NO EXAMINATION IN APS

Copy of Directorate’s Memo No. A-34020/11/2011-DE dated 15/2/2011 is reproduced below:

Subject : Discontinuation of conducting examination in APS Units/Centres.

Sir,

          I am directed to say that system of all Departmental Examinations is being revised.

          In this connection, Competent Authority has decided that the following Examinations hitherto being conducted in the APS units are discontinued.

i)            Examination for promotion to Postman cadre;

ii)           Examination for promotion to PAs/SAs (LGO);

iii)          Examination for promotion to Inspector Posts;

Candidates working in APS who wish to attend the above mentioned Examinations will have to appear at the nearest possible Postal Centres.

Yours faithfully,

Sd/-

(L. Mohan Rao)

Assistant Director General (DE


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ID Proofs Compulsory During Train Journey in All Reserved Classes from 1st December 2012

With effect from 01.12.2012, one of the passengers booked on a ticket for undertaking journey in any reserved class will have to produce any one of the prescribed proofs of identity failing which all the passengers will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. 

This provision shall, however, not affect the existing provision of Tatkal scheme where during the journey, the passenger is required to show the original proof of identity indicated on the ticket. 

The number of prescribed proofs of identity have been increased from nine to ten by adding following identity card to the list of prescribed proofs identity:- 

“Photo identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertakings of State/Central Government, District Administrations, Municipal bodies and Panchayat Administrations” 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today. 

Source : PIB, 23 Nov, 2012

 You might also like :

 

• Railways’ Centralised Enquiry Number

• THE COMPLETE LIST OF CIVIL/RAILWAYS/DEFENCE PENSIONERS' ASSOCIATIONS IN INDIA…

• IRCTC : Condition of Carrying ID Card Extended to All Classes of Reserved Train Tickets

• FACILITIES EXTENDED TO HANDICAPPED PERSONS IN RESPECT OF RESERVATION IN TRAINS

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10 sure-shot ways to save money & improve your finances

One of the quickest ways to improve your finances is to reduce your spending and find more ways to save money. Unfortunately, there are still many people around who find it difficult to save, most of the times putting the blame on their 'insufficient' income. This is, however, not true as various studies have already proved that how much you save has little to do with how much you make. 

If you are also among those who usually find it hard to save, there are some innovative and sure-shot ways which can help you save more and also improve your financial health in line with your goals. 

Here we take a look at some of them: 

1. Stick to the budget: One of the surest ways to cut your spending and save more is sticking to the monthly budget and resorting to forced savings. This system always works, regardless of the kind of job you have or your income. 

Giving an example, Lovaii Navlakhi, MD & chief financial planner, International Money Matters Pvt Ltd, says that he knows of a client who segregates her monthly expenses in envelopes, for example, for groceries, eating out, fuel costs for two wheelers, etc. If the family decides to go out at the end of the month, the venue is dependent on what amount is left in the 'eating out' envelope. Similarly, the children may resort to travelling by bus if the 'fuel costs' have run out. This way they are able to budget their expenses and save as per their goals.

2. Take a 'no buy' day or week: Another important way to help with saving money and keeping a quality budget is 'spending freezes'. This means for the entire time of the 'no buy' break, you aren't allowed to buy anything new, or to go shopping. Exceptions to the 'no buy' time might include paying for medicines, food and emergencies that come up like a car breaking down. "Save the money you would have normally spent during the day or week you are on the 'no buy' break and invest that amount by the end of the month," says Navlakhi. 

3. Avoid buying on impulse: Do you often purchase something and then get it home to find you aren't excited about it any longer? It happens with most of us. Therefore, if you are in the habit of spending on impulse, make an effort to have a moment of reflection before buying anything. "If you see something you would like to buy, try waiting a day or two before actually committing yourself to buying. If you really want it, you will come back. This will not only help you save more money, but also give you the chance to find other things that may be better," says Atul Surana, certified financial planner and MD of Mangalore-based Catalyst Financial Planning. 

4. Avoid spending by habit: Quite often a lot of our spending is a daily habit. However, this spending could easily be unnecessary. For example, if you buy a takeaway coffee everyday for your office staff / visitors, why not invest in a coffee machine? "Just because you spend Rs 200 a day on lunch, doesn't mean this habit has to continue for ever. Try taking your own lunch. Re-evaluate all your habitual spending patterns and decide whether it is necessary," says Surana. This will help you cut your unnecessary spending and save more.

Source : The Economic Times, 24 Nov 2012

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill-2011

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill-2011

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, 2005 was initially introduced in Lok Sabha in March, 2005 to provide for a statutory PFRDA. However, since the Bill and the official amendments, based on the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance, could not be considered by the Lok Sabha, the Bill lapsed on dissolution of the 14th Lok Sabha. 

The Government has announced in the Budget 2011-12 that the revised PFRDA Bill would be moved in the Parliament. Accordingly, PFRDA Bill, 2011 was introduced in Lok Sabha on the 24th March, 2011 to provide for a statutory regulatory body the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) under the provisions of the Bill. The legislation sought to empower PFRDA to regulate the New Pension System (NPS). The PFRDA Bill, 2011 was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance on the 29th  March, 2011 for examination and report thereon. The Standing Committee on Finance gave its Report on 30th August, 2011. 

The Government decided to accept the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Finance.  Based on the recommendations of the Standing Committee, the official amendments to the PFRDA Bill-2011 a proposal to move these additional official amendments in the ensuing session of the Parliament, was  approved by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 4th October, 2012.

The PFRDA Bill, 2011, inter alia, provides for:

(i) Establishing a statutory Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA): 

(a) to promote old age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds; 

(b)  to protect the interests of subscribers to various schemes of pension funds.

(ii)  Empowering PFRDA to :

(a) regulate the New Pension System and other pension schemes not covered under any other Act; 

(b) register and regulate pension funds and the central  recordkeeping agency; 

(c) frame investment guidelines for pension funds; 

(d) levy monetary penalties for violations of various  provisions of the PFRDA Act; 

          

(iii)  Imprisonment upto 10 years by courts for contravention of the PFRDA Act, etc. or fine upto Rs. 25 crore or both; and

        

 (iv) Subjecting subordinate legislation to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Source: www.financialservices.gov.in

[http://financialservices.gov.in/PFRDA%20Bill_2011.pdf]

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How to manage frauds that go mobile?

Since the release of the original iPhone, one billion smartphone activations and 700 million downloads ofAngry Birds later, mobile devices have proliferated.

Financial service organizations are tapping into this market by moving products and services to mobiles, delivering specialized small-screen adaptations for browsing, and developing apps that supply mobile functionality and services that enable customers anywhere-anytime access to account information.

Mobile banking alone is expected to grow to nearly 900 million users by 2015. 

While a majority of fraud attempts are still targeted at users in the online channel, as banking services go mobile, so are the attacks that target banking customers. Here are some of the most common attack methods being used by cyber-criminals to target mobile banking users today.

Smishing, or SMS phishing, sends a text message to a user's mobile phone in an attempt to get her to divulge personal information. As is the case with phishing, a smishing attack usually has a call to action for the intended victim that requires an immediate response.

Smishing has become easier to do and is becoming an attractive alternative with higher success compared tophishing as consumers are not conditioned to receiving spam on their mobile phone, so are more likely to believe the communication is legitimate.

Furthermore, whereas a majority of phishing emails get stopped by spam filters and often never reach their intended targets, there is no mainstream mechanism for weeding out 'spam' text messages.

Some mobile malware is programmed to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks, capable of forwarding SMS messages with a user's Mobile Transaction Numbers (mTANs) to an attacker. These mTANs are often used as a way for banking customers to confirm that they initiated a transaction.

By intercepting the code, cyber-criminals can initiate a transaction and then use the unique code to verify the transaction as though they were the legitimate user. Examples of man-in-the-mobile threats have been most commonly found within well known banking Trojans such as Zeus and SpyEye.

Rogue applications are becoming plentiful in most online app stores. Today, Android is the most common platform being exploited by cyber-criminals. Recently, a new Android Trojan was discovered that displays a video downloaded from the net — only if some sensitive information is previously sent to a remote server.

Today, RSA's Anti-Fraud Command Center is witnessing an average of about 3 per cent of all fraudulent transactions originating in mobile channels or devices. While this hardly compares to the percentage of fraud in the online channel, mobile threats continue to emerge and, in time, that number will rise.

Here are some expected mobile threats and developments in the coming year.

Smishing will continue to increase. Many financial institutions have been successful in getting standard phishing attacks under control. However, smishing presents a whole new series of challenges.

Phone flooding services increase in popularity. Out-of-band authentication via SMS or phone call is being used across the financial industry as a step-up authentication method for high-risk transactions.

To overcome this additional security, cyber-criminals flood an intended victim's phone with calls, ultimately rendering the phone useless and interfering with bank's attempt to alert a user to a high risk transaction.

Banking Trojans continue to be developed for mobiles. There have been several attempts at coding SpyEye variants for mobile platforms (mainly Android). These custom codes are designed to attempt intercepting SMS codes sent during transaction authentication by forwarding the content of the text message to the attacker's server.

The code is still young and its presence on mobile phones is limited. However, cyber-criminals are focusing their efforts on the mobile platform.

New Trojan plug-ins are targeting the mobile phone. Many banking Trojans available for sale in the black market offer plug-ins that enable HTML injection. When an infected user attempts to access her online bankingsite, the Trojan automatically injects extra fields in the login page. Most often, the extra details cyber-criminals attempt to obtain are credit card numbers and ATM PIN codes.

Portable nature of mobile devices — and information that is stored or accessed on them — is what makes them so vulnerable (when was the last time you misplaced your desktop?).

Also, if a mobile device is lost or stolen, it is typical for consumers to call their mobile provider to report it, but they don't usually call their bank to report it. If the user engages in mobile banking, all financial information stored on the device could be easily accessed.

Attacks are evolving in the mobile channel and as the popularity of mobile banking grows, financial institutions are challenged with how to translate the success they have had in managing fraud risk in the online channel and applying those same best practices to the mobile channel.

Understanding how to secure your customers against mobile attacks is the first step in turning the tide on fraud — and taking full advantage of the opportunities that this channel presents. 

Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Via : http://aipeup3bbsr.blogspot.in/

Railways’ Centralised Enquiry Number

The Centralised Enquiry Service on single Enquiry Number, 139 is operated on Public Private Partnership basis. The entire cost of infrastructure and operation of this service is borne by the franchise out of revenue from call charges. The passengers are being charged the telephone call/Short Messaging Service (SMS) by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)

The following call charges are applicable for calls on 139:- Landline: Rs. 1.20 for a pulse of 180 seconds for calls from Metros cities while from non-metro cities, Rs. 1.20 for a pulse of 60 seconds is charged. Mobile: Rs 1.20 for a pulse of 60 seconds for calls from metro cities and Rs. 2.00 for a pulse of 60 seconds for calls from non-metro cities.

SMS: Rs. 3.00 per SMS

The call charges for 139 services are fixed in terms of the agreement between Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and the franchisee which was fianlised through a process of open tender. The agreement is valid till January, 2017 and the call/SMS charges are applicable for the period of contract.

About 6.70 lakh and 2 lakh SMSs are being received on Centralised Enquiry Number 139 every day.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Source: PIB

"Bootmgr is missing Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"

Method 1: Run Startup Repair from Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

To run Startup Repair from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows 7 or Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when the message Press any key to boot from CD or DVD appears.
3. Select a language, a time and a currency, a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, select the drive of your Windows installation, and then click Next.
6. At the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Repair your computer.
7. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
8. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Startup Repair.

Method 2: Rebuild the BCD from Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

1. Put the Windows 7 or Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when the message Press any key to boot from CD or DVD appears.
3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or another input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
7. Type Bootrec /RebuildBcd, and then press ENTER.

Method 3: Run System Restore from Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)

Important: This method requires that System Restore is enabled on your computer.

To run System Restore from Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), follow these steps:

1. Insert the Windows 7 or Windows Vista installation disc into the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when the message Press any key to boot from CD or DVD appears.
3. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, select the drive of your Windows installation, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click System Restore.
7. Follow the System Restore Wizard instructions and select the appropriate restore point.
8. Click Finish to restore the system.

Method 4: Use Startup Repair on a computer that has a preinstalled recovery option on your computer

Important: This method is available only if Startup Repair is a preinstalled recovery option on your computer.

If you do not have a Windows 7 or Windows Vista disc, and Startup Repair is a preinstalled recovery option on your computer, follow these steps to repair startup files:

1. Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer by using the computer's power button.
   • If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You have to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you have to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.
   • If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system that you want to repair, and then press and hold F8.
2. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then pressEnter. (If Repair your computer isn't listed as an option, then your computer doesn't include preinstalled recovery options, or your network administrator has turned them off.)
3. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next.
4. Select a user name, type the password, and then click OK.
5. On the System Recovery Options menu, click Startup Repair. Startup Repair might prompt you to make choices as it tries to fix the problem and, if it is necessary, it might restart your computer as it makes repairs                                                                              Courtesy : http://katiharho.blogspot.in                   

12.12.12. STRIKERAJ BHAWAN MARCH ON 19.11.2012 KERALA TRIVANDRUM

12^th DECEMBER 2012 STRIKE RAJ BHAWAN

           MARCH ON 19.11.2012 KERALA TRIVANDRUM

Com. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Dy. Leader, opposition, Kerala inaugurates.

Secretary General, NFPE, Com. M. Krishnan addressing.

A view of the rally.

STRIKE NOTICE SERVED CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES & WORKERS HAD SERVED STRIKE NOTICE TO THE CABINET SECRETARY ON 19.11.2012 FOR THE 12th DECEMBER 2012 ALL INDIA STRIKE. NFPE AND ITS AFFILIATED UNIONS INCLUDING NEWLY FORMED GDS UNION (AIPEU-GDS NFPE) HAD ALSO SERVED STRIKE NOTICE TO SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF POSTS ON 19th. ALL INDIA POSTAL CASUAL, PART TIME, CONTINGENT & CONTRACT WORKERS FEDERATION HAD ALSO SERVED SEPARATE STRIKE NOTICE TO SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF POSTS.

CASUAL LABOUR HUNGER FAST IN FRONT OF DAK BHAWAN ON 19.12.2012.

ALL INDIA CASUAL, PART TIME , CONTINGENT AND CONTRACT WORKERS FEDERATION HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT ONE DAY  MASS HUNGER FAST IN FRONT OF DAK BHAWAN, NEW DELHI ON 19^th DECEMBER, 2012 DEMANDING IMMEDIATE REVISION OF WAGES WITH EFFECT FROM 1^st  JANUARY, 2006 AND REGULARIZATION .

 NFPE ALL INDIA LEADERS WILL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE HUNGER FAST.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Source: All India RMS & MMS Employees Union - Group 'C'

Holiday for Muharam festival changed from 25th November to 24th November 2012.

The closed holiday for the Central Government offices in Kerala, in respect of the Muharam festival has been changed from 25th November to 24th November 2012.

CGDA Orders : Clarification regarding availing of Restricted Holiday

CGDA Orders : Clarification regarding availing of Restricted Holiday

An important order issued by the Department of CGDA regarding mid-fix of Restricted Holiday between Casual Leave and Regular Leave. 

Controller General of Defence Accounts

Ulan Batar Road, Palam, Delhi Cantt-110010

No. AN/XIV/19404/Leave Matters/Vol-II 

Dated: 19/11/2012

To

All PCsDA/CsDA/IFAs

PCof A(Fys) Kolkata

(through CGDA Mail server)

Subject: Clarification regarding availing of Restricted Holiday.

A doubt has been raised by one of the Controller’s office regarding mid-fix of RH between Casual leave and regular leave. The matter has been examined with reference to provisions laid down under GoI’s decision No.2 read with Rule 22 and Rule 11 of CCS Leave Rules and it is clarified that :-

(a) RH can be mid-fixed between Casual Leave, as CL is not a recognized form of leave.

(b) However, RH cannot be mid-fixed or sandwiched between two spells of any kind of regular leave viz. EL but can only be prefixed or suffixed.

sd/-

(Chitra Mahendran)

For CGDA

Source: www.cgda.nic.in

[http://www.cgda.nic.in/adm/rh191112.pdf]