Friday, September 05, 2014
Wish you a Happy Teacher’s Day
DR. SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN - THE PHILOSOPHER PRESIDENT
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on
September 5, 1888, in a middle class family in the pilgrim town of Tirutani.
His father, it is said, did not want his son to learn English, instead wanted
him to become a priest. However, the talents of the boy were so outstanding
that he was sent to school at Thirupati and then Vellore. Later, he joined the
Christian College, Madras, and studied philosophy. Drawn by accident into
philosophy, Radhakrishnan by his confidence, concentration and strong
convictions went on to become a great philosopher.
Philosophy and Life
His first book, "The Ethics of the Vedanta
and Its Material Presupposition"', being his thesis for the M.A. degree
examination of the Madras University, published in 1908, at once established
his fame as a great philosopher of undoubted ability. All his later works are
landmarks in their respective fields. Expressing abstract and abstruse
philosophical thoughts in intelligible language is considered very difficult.
But Dr. Radhakrishnan was one of the few who could accomplish this with ease
and simplicity.
To him, philosophy was a way of understanding
life and his study of Indian philosophy served as a cultural therapy. By
interpreting Indian thought in western terms and showing that it was imbued
with reason and logic he was able to give Indians a new sense of esteem, who
were overcome by inferiority complex by imperial forces. But he also made clear
to them that their long and rich tradition had been arrested and required
further evolution and he exhorted Indians to cast off much that was corrupt and
abhorrent.
Social Commitment
Dr. Radhakrishnan moved beyond being a mere
academic and sought to engage his philosophical and religious studies in the
political and social developments of the contemporary context.
He believed that in India, the philosopher's
duty was to keep in touch with the past while stretching out to the future.
This commitment to society, the crusading urgent tone in his scholarly
writings, the modern note in his interpretations of even classical texts and
his intellectual resistance to the deforming pressures of colonialism gave Dr.
Radhakrishnan a distinct public image. He was a coin minted differently from
the usual run of politicians and academicians.
Evocative Teacher
Far from being a stern and severe intellectual
remote from the world, Dr. Radhakrishnan was a very humane person. Exceedingly
popular among his students right from his early days as a professor at
Presidency College, Madras he was an evocative teacher. He was offered the
professorship in Calcutta University when he was less than 30 years old. He
served as Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1939, he
was appointed the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University .Two years later,
he took over the Sir Sayaji Rao Chair of Indian Culture and Civilisation in
Banaras.
Recognition of his scholarship came again in
1936, when he was invited to fill the Chair of Spalding Professor of Eastern
Religions and Ethics at Oxford which he retained for 16 years. His mastery on
his subject and his clarity of thought and expression made him a much sought
after teacher. But what made him even more popular was his warmheartedness and
his ability to draw out people. This aspect of his personality continued to win
him countless admirers throughout his long and illustrious public life.
In the last decades of British rule, his was
the most sophisticated and exalted analysis of Gandhi's work and thought and in
free India he provided the ideological armour for Nehru's foreign policy.
International Acclaim
His commitment to high principles and unfailing
dignity lent nobility and moral authority to all the offices which he held. If
in India Dr. Radhakrishnan was a highly respected figure, abroad he became one
of the best-liked public figures of his time. He earned very early
international recognition as a philospher. In 1952, the Library of Living
Philosophers, an institute of world-wide repute, brought out a massive volume
on 'the philosophy of Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan' devoted wholly to a critical
appreciation of his philosophical doctrines.
After Independence, this philosophical
luminary, who personified the essence of India yet had a universal vision,
became an ideal ambassador to the Soviet Union, for the nascent nation poised
to establish itself in the international arena.
Leading the Nation
In 1952, Dr. Radhakrishnan was chosen to be the
Vice President of the Republic of India and in 1962, he was made the Head of
the State for five years. It was the glory of Indian democracy that an
educationist aloof from politics but with an international acclaim as a
profound scholar was placed in the position of the President. And it was an
advantage for a young country like India to have him to interpret its domestic
and foreign policies abroad to expound its outlook and aspirations emphatically
and in the rightway which was much needed in a world of uncertainity and
disbelief among nations.
His appointment as President was hailed by
Bertrand Russel who said "It is an honour to philosophy that
Dr.Radhakrishnan should be President of India and I, as a philosopher, take
special pleasure in this. Plato aspired for philosophers to become kings and it
is a tribute to India that she should make a philosopher her President".
History reserved for Radhakrishnan's term of
office as President much suspense and surprise. Within months of his ascendancy
in 1962 there was the Chinese invasion. The nation's morale was dealt a blow
but RadhakrishnanÕs voice, firm and resolute came on the air to reassure a
shaken nation:
"Owing to the difficult terrain and
numerical superiority of the Chinese, we suffered military reverses. These have
opened our eyes to the realities of the situation. We are now aware of our
inadequacies and are alive to the needs of the present and the demands of the
future. The country has developed a new purpose, a new will".
In 1965, Pakistan violated our Western
frontiers. Dr Radhakrishnan in his broadcast to the nation on September 25,
1965 said,"Pakistan assumed that India was too weak or too afraid or too
proud to fight. India, though naturally disinclined to take to arms felt the
necessity to defend herself when attacked. Pakistan also assumed that communal
disturbances would occur in the country and in the resulting chaos she could
have her way. Her miscalculations must have come to her as a rude shock."
Dr.Radhakrishnan had great faith in Indian
democracy. In his farewell broadcast to the Nation on May 12, 1967, he said
that despite occasional forebodings to the contrary, the Indian Constitution
had worked successfully so far. But democracy, he warned, was more than a
system of the Government. "It was a way of life and a regime of civilised
conduct of human affairs. We should be the architects of peaceful changes and
the advocates of radical reform", he said.
Great Teacher
It was in 1962 when Dr. Radhakrishnan became
the President of India that his birthday in September came to be observed as
'Teachers' Day'. It was a tribute to Dr.Radhakrishnan's close association with
the cause of teachers. Whatever position he held whether as President or Vice
President or even as Ambassador, Dr.Radhakrishnan essentially remained a
teacher all his life. The teaching profession was his first love and those who
studied under him still remember with gratitude his great qualities as a
teacher.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of his
closest friends throughout, said about Dr.Radhakrishnan: "He has served
his country in many capacities. But above all, he is a great Teacher from whom
all of us have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is IndiaÕs peculiar
privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great
humanist as her President. That in itself shows the kind of men we honour and
respect."
Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the nation,
was conferred on him in 1954 in recognition of his meritorious service to
mankind.
* 5th
September, the birthday of Dr. Radhskrishnan, is observed as Teacher's Day.
Source : http://pib.nic.in/feature/feyr98/fe0898/f2808981.html
Monday, September 01, 2014
Soon, attendance of govt staff to be tracked online
Soon, attendance of govt staff to be tracked online
A search for any registered employee yields complete details, along
with the employee’s attendance/leave status. (Source: PTI)
Summary
The Modi government had recently directed all
central government offices to introduce Aadhaar-based biometric
attendance systems.
Though the website, attendance.gov.in, is still in the process of being developed, officials said it is expected to be modelled on the lines of similar websites of the Jharkhand government and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology.
To illustrate, the home page of the Jharkhand government’s attendance website gives the total number of employees present on the given day, along with graphical representations of “real-time attendance” and statistics on the percentage of people logging into office during different time slots, giving an idea of how many officials come to office during the designated timings. Further, a search for any registered employee yields complete details, along with the employee’s attendance/leave status.
Officials said the Centre’s website is likely to emulate most of these features and is expected to be as open to the public. “This level of open tracking takes transparency to another level, a key focus of this government,” said an official.
The Narendra Modi government had recently directed all central government offices to introduce Aadhaar-based biometric attendance systems. Officials said this website is the next step in that direction. The attendance record entered on the biometric devices in government offices will feed the data to this website, which will act as a centralised management information system (MIS) for attendance.
The database for all central government staff will be maintained centrally with a unique six digit ID provided for each employee, based on either the last six or first six digits of the Aadhaar number. Currently, the website has over 16,000 registered users, spread across 113 organisations. The maximum number of officials registered currently are from the Planning Commission. There are no active users or active devices yet.
For an organisation/ department to be registered, the nodal officers of that department will have to login to the website and create a master list of locations of their offices, designation of their offices and divisions/ units/ groups within their organisation. Following this, each employee can start registering online by submitting the relevant details along with Aadhaar numbers.
OUR SECRETARY GENERAL COM. M. KRISHNAN RETIRES
"You can be taken out of the workforce officially, but the work force can never be taken out of you ".
"You
will be remembered ever, for the things that you did here. We are
confident your services will be in the extended platform for the cause
of common workers and downtrodden and this is the beginning of another
leaf "....
CHQ R4 NFPE TEAM CONGRATULATES ON YOUR RETIREMENT AND WISHING A LONG, HEALTHY, PROSPEROUS LIFE FOR YOU ON THE DAYS TO COME
Govt to increase DA to 107 %
Govt to increase dearness allowance to 107 p.c
The Government is likely to approve a hike in dearness allowance (DA)
to 107 per cent from the existing 100 per cent, benefiting around 30
lakh Centre’s employees and its 50 lakh pensioners including dependents.
“The average rate of retail inflation for industrial workers from
July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 works out to be 7.25 per cent. Thus the
Central government will hike dearness allowance for it employees by 7
per cent,” an official said.
He said the Finance Ministry will now put a Cabinet proposal for
approval of 7 per cent DA hike from July 1 this year as the revised
Consumer Price Index-Industrial Workers data for June was released by
Labour Ministry on Saturday.
With increase in DA, the pensioners will also gain as the benefit
provided to them as dearness relief will be hiked to 107 per cent of
basic pay.
The previous UPA government had increased DA to 100 per cent from 90
per cent with effect from January 1, 2014, on February 28 on the basis
of agreed formula for revision of the allowance.
However, the central government employees’ union is not very enthused
by the 7 per cent hike in the dearness allowance as their long pending
demand of merger of DA with basic pay has not been given heed by 7th Pay
Commission and the government.
“The erosion of value of wages is unbearable at 50 per cent dearness
allowance. Now it will be 107 per cent. It is high time to merge DA with
basic pay to provide relief to employees,” Confederation of Central
Government Employees’ President KKN Kutty told PTI.
“We had summited our memorandum in this regard to 7th Pay Commission.
They forwarded it to Central Government. We have apprised about the
issue to the newly elected NDA government.
But no decision has been taken so far,” he said.
With merger of DA with basic pay, the salary and allowances paid in
proportion of basic pay are increased. As per earlier practise DA was
merged with basic pay once it breached 50 per cent mark. But the 6th Pay
Commission has disallowed that.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
GATE 2015: Things one should know before applying
The application process for GATE 2015 shall commence on September 1,
2014. Interested candidates will have to apply online through the zonal
GATE websites of IISc or any of the seven IITs.
The GATE 2015 score will be valid for a period of three years from
the date of announcement of results. All the papers in GATE 2015 will be
held in online mode only and some examinations will be conducted in
multiple sessions.
According to GATE 2015 website, the GATE examination will be held on
January 31, February 01, 07, 08, 14, 2015. There are some important
facts aboutt GATE 2015 that candidates should know before applying and
preparing for the examination.
The Online Computer Based Test (CBT) will be held for all the 22
papers. The online examination paper will contain some questions for
which numerical answers must be keyed in by the candidate using the
virtual keypad. Rest of the questions shall be Multiple Choice Questions
(MCQ).
Candidates will have to go through biometric information (photograph
and fingerprints) verification before the start of the examination.
GATE 2015 examinations will be held in two sessions - forenoon and
afternoon sessions on alternate weekends (Saturday and Sunday) between
January 31, 2015 and February 14, 2015. Examination for some of the
papers in GATE 2015 will be held in multiple sessions.
Subjectwise examination schedule will be notified later. For GATE
2015, the entire process of filling up of application form, uploading of
certificates/documents etc. will be online and the candidates should
not send any hard copy of their application form/documents, etc. to any
of the IIT/IISc zonal GATE office.
Payments of application fees will be accepted only online through
different modes like net banking, debit/credit card, e-challan, etc. The
admit cards for GATE 2015 would be available through the online process
only. Candidates can download their admit card from GATE 2015 website.
No hard copy of admit cards will be posted to the candidates.
Prime Minister to Launch Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana Tomorrow: To Dedicate Mobile Banking Facility on Basic Mobile Phones to the Nation
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
All you need to know about cap on free ATM transactions
The RBI's decision to cut the
number of free transactions on other banks' ATMs will have widespread
ramifications. Starting 1 November, if you conduct more than three
transactions on other banks' ATMs in a month, you will be charged Rs 20
per transaction. The apex bank has also allowed banks to charge
customers if they use their own bank ATMs more than five times a month.
This applies to transactions in six metros: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai,
Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
The silver lining in the new rules on ATM usage is that the charge structure has been harmonised. Before the RBI decided in 2009 to make five ATM transactions free, banks used to charge anything between Rs 15 and Rs 60 per transaction at another bank's ATM. This was later revised to Rs 20 per withdrawal and Rs 9 for non-financial transactions. Banks have been lobbying for the introduction of charges on ATM usage ever since the RBI allowed this. Thankfully, the RBI has not permitted banks to have their way and retained the cap on charges for withdrawals.
While
Rs 20 per transaction is not exactly usurious, it can add up to a
sizeable amount every month if you are not careful about your cash flow.
With careful planning, you can avoid paying the ATM charges beyond the
free transactions. However, don't go overboard trying to avoid the ATM
charge. For instance, keeping a lot of cash at home to save on ATM
fees could prove counter-productive. In your effort to save Rs 20 in
transaction fee, you may lose a few hundred rupees in interest.
Besides, it is possible that your bank does not levy charges for using ATMs frequently. For instance, preferred customers, who hold a large bank balance or have made investments through the bank, could be allowed more than three free transactions a month at other ATMs and an unlimited use of the bank's own teller machines. The change comes at a time when banks are adopting technology at a furious pace. Most banks now offer customers the facility of knowing their account balance or getting a mini statement through an SMS or phone banking. So, avoid using the ATM for nonfinancial transactions that can be done through other channels.
6 ways to avoid high ATM charges
Here's how you can avoid the charges that are likely to kick in from 1 November 2014.
Use cards wherever possible : Your first weapon against ATM charges is the plastic in your wallet. Use your debit and credit cards so that you don't need too much cash. Be alert when you do this. Some establishments charge 1-2% of the amount as transaction fee, which will defeat the purpose of using the cards. There is also the danger of overspending if you use plastic money for every purchase.
Plan your cash flow better : Don't wait till you are broke to withdraw money from the ATM. Give yourself a buffer of 2-3 days by indulging in advance planning. In this manner, you won't be forced to use another bank's ATM. While withdrawing cash, take out more than the amount you need immediately. Take into account the expenses during the coming 8-10 days and withdraw accordingly.
Prefer your own bank : If your bank's ATM is in the vicinity, avoid using another bank's machine. Even if you have to walk 50-100 feet, your first choice should be your own bank's ATM. Only if there is no ATM close to you should you use another bank's ATM. Some banks have apps that can help you locate their nearest ATM on the smartphone. Make a list of your bank's ATMs in the areas you frequently visit.
Keep emergency cash : Keep some cash at home in case you run out of money due to unforeseen expenses. However, don't keep too large an amount in cash. In your effort to save Rs 20 in ATM fees, you could be losing out more in interest on that amount. Besides, keeping cash at home is risky.
Start using dormant account : The silver lining is that the ATM charges will help revive your dormant bank account. Most banks charge a small annual fee of Rs 80-100 for a no-frill debit card. One debit card will allow you 36 transactions on other banks' ATMs and 60 at your own bank in one year. That is much cheaper than the charge imposed by your current bank if you exceed the cap on transactions.
Use SMS, phone banking for non-financial transactions : The
cap on ATM usage includes non-financial transactions, such as balance
enquiry or a mini statement request. Instead of using the ATM for this,
take the SMS route. Most banks offer SMS facility for checking account
balance, mini statements with last five to 10 transactions, and the
status of cheques issued by you.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/\
Download OpenOffice 4.1.1
Apache
OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word
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It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It
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Great software
Apache
OpenOffice is the result of over twenty years' software engineering.
Designed from the start as a single piece of software, it has a
consistency other products cannot match. A completely open development
process means that anyone can report bugs, request new features, or
enhance the software. The result: Apache OpenOffice does everything you
want your office software to do, the way you want it to.
Easy to use
Apache
OpenOffice is easy to learn, and if you're already using another office
software package, you'll take to OpenOffice straight away. Our
world-wide native-language community means that OpenOffice is probably
available and supported in your own language. And if you already have
files from another office package - OpenOffice will probably read them
with no difficulty.
And it's free
Best
of all, Apache OpenOffice can be downloaded and used entirely free of
any licence fees. Apache OpenOffice is released under the Apache 2.0
Licence. This means you may use it for any purpose - domestic,
commercial, educational, public administration. You may install it on as
many computers as you like. You may make copies and give them away to
family, friends, students, employees - anyone you like.
View: OpenOffice Website | Release Notes
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Why do we join Union?
Smt.
Nandita Mohanty
Chairperson, Women
Sub-Committee
AIPEU, Gr-C, Bhubaneswar
Division
With
the evolution of society and growth in social needs there is a sharp
development in industrialization. It involves use of modern technology and
employment of large number of workers. As large number of people are involved,
it becomes necessary to safe guard the interest of the workers. They need
to be organized to fulfil their demands in respect of salary, welfare and
social security. There comes the concept of `Union’.
So,
union is the long-term association of workers to advance and protect the
interest of members of the union in the working relationship. According to
Flippo “A labor union or a trade union is an organization of workers formed to
protect, promote and improve through collective action, the social, economic
and political interest of its members.”
Whenever
any employee joins a union, he has some expectations in his mind. He may join
the union for the following reasons:-
·
Economic benefits: When any employee
joins an organization the main interest is the salary or wage. As the social
status of a person is defined by the economic standard he carries, more
emphasis is given to the economic benefits. But any single individual has very
little bargaining capacity as compared to the huge power of the management. He
thinks, if he joins the union, union will fight for the economic interest of
the employee as the union has great bargaining capacity to get its demands
accepted by the management. But the union has also its own limitations.
It can bargain on the genuine ground according to the prevailing rules. It can
demand for the economic up-gradation when the organization is economically
sound. For that the employees have to give their hundred percent so that union
can demand enhancement of monetary benefits. Because no organization will give
any economic benefit unless and until it is economically sound. At that time
expectation of economic advancement is baseless.
·
Platform for self-expression: At the primitive days of
industrialization, lives of the workers were like slaves without any voice
against the tyranny of the management. They used to live at the mercy of the
management. They couldn’t raise their voice against un-hygienic working conditions,
hard work, low wage, long and inconvenient hours of working etc.
Self-expression and individuality were totally prohibited. But the desire for
self-expression is a fundamental drive which can’t be ignored. By joining the
union the employees get a platform for self-expression. The union provides the
mechanism through which employees can make their voice heard by the top
management. Union serves as the communicating device between the employees and
the management. Sometimes due to low perspective and narrow-mindedness,
some can’t understand the long-term views taken by the organization in the
context of overall growth of the organization and employees. Anything which
does not result in immediate reward becomes unattractive to them. This attitude
results in the difference in views and conflict in union. One thing we should
keep in mind that union is by the employees, for the employees and of the
employees. So to be in union, one should go beyond oneself.
·
Check-bar on arbitrary action of the management: The employees join the
union to fight against the arbitrary action of the management. It works like a
brake to the monopoly of the management. Employees expect a just and fare
dealing from the management on the basis of the prevailing rules and regulations.
Union serves a checkmate when management goes beyond the prevailing rules
and take action against the employees which is irrational, unlawful or
discriminatory. Thus union safe- guards the interest of the employees.
·
Security : The employees join union because they think
that at the time of need the union will stand by them. They can get the
protection from hazards and economic insecurities at the time of illness,
accidents, unemployment etc. For example, trade union ensures compensation to
the injured workers under the Workman’s Compensation Act 1923, secures the
retirement benefits under Gratuity Act 1972 and PF Act 1952, employees’ health,
social security, payment of wage, bonus, insurance, maternity benefit etc. and
other welfare measures by compelling the management to abide by these. With the
union, employees feel safe and secure both mentally and physically.
·
Employee-employer relationship: The employee may not have easy
access to the top management. But union is the proper machinery which maintains
a sound communication between the employer and the employee. Employees feel
attached to the organization by this. If the relation between the employer and
employees is good then industrial disputes, conflicts, strikes and lock-outs
can be avoided.
·
Sense of participation: Sense of participation is also a fundamental desire
among the employees. They expect that their voice should be heard in making
decisions in the organization. This is known as the Workman’s Participation.
Being in the union, they can make their voice heard by the management in
matters affecting them and can also influence to take a correct decision.
·
Sense of belongingness: When any employee joins an organization the sense of
belongingness is developed inside him. He tries to feel that he is the integral
part of the organization. For that he may join the union. Because his
co-workers are with the union. He may have the feeling that if he will not join
the union he will be odd man out and can’t get any assistance at the time of
need. On the contrary, when he is in the union he feels that he is attached
with the organization and experiences a feel-good factor. He begins to think
that he has some importance in the organization and among the co-workers.
·
Background factor: Some who are born
and brought up in the industrial area or in the organizational background where
the society members and members of the family are attached with the union, join
the union as a nature of practice. Here the past history works. As a result, they
think it obvious and natural enough to join the union.
Though
it is the mere truth that union is for the safe-guard of the employees, we
can’t use it as the weapon against the management. If management strives for
the long term benefit of the organization which may sound unreal on the today’s
back ground, then union also has to think in that angle for the
mutual benefit. We should aspire for the long term benefits because our next
generation may get the fruit out of it. We have to make the union strong for
the bright future.
*****
Source : http://aipeup3bbsr.blogspot.in/
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