Aadhar without Date of Birth – Could not be used as sole document for ID proof

The Government’s initiative to issue identification cards (Aadhar) with unique identification number (UID) to all citizens of India is really a mammoth work considering the population in India.

As per the statistics issued about Aadhar, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI) has spent more than Rs.2000 crores for issuing Aadhar to nearly 23 crore people.

As such the Aadhar system is stated to be one of the full-proof technology to prevent duplication.  Three biometric attributes i.e face, fingerprints and iris images of the card holder are collected to maintain uniqueness.

Government has also taken all steps to officialize Aadhar Card for its acceptance an identification card by all government as well as private authorities.

Railways has already notified Aadhar as an acceptable identification card. But Banks say Aadhar alone is not enough for opening new account as it does not contain date of birth.

However, for opening a new account Banks are not accepting Aadhar alone as a documentary proof for the reason that date of birth of the card holder is not mentioned in Aadhar.  Hence,Banks insist additional documents such as PAN to verify the date of birth.

Aadhar is supposed to eliminate an individual’s difficulty of carrying multiple identification documents.  But in this case Aadhar is not alone enough as it could not produced as a document for certifying one’s age.

Better late than never:  Many feel, mentioning date of birth in Aadhar would

not be a problem as UIAI collects date of birth of an individual in the initial application itself.  In fact the year of birth is mentioned in Aadhar.

Source:  Times of India

LPG refill delayed? Dealer may be fined

Soon, cooking gas dealers will have to pay a fine if they fail to deliver refills within 48 hours of booking. This is one of the provisions the oil ministry is working on for inclusion in the revised marketing guidelines for state-run fuel retailers. 

Ministry sources said the exercise is aimed at addressing complaints from consumers against dealers received during the ongoing verification process of their connections. 

An official said delayed delivery was one of the most common complaints, especially in non-metros . "The modality of a dealer penalty is under discussion. We are not looking at slapping a fine for each case of delayed delivery . It may be graded on the line of, say, if more than 10-20 % of a dealer's deliveries are found to be late," he said. 

The new guidelines would make it simple for a consumer to transfer his/ her connection to another family member. They would also simplify the processes for surrendering, regularizing or reactivating blocked/ dormant connections. 

COMING SOON 

Easy transfer of LPG connection to kin during customer's lifetime or after death Option to surrender connection online Instant new LPG connection without duplication of customer's KYC, for nonsubsidized cylinders New LPG guidelines aim to cut red tape 

Government: Want To Empower Consumers 

The oil ministry has received complaints from various quarters during its ongoing KYC drive to verify LPG consumers . "It is a fact that the process has put consumers to a great deal of hardship . We are aiming to cut red tape to improve service and empower consumers ," a senior ministry official said .

"The refreshed guidelines would also spell out steps and measures already in place but not enforced rigorously because either they don't figure in the norms or there's not much awareness about them . Inclusion in the guidelines would ensure stricter enforcement and improve consumer interface with dealers ," he added . 

The campaign aims at weeding out bogus consumers with multiple connections — the key to the success of the plan to plug exploitation of subsidy and reduce government's financial burden . 

But widespread consumer complaints and political protests over the annual sixcylinder cap has forced a government relook .

WHAT THE NEW NORMS SAY 

FACILITY | GUIDELINES 

1 Instant new LPG connection without any duplication Guidelines | 

Non-subsidized cylinders available at customer's request subject to KYC/duplication checks 

2 Retention/Reactivation of multiple and blocked connection 

Such connections can now be converted to nonsubsidized non-domestic non-exempt rate connection with no KYC formalities. KYC formalities and duplication checks will be required to recommence subsidized cylinder entitlement 

3 Transfer of LPG connection in family member's name when customer is alive 

Now permitted 

4 Transfer of connection to legal heir in case of customer's death 

Now simplified and permitted on furnishing self-declaration by the next of kin 

5 Regularization of connection in third party's name but with all original documents 

Now permitted subject to KYC checks/letters of consent/ bond/security deposit 

6  Regularization of connection in third party's name but without original documents 

Permitted subject to KYC checks/duplication check/ security deposit/affidavit 

7 Reactivation of customers blocked due to non use of connection for more than six months 

Now standardized application with declaration and KYC checks 

8 Surrender connection 

Now available in website. Distributors to contact customers and facilitate surrender. Oil companies now monitor the same 

Source;-The Economic Times
via :http://ipasporissa.blogspot.in/

SALIENT FEATURES OF EXISTING TATKAL SCHEME

SALIENT FEATURES OF EXISTING TATKAL SCHEME

a. Tatkal booking opens at 10 AM on the previous day of journey excluding date of journey from the train originating station.
b. The reservation under this scheme is available only upto the time of preparation of charts.  . 
c. The facility of change of name is not permitted on the bookings made under Tatkal scheme. 
d. No duplicate Tatkal tickets are issued except in exceptional cases on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges. 
e. The reservation under this scheme can be sought by full fare paying passengers only and no passenger holding concessional ticket is allowed to avail reservation under this scheme. 

f. Tatkal tickets are issued only on production of one of the nine prescribed proofs of identity as mentioned below and passenger should carry the same proof of identity(in original) during the journey failing which all the passengers booked on that ticket are considered as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly:- 

i. Voter Photo Identity Card issued by Election Commission of India. 
ii. Passport 
iii. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department 
iv. Driving Licence issued by RTO 
v. Photo Identity Card issued by Central /State Government 
vi.  Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their Students 
vii. Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph and  
viii. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph. 
ix. Unique identification Card “Aadhar “.

g. The procedure for booking Tatkal ticket is as under:- 

(i) For booking Tatkal ticket, a self attested photo copy of any one of the proofs of identity mentioned above, of any one passenger, is to be attached to the requisition slip.   
(ii) The details of the identity proof is captured by the system and indicated on the reserved tickets as well on the reservation chart.  
(iii) It is not mandatory for the passenger(s) to go to the counter to book the Tatkal ticket, however, the proof is to be sent in the aforementioned manner.   
(iv) For internet booking of Tatkal tickets, the passenger shall enter the identity proof type and number, which is to be used for travel.  These details shall be printed on the ERS/indicated on the MRM/VRM as well as in the reservation chart. (v) During the journey, the passenger, whose identity card number has been indicated on the ticket, has to produce original proof of identity indicated on the ticket, failing which all the  passengers booked on the ticket are treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. Indication comes on the ticket regarding carrying the same original proof of identity during the journey, as indicated on the ticket.  
(vi) If the passenger whose identity card number is indicated on the ticket is not travelling, all other passengers booked on that ticket, if found travelling in train, will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.  
(vii) No refund is granted on the cancelation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. However, full refund of fare and  Tatkal charges is granted on the cancellation of confirmed Takal tickets booked under Tatkal scheme under certain circumstances like non-attachment of coach, cancellation of train, as mentioned in the scheme. 
(viii) Tatkal tickets are issued subject to the distance restriction on travel applicable to the train. 
(ix) Booking of maximum of only four  passengers per PNR for Tatkal tickets is permitted. 
(x) The web/web services agents of IRCTC have been permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on the internet. 
(xi) Agents/RTSAs have been restricted from the booking Tatkal tickets at the counters as well as through internet between 1000 hours and 1200 hours. 

h. Tatkal charges have  been fixed as a percentage of fare at the rate of 10% of basic fare for second class and 30% of basic fare for all other classes subject to minimum and maximum as given in the table below:- 

Class of Travel	Minimum Tatkal Charges (in Rs.)	Maximum Tatkal Charges(in Rs.)
Reserved Second Sitting (2S)	10	15
Sleeper	75	150
AC Chair Car	75	150
AC-3 tier	200	300
AC-2 tier	200	300
Executive	200	300

i. Powers for earmarking of Tatkal accommodation in different classes have been delegated to Zonal Railways. Keeping in view the utilization pattern in the class of travel during the previous financial year and availability of accommodation, the Tatkal accommodation is earmarked in the  zonal Railways subject to maximum as under:- 

Classes	Maximum Tatkal accommodation which can be earmarked in a train
Executive Class	5 seats per coach
2 AC	10 Berths Per Coach
3 AC	16 Berths Per Coach
AC Chair Car	16 Seats Per Coach
SL	30% of the accommodation
Reserved Second Sitting (2S)	10% of the accommodation

j. At present this scheme is available in  around 2677 trains. Out of the total berth of around 11.57 lakhs berths/seats per day, on an average, around 1.71 lakhs seats/berths are available for booking under Tatkal every day i.e. approximately 14.75% of the total accommodation.

(Based on information for the period from April 2011 to March 2012)

k. Extent of Tatkal accommodation earmarked in a specific train can be checked up from the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters or from website www.indianrail.gov.in

l. The earnings from Tatkal Scheme during the last few years has been as under:-

Financial Year	Earnings from Tatkal Scheme (in Rs. crores)
2005-06	126
2006-07	207
2007-08	396
2008-09	605
2009-10	672
2010-11	729
2011-12	847
2012-13 (till August 2012)	409

Source: www.indianrailways.gov.in

Courtesy : http://90paisa.blogspot.com/

Do Not Respond To Mails Asking For Your Internet Banking Account Details : RBI Cautions Public

It has come to the notice of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that a fraudulent email has been sent and signed in its name as `Reserve Bank of India'. The mail has referred to provisions of Banking Regulation act, 1949 and Prevention of Money Laundering Rules, 2005 and informs bank account holders about the Reserve Bank setting up a new 24×7 Centralised Monitoring Centre to monitor financial transaction flow from the Internet Banking Accounts. The email then gives a link asking bank account holders to update their account information for updation in their database.

The Reserve Bank clarifies that it has not sent any such mail and has not set up any 24×7 Centralised Monitoring Centre to monitor financial transaction flow from the Internet Banking Accounts. Members of the public receiving such emails are cautioned not to open the mail or attachment and / or try to download it on their computer or provide their data on such links as it may lead to their data being compromised.

Source: RBI Press Release

Open account with IRCTC and Book your Rail Ticket

Booking railway tickets will be a tad easier and faster once a system of having an account with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) comes into being.

In a bid to make booking easier, the IRCTC has decided to launch a Rolling Deposit Scheme (RSD), under which anyone can deposit the desired amount in the account to be opened with the service provider.

The user could purchase tickets from the money deposited by using the RSD card as a novel payment option, which the IRCTC claims has advantages over the other modes of payment. The system would enable hassle-free and secured transactions, besides saving time by eliminating the payment approval sequence. It reduces the user’s dependence on banks and their servers and allows for booking tickets directly through the RSD mode. The other benefit is that the user need not make the payment gateway charges. The tedious process of using credit or debit cards for making online purchases is done away with under the proposed scheme.

One can open an account using the PAN card and operate the account through a transaction password and PIN number and manage the account online and top up the account too.

The minimum deposit is likely to be in the range of Rs. 1500 to 2000.

Registration fee

The account can be opened with a registration fee of Rs. 250, which can be redeemed while booking tickets later.

The IRCTC will provide facility for the user to track the transaction history and in case of cancellation of ticket, the refund would be deposited in the account the very following day.

Source : The Hindu

Wellness For You: Water bottles...

How to avoid:
Check on the bottom of the bottle 
There is a triangle sign 
And 
There will  be a number on it. 

If the number is higher than or equals to 5 -- 
Then, this bottle is safe to use. 

Whatever number under 5, 
Will release the chemical. 
For most bottle water, 
The number is 1. 

  
-----------------For more details---------------- 

Did you know chemical released 
By 
Plastic water bottles can cause cancer 
(It is not the water that affecting you 
But 
The chemical releasing from the bottle)  

Do’s & Don’ts for the Agents Registered with IRCTC

Do’s & Don’ts for the Agents Registered with IRCTC

Do’s  for the agents.

I. General Guidelines

• Registration  as an agent in IRCTC is issued for booking of  E- Tickets only (except RTSA agents, who are authorized by  Railways) .
• IRCTC’s rules & regulations are to be read properly & followed strictly. Ignorance of the same cannot be considered as a valid reason.
• Agents are required to give the correct address, Telephone. No & mail id  in the registration form.
• Change of address should be intimated to IRCTC immediately along with the original certificate issued by IRCTC, in order to issue a fresh certificate.
• Certificate of Authorization issued by IRCTC should be prominently displayed at the agency.
• Agents if permitted by IRCTC, can keep  a sign board outside their agency in which IRCTC’s logo can be displayed. IRCTC’s logo (Soft copy) will be sent by e-mail on request by the Agent.
• The agents must be fully aware of the extant rules. For this  programmes are being conducted by the agent’s cell. So far training was given to agents  of Sify, BPCL, Hughes & PC training institute.
• The user id’s of the agents who are not booking tickets (non transacting agents) will be de-activated after a period of time as decided by IRCTC.
• All fraudulent activities like Overcharging, booking tickets thru personal user id’s, creating multiple user id’s will be dealt strictly. The minimum punishment will be deactivation and also further legal action will be initiated against the agent.
• Alteration or tampering of the original ERS slip is a criminal activity and is punishable u/s 420 of the Indian Penal code. 
• Individual id given to Agents by IRCTC or Master group is not transferrable. Agents should verify the ids provided to them and also the authorization certificate issued by IRCTC. If by mistake, id of another agent is issued to them they should immediately inform their agent group.
• Whenever the cancellation ticket amount / the TDR refund amount which is credited back in the agent’s account used for ticket booking could not be refunded to the customer due to various reasons, the money should be returned to IRCTC.
• Agents if found to be using wrong id, then their ids will be deactivated   immediately as well as legal action will be taken against them. 
• Agents should practice good business ethics.
• Mandatory for agent to display rules & regulation in the outlet.

II . Guidelines for Booking/ Cancellation of Tickets

• It is mandatory for all agents to take the written requests from the customers for both booking & cancellation of the tickets. These requests are to be preserved for a period of six months.
• Agents should issue receipt on their own stationary for the amount collected from the customers.
• The receipt should contain details like Railway Fare, IRCTC’s service charges, agents service charges etc. (The service Tax as applicable on the agents service charges should be shown separately in the receipt).
• The agent must ensure that the transaction (Booking or cancellation) is done with the complete knowledge and acceptance of the customer.
• The service charges to be collected by the agents should be displayed prominently by the agents in their premises.
• Cancellation is a part of the service already extended to the Customer. Hence no extra charges should be collected when the customer approaches the agent at a later date for cancellation of his ticket.

III. Guidelines for Filing TDR

• It is mandatory for the agents to obtain a written request from the customers before TDR cases are filed with the Railways. 
• If cash cards are used, it is pertinent to retain the exhausted  cards for refunds if any.
• Agent should refund the money to the customer immediately in all cases. 
• Along with the refund, the refund details must be provided to the customer during cancellation. 
• In case of refund of e- tickets which could not be cancelled on website, the agent must inform the customer about the process, take contact details & remit the refund to the customer as and when it is credited in the agent’s account.

IV. Guidelines for the Agent Group

• Agents or the Organization should register their Franchisees/ Branches only if minimum basic Infrastructure already exists. The Agency should have its own office with valid license for online ticket reservation and efficient staff to handle the booking / delivery of e- tickets as and when required.
• It will be obligatory on the part of the principle agent to control the activities of their sub agent. The principle agent will be equally liable for all civil and criminal liabilities of their sub- agent.
• ERS issued by the agent should contain name and full address contact details of the same agent and the name of the principle agent.
• The ERS issued by all the agents should  be  strictly in the format prescribed by the IRCTC.
• Agent group should educate their agents regarding rules and regulation of IRCTC or about ticket booking software (in case of web services agents) etc.
• Principle agent should ensure complete sharing of information & full cooperation with IRCTC.
• Agent Group or organizations with or without web services should keep a close watch on the conduct of their agents & in case of receipt of complaint   against any agent by the customers then the agent id should be deactivated at the operators end immediately, under intimation to IRCTC.
• All mails / references made by IRCTC in agents matter should be replied back within (7) days.
• In case of deactivation of agents by master  agent IRCTC should be informed immediately. Agent group should ensure that ids are not transferred. If an agent wants to surrender his id then the same should not be transferred to another agent. New agents should be given fresh ids only. IRCTC will initiate action against the agent group if found guilty in such matters.
• On repeated receipt of established complaints of overcharging, fraud refund claims etc against a particular agent group is received by IRCTC then further registration of agents for that agent group will be stopped for six months.
• The agent group should control the activities of their sub agents. In case of alteration or tampering with the ERS slip the same is punishable u/s of the Indian Penal code for which the second party as well as the agent is liable. 

Dont’s for the Agents

• No advertisement in any form whether in print or press media is to be issued without prior permission from IRCTC in writing.
• Extra charges in any form whether for cancellation of the ticket    or checking the availability status should not be collected from the customers.
• Booking of  I- tickets is prohibited & punishable with minimum punishment of immediate   deactivation of the user id.
• Transfer &  re-sale of Tickets is punishable under Indian Railway Rules under Sec.142.
• Agents are prohibited to print Reservation Application Forms with IRCTC Logo on top.
• Popularizing the organizations name as authorized Railway Agents is strictly prohibited. 
• The agents are “IRCTC authorized E- Ticketing agents”.
• IRCTC’s  logo should not be used in Visiting Cards, Letterheads, and Pamphlets or in any other forms unless approved by IRCTC.
• Tickets should be booked only when the customer approaches.
• Login page should not be kept idle for a long time.
• Do not use back or refresh option while booking tickets.
• Do not book benami e- tickets (anybody doing so will be prosecuted).Blocking of accommodation by giving fictitious names in   any train should   not be done. As per the Indian Railways Act-1989 blocking of accommodation is a criminal offence and is punishable.
• The Electronic Reservation Slip (ERS) should not be modified. If brought to the notice, IRCTC will take necessary punitive steps.
• Do not cancel the tickets without the knowledge and request of the customer.
• Do not change the profile by entering new details even if update profile link is available(Rare cases) in the left panel in our website after logging in. if you update you will be reverted as individual user loosing the functionality of agent booking.
• Do not lose the Digital Certificate as you will not be able to login without the certificate.

                                            

If above guidelines are not followed then punitive actions will be taken as detailed below:

• A penalty of upto Rs. 20,000/- will be imposed on the Principal Agent.
• Double the amount of overcharging will have to be paid to IRCTC by the Principal Agent.
• The Agent sub user ID will be permanently deactivated and debarred from booking etickets for customers in future.
• Apart from above penalties, violation of any of the terms & conditions of IRCTC for eticketing would lead to BLACKLISTING OF PRINCIPAL AGENCY and will not be entertained for reactivation under any circumstances.

For Principle agents: 

• If complaints are received and proved against 10 different agents of a   principle agent in a period of 03 months then a showcause notice will be issued.
• If between 11-20 complaints are received and proved against different agents of a principle agent in a period of 03 months then a warning will be issued and further registration of agents of that principle agent will be stopped for 01 month. 
• If between 21-30 complaints are received and proved against different agents of a principle agent in a period of 03 months then further registration of the agents for that principle agent will be stopped for 03 months.
• If more than 30 complaints are received and proved against different agents of a principle agent in a period of 03 months then the services of the principle agent will be terminated for 03 months.For any principle agent if no. of complaints received in a calendar year is more than 0.25% of the total of their agent group then the services of the principle agent will be terminated for 06 months.
• For any activity which is restricted by IRCTC like unauthorized branding, Tatkal Robot Facility, saving booking form either at server or at client machine or  allowing Tatkal form to be opened before stipulated Tatkal time,  use of technology for gaining unfair advantage in Ticket booking, Technical problems (making changes without proper testing etc.) etc.,   the services of the principle agent will be deactivated for the next 06 months in the first instance and for second instance, services will be permanently terminated.

Source: IRCTC

Courtesy : http://90paisa.blogspot.com/

Steps taken by the Government for expeditious issuance of passports to the citizens

As per Government instructions, passports to Indian citizens are issued as per the provisions of the Passports Act 1967 and the Passport Rules 1980 as amended from time to time.  Prior to issuing a passport, the Passport Issuing Authority must establish the applicant’s citizenship, identity and an absence of criminal record as mandated by the Passports Act. This requires verification of personal particulars of applicants and background check of their criminal antecedents which are time consuming.

The Government is aware that in a number of cases, there are delays in issuance of passport.  The reasons for delay normally are as under:

(i)    increase in demand for passport;

(ii)  delays in receipt of police verification reports within the stipulated time of 21 days;

(iii)  receipt of incomplete police reports due to submission of incomplete information/documentation by the applicants; and

(iv)  Shortage of staff strength in the Central Passport Organization, not keeping with the increase in demand for services.

The Government has fixed a time limit of 30 days for issue of fresh passports and 15 days for re-issue of passports and 1-7 days for Tatkaal applications.  The Government is considering several citizen-friendly proposals, including revision of time-limit for issue of passports given in Ministry of External Affairs’ Citizen Charter, to improve the delivery-process of passport issuance.

In spite of various constraints, in 2011, the Ministry issued 73.65 lakh passports and related services which is a record ever achieved in any year.

Some activities of middlemen have been noticed in and around Passport Offices.  In order to obviate any need to approach any middlemen for any kind of service, passport application procedures are prominently displayed in all the Passport Offices. Advisories cautioning the public against middlemen/touts are also displayed prominently.  Whenever middlemen activities are noticed, Passport Officers, with the assistance of local police, conduct raids to eliminate this menace.

In order to further simplify the passport procedure, a Mission Mode Project (MMP) was identified under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) of the Government of India which inter alia includes many other high impact e-Governance initiatives and projects.  The MMP on Passports, named Passport Seva Project, aims “to deliver all Passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible, reliable manner & in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes and committed, trained & motivated workforce”.  The Passport Seva Project (PSP) incorporates the global best practices in the passport issuance system. The key features of the PSP are enumerated below:

• Establishing 77 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) for delivering all front-end citizen services.( The Project has been completely executed and  all 77 PSKs were made operational by early June 2012)
• Creation of on-line Passport Portal [www.passportindia.gov.in] for offering Passport services.
• Providing links to designated points in Police department.
• Establishing a Central Passport Printing Facility (CPPF) for handling extra load of Dispatch process to Postal Department.
• Introduction of a multi-modal Information and Grievance handling system.
• Creating a centralized IT system linking all PSK’s, Passport Offices, Police and Postal Departments.
• Introducing productivity linked incentive scheme for Government employees.
• Establishing a proper Program Governance Structure for managing the   implementation and operation of all the above.

The Minister of State in the Ministry Of External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur provided this information in reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 17-8-2012.

Source : PIB