Ex-Servicemen to make maiden appearance in Doordarshan

SOME ex-servicemen of Indian defence force may soon get an appearance in Doordarshan – India’s national television channel. The ministry of defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi on Monday with Doordarshan to produce programmes of various facets of Ex-Servicemen’s (ESM) lives, allowing television viewers across the country to experience real life stories of the ESM.

The programmes will also include the role played by the ESM in nation-building and the efforts being made by the government for their welfare and resettlement over the years.

The MoU was signed by two important women officers, Neelam Nath (Left in Picture), secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (ESW) in ministry of defence and Aruna Sharma (Right in Picture), a 1982 batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS and Director General, Doordarshan.

There are nearly 27 lakhs Ex-Servicemen including over five lakh widows. This figure swells by an average of about 50,000 ESM who are released from the Armed Forces every year. Over 50 thousand ESM were gainfully re-employed by the DGR last year alone.

A tribute to an IAS and horse-rider

A special meeting of IAS officers of the Meghalaya Wing of the Assam-Meghalaya Cadre was held on Monday to condole the demise of JM Jala a 1959 batch retired IAS officer who was an accomplished horse rider getting a mention in the Equestrian Roll of Honour in the IAS Academy at Mussoorie.

En-block promotions compromise quality: IRS officer

Here is an excerpt of a long letter written by an IRS officer to what he termed backdoor entry into IRS.

“Dear Editor, very recently there was a much talked about proposal of induction into IPS from CPOs and state services etc. This is with reference to the same. From the experience of IRS it can be told that en-block promotions from the rank and file diminish overall quality as well as brand value of the service. It is not meant to oppose promotions. My opinion is that promotions should be granted to the best of the subordinate services staff and that too after a minimum retention period for which particular person has been recruited.

The UPSC recruits brightest of young men and women through a fiercely competitive exam of India today. Once an officer is selected for IRS future promotions are planned in such a way that there is a certain minimum period of retention on every post i.e. ACIT,DCIT, JCIT etc. and onwards; but for the staff-cadre in the Income tax Department no such rules are followed by the Department.

There are instances when Inspectors have been promoted to ITO (i.e. Gazetted rank officer of Govt. of India) within two and half years or three years of service, another three- four years and the person is promoted to ACIT and inducted into IRS. There cannot be a better example of back-door entry into one of the important services of India!

There should be limit to being selfish. The system is being made to work for individuals and not the other way round. Every demand is preceded by ‘Hartals’, Gheraos , sloganeering in the office premises etc. various time tested pressure tactics. Sloganeering within office premises has been banned by the Supreme Court but such is clout of the unions that no person can afford to invite their ire. The Income Tax Gazetted Officers Association (ITGOA) union has its website and co-ordinates such illegal activities day in and day out. The kind of efforts, energy and resources which are put into running the whole business is almost incomprehensible to outsiders. The loyalty is commanded to the union and not to the Department.

…There remains no incentive among the employees for performance and professional excellence as the system does not discriminate between the two. The phenomena ultimately drives even performing staff to become indifferent and dispassionate. In such pathetic scenario God only can help the taxpayers and the system as whole. An IRS officer.”

Tendulkars among officers may now get higher increment than what was proposed in 6th Pay Commission

IF Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has its way, performing government officials may end up receiving better yearly increment than what was even promised in the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. While modifying the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission that up to a 20% of the performers among officers may be given an annual increment of 3.5% instead of a normal practice of 2.5%, the government has now proposed that performers may be granted even 4% of increment. About 20% Group A officers in Pay Band 3 category will be benefited by this proposed guidelines. For the next one month, suggestions from various government ministries and departments will be accepted after which the DoPT would frame the guidelines. Officers at the lowest PB-3 band get a salary Rs 15,600 --39,100 with grade pay Rs 5400, whereas those at the highest level of the band get Rs 15600-39100 with grade pay of Rs 8400. Action & Appointments 1) Shekhar Agarwal, a 1977 batch UP cadre IAS and currently Financial Adviser (Acquisition) & Member (Defence Procurement Board) and additional secretary, ministry of defence, has been appointed as additional secretary in department of ex-servicemen welfare in the ministry of defence in the vacancy of Ms Neelam Nath, a 1975 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS. Mr Agarwal’s position will now be filled up by S Chandrasekharan, a 1975 batch IRAS. 2) Padamvir Singh, a 1977 batch IAS, presently Joint Director, in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie in the rank and pay of additional secretary has been re-designated as special director, LBSNAA. New initiatives to reduce suicide cases among armed forces The ministry of defence has taken a number of measures including better man-management techniques and increased inter-personnel relationship and communication between officers and jawans to reduce the incidents of suicide and fratricide cases in the armed forces, defence minister AK Antony said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Monday. The government’s initiative has come in the wake of virtual status quo of such cases during the last three years. Whereas there were 142 suicide cases in 2007, it went up to 151 during the following year. There have been 48 such suicide cases in 2009 so far.