Mail Offices-Gist.pdf

MAIL OFFICE

•Mail offices are of two kinds.

•They are-Sorting Mail offices

              –Transit Mail offices

•A sorting mail office situated in a railway station is called a RMS office.

•A sorting mail office situated outside the Railway station is called a Sorting office.

 


MAIL OFFICE
•A branch of RMS which deals with the closed bags is called transit mail office.
•A transit mail office functioning in a train is called a transit section.
•Head Sorting Assistant is the in charge of the Sorting Mail office.
•Mail Guard/Mail Agent is the in charge of the transit mail office

Mail Offices-Gist.pdf

MAIL OFFICE

•

Mail offices are of two kinds.

•

They are

–

-Sorting Mail offices

–

-

Transit Mail offices

•

A sorting mail office situated in a railway

station is called a RMS office.

•

A sorting mail office situated outside the

Railway station is called a Sorting office.

Page 2 of 9.

MAIL OFFICE

•

A branch of RMS which deals with the closed

bags is called transit mail office.

•

A transit mail office functioning in a train is cal

led

a transit section.

•

Head Sorting Assistant is the in charge of the

Sorting Mail office.

•

Mail Guard/Mail Agent is the in charge of the

transit mail office

Page 3 of 9.

Sorting Mail office

•

Sorting Mail office handle bags and contents

of bags.

•

Receive ,close , despatch all kinds of bags

•

Open all kinds of bag addressed to them and

sort all kinds of articles received by them.

–

eg. Madurai RMS, Karaikudi sorting office

•

Head sorting Assistant is the in charge of the

office

Page 4 of 9.

Transit mail office

•

Handle closed bags

•

Receive, close and despatch all kinds of bags

•

Open transit bags addressed to them and sort

only closed bags

•

Never sort the articles

•

Mail Agent/Mail Guard is the in charge of the

Transit Mail office

Page 5 of 9.

Other Types of Mail offices

•

Automatic Mail Processing Centre

–

situated in cities where the quantum of mail is hea

vy.

–

Mechanized coding and sorting of unregistered mail.

–

At Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi

•

Press sorting office

–

situated on the premises of the News Paper.

–

This office works to suit the dispatch timing of th

e

News Paper.

Page 6 of 9.

Other Types of Mail Offices

•

Packet Sorting office

–

situated in big cities where volume of second class

unregistered mail is very high.

•

CRC

–

the registration branch of the Mail office, where

the processing of registration work is done on

computers.

–

A CRC can be situated in the Mail Office itself or

in a separate location

Page 7 of 9.

Other Types of Mail Offices

•

Corporate mail office/ Bulk Mail Centre

–

opened in big cities.

–

Mails are received from bulk Mailer

–

i.e

is firm which is capable of posting of 5000

unregistered articles/250 registered articles in

sorted destination wise bundle.

–

The Bulk Mail Centre despatch the bundle.

Page 8 of 9.

Other Types of Mail offices

•

Business Post Centre

–

Performs pre mailing activities for a fee.

–

collection, insertion, pasting, addressing, frankin

g/affixing

stamps .

•

Record office

–

stationery office of the Railway Mail Service where

the

work papers of the sections attached to it are prep

ared.

•

Head Record office

–

a stationery office

–

situated at the headquarters of RMS Division

–

prepares salary and contingent bills for the entir

e division

Page 9 of 9.

Other Types of Mail Offices

•

Sub Record office

–

stationery office of the RMS,

–

situated at the same station as a Mail office.

–

Prepare work papers for sections and themselves.

–

all forms required for their sections are supplied.

–

Compiled By: V. Leo Jesurajan, DSM, Karur

Merger of 50% DA with Pay and grant of Interim Relief - NFIR

Merger of 50% DA with Pay and grant of Interim Relief - NFIR

NFIR

National Federation of Indian Railwaymen

No.II/95/Pt. VI 

Dated: 20/02/2014

The General Secretaries of

Affiliated Unions of NFIR.

Brother,

Sub: Merger of 50% DA with Pay and grant of Interim Relief.

NFIR has been writing to the Government of India (including Prime Minister, Finance Minister etc) for merger of 50% DA with pay through its letters dated 10/01/2013, 05/08/2013, 27/09/2013. Also in its 27th National Convention held at Visakhapatnam from 10th  to 12th December, 2013, the Federation had passed a resolution demanding merger of 50% DA with Pay and grant of interim relief to employees of Central Government including Railway employees.

NFIR feels happy to convey that the Central Government has conceded the demand of the employees raised by the Federation. 

Union Cabinet is likely to consider the issues to day for taking final decision. Federation will advise decision when taken by the Government. Federation expects that there may be Good News for all Central Government employees very soon.

Yours faithfully,

sd/-

(M.Raghavaiah)

General Secretary

Source: NFIR

Transforming the Department of Posts into a Technology Driven Department

K. K. Pant*

A massive transformation of the Department of Posts is being undertaken by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology which will metamorphose the Department - now better known to the nation as India Post - into a technology driven Department. For this the Government has approved an IT Modernization Project with a total outlay of Rs 4,909 crore. The unique Project involves networking of all the 1,55,000 post offices spread across the country rolling out Core Banking Solution for Post Office Saving Bank, McCamish Insurance Solution for Postal Life Insurance and will enable track and trace of all accountable mails in the country. The IT Modernization Project commenced in 2012 and is expected to be operational by 2015. It covers eight segments which are under various stages of implementation and operationalization. A dedicated Data Centre is already in place.

This Project is unparalleled in terms of its scale and underlines the commitment of the Department of Posts to provide better services to the customers, and ensure higher employee satisfaction. The project is intended to build a wider reach to Indian populace through more customer interaction channels.

The Core Banking Solutions (CBS) in All Departmental Post Offices

The Department of Posts is also implementing the Core Banking Solutions (CBS) in all Departmental Post Offices during the current Five Year Plan. The Project introduces the facilities of ATM banking, mobile banking, phone banking, National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) to the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) customers.  It will enable the Post Office Saving Bank customers to undertake anytime anywhere banking through a network of ATMs.  CBS has been rolled out in 38 pilot Post Offices and is expected to be rolled out in all departmental Post Offices by 2015. The Project will IT enable the Branch Post Offices with a bio-metric hand held device, which isAadhaar enabled, printer and solar power to charge battery.

Initiatives to Improve the Quality of Mail Related Services Across The Country

The Department of Posts has also taken initiatives to improve the quality of mail related services across the country. As part of the Mail Network Optimization Project (MNOP), the operational network for the delivery of mails has been restructured and the processes redesigned. An online monitoring system has been developed for a more effective monitoring of Speed Post Registered Post. An online track and trace system is also in place for registered articles on a pattern similar to the tracking of Speed Post articles. Automated Mail Processing Centers (AMPCs) have been set up at Delhi and Kolkata to further expedite the mail sorting activities. A Global Positioning System (GPS) system has been installed in mail vehicles in the North East Region for a better monitoring of the movement of mail carriages.

Providing Computers and Peripherals to All Departmental Post Offices

The Department of Posts has also provided computers and peripherals to all 25,145 departmental Post Offices in the country to enhance their efficiency. Remotely Managed Franking Machines (RMFMs) are also being supplied to the post offices in a phased manner.  These machines have a number of security features, like generation of 2D barcodes to assist traceable evidence of postage. These machines will improve the efficiency of the post offices by faster franking of articles and also help in having a ready data base of customers in an electronic form.

‘Project Arrow’

Department of Posts has also launched a Quality Improvement Project called ‘Project Arrow’ in April 2008, which entails a comprehensive improvement of the Core Operations of Post Offices as well as the ambience (Look and Feel) in which postal transaction are undertaken.

The Department of Posts has evolved a Sevottam complaint Citizen’s Charter laying down the service delivery norms of various postal products and services.  A monitoring mechanism to ensure the quality of services and prompt redressal of public grievances is in place at all levels. It is also operating the Central Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) to handle complaints.

New services like e-IPO, e-Post, Express Parcel Post, Business Parcel Post have been introduced which not only open new revenue streams but also lead to widen the reach of the post offices and provide the customer with value added services.

Market Share on the Rise

The market share of the value added services of the Department of Post vis-à-vis private couriers has increased in last two year which are:

Sl. No.	Name of Products / Services	Market Share
		2011	2012
1	Speed Post	15.1% to 18.3%	16.7% to 19.8%
2	Express Parcel Post	4% to 6%	5% to 7%

Increasing Revenue Generation

The efficacy of the steps taken by the Government is also reflected in the fact that the Revenue generation of Postal Services is increasing every year, and the targets for each coming year are raised by the Government. The revenue generated and expenditure incurred by the Postal Department, during the last three years and the current year year-wise, are:

                                                                                                                   

                                                             (Rs. in crore)

Year	Revenue
2010-11	6,962.3
2011-12	7,899.4
2012-13	9,366.5
2013-14 (up to Dec' 2013)	7,733.2

To further increase the revenue the Department has taken following steps:

·         Beside the IT Modernization project, a series of initiatives have been taken under Mail Network Optimization Project in order to improve the quality of mail services.

·         Launching special drives for covering more persons under the small saving network, especially in rural areas. Similar drives are also launched to popularize Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) so that life cover / savings is encouraged among the rural population.

·         Financial Performance of each postal circle related to revenue and expenditure are reviewed on regular basis.

·         Rationalization of postal products to improve service delivery in the light of market demand.

(PIB Features.)

******

*Deputy Director (M&C), PIB, New Delhi.

With inputs from the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & IT.

Government employees to file separate property returns under Lokpal

All government employees have to file a revised declaration, information or return of their liabilities and those of spouse and their dependent children as per the mandatory requirement under the Lokpal regime, which came into being two days ago. 
These declarations would be different from the existing such returns being filed by the government employees under various services rules. 
The government has on Saturday notified the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Removal of Difficulties) Ord .. 
View the Gazette Notification

Challenges before the Seventh Pay Commission: Financial Express Article

Challenges before the Seventh Pay Commission: Raj Kumar Ray

Growth has fallen in the last couple of years eroding revenue while inflation remains stubbornly high. The new pay commission will have to factor in both concerns

Why does the government appoint a pay commission every decade?

A pay panel is appointed every decade to review and recommend the pay structure for central government employees taking into account various factors such as cost of living, inflation rate, revenue growth and fiscal deficit of the government, growth in workforce, private sector job scenario and wages, and economic growth. The government has so far appointed six pay commissions. The demand for a permanent pay commission set up through an Act of Parliament has been raised once but it was not accepted by the government.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the constitution of the Seventh Pay Commission—to be headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ashok Kumar Mathur—to suggest the extent of hike in salaries of the 7-million-plus central government staff and pensioners with effect from 2016. Petroleum secretary Vivek Rae has been appointed as a full-time member, NIPFP director Rathin Roy will be part-time member and Meena Agarwal will be member-secretary of the new pay panel.

How did the process of pay hikes evolved?

The pay panel recommendations have evolved with time. The first central pay commission (CPC) adopted the concept of “living wage” to determine the pay structure of the government staff. The third CPC adopted the concept of “need-based wage”. The fourth CPC had recommended that the government constitute a permanent machinery to undertake periodical review of pay and allowances of its employees, but this was not accepted by the government. The sixth CPC suggested performance related incentive scheme (PRIS) to replace the ad hoc bonus and productivity-linked bonus schemes. The pay panel also suggested that the running pay band be extended to all grades of officers. Also, the sixth pay panel suggested slashing of the number of grades to 20 and one distinct pay scale for secretaries from the 35 existing earlier.

By how much have the public sector salaries increased every decade following the pay panels’ recommendations?

By and large, the salaries of central government staff have tripled every decade. The sixth CPC suggested 3 times increase in salaries from that of fifth CPC levels—it was 2.6 times for lower grade officials and slightly above 3 for higher grade staff. The increase in salary during fifth CPC was 3-3.5 times the fourth CPC levels.

What has been the fiscal implication of pay hikes?

Government finances have come under strain after implementations of each CPC. After the fourth CPC, the combined fiscal deficit of centre and states rose to 9.5% of GDP in FY87 from 7.7% in FY86. The impact was significantly harsh during the fifth CPC, especially for states—the combined fiscal deficit rose from 6.1% in FY97 to 7% in FY98 and then to 8.7% in FY99 with the aggregate deficit of states surging from 2.6% to over 4%.

In the case of the sixth CPC, the government expenditure increased by about Rs 22,000 crore during 2008-09—Rs 15,700 crore on the general budget and Rs 6,400 crore on the rail budget. The Rs 18,000 crore arrears were distributed in two years—40% in FY09 and 60% in FY10. The fiscal implication of sixth CPC coupled with fiscal stimulus in the form of higher spending and tax cuts after the Lehman crisis, increased Centre’s fiscal deficit to 6% in FY09 and 6.5% in FY10 from less than 3% in FY08.

What are the challenges before seventh CPC?

The new pay panel faces many challenges when it starts the process of reviewing the pay structures of babus. First, the economic growth has slowed sharply in the last 10 years—from over 9% between FY06 and FY08 to 4.5% in FY13. This means slower revenue growth and little room for scaling up expenditure on salaries.

Second, the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) target has already been revised more than twice after the Lehman crisis and the new target for lowering the fiscal deficit target to 3% of GDP is FY17. This again binds the government to restrict spending on salaries and wages.

Third and the most important factor, inflation has stayed high in the past few years—the CPI inflation (CPI-Industrial Workers and the new CPI) has averaged over 9% in the past eight years, which means cost of living has gone up significantly and hence necessitates higher compensation for workers. The dearness allowance of government staff has already touched 100%, which along with the rise in other allowances have more than doubled salaries since 2006.

Analysts expect the seventh pay panel to suggest 3-3.5 times hike in salaries across various grades from sixth CPC levels apart from a further rationalisation of government staff. Already, direct or permanent jobs in public sector have been shrinking while engagement of contract labour and outsourcing is on the rise. This trend is likely to continue given the fiscal imperatives of the government.

There is a perception that government salaries should rise faster at the higher grades and slowly at the lower grades to keep pace with private sector. It needs to be seen whether the seventh CPC retains the minimum:maximum ratio at sixth CPC level of 1:12. A hike in the ratio should not impinge the fisc much as the top level officials—joint secretaries and above—comprise less than 5% of the overall public sector workforce. The performance related incentives could also be reviewed to retain talent within the public sector. More than the fiscal implication, what matters is the productivity of the public sector. For instance, sluggish clearances needed for large projects have ruined investment and halved the growth rate in last three years. The silver-lining of the next CPC could be that it may boost the services sector growth and help revive the faltering economy from 2016 as higher salaries boost spending on housing, automobiles and consumer electronics.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/

Top 10 People Skills To Put Your Career On A Fast Track

Smart resumes are useful only in getting a job.

To sustain it, one requires not just expertise in one’s field but, more importantly, inter-personal skills. Here are the top people skills that will help you put your career on a fast track.

1. EXPRESS BOLDLY 

Be assertive. The team needs your inputs and ideas, so learn to express yourself verbally and in writing. Be direct and clear, using simple language and minimum words. Assertiveness is not aggression, so stick to positive language, learn to accept a ‘No’ and don’t alienate people by bragging. Observe how people react to your words and choose them accordingly.

2. LISTEN SINCERELY 

If speaking up is important, learning to listen is critical. Getting the communication right the first time saves you trouble later. Be 100% present in every conversation and listen sincerely, and with humility and empathy. Do not fidget, worry about your problems or sit in judgement. With time, you will understand different communication styles and avoid misunderstandings.

3. RESOLVE CONFLICTS 

Conflict resolution is the biggest skill that managers and leaders need. Start by building trust. Being fair will help people listen to you during disagreements. To resolve issues, seek common ground between both parties and present both sides equally. Find consensus and hold people accountable for their actions. Focus on the solution, not on the problem or people concerned.

4. SHOW INTEREST 

The workplace is for teams, not individuals. Success comes only thro ugh team work. The closer the bonds you build with people, the easier your work will be. Break the ice with a smile and increase quality time spent with people, both in and outside office. Genuine interest for team members will bring them closer to you.

5. SAY THANK-YOU 

Even if it appears difficult or corny, learn to say thank-you and express gratitude. Be sincere and specific in your words. Acknowledge your subordinate who stayed back late to complete the presentation for your meeting. Your acknowledgement helps people feel energised and creates an enabling environment for the team.

6. BODY LANGUAGE 

Each organisation and team has its code of conduct besides the expected workplace behaviour. Pay close attention and follow both general and local etiquette. Master non-verbal communication: have clear eye contact and a confident posture. Only if your body language and behaviour are in line with expectations, will your words have an impact.

7. ASK QUESTIONS 

Learn how to question people and respond in the right way. Questions are vital to learn how things work, foster close relationships in a team, manage people and projects and avoid needless conflict. The right way causes people to calm down and reach an agreement. Avoid a manner that assumes wrong intention or wrongdoing on the other person’s part. 

8. USE THE MIRROR 

Japanese legends respect the power of mirror or self-knowledge. Introspect to know what makes you thrive and what makes you lose focus and motivation. Figure out the same for people around you. You will soon realise that there are many right approaches to getting the work done. Your sensitivity to what people say will also reduce, making you resilient and persistent in challenging times.

9. DON’T LOSE YOUR COOL 

US President Barack Obama is known to never lose his cool even in the most stressful situations. Doing so will give you power over the 0situation and people involved. The first step towards learning to control your anger is to shut up and walk out or walk away till you have calmed down. You can come back later with a planned response to achie ve your aims with minimum disturbance to you or your team.

10. ASK WHAT YOU WANT 

The quickest secret to success is to ask yourself: ‘What do I want?’ Figure out what you want from the situation or the person you are dealing with. This will help formulate a plan and take the best action possible. Knowing what you want from people will empower you to redirect a challenging relationship or even terminate it with minimum pain, if the need arises.

FIVE CRITICAL WORK SKILLS

BEAT THE BELL 

Be on time, every time. It includes being seated at your desk when the office begins and being punctual for a meeting called by your team leader. To remember non-routine commitments, set up a reminder 15 minutes prior to the meeting through your online Google calendar.

BATTING AVERAGE 

Your work reputation depends on tasks and projects you complete successfully. Constantly find ways to solve problems that crop up invariably. Your batting average improves with every task you complete on your own and drops when you go back to ask for solutions.

MOVE EVERY MONKEY 

All communication that you receive, be it a request for information or a new task for you, goes on your to-do list. Keep the list moving by replying to every e-mail and confirming tasks on completion. Don’t let any monkey sit on your back for too long.

STAY IN SIGHT 

‘Out of sight’ can result in ‘out of job’. Be visible to your team or make sure that your work is visible at all times. People tend to remember who was around when the going was tough, so be present to help your team when the big project deadline is near.

RAISE YOUR HAND 

Many people find it tough to ask for help. Also, there are tasks that no one wants. In both cases, raise your hand. Volunteer to help colleagues and complete unsavoury tasks. This is the fastest route to being indispensable.

Devashish Chakravarty, Director, Executive Search at Quetzal

Source: The Economic Times