaigns for flood victims."


- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/sydney-spectacular-leads-global-new-year-celebrations#sthash.K2XGj56x.dpuf

Happy Silvester

It's 31 December, a day called Silvester in Germany.  Apparently this is something to do with some dead bloke in a dress who lived in Rome, but I prefer the alternative explanation that it's named after a kick-ass cat who tried to do us all a service by dishing up that annoying little Tweety Bird thing for supper.

Happy Silvester!

Anyway,  I'm in Manchester with Ste for New Year, have eaten enough food the past couple of weeks to last me somewhere into April, have no intention of moving more than 1.5 metres in any direction today, and so thought I'd do a quick round up of events since my Iceland trip at the beginning of November.

Life Without Twitter

This is a bit of an odd thing to say, but I'm actually really enjoying life without Twitter.  I found it a bit hard at first, it having become so much part of my routine.  It was always the first thing I'd look at in the morning, and I hadn't realised quite how much time I was devoting to responding to mentions and trying (and generally failing) to come up with interesting or amusing things to photograph or tweet.  Not being on it left a bit of a void initially, but now I find it really quite liberating to wake up to a phone with no notifications showing.  It's quieter, calmer and I'm enjoying it.

Pre-Christmas

Last year Ste was in China, so I decided not to bother with Christmas.  No tree, no presents, no stuffing myself, no mindless commercialisation.  I just wanted a year off from it all.  Ahhhh that was nice, and just as I hoped, that break meant I was genuinely in the mood for it this year.  Ste came to Suffolk in mid December and I'd gone the whole hog, getting the cottage ready.



Advent is always the nicest time I think: the lead up to Christmas when I like lots of candles in the house, it smells of tree, and its all very gemütlich.  I bought new decorations, ordered an advent ring from Germany, had a wreath on the front door, put lights in the window, and we did loads of baking and snuggly pre-Christmas things.

Advent rings remind me of Weihnachten from my Kindheit

Pride of place on the tree incidentally went to my ace ceramic collie decoration sent all the way from Kansas by Lisa (CrazyMom from Twitter) - thank you so much, I *love* it! If you look closely you'' see he's holding a string of Christmas baubles in his snout.  N'aww.


Germany Trip

The weekend before Christmas we drove off to Germany to visit my family.  It was Ste's first time meeting them and they all made him so amazingly welcome.  He was all nervous about not speaking German, but it's amazing how easy it is to simultaneously translate blocks of conversation.  We're well used to it, as my Dad's competence in the language stretched pretty much only to ordering beer.  I'll admit that's not a bad basic skill to have, all things considered though.

My great aunt, Tante Frieda, is 93 next year and is the only one of the relatives left who remembers anything of West Prussia, where the family is originally from.  She is in amazing shape, walks bolt upright, loves working in the garden, can still speak fluent Polish, and looks completely after herself.  She only gave up cycling when she was 86.  On 19 January 2015 it's the 70th anniversary of the day the family had to leave their farm and all their possessions behind and had to flee for their lives on a horse and cart, as the Red Army swept across Central Europe.  The story of her sister, my grandmother, is here, if you haven't read it before. 

Tante Frieda's 90th back in 2012


It meant so much to me that Ste has got to meet her - though truthfully if anyone in the family is going to reach 100 it will be her.  She even baked especially for Ste's arrival, which was just gorgeous.

As well as meeting the family, we visited the Christmas Market in Münster and our friend, the lovely @Amwii (Anne Marie) from Holland drove over for the night and we got suitably trashed on a mixture of schnapps, wine and beer.  Ste somehow managed to have a quite long conversation with the chef of the Chinese restaurant we ate in, which is impressive given he was speaking Mandarin and the other guy was speaking Cantonese.  It's amazing what five glasses of Schnapps can do really.

圣诞快乐!好朋友,好吃的东西,好酒!
We had baked a collection of cinnamon and shortbread cookies for Amwii and brought them with us.  Our pride and joy was this Lederhosen wearing teddy, created especially for her.  She asked if he was wearing nappies and is therefore now officially dead to us.

A Lederhosen Bear. OBVIOUSLY.

Brick Farm

From Germany we came back to Suffolk for a Christmas party at Yaxley Hall for the 45 people we've been employing at our farm over the past year.  Things are moving on apace and they'd been working flat out to meet a deadline on 22 December for our last valuation before we begin sales from Easter onwards.  We're on time, on budget and on plan with our Grand Design to create our beautiful 43 bedroom luxury, organic, countryside, holiday spa retreat.  Take that, Kevin McCloud. 


Brick Farm

Our holding website has been updated with some images and text giving an outline of what we're doing if you're interested: www.brickfarm.co.uk.  The solid oak framed Great Barn, which will house a double-height clubroom, spa wing with gym, sauna, hammam, dip pool, and a further wing with private cinema, private dining, billiard room, bar and kitchen, is now all watertight and ready for its interior fit-out.  2015 is going to be a big year for the farm and it's a great position for us to be kicking off from.

One of our barns inside. View from the bedroom.

Christmas 2014

Christmas was spent with Ste's family in Liverpool.  Momma Ste is an absolute star and produced the most delicious food throughout, including a special veggie roast for me on the 25th.  Given she has four foster children, as well as Ste and his brother to take care of, this was seriously no mean feat.  We played loads of board games, drank too much, ate too much, and it was all just wonderful.  Thank you so much all of the McCormick family for my first Christmas with you.  It was a delight.

Hmm. The raised wine glass is a bit of a theme.

Puppy Search

2014 was of course a sad year for me in terms of losing my beloved Oscar.  We have been looking pretty much non-stop since August for a new baby collie, but there are so few around it's been quite a task.  A couple of days ago we drove down to Lincolnshire and met this beauty.  He's distantly related to Oscar, both of the dad and mum's side, and his dad in fact looks the spitting image of Oscar. 

5 Week Old Fluff Ball
He's a blue merle rough collie, which is what we were looking for, and has absolutely beautiful markings.  Essentially think of a silver blue/grey version of Oscar, and that's him.  All of the dogs at the breeder were extremely friendly and happy, which obviously bodes well for his temperament.  Only his mum, Boo, was a bit grumpy, but given she had 9 puppies and is working overtime to be protective of them, I think that's fair enough.

Will he be ours...?
Before we get too attached to him though, the dad's owner has first option on either him or his sister and we don't know which one he's going for yet.  If he goes for the sister, this boy is ours at the end of January.  He will be called Hector. 

If he falls through, we may have the option of a puppy from Oscar's dad's breeder at the end of February.  We don't know the colours yet, but a Blue from there will also be called Hector; a Tricolour (like Oscar) will be called Leopold, and a Sable/white will be Florian.  As you can see we've gone for real working class hero names.  Kinda.  Either way, it looks as though our search is finally closing in.  Watch this space for updates...

New Year 2015

Despite enjoying my life being quieter without Twitter, I do miss contact with many of you.  I hope you have a fantastic time this evening, whatever you are up to, and wish you all the very best for 2015.  I'm looking forward hugely to the coming year, and hope it brings you everything you hope for. 

With love

Peter






Sunday 28 December 2014

Removal of Difficulties in Declaration of assets by Public Servants under Lokpal



Declaration of assets by Public Servants under Lokpal: Removal of Difficulties Order Notification by DoPT





MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS


(Department of Personnel and Training)


ORDER


New Delhi, the 26th December, 2014





S.O. 3272(E).- Whereas the Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of


section 62 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (1 of 2014) (hereinafter referred to as the said Act), made the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the said Order) with effect from the 15th February. 2014 for the purpose of carrying out modifications and amendments in all existing rules regulating the filing of property returns and making of declaration of assets by public servants so as to bring them in conformity with the provisions of the said Act. within a period not exceeding one hundred and eighty days from the date on which the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 came into force, i.e., the 16th January, 2014;








And whereas, the central Government initiated the process of modifications and amendments of all existing rules dealing with the subject matter of filing of annual returns and making of declaration of assets by public servants in consultation with various authorities, such as, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Election Commission, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the Ministry of Law and Justice (Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department), the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Public Enterprises and the State Governments;





And whereas, the comments and suggestions received from above said authorities had been under consideration of the Central Government and the completion of the procedure of finalising the rules under the said Act was likely to take some more time and the process of harmonisation of the existing rules with the provisions of the said Act and the rules made thereunder was taking time beyond the period notified under the said Order, and, therefore, the Central  Government amended the said Order on 14th July, 2014, extending the said period of one hundred and eighty days to a period of two hundred and seventy days;





And whereas, the Central Government, after consulting the Ministries/Departments. including the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Public Enterprises, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, made the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clause (k) and clause (l) of sub-section (2) of section 59 read with section 44 and section 45 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, and notified the said rules on 14th July, 2014, prescribing therein the forms in which information and annual returns are to be filed by every public servant;





And whereas, the Central Government forwarded the Copies of the notification containing the said rules to all Ministries and Departments of the Central Government requesting them to take the follow-up action in terms of the said rules. and for ensuring compliance with the said rules by all officers and staff in the respective Ministries, Departments and organisations and public sector undertakings under their control;





And whereas. the Central Government also forwarded the copies of the notification containing the said rules to the Chief Secretaries of all State Governments and Union territories, requesting them to take the follow-up action in terms of the said rules requiring all officers of the All India Services working in connection with the affairs of the State Governments and the officers and staff working in various organisations and public sector undertakings under their control so as to ensure due compliance with the said rules by all of them;





And whereas, concerns and apprehensions were raised by some Ministries and Departments, Organisations and individuals about the posting of every information provided by the public servant on public domain and the complexities involved in posting such details in the prescribed formats and also about exacerbation of vulnerabilities of the public servants after filing such details. specifically of movable property and their publication on the websites of respective Ministries and Departments giving rise to the apprehension of the safety and security of the members particularly children of the public servant;





And whereas, keeping in view the genuine concerns and apprehensions aforesaid, the Central Government constituted a Committee on 28th August, 2014 to simplify the forms and the process in which public servants shall make declaration of assets and liabilities as required under the said Act and the rules made thereunder and the Committee was required to examine the forms prescribed under the said rules and suggest changes therein as may be considered necessary within a period of forty-five days;





And whereas, the exercise of reviewing the existing rules relating to various services and posts with the provisions of the said Act and the rules made thereunder, the process of completion of follow-up action by various Ministries and Departments of the Central Government and the State Governments and the exercise of simplification of forms and the process in which public servants shall make declarations of assets and liabilities, was likely to take time beyond the period of two hundred and seventy days as specified in the said Order (as amended by the Order, dated 14th July, 2014), it had become necessary to extend the said period of two hundred and seventy days and, accordingly, the Central Government amended the said Order on 8th September, 2014. extending the said period of two hundred and seventy days to a period of three hundred and sixty days for the purposes of section 44 of the said Act;





And whereas, the Committee constituted by the Central Government on 28th August, 2014 to simplify the farms and the process in which public servants shall make declaration of assets and liabilities as required under the said Act and the rules made thereunder, submitted its first Report to the Government on 1st October, 2014, wherein the Committee suggested simplification of form prescribed for submission of statement regarding movable assets and the form prescribed for submission of statement regarding debts and liabilities by public servants, under the aforesaid rules;





And whereas, the processing of necessary amendments to the aforesaid rules so as to incorporate the revised forms for filing statement regarding movable properties and the statement regarding debts and liabilities and the circulation of the revised formats, after their due notification in the Official Gazette, to all Ministries and Departments of the Central Government and the Chief Secretaries of all State Governments and Union territory administrations and the further process of follow-up action in terms of the said rules requiring all officers of the All India Services working in a connection with the affairs of the State Governments and the Offices and Staff working in various Organisations and Public Sector Undertakings under their control so as to ensure due compliance with the revised rules by all of them, is a time consuming process and as such the said process cannot be completed within the limit of three hundred and sixty days as contemplated in the principal order as amended by the order dated 8th September, 2014;





And whereas, Central Government has decided to amend the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, to address various deficiencies noticed in the said Act and, in that context, a need has also been felt to amend the provisions of section 44 of the said Act so as to harmonise the provisions of the said section with the relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and rules framed thereunder, the All India Services Act, 1951 and rules framed thereunder, the rules framed by the Central Government in pursuance of article 148 and article 309 of the Constitution and also various statutes setting up autonomous bodies and Public Sector Undertakings and the rules framed thereunder; 





And whereas, the introduction of a Bill to amend the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, and its passing by Parliament and enforcement is also likely to take time; and hence it has become necessary to extend the said period of three hundred and sixty days to a period of eighteen months and the Central Government has accordingly decided to extend the period to complete this process;





New. therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 62 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (l of 2014). the Central Government hereby makes the following amendment further to amend the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014, namely-





In the said Order, in paragraph 2, in sub-paragraph (1), for the words “within a period not exceeding three hundred and sixty days”, the words “within a period not exceeding eighteen months” shall be substituted.





[R No. 407/ 12/2014-AVD-1V(B) l]


JlSHNU BARUA, Jt. Secy.





Note : The Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2014 was published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary, vide notification number 8.0. 409(E), dated 15th February, 2014 and amended by Order, dated 14th July, 2014 published vide notification number 8.0. 1840(E) dated lSth July, 2014; and by Order dated 8th September. 2014 published vide notification number 8.0. 225605) dated 81h September, 2014.





Source:www.persmin.gov.in


Grant of Special Allowance @ Rs.1000/-p.m. to staff of Cash & Pay Department (Senior Cashier/Head Shroff)



Grant of Special Allowance @ Rs.1000/-p.m. to staff of Cash & Pay Department (Senior Cashier/Head Shroff)





GOVERNMENT OF INDIA


MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS


RAILWAY BOARD


RBE No. 144/2014.


No. E(P&A)I-2011/SP-1/AC-1


New Delhi, dated 16.12.2014.


The General Managers,


All Indian Railways and Production Units.





Sub: Grant of Special Allowance @ Rs.1000/-p.m. to staff of Cash & Pay Department (Senior Cashier/Head Shroff) on their posting as Accounts Stock Verifiers in GP Rs. 4200/- on passing Appendix IV -A (IREM) Examination.






Click here to read continue...

Residency period for promotion - Railway Board Orders


Residency period for promotion - Railway Board Orders




GOVERNMENT OF INDIA


MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS


(RAILWAY BOARD)


NO.E(NG)I-2014/PM7/5


New Delhi, dated:10.11.2014

The General Manager(P)

North Western Railway,

Jaipur



(Kind attn: Shri Karan Singh. CPO)




Sub: Residency period for promotion from Goods Driver to Sr. Goods Driver, Passenger Driver to Sr. Passenger Driver, Goods Guard to Sr. Goods Guard and Passenger Guard to Sr. Passenger Guard.





Ref: (i) Railway Boards letter No.E(NG)I-94/PM1/9 dated 02.09.1994


(ii) Railway Board's letter No.E(NG)I-2004/PM7/16 dated 22.03.2005





This bears reference to North Western Railway’s D.O. letter No.875/E/O/Selection dated 03.09.2014 and letter No.655ई/ मैक्नी/ टैक्नी/ जोधपुर मंडल भाग.1/उपरे dated 21.10.2014, wide which the. issue of promotion from Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) to Sr. Assistant Loco Pilot, without observing two years residency period can be made or otherwise, has been raised.






Click here to read continue...

Change in date of birth/age of family pensioners for payment of additional pension



Change in date of birth/age of family pensioners for payment of additional pension.





No. 1(11)/2009-D (Pen/Pol)


Government of India


Ministry of Defence


Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare


New Delhi – 110011


Dated : 23rd December 2014


To


The Chief of the Army Staff


The Chief of the Naval Staff


The Chief of the Air Staff





Subject: Change in date of birth/age of family pensioners for payment of additional pension.





Sir,


In accordance with the instructions issued vide GOI, MOD letter no. 17(4)/2008(1)-D (Pen/Policy) dated 11.11.2008 and GOI, MOD letter No. 1(11)/2009-D (Pen/Policy) dated 18th Aug 2009, additional pension/ family pension is allowed on the basis of the date of birth/age recorded in the Pension Payment Order/Discharge Certificate or other office records. Only in cases where the details regarding date of birth/age are not available in the PPO/Discharge Certificate or Office records, additional pension/family pension to old pensioners/family pensioners has been allowed on the basis of following documents :-






Click here to read continue...

Friday 26 December 2014

Fresca Mexican Restaurant @ Avenue K

Fresca Mexican and Grill recently opened in Avenue K and it is located conveniently at the side entrance of the mall. It is connected to Dolly Dim Sum, which is a halal dim sum restaurant and I have been patronising it a couple of times because finally, there is a place to have dim sum for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will write about Dolly Dim Sum on the next post.

My family and I decided to try Fresca as our Christmas lunch. Given that Dolly Dim Sum's quality was good, we had hope for Fresca too :)

Mum and I were famish upon arrival that we just grabbed the menu and started ordering. 

What we had:
Nachos Grande- 

It was so delicious because they were generous with the amount of melted cheese and warm nachos! It was much more satisfying eating it here than in Chillis and TGIF.

Mixed chicken and beef Fajitas -

It came with three pieces of fajitas wrap which I think was not enough. They should have given 5 pieces instead. Nevertheless, the chicken and beef was tender, juicy and tasty.

Alambre - Grilled beef tacos -

Tacos is always a must when eating at a Mexican restaurant. I had my first taco from Taco bell when I was in USA and I had another taco dish recently at Sunrise Tacos in Bangkok. Sunrise Tacos was amazing with their crispy corn tacos. The tacos in Fresca were soft and not the crispy kind. I prefer the crispy ones. Beef, I would stick to beef fajitas :)

We finished those three dishes before my brother and girlfriend arrived as we were so hungry. Second round of orders were necessary:

Beef Fajitas - My parents and I loved Fresca's beef fajitas so we recommended my brother to get that. True enough, he loved it but again, the dish could come with about five pieces of the fajitas wrap instead of just three pieces. I know there is an option to order more pieces but five pieces on the first order would have made the meal 100% satisfying.

Chicken Quesadilla - 

Another favourite dish to order in a Mexican restaurant. This was pretty good because there was enough cheese and the entire meal fit together really well. 

Churros with chocolate -

 We are still on the lookout for amazing churros we had in Disneyland USA! Unfortunately, the churros in Fresca did not make the cut. It was the oily kind like 'you tiao'. But dipping with the chocolate sauce helps give the sweetness. 

All in all, the food is good. I would go back for the Nachos Grande and Beef Fajitas. I would also try the burritos next time :)




La Risata @ Ampang

A nice, cosy restaurant I went to called La Risata, located near the Ampang Lake. Its an Italian restaurant. The ambience was very nice for a night out with friends and family. I liked that the restaurant was brightly littled and the ceiling was high so it didnt feel too stuffy or crowded. 


Opening hours for dinner was 6.30pm. I was there at 6.30pm and most of the tables were reserved already. Reservations were necessary. By the time it was 7.30pm, the crowd came and all the restaurant was full before I knew it. This was how popular La Risata was and It has been around for quite awhile.


Pizzas were one of their specialty. I was torned between their Christmas specials, pizza or pasta. In the end, I caved in on their lobster spaghetti, which was a bit too salty to my liking and the speaghetti was a tad soggy. I personally preferred the spaghetti at The Loaf, Pavillion.


For starters, we had garlic bruschetta. It lacked the strong garlic flavour.


Tiramisu to end the night. Not too bad.


I wouldn't go back there to try the same dishes. But I would return to try their pizza and meat dishes.


Monday 22 December 2014

Expected AICPIN for Nov 2014 – Will the AICPIN rise?











Expected AICPIN for Nov 2014 – Will the AICPIN rise?





It looks as if there is scarcely any curiosity among Central Government employees to know about the next DA hike percentage. With just about everybody trying to predict the percentage hike, the topic has lost its novelty. Moreover, with DA increase not amounting to anything much, the curiosity to know has also nosedived.






Click here to read continue...

Sunday 21 December 2014

One Rank One Pension – Decision Expected in 1-2 Months








One Rank One Pension – Decision Expected in 1-2 Months





Much to the relief of nearly 25 lakh ex-servicemen, including 12 lakh soldiers who are protecting this sovereign nation, the final decision on the One Rank One Pension demand will be announced in a month or two.






Click here to read continue...

Will the National Council JCM get revived again?








Will the National Council JCM get revived again?





The Joint Consultative Machinery has always been a bridge between the Centre and its employees. The National Council JCM Secretary has written a letter to the Centre to conduct the NC-JCM meeting, which hasn’t been held in the past four years. Some of the important points mentioned in the letter are given below:






Click here to read continue...

Friday 19 December 2014

No Decrease or Increase in Retirement Age – Centre clarifies








No Decrease or Increase in Retirement Age – Centre clarifies





No Plans to Reduce Retirement Age – Centre clarifies





The Centre has clarified in the Parliament that there are no plans to reduce the retirement age for Central Government employees. The Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh had said this via a written reply to a query in Rajya Sabha yesterday.





The Minister has already clarified that there are no plans to increase the retirement age to 62 in Rajya Sabha on 11th December 2014.





This puts to rest speculations that had been making the rounds for a number of weeks now.






Click here to read continue...

Thursday 18 December 2014

NC Staff Side JCM writes to Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting of National Council JCM



NC Staff Side JCM writes to Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting of National Council JCM





The procrastinated discussions in the National Anomaly Committee did not proceed to settle any tangible anomaly item. Even after reaching agreement, the government has refused to issue orders on some issues. This apart, the demands raised by the Staff Side for grant of Interim Relief and Merger of DA with Pay have been refused by the government. 





National Council Staff Side Secretary JCM writes to Cabinet Secretary to organize a JCM meeting. Reproduction of the letter is given below for your information…






Click here to read continue...

Retirement age issue echoes in Parliament



Retirement age issue echoes in Parliament





Revision of retirement age topic echoes also in Parliament today. Dopt Minister replied in a written form to a question asked by the members of Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Dr.T.Subbarami Reddy and Smt. Ambika Soni in Rajya Sabha today. Minister said that there is no proposal under consideration of Government to reduce the retirement age from 60 to 58 years for its employees.






Click here to read continue...

Dopt orders on alteration of date of birth of a Government Servant – reiteration of the instructions.



Dopt orders on alteration of date of birth of a Government Servant – reiteration of the instructions.





Rule 56 of Fundamental Rules states that except as otherwise provided in the rule, every Government servant will retire from service on the afternoon of the last day of the month in which he attains the age of sixty years. Provided that a Government servant whose date of birth is the first of a month shall retire from service on the afternoon of the last day of the preceding month on attaining the age of sixty years.






Click here to read continue...

Introduction of AADHAR enabled Biometric Attendance System in all Income Tax Offices – CBDT Order



Introduction of AADHAR enabled Biometric Attendance System in all Income Tax Offices – CBDT Order





The Government has decided to introduce Aadhar Enabled Biometric Attendance System(AEBAS) and has made employee’s registration mandatory. The system enables an employee with an .Aadhar number to register his/her attendance (arrival/departure) in the office through Biometric authentication.






Click here to read continue...

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Will the 7th Central Pay Commission present an Interim Report to the Central Government?








Will the 7th Central Pay Commission present an Interim Report to the Central Government?





Why are central government employees so keen to know about the interim report?





A few months ago, excitement was sparked by an opinion expressed by the Karnataka Pensioners Association’s chief, Ramnath Rao, after his meeting with the members of the 7th Pay Commission.





He said that the chairman of the 7th Pay Commission had told him that an interim report would be presented only if the Government gives its direction.






Click here to read continue...

Tuesday 16 December 2014

7th Pay Commission scheduled to visit Kolkata & Andaman








7th Pay Commission scheduled to visit Kolkata & Andaman





7cpc.india.gov.in – An official website of 7th Central Pay Commission published an another schedule a visit Kolkata and Andaman Nicobar Islands on 4 to 6 Jan and 8 to 10 Jan 2015 respectively.





Commission’s visit to Kolkata and Andaman & Nicobar Islands





The Commission, headed by its Chairman, Justice Shri A. K. Mathur, proposes to visit Kolkata from 04th to 06th January 2015 and Andaman & Nicobar from 08th to 10th January 2015. The Commission would like to invite various entities/associations/federations representing any/all categories of employees covered by the terms of reference of the Commission to present their views.






Click here to read continue...

Pay Parity for Defence Personnel – Memorandum submitted to 7th Pay Commission



Pay Parity for Defence Personnel – Memorandum submitted to 7th Pay Commission





Pay Parity for Defence Personnel





The three Services, in the Joint Services Memorandum submitted by them to the Seventh Central Pay Commission have projected following major parity issues:





• Review and enhancement of Grade Pay of Service Officers and Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBORs);





• Initial Pay fixation of Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel and Brigadier equivalents;.





• Placing of all Lieutenant General / equivalent in Higher Administrative Grade + (HAG+) scale;






Click here to read continue...

Public Holiday on 25.12.2014 on account of Christmas Day – Clarification issued by MHRD



Public Holiday on 25.12.2014 on account of Christmas Day – Clarification issued by MHRD





PRESS NOTE





Time of India news item dated 15.12.2014 by Abhishek Chaudhari – reg.





Newspaper article in Times of India today i.e., 15th December, 2014 gives a distorted impression that schools have been asked to remain open on 25th December.





2. This is to clarify that CBSE has not directed any school to remain open on 25th December. All schools will follow their vacation schedule including vacation/holiday on 25th December as specifically clarified by CBSE.






Click here to read continue...

Monday 15 December 2014

Finance Ministry replied on Interim Report of 7th Pay Commission – Rajya Sabha Q & A








Finance Ministry replied on Interim Report of 7th Pay Commission – Rajya Sabha Q & A





While answering in Rajya Sabha to a question regarding Interim Report of 7th Central Pay Commission as follows…





The 7th Central Pay Commission is required to make its recommendations on its Terms of Reference. Also, the Commission is to devise its own procedure. The Commission’s Terms of Reference do not enjoin upon it to keep the Government updated on its functioning and the procedure being followed by it during the course of its deliberations.



Click here to read continue...

The Motive behind Reducing Retirement Age for Central Government Employees – An Analysis








The Motive behind Reducing Retirement Age for Central Government Employees – An Analysis





For a few weeks now, reports have been surfacing that the Centre is giving serious thoughts about reducing retirement age of Central Government employees from 60 to 58.





The truth behind these series of rumours couldn’t be found yet. There is no official sand on this either.





The news was first published by popular English daily newspaper. Without any official source to confirm it, the article analyzed the issue from various perspectives. It was presented in a manner that was acceptable by most.



Click here to read continue...

Sunday 14 December 2014

Expected DA Jan 2015 – Easy Calculation Instant Chart with input of AICPIN









Expected DA Jan 2015 – Easy Calculation Instant Chart with input of AICPIN




Once upon a time, Dearness Allowance calculation method and formula was very difficult for Central Government employees and Pensioners. And, some of few administrative staff and employees only to predict the Dearness allowance and Dearness Relief before the authentic announcement of Cabinet Committee with the help of calculation formula. ‘Swamy’s News’ books, one of the fantastic way to know the increasing in DA and DR for all. Even the publication releasing the book by monthly edition, more than three decades ‘Monopolize’ news magazine among Central Government employees. Still every unionist is getting knowledge on service matters through these publication books continues.



Click here to read continue...

Vacation and breaks in Kendriya Vidyalayas during academic session 2015-16


Vacation and breaks in Kendriya Vidyalayas during academic session 2015-16



KVS has published the schedule for vacation and breaks in KV Schools for the academic session 2015-16.



Summer Vacation started from 3rd May 2015 and Winter break from 5.12.2014, accroding to the climate condition the schedule has been changed in KV Schools located in entire nation.



Click here to view the detailed table…



Click here to read continue...

Sushi Tei @Setia Alam Mall

I never get bored of sushi and of late, I have been frequenting Sushi Tei more than Sushi Zanmai. I used to be crazy over Sushi Zanmai. In my opinion, Sushi Tei's menu has a different variety and taste better than Sushi Zanmai. With that being said, choosing the correct sushi branch is also important. I remember I once patronised Sushi Tei in Pavillion and I was not impressed by their salmon mentai sushi. But, Sushi Tei in Setia Alam Mall does it so well that it was always my first order when I sit down!

Below is a picture of my usual order of Salmon mentai and unagi sushi in Sushi Zanmai.
 
Once, I had Salmon Mentai sushi in Sushi King but I was not impressed at all.


Then theres the shrimp tempura in Sushi Tei which is much better than Zanmai in terms of tempura batter and crispiness.


Today was the first time I tried the cod fish mentaiyaki in Sushi Tei. It was very delicious.


Then, I also had the steak teriyaki. It was thinly sliced and tasty enough. But, I was really thirsty after eating it. 


Its worth making it a weekly affair :)

Friday 12 December 2014

My return

Its like I fell off the face of Earth after I went to Vancouver. But, no, I was swamped with work once I returned from Vancouver! That was three months back!! Time flies when I am busy. Now, I am on a month break after all those hectic months.

What to do on one month of holiday?
1. I am still trying to meet my weight target which is not working as work was overwhelming till I was paying for gym but not going for the past months. Input of food was more than the ampunt of weight I was losing. Depressing but true!


2. Its good to know I am still on some ranking in the blogasphere. I have lost the urge and the want to take pictures of new food I have tried, no matter how amazing, because I knew I did not have time to blog about it. Now I can starr again, for a month at least!


3. Catching up with friends. No, I have not been in contact with old friends. Made new ones at work of course, but work was too much to bond!

4. Look for a house? Its a dream that will soon materialise :) I am proud I bought my own car. Now I need to feel house proud!

5. Lastly, tis the season to be jolly! New year resolutions are underway!




Thursday 11 December 2014

Press statement and Declaration of National Convention of JCM NC Staff Side held on 11.12.2014 at New Delhi





Confederation published the Press Statement and declaration of the Joint National Council meeting held today at New Delhi…





"The wage revision which was due in 2011 has not come about even though 7 CPC was set up a few months back. The demand for Interim Relief, merger of DA with Pay which normally accompanies the announcement of the pay commission were not granted by the government, the demand for inclusion of Gramin Dak Sevaks within the purview of 7th CPC was also rejected."



Click here to read continue...

MACP for Central Government Employees – Clarification issued by Dopt on 10.12.2014








Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme for the Central Government Employees – Clarification issued by Dopt on 10.12.2014





Recommendations of the Screening Committee henceforth be placed before the Appointing Authority of the post in both cases where the Committee is constituted in the Ministry/Department or in other cases for approval with regard to grant of financial upgradation under MACP Scheme.



Click here to read continue...

National Council Staff Side JCM meets today (11.12.2014) – Eyes of all look expectantly on the demand of DA Merger and Interim Relief








National Council Staff Side JCM meets today (11.12.2014) – Eyes of all look expectantly on the demand of DA Merger and Interim Relief





National Council Staff Side JCM organise a National Convention today at New Delhi. All major federations including Railway, Defence and Confederation will participate in the convention. Convention will adopt a joint declaration on future course of agitational programmes on the following demands of the Central Government Employees. The official report has been published through confederation blog as follows…



Click here to read continue...

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Is the Central Government Planning to Reduce Retirement Age?










Is the Central Government Planning to Reduce Retirement Age?





A popular English daily reported on the 28th of last month that the Central Government is giving serious thoughts about reducing the retirement age of its employees. The news has created a big buzz among the employees working under Central Government.





It was said that the proposal is part of the Government’s strategy to reduce non-plan expenses. It was mentioned that a senior official said that the move will help giving employment opportunities to new people under the new recommendations to be suggested by the 7th Pay Commission.





Click here to read continue...

Friday 5 December 2014

Accreditation Certificate for Clinical Laboratories



Accreditation Certificate for Clinical Laboratories





Health is a State subject. Accreditation of clinical laboratories is undertaken by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) under the Department of Science and Technology. The compliance of requirements under ISO 15189 is used as the criteria for such accreditation by the NABL.





Accreditation of hospitals/laboratories provides a sense of assurance about the availability of quality healthcare service from the accredited institutions. 



Click here to read continue...