Speed Post Launches Special Service for the Delivery of Delhi High Court Notices/ Summons

Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications & Information Technology, here today launched a special service of the Speed Post for booking and delivery of Notices/ Summons of the High Court of Delhi with ‘Proof of Delivery’ (PoD) facility. The ‘PoD’ in its return transmission will also be booked under Speed Post Service. Shri Justice N.V. Ramana , Chief Justice, High Court of Delhi, was the Guest of honour at the launch function held in the High Court premises.

Key features of this special service of Speed Post are:

• Notices/ Summons of High Court of Delhi will be booked as Speed Post article in a specially designed envelope containing ‘PoD’, which would be available for sale at Delhi High Court Post Office Extension Counter;

• A separate Delhi High Court Post Office Extension Counter has been opened at Dispatch Section of Delhi High Court for convenience of the Customers;

• Separate Bar Code series have been allotted for these speed Post articles;

• Delivery of the Speed Post article as well as ‘Proof of Delivery’ can easily be tracked at India Post website : www.indiapost.gov.in

• The scanned copy of ‘PoD’ will also be sent to a dedicated email id of High Court of Delhi from Lodi Road Head Post Office;

• Speed Post booking Software has also been customized for the purpose.

 

Government Decides to Keep in Abeyance the Decision to Change the Procedure for Pan Allotment Till Further Order

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to keep in abeyance the decision to change the procedure for PAN allotment till further orders. Accordingly, the operation of Circular No. 11 dated 16.01.2014 issued to PAN service providers has been directed to be put on hold till further orders. In the meantime, the old procedure of PAN application and allotment shall continue. 

 

Sr. Postmaster CAT Case Chandigarh Bench .. an update

Sr. Postmaster CAT Case under OA. No. 1328/HP/2011 filed by the All India Association of Inspectors and Assistant Superintendents Posts Haryana and Punjab Circle Branch jointly came up for hearing on 27.01.2014 before Hon'ble CAT Bench Chandigarh. On a pleading raised by Learned Counsel on behalf of Association that unless and untill Recruitment Rules of PS Group ''B'' 1987 are amended, Sr. Postmaster Recruitment Rules - 2010 cannot be made applicable. Hon'ble Bench directed to submit progress made in revision of PS Group B cadre Recruitment Rules by the Department on the next date of hearing 18.02.2014.

India Post to install 3000 ATMs,1.35 lakh mirco-ATMs by Sept 2015

Even as its application to start a commercial bank is pending, India Post has drawn a massive plan to install as many as 3,000 ATMs and 1.35 lakh micro-ATMs at the ubiquitous post offices across the country for savings account holders by September 2015, a top official has said.

 

"We will be starting with three ATMs to be installed in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore on February 5 and then ramp it up gradually," postal department secretary Padmini Gopinath told a select group of reporters here over the weekend.

 

She said 1,000 ATMs with the India Post branding will be put in within the first year, which will be ramped up massively to 3,000 in the next 18 months.

 

To start with, the ATMs can be used only by 26 crore savings account-holders who save with the postal department, but Gopinath exuded confidence that within six months of the launch, they will get the interoperability permission from the Reserve Bank.

 

Postal savings are worth around Rs 6.05 trillion, which is half the savings in the largest lender SBI and more than double that of the largest private sector lender ICICI Bank.

 

Through interoperability, India Post will join the National Financial Switch, which will benefit India Post account holders to transact at the banks' ATMs and vice versa, she added.

 

India Post has been working with software major Infosys on this project, she added.

 

The micro ATMs will be handheld devices to be operated at the post office level while the ATM will be similar to the one operated by any commercial bank, she added.

 

The postal department, which has 1.55 lakh post offices over 90% of which are in villages, offers the savings account to people across the country and pays an interest of 4% per annum for such deposits. The account offers cheque facility at present.

 

It can be noted that the Department of Posts is fighting a very contentious battle to convert itself into a full fledged bank, asserting that its reach can help achieve the goal of financial inclusion.

 

However, the finance ministry has expressed some reservations about the idea, while Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has exuded confidence of winning over his Cabinet colleagues to get the go ahead for the 'Postal Bank'.

 

Source : http://www.business-standard.com

The procedure for PAN allotment process will undergo a change with effect from 03.02.2014

 From this date onwards, every PAN applicant has to submit self-attested copies of Proof of Identity (POI), Proof of Address (POA) and Date of Birth (DOB) documents and also produce original documents of such POI/POA/DOB documents, for verification at the counter of PAN Facilitation Centres. The copies of Proof of Identity (POI), Proof of Address (POA) and Date of Birth (DOB) documents attached with PAN application form, will be verified vis a vis their original documents at the time of submission of PAN application at PAN Facilitation Centre. Original documents shall not be retained by the PAN Facilitation Centres and will be returned back to the applicant after verification.


******* Source : PIB

Banknotes issued prior to 2005 to be withdrawn: RBI Advisory

The Reserve Bank of India has today advised that after March 31, 2014, it will completely withdraw from circulation all banknotes issued prior to 2005. From April 1, 2014, the public will be required to approach banks for exchanging these notes. Banks will provide exchange facility for these notes until further communication. The Reserve Bank further stated that public can easily identify the notes to be withdrawn as the notes issued before 2005 do not have on them the year of printing on the reverse side. (Please see illustration below)

The Reserve Bank has also clarified that the notes issued before 2005 will continue to be legal tender. This would mean that banks are required to exchange the notes for their customers as well as for non-customers. From July 01, 2014, however,  to exchange more than 10 pieces of `500 and `1000 notes, non-customers will have to furnish proof of identity and residence to the bank branch in which she/he wants to exchange the notes.

The Reserve Bank has appealed to the public not to panic. They are requested to actively co-operate in the withdrawal process.

Ajit Prasad

Assistant General Manager

Press Release : 2013-2014/1472

Source: www.rbi.org.in

Wife has right to know hubby’s salary: CIC

 

Central Information Commissioner
 Prof. Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu

New Delhi: Wives of government servants have a “right” to know salary particulars of their husbands and these details should also be made public by their offices as mandated under suo-moto disclosure clause of the RTI Act, the Central information Commission has held.

Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu said every spouse has a right to information about the salary particulars of the other especially for the purpose of maintenance.

 “More so, wife has a right to know the salary particulars of the husband, who is an employee of the public authority,” he said.

The commissioner further said that the details about a government employee’s salary is no third party information and these have to be voluntarily disclosed under Section 4(1)(b)(x) of the RTI Act.
 

He said the salary paid to the public authority is sourced from the tax paid by the people in general and it has to be disclosed mandatorily under the RTI section.

 “The information about the salary of employee or an officer of the same public authority cannot be considered as a third party information… Public authorities cannot reject such RTI applications about salary under the pretext of the third party information,” he held.

 

Acharyulu warned the Home Department of Delhi government that such denial of information will be wrongful and could incur penalty. The warning was in context of an application filed by Jyoti Seherawat seeking salary slip of her husband who is employed at the Home (General) department.

The information was denied as her husband gave in written to the department that such an information should not be provided to anyone.

Source : PTI