Women to get 26 weeks maternity leave, President nod to new law

Women to get 26 weeks maternity leave, President nod to new law

New Delhi: Women employees will now be able to get paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks, as per a new law.

President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 that has made changes in some of the provisions of over 55-year-old law entitling certain benefit to women employees.

The new law makes it mandatory for every establishment with fifty or more employees to have the facility of creche within a prescribed distance.

The employer is also bound to allow four visits a day to the creche by a woman.

Every establishment shall intimate in writing and electronically to every woman at the time of her initial appointment regarding every benefit available under the new law, the statute says.

An employer can also permit a woman to work from home after she has availed maternity leave.
"In case where the nature of work assigned to a woman is of such nature that she may work from home, the employer may allow her to do so after availing of the maternity benefit for such period and on such conditions as the employer and the woman may mutually agree," it says.

The law also allows maternity leave of 12 weeks for a woman who adopts a child below the age of three months, and for commissioning mother (a biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo implanted in any other woman).

The entitlement of 26 weeks paid leave under the law is only for first two children. A woman with two or more children will be entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, says the law which will apply to all establishments employing 10 or more people.

The statute that will help approximate 1.8 million women workforce in organised sector, has amended Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 that regulates grant of maternity benefit to women employees in certain establishments.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on March 9 and Rajya Sabha on March 20.

India is at third position globally in terms of the number of weeks of maternity leave after Canada (50 weeks) and Norway (44 weeks).

The president gave his assent on Monday.

PTI

National Council (JCM)-Nomination/ re-nomination of the Staff Side on behalf of NFIR

National Council (JCM)-Nomination/ re-nomination of the Staff Side on behalf of NFIR

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

Rail Bhawan,New Delhi-110 001,
dated:27.03.2017

No.2008/E(LR)I/JCM 1-1
The General Secretary,
NFIR.
3. Chelmsford Road.
New Delhi - 110 055.

Dear Sir,
Sub: National Council (JCM)-Nomination/ re-nomination of the Staff Side on behalf of National Federation of Indian Railwaymen.

Ref: NFIR’s letter No.IV/NC/JCM/Part IV dated 19.01.2017.

Ministry of Personnel, Public &Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel & Training) vide their O.M.No.1/3/2008-JCA-1 dated 27.02.2017has since conveyed the approval of the Competent Authority to the nominations/re-nominations of the following representatives of National Federation of Indian.
Railwaymen as Staff Side members of National Council(JCM) on behalf of NFIR for a period of three (3) years with effect from 27.2.2017:

S/Shri
1. Guman Singh
2. M. Raghavaiah
3. R.P. Bhatnagar
4. K.S. Murty
5. J.C. Mahurkar
6. T.K. Chatterjee
7. B. C, Sharma
8. R.P. Singh
9. P.S.Suriyaprakasam
10. Ashok Sharma
11. Munindra Saikia

yours faithfully
(D.Mallik)27/3/2017
Director, Esst(IR)

Signed copy

Admissibility of HRA in the event of non- acceptance/surrender of Railway residential accommodation

Admissibility of HRA in the event of non- acceptance/surrender of Railway residential accommodation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAILWAY BOARD

RBE No. 23/2017
No. E(P&A)II-2015/HRA-6

New Delhi, dated 16.03.2017.

The General Managers(P)/CAOs,
All Indian Railways
and Production Units etc.

Sub: Admissibility of HRA in the event of non- acceptance/surrender of Railway residential accommodation.

A reference from North Western Railway was received for clarification on the issue of admissibility of HRA in the event of non-acceptance/surrender of railway residential accommodation by a railway employee. The matter was examined and considered in this office in the light of policy guidelines on the issue in consultation with the Finance Directorate of Railway Board. In this connection, it is stated that the provisions of letter No. E(P&A)II-87/HRA-15 dated 16.05.1988 still hold good regarding admissibility of House Rent Allowance (HRA) in the event of non¬acceptance/surrender of Railway residential accommodation. However, refusal by a Railway servant of a quarter of a different class from that for which he is eligible shall not constitute refusal for the purpose of these orders unless he has the option to apply for accommodation of a class next below the one to which he is entitled by virtue of his emoluments and he refuses such accommodation when allotted on the basis of his application.

2. This issues with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

3. Please acknowledge receipt.

(Salim Md. Ahmed)
Deputy Director/E(P&A)II,
Railway Board.

Signed copy

Age Relaxation in Job

Age Relaxation in Job

Relaxation of age up to 35 years (up to 40 years for members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) for the widows, divorced women and women judicially separated (JSW) from their husbands who are not re-married, for employment to Group 'C' and erstwhile Group 'D' post already exists in Department of Personnel & Training’s (DoP&T) Office Memorandum (OM) No. 15012/13/79-Estt (D) dated 19.01.1980. Similar relaxation also exists for Group 'A' and Group 'B' posts except where recruitment is made through open competitive Examination in DoP&T OM No. 15012/1/87-Estt.(D) dated 05.10.1990. All the above mentioned instructions have been reiterated vide DoP&T OM No. 41034/1/2014-Estt.(D) dated 30.01.2014.

It is incumbent upon all the Ministries/Departments of Government of India to follow the above mentioned instructions.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri B. Sriramulu in the Lok Sabha today.

PIB

Expansion of ESI Hospital Services

Expansion of ESI Hospital Services

The Employees State Insurance (ESI) Corporation has taken a number of reform initiatives to expand the services of ESI Hospitals in the country. The ESI Corporation in its 167th meeting decided to establish ESI hospitals and dispensaries based on geographical necessity i.e. the health facility should be created not based on the present Insured Persons population but on the basis of projected population of the Insured Persons after a period of three years for dispensaries and five years for hospitals. Also, ESI Corporation has accepted the recommendation of 46th Indian Labour Conference to upgrade its dispensaries into 6 and 30 bedded hospitals in phased manner.

This information was given by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

PIB

Vacant Posts in Central Government for different Categories

Vacant Posts in Central Government for different Categories 

Category-wise data on vacant posts is not maintained centrally.

As per the data received from 79 Ministries/Departments for the year 2014-2015, 18822 employees (8.56%) were recruited from Minority Communities in Government services and PSUs.

As per the data received from 44 Ministries/Departments for the year 2015- 2016, 2851 employees (7.5%) were recruited from Minority Communities in Government services and PSUs.

As per information available on the URL www.rrcps.nic.in, in respect of 74, 69 and 50 Ministries/Departments for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively, the representation of SC, ST and OBC categories in the appointments made through Direct Recruitment is as following:

Representation of SCs, STs and OBCs in the appointment made through
Direct Recruitment: 

Calendar Year	2013 (74 Ministries)	2014 (69 Ministries)	2015  &nb sp;  (50 Ministries)
SCs	26908 (17.72%)	21366 (16.92%)	2556 (16.09%)
STs	13766 (09.06%)	10692 (08.46%)	1176 (07.40%)
OBCs	52254 (34.41%)	40019 (31.69%)	4704 (29.62%)
Others	58913 (38.79%)	54184 (42.91%)	7441 (46.86%)
Total	151841	126261</ td>	15877

The posts sanctioned in Government Ministries/ Departments are required to be filled as per the Recruitment Rules as and when vacancies arise. The filling up of posts is a continuous process depending on the vacancies arising across Ministries/Departments during the years and action calendars of the recruitment agencies. In this regards all Ministries/Departments have been requested to take advance action for reporting vacancy position with respect to Direct Recruitment Posts to recruitment agencies such as Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) etc. Further all Ministries/ Department have also been requested for timely convening of the Departmental Promotion Committee meeting for filling up of promotional posts.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by Shri Nalin Kumar Kateel in the Lok Sabha today.

PIB

Retirement Facilities for Employees Resigned from CPSEs

Retirement Facilities for Employees Resigned from CPSEs

Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

29-March, 2017

Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) issued OM No. W-02/0017/2014-DPE (WC) dated 01.02.2017 clarifying the term "technical formality clause" as mentioned in point xvi) of OM No. W-02/0017/2014-DPE (WC) dated 21.05.2014. This has no effect on the provisions of the OM dated 21.05.2014.

In term of para vii) read with para x) of Department of Public Enterprises (DPE)'s OM dated 21.05.2014, any employee resigning from service of CPSEs and joining another CPSE having broadly similar schemes of pension and post superannuation medical benefit the entire amount of employer's and employee's contribution along with interest accrued thereon would be transferred to such CPSE. The services rendered in CPSEs prior to resigning would also be counted for the schemes. Thus, these provisions are available even prior to issue of the OM dated 01.02.2017 on ‘Technical formality'.

This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Babul Supriyo in reply to a written question in the Rajya Sabha today.

PIB

30% add on pay element to the retiring Loco Inspectors for reckoning pensionary benefits

30% add on pay element to the retiring Loco Inspectors for reckoning pensionary benefits

No.IV/RSAC/Conf./Part VII

Dated:28/03/2017

The Secretary (E),
Railway Board,
New Delhi

Dear Sir,
Sub: Thirty percent (30%) add on pay element to the retiring Loco Inspectors for reckoning pensionary benefits- reg.

Ref: Railway Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-2015/RS-25 dated 24/01/2017

The Railway Board vide letter dated 24th January 2017 has clarified to the Zonal Railways that the Running Staff are entitled for 55% add on pay element on their 7th CPC Pay for Pensionary benefits. However, clarification with regard to continuance of 30% add on pay element for retiral benefits to the retiring Loco Inspectors has not been incorporated in Board’s letter dated 24th January 2017, referred to above. Railway Board's attention is also invited to its letters No.E(P&A)II/83/RS-10 (iv) dated 25/II/l992 and No.E(P&A)II-2005/RS-34 dated 26/12/2008 (RBE No.20212008) on the subject.

NFIR, therefore, requests the Railway Board to issue clarification for reckoning 30% add on pay element to the last pay drawn by retiring Loco Inspectors for payment of pensionary benefits. Copy of Railway Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-2005/RS-34 dated 26/12/2008 is also enclosed.

Yours faithfully,
sd/-
(Dr.M.Raghavaiah)
General Secretary

Source: NFIR

7th CPC Allowance Committee Meeting held on 28.3.2017 - AIRF

7th CPC Allowance Committee Meeting held on 28.3.2017 - AIRF

"Meeting of Committee on Allowances took place on 28th March, 2017, discussion on Allowances remained inconclusive. Issue of House Rent Allowance didn’t come up during meeting."

No.AIRF/24(C)

Dated: March 28, 2017

The General Secretaries,
All Affiliated Unions,
Dear Comrades!

Sub: Meeting of Committee on Allowances held today remained inconclusive
Meeting of Committee on Allowances took place on 28th March, 2017, discussion on Allowances remained inconclusive. Issue of House Rent Allowance didn’t come up during meeting.

I met Cabinet Secretary/GOI & urged him for early resolution of pending demands of Railwaymen that includes NPS, early disbursal of Allowances of 7th Pay Commission, Increase in Minimum wages and fitment formula. Issue of MACP was also discussed and removal of the provision of benchmark 'Very Good' for MACP, which has been recommended from 'Good' to ‘Very Good’ by the 7th Pay Commission, has also been demanded. Though Cabinet Secretary has given positive assurance on our demands yet we need our rank and file to be prepared for persistent struggle.

With Good Wishes!

Yours faithfully,
sd/-
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)
General Secretary

Source: AIRF

7th CPC Submission of Allowance Committee Report

Submission of Allowance Committee Report

Latest news on submission of 7th CPC Allowance Committee Report

"Today in Parliament, Minister of State for Finance Shri Santhosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to a question regarding the submission of Allowance Committee Report. He said that the Allowance Committee is now in the process of finalizing its Report. Decisions on implementing the Report will be taken after the Report is submitted by the Committee."

Detailed Questions and Answers:

QUESTIONS:
(a) Whether Government has formed a Committee for taking decision about the allowances to the Central Government employees and removal of anomalies in their pay scales announced by the Seventh Pay Commission;

(b) if so, whether the Committee has submitted its report;

(c) if so, the main features thereof and if not, the reasons for delay in submission of report; and

(d) the time by which recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission regarding the allowances are proposed to be implemented?

ANSWERS:
(a) to (d): The Committee on allowances has been constituted vide order dated 22.07.2016 to examine and make recommendations as to whether any changes in the recommendations of the 7th CPC relating to allowances are warranted and if so, in what form. A separate anomaly committee at National Level has also been set up, vide O.M. dated 09.09.2016, to settle the anomalies arising out of the implementation of the 7th CPC recommendations.

The National Anomaly Committee has made recommendations on the calculation methodology of the Disability Pension for Defence forces personnel. The Committee on allowances has received a large number of demands on allowances and even now receiving such demands. All the demands have been diligently examined. The Committee has already held 13 meeting so far and interacted with the representatives of Central Nodal Ministries, National Council (Staff Side), Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) and officers and representatives of employee associations of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Home Affairs, Railways, Defence and Department of Posts. The Committee is now in the process of finalizing its Report. Decisions on implementing the Report will be taken after the Report is submitted by the Committee.

Authority: Rajya Sabha