Postal RADAR

This is with reference to the news report “Bye-bye cheques, hello electronic payments” ( Business Line , January 23). It was indeed commendable that banks launched a “green banking” movement and encouraged paperless banking. This is more efficient, faster and safer. However, the RBI, in its wisdom, permitted the banks to charge Rs 6 per NEFT transaction; which the banks were very prompt to implement. This defeats the whole purpose of the “green banking” campaign. Customers in the high net-worth or wealth management category aren't charged for cheques. In any case, even those who are charged for additional cheque books would find it more economical to use cheques rather than NEFT services, where they are charged for each transaction. The only benefit of electronic banking is greater safety, when compared to outstation cheques sent by post and subjected to the vagaries of the postal system. It would be interesting to see if the imposition of the service charge for NEFT transactions h...

Senior citizens are lifeline of the department; virtual post offices or e-post offices are the future which will attract youngsters His relationship with the post office started when he was barely 10. S. Sampath, a septuagenarian, continues to correspond through what many people call the “snail mail service” despite all odds and dissuasion from his family. For over 60 years, Mr. Sampath has seen the service attain enviable heights of repute, success and efficiency, and then rapidly lose its traditional relevance in the face of modern technology. His son often teases him for posting cards, but nothing stops the septuagenarian from using the Department's services. “There is no one to pass on my stamp collection in my family. I have stopped writing long letters to my relatives in the village,” said the retired teacher from Kalaivanar Colony, Anna Nagar West. With the digital world expanding by the day, the idea of a simple hand-written letter seems to be on its way into history. The ...

Difference between NRE and NRO Accounts The Government of India has permitted NRIs to open rupee accounts in India in order to repatriate funds from their home countries. The two most common accounts are the NRE and NRO accounts. Let’s take a closer look at them. What’s an NRE account? A Non-Resident External (NRE) account is a bank account that’s opened by depositing foreign currency at the time of opening a bank account. This currency can be tendered in the form of traveler’s checks or notes. What’s an NRO account? A Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) account is the normal bank account opened by an Indian going abroad with the intention of becoming an NRI. An NRI can also open this account by sending remittances from his home country or by transferring funds from his other NRO account. It offers the same facilities as an NRE account, except that any repatriation done through this account should be reported to RBI by filling up prescribed forms. How do NRE and NRO accounts differ? Funds rem...

37th Biennial All India Conference of AIAIP&ASP was held at Bengaluru on 28 & 29th of January 2012 and following office bearers are unanimously elected.   Sr.No. Post Name Desgn. & Office Circle 01 President Shri Suresh Kumar Sharma Offg. SRM “I” Dn. Jalandhar Punjab 02 Vice President-I Shri Navin Chandar ASP Bantvel Sub Division Karnataka 03 Vice President-II Shri B.B. Mohanty Offg. ADPS (Rectt.) CO, Bhubaneshwar Odisha 04 Gen. Secretary Shri Vilas S. Ingale ASP, New Mumbai Sub Division, Vashi 400703 Maharashtra 05 Asst. Gen. Secretary-I Shri Ram Vinay Sharma ASP West Sub Dn Muzaffarpur Bihar 06 Asst. Gen. Secretary-II Shri T.M. Krishnaswami ASP (Vig.) CO, Trivandrum Kerala 07 Asst. Gen. Secretary-III Shri Y. Venkateswarulu ASP, Siddipet Sub Division A.P. 08 Asst. Gen. Secretary-IV Ms. Usha K.R. ASP (HQ) Belgaum Karnataka 09 Org. Gen. Secretary-I Shri P. Jagatselvan PM, St. Thomas Mount HO, Chennai 600016 T.N. ...

Central Consumer Protection Council  (CCPC), the apex body in the area of consumer protection will meet here tomorrow to review consumer protection measures and activities in the country.  The meeting to be chaired by Prof. K.V. Thomas, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution will be attended by  ministers incharge of consumer affairs from the States (two each from five regions in the country), Members of Parliament, Administrators of Union Territories , representatives of Central Government, consumer organizations and consumer activists.             In its day-long meeting, the CCPC will discuss following – -         Consumer right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property; -         The right to be informed a...

Shri Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development launched a Web Journal – “Voices of Teachers and Teacher Educators”,  here today. Also present were Secretary School Education and Literacy, Smt. Anshu Vaish and other senior officers.   The Department of School Education and Literacy (MHRD) has initiated a new project for revamping Teacher education. The Teacher Education Bureau of the MHRD, had two meetings at Calcutta and New Delhi, covering all the states to create awareness about the revised TE project, where the states came up with the idea that they should have a Teacher Education Journal for highlighting the activities as well as innovations going on in the field of Teacher Education and other developments such as the new scheme for Teacher Education. The professionals present there from TISS;Jamia Millia Islamia; Vidya Bhawan Society and Homi Bhaba Centre fo...

Revised schedule of Round Table on National Postal Policy. Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, will be chairing a Round Table on National Postal Policy 2012.The Round Table will now be held on 1st February 2012 from 1030 hrs to 1300 hrs at FICCI, Federation House, New Delhi. It is requested that all invitees may kindly make it convenient to attend the Round Table as per the above schedule and be seated by 1015 hrs.

Click here to view the order copy Courtesy : postmastersgrade.blogspot.com

“ All changes are difficult and sometimes costly, But if they are good changes, in the long run they pay off”              The way to settle a disagreement is on the                              Basis of what is Right , not who is Right No one is an exception to a problem that seems beyond our understanding. When we try to solve the problem, we feel ourselves getting more and more confused, more and more trapped. The issue  here is not that we are not persistent, but that the problem is too complex for us to solve, despite our sincerity in finding a solution.    When we are in such a situation it’s time to pause, step back and look at an interesting equation which comes to our rescue at all times.It is called ‘E + E = ‘R’.  Following the equation gives us fewer...

EPFO MAY FIX MINIMUM PENSION AT RS 1,000 AT FEB 22 MEETING Retirement fund body EPFO is likely to fix the minimum pension for its subscribers at Rs 1,000 per month at the scheduled meeting the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) on February 22. "The CBT will take a call on the proposal to fix minimum pension at Rs 1,000 per month for its subscribers in a meeting scheduled on February 22," a source said. The meeting of CBT, the apex decision making body of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) had earlier in December deferred the decision on the matter. Although the agenda for the meeting is yet to be finalised, sources said, the issue would come up for discussion. According to EPFO data, as of March 31, 2010, there are 35 lakh pensioners subscribed to the retirement fund body, of which 14 lakh persons get a monthly pension of less than Rs 500. The number of EPFO pensioners getting a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 is 7 lakh. The data reveals that there are cases...

For selling its applications for various courses Distance education major Madurai Kamaraj University is set to stamp an agreement with India Post for selling its applications for various courses through the vast network of post offices across the State. A team from the Department of Posts had a preliminary meeting with the Directorate of Distance Education officials of MKU here recently and a proposal was put forth for having Memorandum of Understanding between the university and India Post. “We are convinced with the postal department's proposal because accessibility and availability of application forms is very important to tap students across Tamil Nadu. And, naturally, the post office would be our first choice since students in rural areas will benefit. Coming together of MKU and India Post is a student friendly move,” A. Thanikodi, Director of Distance Education, MKU, told  The Hindu  on Saturday. According to him, the distance education wing will soon place this proposa...