Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 After having established in India one and half centuries ago, the postal department spread its branches to provide shade to entire country with roots spread to nooks and corners of the country without a inch left, does directly mean that postman and postal facilities are provided everywhere in the country without any exception. This could be made possible for postal department with its 3 lakhs departmental officials and 3 lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks (earst- while Extra departmental Agents). These Gramin Dak Sevaks are further classified as follows.
a) GDS Sub and Branch Post Masters.
b) Other GDS
i) GDS Mail Deliverers.
ii) GDS Mail Carriers.
iii) GDS Mail Peon.
iv) GDS Stamp Vendors etc.,
1.2 The history of this ED services are discussed here under pin pointedly with versions and judicial pronouncements, in short as it has been focused many a time before such committees, courts and department.
1.3 The department rendering its services with the following organizations.
a) Operative Post Offices.
b) Administrative Offices.
c) Foreign Post.
d) Return Letter Offices.
e) RMS Offices.
f) MMS Offices.
g) Stores Depots.
h) Stamp Depots.
i) Accounts Offices.
1.4 These operative post offices are further classified as,
a) Departmental Post offices are established as Head Offices and Sub Offices mainly established with departmental officials working on split duty for 7 hours or continuous duty for 8 hours with all benefits being provided by the Govt. of India. Off course here and there GDS assistance is also given to these offices besides part time contingent workers.
b) These are established in Cities, Major Towns and important major Panchayats with 25,444 offices out of 1,54,822 offices functioning in entire country. Their existence is on competition with schedule banks and main couriers on commercial basis and the department can be termed as commercial to the extent of these HO’s and SO’s. These offices are having only accounts jurisdiction over extra departmental offices.
c) 1,29,378 Extra Departmental offices (GDS) are located in entire country with service motto opened for 3 hours as per records to serve the rural public with Branch Post Masters, Mail Deliverers and Mail Carriers or on combination of such duties. GDS BPM’s are paid for 3 hours on point system and GDS MDS and GDS MCS are paid for up to 3 hours, 3 hours 45 mts or 5 hours as the case may be. As these workers are working for limited hours, their allowances are so fixed on pro-rata basis without other departmental facilities other than pay and allowances drawn on pay rolls as that of departmental offices.
1.5 What is ED (GDS):- This is a different class neither departmental nor part time contingent which is not existing in any other departments under Govt. of India.
a) Before changing the name as GDS, it was termed as ED agent. It was established to provide essential services to the rural public with a motto that the agent has sufficient livelihood or he can go for some other appointment. But practically what second appointment can be provided for these workers either by public or by Government. Rural India mainly based on Agriculture and the job opportunities are for only agricultural labour. These officials working continuously or on split cannot provide their time for agriculture during day time i.e., the time for agriculture. Now a days the department widening its activities and these GDS workers have no time to go for any second appointment. As such the motto of GDS is part time should be scrapped.
b) More over these ED agents are getting monthly salary at minimum 2295+107% DA = 2295+2456 = Rs. 4751 per month i.e., 153 per day which is just equivalent to the wages of a wage seeker working in Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme which is also said to be under revision. The State Government has fixed Rs. 342/- per day to a outsourcing semi skilled worker. With this meager allowance of Rs. 153/- per day without another job opportunities, he cannot survive even spending more time at BO though as such the motto of GDS is part time should be scrapped.
c) Earlier it was called as ED agents and now renamed as Gramin Dak Sevak. He cannot be termed as an agent. As he is neither getting honorarium nor fees as he is not getting fixed amount for the services rendered. He is getting allowances variable, changing time to time with DA and annual increase. More over there is no client contractor relation between the GDS and department. The department is the owner for some items of work and agent for some other items of work and directly paying allowances to GDS from his funds. As such GDS is not at all an Agent.
d) There is no master servant relation between the department and GDS. The GDS is working for the department along with other departmental employees. As such he should be termed as employee only.
e) He is neither casual labour nor contingent worker. Such cadres in the department are not engaged on Sundays and holidays and getting their money through money receipts, where as the GDS is getting allowances through pay rolls for entire month. As such they cannot be treated at par with casual labour or contingent. As such the GDS should be treated as employee only.
f) To treat GDS on par with departmental employee the work hours so fixed up to 5 hours for him may come in the way. The work hours fixed for GDS are age old. To see its justification the following illustration may kindly be seen.
BO / No. of Accounts Standing (Actuals)SB / RD / RPLI / NREG / Social Service Pensions
A / 214 / 647 / 597 / 695 / 344
B / 989 / 809 / 673 / 413 / 638
C / 331 / 616 / 371 / 1505 / 1399
Total / 1534 / 2072 / 1641 / 2613 / 2281
Average / 511 / 691 / 547 / 871 / 760
Work Load
Mts
SB Deposits (At present Manual) 511/30 = 17 x 3 = 51
SB Withdrawal (At present Manual) 511/30 = 17 x 5.5 = 94
RD Deposits (At present Manual) 691/30 = 23 x3 = 69
RPLI Deposits (At present Manual) 547/30 = 18 x 3 = 54
NREG Withdrawal (On Computer) 871/30 = 29 x 2.5 = 73
Social Service Pensions (On Computer) 760/30 = 25 x 2.5 = 63
Accounts Preparation = 30 Total = 434
i.e., 7 hrs 14 mts.
In addition to the above work load he is attending to Receipt, Opening, Sorting, Closure and dispatch of Bags, sale of Stamps, Money Orders issued and paid, Receipt delivery and deposit of Unregd. Mail, Booking and dispatch and receipt and delivery of Regd. And Speed post mail etc. Calculating factors for these works may take suppose at least 2 hours. Then total work load at a B.O comes to 7 Hrs 14 Mts + 2 Hours = 9 Hours 14 Mts which is not less than a departmental employee works. As such GDS BPM should be treated as a departmental employee.
f i) One may say coming to conclusion on study of 3 BO’s is not appropriate. In this connection we boldly say that the figures furnished by us gives the total picture of the Department. To establish the same, the figures given by the Department of Posts that are furnished here under may be perused.
Total number of PO’s: 154822
% of Rural PO’s : 89.84 i,.e 139093
Number of Rural BO’s : 129378
Number of Rural SO’s: 9715 approximately
Number of Departmental Offices: 25444
Number of Urban offices: 15729
The % of Rural SO’s in comparision with Rural PO’s 9715*100/139093=6.98 i.e 7% remaining 93% are Rural BO’s only.
The following social security schemes are taken up by Department of Posts, out of which 93% of the said work is being managed by present GDS BO’s.
Pension Schemes:
* National Old age pension scheme.
* National widow pension scheme.
* National Disability pension scheme.
These payments are being effected either through money orders or Post Office Savings Bank accounts, where as in Andhra Pradesh these payments are being effected through Bio-metric machines as “Adhar enabled services”.
In 2012-2013, more than Rs.8137.9 million have been disbursed through 8.44 million accounts and more than Rs.32000 million have been paid through 42.8 million money orders. This Rs.3200/- crores was paid to pensioners during 2012-2013 was mostly from GDS BO’s @ 93% i.e Rs.2976/- crores. Out of 8.44+42.8=51.24 million i.e. 512.4 Lakh accounts, the quota of GDS BO’s @ 93% i.e 476.5 Lakh. These 476.5 Lakh pensions are being cleared by 129378 BPM’s. Every BPM is paying 368 pensions per month i.e at an average of 4419.6 per BO per annum.
Here one thing to be considered, this poor BPM paying pensions to 732 pensioners on social security measure is not assured of his retirement life. After having putin 40 years of service approximately retiring on superannuation is being throughnout from the Department on getting Rs.60000 gratuity and Rs.60000 severance totally Rupees one lakh twenty thousand as one time settlement to lead the remaining life, entire family and self. The Govt. Which is very kind enough to see the security of social security pensioners should have a glance on the agent pays them their pensions in total service, is leaving the Department without any benefit and with sheded tears. If at least rupees 1000 being paid to social security pensioners is paid to their agent who did the said service, in his service, the action of the Govt can be defined as a justified one. It is not untrue to say there is no other poor man in the country as no official served under Govt in many Departments or unable’d citizens of India to this GDS official retired. From Govt side no security was given to GDS from that day following the date of retirement.
f ii) MGNREGA
The same conditions are prevailing in respect of MGNREGA payments also. MGNREGA figures furnished by Department of Posts are reproduced here under.
MGNREGA Act provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household.
Disbursement of MGNREGA wages is being made through around 94000 Post Offices across India through Post office Savings Bank Accounts and through bio-metric system in some states.
Year wise payment of MGNREGA wages through Post Offices.
Year / No. Of accounts in million / Amount disbursed in million2008-2009 / 29.2 / 38630
2009-2010 / 42.5 / 79000
2010-2011 / 49.0 / 91790
2011-2012 / 53.6 / 78600
2012-2013 / 57.4 / 120140
Total amount disbursed / 408160
57.4 million accounts i.e 574 Lakh are being cleared every year. The BO share is @ 93% i.e 533.8 Lakh which is being paid through 129378 BO’s i.e 428 accounts per month i.e 5136 per annum which is much higher to our calculations based on the average of 3 BO’s i.e 871.
f iii) Rural Postal Life Insurance :
In respect of RPLI the position is say 20.71 million RPLI policies are existing as furnished by the Department of Posts during 2012-2013. Now it may be more. This 20.71 million policies are sufficient to justify our argument. The BO share @ 93% in 20.71 million i.e 207.1 Lakh i.e 192.6 Lakh which is for 129378 GDS BO’s, and at an average 160 per month. I.e 1920 per annum which is much higher to our calculation based on average of 3 BO’s we studied.
In all the above three cases i.e Social Security Pension, MGNREGA, RPLI the figures we took are much less to the entire country’s figure. How ever we are proceeding with the figures which we assessed for calculations, even on those figures the work load of a BPM per day comes to 9 hours 14 mts.
As such not only these figures, all figures, all statements, all comparison, all suggestions are real stick and not beyond truth.
g) To consider a GDS as a departmental employee income and cost may come on the way. If commission of SB and RD is taken solely for the purpose of a BO, the figures now being assessed are in another way. If only SB and RD are taken that is as follows.
TYPE / Average No. of Accounts / Commission received per A/c as on day (Rs.) / TotalAmount
(Rs.)
SB / 511 / 175.46 / 89,660
RD / 691 / 175.46 / 1,21,243
Total Amount (per anum) / 2,10,903
Rs. 17,575 per month
To this income if income on articles received for delivery, posted for dispatch, MO issue commission and MO paid commission are added it will be somewhat increased. If commission on RPLI, NREG, Social Service Pensions are added the income of a BO will be multifold. Then classifying BO’s on Income to Cost as below 10%, below 33 % or upto 100% is not correct. This is happening why because appropriating Rs. 2.93 Np. per SB and Rs. 1.70 Np. per RD out of Rs. 175.46 Np. Received per account. As such no BO is running on loss practically and GDS can be made departmental.
h) Then question of fate of the department may arise. Undoubtedly the department is doing Accounts suspension, administrative supervision, Accounting at Accounts Office and HO, Inspection and investigations for which around Rs. 173 are allocated leaving less at base. For this total GDS pay and allowances may be met by Ministry of Finance seizing commission on SB and RD accounts standing at BO’s without touching commission of NREG and SS Pensions. The postal department may take the mails, MO’s, registration, stamps sale work and commission on NREG, SSP as reciprocal work for his doing Accounts work, Accounts Supervision, Administrative supervision, at SO and above level. Ministry of Finance may take the Accounts work, Accounts Supervision, Administrative Supervision done by Postal Department as its reciprocal benefit for doing mails work, registration work, and delivery work, sale of stamps and MO’s work and conveyance of mails of Department of Posts at BO level.