Expected DA from Jan 2013:-

Dearness allowance to all Central Government Staff and Pensioners from Jan 2013 will be expected to enhance by 8%  from the existing rates at this moment, it may vary according to the index of All India Consumer Price (IW) for the coming months . If the AICPIN for next two months i.e., November and December will be increase equal or more than two points consequently then the additional DA will go up to 8%. In case of AICPIN will fall down any one of the month the total DA also will stand at the level of 80% from Jan 2013.

MTNL Launches Video Telephony Service in Delhi & Mumbai

Sri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology launched MTNL’s Video Telephony Service for Delhi and Mumbai here today. MTNL is the first Telecom Service Provider in these Metros to offer high quality Video calling service in the two cities. Ahmedabad based ICT solutions provider Sai Infosystem (India) Limited is the Technology partner of MTNL for this Next generation Video calling service. This service can be availed over existing MTNL connection. 

Any MTNL customer can now avail this service to make high quality Video call through MTNL’s landline or Fibre network. Video conferencing so far costly will now be easily available to business and Government offices. MTNL shall provide special PVC (Private virtual circuit) on broadband connection through which traffic of Video calls will flow. 

With the launch of Video Telephony, organizations can have instant face-to-face meetings, sales reviews, and training sessions at 25% of the current cost. Apart from desk-to-desk calling, these Video Phones can also be connected to large screens like TV/Projector for Video Phones will work simultaneously with landline and broadband. 
Using this service, calls can be made within India on MTNL / BSNL HD-Voice and Video Telephony network. Video call charges are Rs. 2.50 per minute.  
Source : PIB

3.5 crore MGNREGA post office accounts can now be used for cash transfers

With a single stroke, the government has made over 3.5 crore existing post office accounts ready for its new Aadhaar-linked cash transfer scheme.

The accounts, which belong to MGNREGA workers over the country, were originally to be used only for receiving wages under the rural employment guarantee scheme. However, the government has now woken up to the potential of using the ready-made network of accounts to directly transfer benefits such as pensions, scholarships and social welfare payments.

 Last month, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram bemoaning the fact that due to an August 2008 notification, “No deposit other than NREGA wage can be made in these accounts.”

In his letter to the Finance Minister, Mr. Ramesh said: “This, you will agree, defeats the very purpose of the direct benefits transfer initiative launched by our government recently and described by you as a ‘gamechanger’.”

The Finance Ministry promptly responded by amending its notification to allow MGNREGA beneficiaries to now receive other “government benefits and deposits” in their post office savings accounts. The Department of Posts has also been notified about the changes.

Under the new cash or direct benefit transfer initiative, the Aadhaar number will be used to authenticate the identities of beneficiaries, who will then receive their government benefits directly into their accounts. This requires all beneficiaries to open bank or post office accounts, which will then have to be seeded with their Aadhaar numbers.

With MGNREGA already launching its own initiative to link its payments with Aadhaar, it would speed up the process and prevent duplication of work to allow the existing accounts to be used for the cash transfer scheme as well.

Of the 8.26 crore MGNREGA accounts in the country, 43 per cent — or 3.5 crore — are post office accounts, while the remainder are bank accounts. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra have an especially high percentage of MGNREGA workers using post office accounts, and are likely to benefit from this move once the cash transfer scheme comes into full swing.

Source : The Hindu

CALENDAR OF DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATIONS TO BE HELD IN THE YEAR 2013 AGAINST THE VACANCIES AVAILABLE

(A) Centralized Examinations
S. No.	Name of Examination	Proposed Schedule tentatively
1.	Inspector of Posts Examination	7th & 8th September 2013
2.	PS Group ‘B’ Examination	9.6.2013 Sunday
3.	Postmaster Grade-I Exam	9.6.2013 Sunday
4.	LGO Examination for Pas/SAs in Circles	9th September, 2013
5.	Junior Engineer (C&E) Examination	Will be notified after receipt of Question Banks and syllabus revised.
6.	Asstt. Engineer (C&E) Examination
7.	Sr. Postmaster Examination	Tentatively proposed to be held in November 2013.
8.	PAs/SAs Direct Recruitment Examination	20th October 2013 for 2013 vacancies.
9.	Assistant Manager(MMS)	Will be notified after receipt of revised Recruitment rules.
10.	Assistant Accounts Officer(AAO)
(B) Decentralized Examination
1.	Confirmation Examination for direct recruit Jr. Accountants in PAO	11th & 12th May, 2013
2.	LDCs to Junior Accountants in PAOs	15th & 16th June 2013
3.	LGOs Examination for promotion to Assistant of other wings i.e. MMS, Foreign Post, RLO, Stores Depot and CO/RO	21st July 2013
4.	Postman Examination	To be held in November 2013 for 2013 vacancies.
5.	Direct Recruitment to Multi-Tasking Staff
6.	Departmental Examination for promotion to LDCs in PAOs from Stores and MTS	28.07.2013

POSTMAN / MAIL GUARD EXAM HELD IN KERALA CIRCLE