Bringing Unskilled Workers under the Ambit of PF and ESI :

Bringing Unskilled Workers under the Ambit of PF and ESI :

As per section 7 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, ‘the appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute one or more Labour Courts for the adjudication of industrial disputes and for performing such other functions as may be assigned to them under this Act’. Thus, the primary function of Labour Courts is to adjudicate on industrial disputes. So long as industrial disputes continue to exist, labour courts are relevant.

The Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 is applicable to all employees working in such establishments which are employing 20 or more workers and is falling under any of the Schedule Heads or class of establishments notified by the Central Government and getting wages up to Rs.6500/- per month without any reference of being skilled or unskilled. The Act is uniformly applicable all over India except in the State of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 applies to factories employing 10 or more persons and certain specified establishments such as shops, hotels and restaurants, cinemas and preview theatres, road motor transport undertakings and newspaper establishments etc. employing 10/20 or more persons. Employees of such factories/establishments drawing wages upto Rs. 15000/- per month are covered under the scheme. The Act does not make any distinction between skilled or unskilled workers.

There is no such proposal. However, Government is contributing 1.16% in Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.

                The Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave this information in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source : PIB Release, September 7, 2011

 

Amendment in Anti-Corruption Act, 1988 :

Amendment in Anti-Corruption Act, 1988 :

The property of corrupt public servant is confiscated under the provisions of Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 1944 and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. However, to make the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 self contained and comprehensive the Government is considering incorporating the provisions for confiscation/forfeiture of property of corrupt public servants in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

On 8th June, 2011, the media had reported that the Hon’ble Supreme Court has sought amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. These observations were reportedly made by the Supreme Court while dismissing an appeal filed by an Assistant Commissioner, Central Excise, against his conviction. However, the formal order passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 8.6.2011 in the case, i.e. Criminal Appeal No. 945 of 2006 (Sat Paul vs. State of West Bengal & Anr.) does not contain any such observations.

A Committee headed by the Chairman, CBDT has been constituted to examine ways to strengthen laws to curb generation of black money in India, its illegal transfer abroad and its recovery. The Committee shall examine the existing legal and administrative framework to deal with the menace of generation of black money through illegal means including inter-alia (i) declaring wealth generated illegally as national asset; (ii) enacting/amending laws to confiscate and recover such assets; and (iii) providing for exemplary punishment against its perpetrators. The Committee is required to consult all stakeholders and submit its report within a period of six months.

As per information provided by the CBI, it has not unearthed any case wherein benami properties of more than Rs.100 Crore have been unearthed against any officer in any case.

This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Prime Minister’s Office, Shri V. Naraynasamy in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Source : PIB Release, September 7, 2011

 

 

First Monday in September : The Labour Day in United States :

First Monday in September : The Labour Day in United States :

                Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 5 in 2011) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.

History

                The first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York.  It was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882  

Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.  Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.  The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, which it had been observed to commemorate.  All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.

Pattern of celebration

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations",  followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key than May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years.  Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer recess. Similarly, some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school, although school starting times now vary.

End of summer

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable for women to wear white.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 1983 in Darlington, South Carolina. At Indianapolis, the National Hot Rod Association hold their finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race.

In the U.S. most school districts that started summer vacation in early to mid-June will resume school near this day (while schools that had summer begin near Memorial Day will have already been in session for about 3 weeks).

Source :  .wikipedia.org

CORPORATION TO USE POSTAL STAFF SERVICE

To verify addresses of property tax assesses

 

 The Chennai Corporation is planning to use the services of the Department of Posts to verify addresses of over 6.41 lakh property tax assesses

 This is part of the measures of the civic body to improve property tax collection.

 

It has started discussions for making optimum use of the services of the Department of Posts in the days ahead when the challenges pertaining to collection of property tax are likely to mount.

 

  With elections round the corner, the Corporation would have to use tax collectors for election duty. So, the services of the pos

mployees are likely to be used to create awareness and improve tax collection, said officials of the Corporation.

 

 

 

 Address verification by the postal staff would also help the civic body verify the genuineness of the assesses during the city expansion phase.  

A few months ago, the Corporation had initiated a process of sending e-post to remind the assesses. Though the property tax collection improved because of the initiative, some of the addresses of assesses were not correct.

 

The civic body has also planned to ask the assesses to make use of the counters in the zonal and division offices for payment of tax during the period of civic body elections.

 After the expansion of the city and local body elections, the Revenue Department would face a challenge in the form of change in zone number of the existing assesses.

 The Postal Department's schemes such as e-post would be continued to be used to remind the assesses of the property tax payment even after the elections.

 Over 10 per cent of the property tax assesses pay taxes of high value, official said. Even though the civic body focuses more on this segment, the assesses who pay very low value property tax would also be given awareness messages through the postal system.

 A major portion of the 5.29 lakh residential property tax assesses in the 10 zones of the city have a property tax demand of low value. Address verification of such assesses may be easier with the help of the extensive network of post offices, according to an official of the civic body.

 

 Collection of property tax from over 1.12 lakh commercial properties in the city is likely to be better with the assistance of the postal network.

 Courtesy: Hindu 4.9.2011

Posted By Com.N.C.Singh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What the government must do to make New Pension System more acceptablThe recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance to devise a mechanism to ensure a minimum assured return to subscribers of New Pension System (NPS) flies against the raison d'etreof the NPS, to reduce the burden of pension on government finances.

The entire rationale of the shift from the pre-NPS defined-benefit pension scheme (where pensioners are assured of a specified pension) to the defined-contribution NPS (where there is no such assurance) is to rein in the government's growing pension liabilities.
That will be defeated if the government gives an assured return, as the parliamentary panel has suggested. Yet the panel is right to point out that in the absence of a guarantee, the NPS cannot claim to provide old-age income security.

True, most countries have moved from defined-benefit to defined-contribution pensions. But there is usually some minimum social security either in the form of a Pillar I pension or some other form. In contrast, NPS subscribers in India have no such cushion.

So, the panel's suggestion that the minimum rate of return on NPS contributions should not be less than the interest rate on the employee provident fund scheme and any shortfall should be made good from the Budget, has merit. In practice, this should not be very difficult.
As long as the EPF rate is not way off-market, there is no reason why fund managers can't be asked to match it. After all, pension reform was never meant to be only about reducing the government's burden.
It was also meant to extend the coverage of a formal pension scheme to the vast majority outside the privileged class of government employees.
For them, the NPS opened a new option; especially when beginning early 2009, the scheme was opened to the non-government sector as well.
But if the scheme has found few takers to date, despite having close to 85% of the working population without any formal pension scheme, it is because it falls short on the single-most important criterion of any pension scheme, one that offers old-age security certainty.

Till then, the NPS will not find many takers, especially among those who need it most - the less well-to-do.

Courtesy by Economic Times on 5th Sept, 201
Posted by Com. N.C.Singh

POST OFFICES TO PROVIDE VISA RELATED SERVICES IN REMOTE AREAS - INDIA POST SIGNS MOU WITH M/S VFS GLOBAL TO THIS EFFECT

India Post has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with M/s VFS Global to provide visa related services for different countries through Post Offices. Memorandum of Understanding between India Post and M/s VFS Global was signed here on 30.08.2011 in the presence of Secretary, Department of Posts and senior officers from Department of Posts and VFS Global. The MOU sets out broad understandings and intentions of both the parties to provide visa related services at places where they are not currently available.
Post Office counters will be used for fee collections, providing visa applications forms, dissemination of visa information, biometric enrollment and other visa application process related services. India Post and VFS are also planning to cooperate in utilizing India Post's courier service, Speed Post for movements of passports to VFS offices and concerned embassies, and their delivery back to the applicants. Both the parties will also explore to provide any other service that India Post may want to provide through VFS global network on mutually accepted terms.

M/s VFS Global is in the business of visa application services and is working with 35 governments across the world with over 450 offices in 50 countries. India Post and VFS realize that there are many areas of mutual interest and synergy between India Post and VFS would benefit the public at large.

Currently visa related services are largely available in metros only and the people from smaller cities and rural areas have to travel long distances in order to avail these services. Lack of information is also a major area of concern as this allows unscrupulous elements to cheat unsuspecting and vulnerable people. Engagement of India Post towards provision of visa related services is expected to address this situation to a large extent.

Source: PIB
POSTED BY N.C.Singh







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Nuakhai Juhar :

Nuakhai Juhar :

             Nuakhai, also called ''Nuakhai Parab'' or ''Nuakahi Bhetghat'' an agricultural festival of Orissa in general and that of Western Orissa in particular endorsing  the patrimonial nature of the Sambalpuri culture and society with a big significance for farmers and the agricultural community to the worship of food grain (the newly harvested rice ) is being celebrated every year with pomp and ceremony the day after the Ganesha Chaturthi festival. It has its best celebration in the districts of Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bargarh Sundargarh Jharsuguda , Sonepur,  Boudh  and Nuapada .

Nuakhai is understood to have nine colours and as a consequence nine sets of rituals are followed as a prelude to the actual day of celebration.These nine colours include Beheren (announcement of a meeting to set the date), Lagna dekha (setting the exact date for partaking of new rice), Daka haka (invitation), Sapha sutura and lipa puchha (cleanliness), Ghina bika (purchasing), Nua dhan khuja (looking for the new crop), Bali paka (final resolve for Nuakhai by taking the Prasad (the offering) to the deity), Nuakhai (eating the new crop as Prasad after offering it to the deity, followed by dancing and singing), Juhar bhet (respect to elders).

             On the eve of this year’s Nukhai Bhetghat, the All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union, Orissa Circle Branch  sincerely extends its  cohesive and unified force of love to all the brothers and sisters of western Orissa and pray before Maa Samaleswari to fill their lives with the sweetness of ''lagan''. (Arisa pitha) for ever and bless them all so that the  enormity and variety of this unique festival may not be lost with a new look of homogeneity and uniformity.
Posted by N.C.Singh, Editor Orissa Dak Parivar