PROPOSAL FOR DISCUSSIONS IN THE COMMITTEE MEETING CONSTITUTED FOR PM GRADE AND CADRE RESTRUCTURING IN P.A. CADRE.
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1. POSTMASTER GRADE
We are demanding merger of the Postmaster cadre with general line due to the following reasons.
i. There is no discrimination among the Postmasters who are attending the same work and under the present changed scenario all the General line Postmasters are having more responsibilities similar to the Postmaster cadre.
ii. After carving out the Postmaster cadre, it become a dying cadre in respect of promotional aspects other than the seniority cum fitness and with no scope of promotional avenues which are available to the General line officials.
iii. Since the work of the General line and the postmaster cadre is similar and one and the same there is no need to keep a separate hierarchical cadre in the Postmaster cadre.
It is most unfortunate that this cadre is totally neglected after its formation and after the cadre review in PA cadre, This cadre is totally frustrated. Even the P.O.s having the earlier status equal to PM Grade I post is now HSG II; whereas the PM Grade I is still in LSG and equated with the status of single handed post offices.
It must be considered by enhancing their status of PM Grade I and II as HSG II & HSG I. The PM Grade III should be equated with NFG and the existing officials should be accommodated in the relevant posts. There is no need to keep the cadre separately with the exploitation and could be merged with the existing HSG II, & HSG I. The relaxation of recruitment rules may be accorded to that extent, to provide one time relaxation to all the existing incumbent Postmaster cadre officials to be placed in the higher HSG II, HSG I & NFG posts.
While carving out the Postmasters cadre and framing separate recruitment rules for Postmaster cadre, it was declared that the Postmaster cadre is a separate hierarchical and not transferable to other cadres. After carving out a separate cadre of Postmaster from General & IP line, 100% of the senior Postmaster & Chief Postmaster Posts have not been declared to the hierarchical cadre of Postmaster and the IPOs have been allowed to continue as Senior Postmaster till now. In the last six years there was no promotion accorded as per the recruitment rules to the Senior Postmaster cadre.
It is requested to consider the above and cause appropriate decision preferably merger of PM Grade I posts with HSG II, PM Grade II posts with HSG I and PM Grade III with NFG so that the grievances of the officials will be mitigated and the existing incumbent in the posts may be promoted and accommodated in the upgraded posts by granting one time relaxation of recruitment rules.
2. CADRE RESTRUCTURING IN P.A. CADRE – WAY TO FILL UP ALL HSG II, HSG I POSTS AFTER CADRE RESTRUCTURING .
Heavy shortage is now faced in the feeder cadre, due to non filling up of upgraded HSG II and HSG I Posts, because of the non availability of eligible officials, fulfilling the minimum required service condition, as per Recruitment rules.
This results in undue hardship experienced by the working staffs who are facing the public at the field. The services are much hampered. More no. of staff have opted for voluntary retirement by within a short period, because of unmanageable work load.
To come over the crisis, one time relaxation of the recruitment rules should be made to fill up all the LSG, HSG II and HSG I posts without applying minimum eligibility condition and purely on seniority basis and all the Supervisory posts be filled up by giving promotions notionally, as was done during the year 2002, when TBOP and BCR are declared as Financial up gradations. For that, suitable proposal should be submitted to DOPT immediately, without loss of time.
Till such time of getting approval for relaxation from DOPT, wherever there is no qualified hand for filling up of promotional posts such as HSG II/HSG I, the posts should be operated to the next level, till the officials getting required eligibility for promotion, in order to fill up maximum no .of promotional posts either on regular or on adhoc basis. This will pave way to fill up all vacancies in the shortage scenario.
Chain of vacancies should be taken into account while notifying the vacancies for current year and further recruitments, in order to wipe out the shortage in the feeder cadre.
3. ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO CADRE RESTRUCTURING IN P.A. CADRE
1. GRANTING OF NFG:-
As per the Department memo.No.25-04/2012-PE-I(Vol.III) dt. 5.12.2018, it was clarified that these LSG, HSG II, HSG I and HSG I (NFG) posts will be deemed to have been upgraded to these grades only w.e.f. the dates they are filled up ie. from the date the promoted official assumes the charge. Otherwise the post will remain in the lower grade.
Whereas, In principle, NFG is a non functional grade and hence the eligible officials should be granted with NFG Scale and the question of filling up the post does not arise. This is being done in the case of other cadres like Gr. B or Gr.A, where NFG is awarded.
Further, as per para No. 4.2 of the Dept. memo. No. 25-4/2012-PE I(Vol.II) dt. 10.11.2017, in order to avoid inconvenience to the staff in the initial stage, the officials can be given NFG on the basis of seniority, wherever they are posted in HSG I by upgrading the HSG post to NFG and simultaneously downgrading the NFG position to HSG I elsewhere. Hence the question of promoted official assuming the charge in HSG I (NFG) does not arise and they are already working in that post carrying the same responsibility.
Moreover, as per clarification under sl.(2) of the DOP Memo. No.25-04/2012-PE- I (Vol.II) dt. 16.3.2018, HSG I(NFG) is just a non functional grade, it should not affect the hierarchical order or channel of Reporting of the office as the purpose of introducing the NFG was to provide some financial benefit to the senior most employee of the HSG I grade. HSG I (NFG) officials will continue to do the same work and man the same post in the hierarchy. Here also the question of promoted official assuming the charge in HSG I(NFG) does not arise.
Based on the above, the clarification issued by the Department on 5.12.2018 cited under sl.(4) should be restricted up to HSG I level only, which are the higher posts and should be assumed by the promoted official at the initialization period, otherwise the posts will remain in the lower grade. It should not be applied to NFG. Hence subject to the allotted posts under HSG I (NFG), the eligible officials with minimum 2 years completion of service in HSG I should be given with NFG up gradation, with eligible pay with effect from the date of introduction of the scheme viz. 27.5.2016.
2. In order to come over the crisis in the changed scenario, the Leave Reserve P.A. posts should be increased to the extent of 20 percent .
3. In all the Single handed Post offices, as per the CSI norms there should be operator and Checker . Further in the changed business environment, technological change , introduction of Aadhaar seeding, IPPB works, all the P.O.s should be made into double handed P.O.s. This will be a preventive measure to avoid any frauds in single handed Post offices.
4. In the revised Rotational Transfer policy guide lines issued by the Department the tenure of the Group C and non Gazetted Group B officials, is now reduced to 3 years and station tenure also made as mandatory condition. This resulted innumerable transfers incurring huge amount of TA/DA and frequent disturbances in continuing education to the wards of the employees on the same Institutions, creating family problems and maintaining double establishments. Hence it is requested that , status quo ante may be maintained in case of office and station tenures.
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