Now pay more for banking services

Now pay more for banking services

Phone banking  : Rs 50

From 1 November, some banks will offer only first two calls free in a month, and subsequently, charge Rs 50 per call (not for calls to register complaints or card loss). Currently, all such calls are free.

SMS alert   : Rs 15 per quarter

Most banks are now charging for SMS alerts; the service used to be free earlier. Some banks levy a higher charge of Rs 25 per quarter for current accounts.

Branch banking :  Rs 100

With effect from 1 November, Rs 100 will be charged after the first four free cash transactions in a month. This is the charge if specified balance is maintained; in case of non-maintenance, all transactions will be charged at Rs 100. Earlier, Rs 50 was charged per cash transaction in case the specified balance was not maintained.

Credit cards  : 3.25-3.35%

Some credit card issuers have revised the interest rate on outstanding amount after the credit free period from 3.05-3.15% to 3.25%, with effect from 1 October.

Non-maintenance of minimum balance  : Rs 250-500

Banks typically charge for non-maintenance of the specified minimum balance in the account. Now, some banks are switching from the requirement of Average Quarterly Balance (AQB) to Monthly Average Balance (MAB).

Cash withdrawal at ATMs  : Rs 20

Most banks levy a fee of up to Rs 20 beyond five transactions at ATMs of other banks.

Debit cards : Rs 150

Some banks have revised the annual fee from Rs 100 to Rs 150 in urban centres; others have introduced an issuance fee of Rs 100, which was not levied earlier.

Source : The Economic Times

Expected DA From Jan 2014 - Possibility Of Increase Of DA By 11%

As per the present state DA has reached 90 %. At this juncture, Central Government Employees are eagerly waiting to know the percentage of increase in the month of Jan 2014. The DA increase in the month of Jan 2014 does have certain importance in it. Because when DA reaches 100%, there is a possibility of increase of certain allowances also simultaneously.

As per the recent publication of AICPIN value, DA has reached the height of 93.93 % at present. During the coming four months, if the AICPIN value increases by 1point, there is a possibility of DA reaching the 100 % mark. Likewise, if the average becomes 2point, there is a chance of reaching 101 % as DA. During the ensuing four months, based on the value calculation of AICPIN, it would be possible to calculate DA accurately. Still, there is maximum possibility of increase of DA by 11 %       

The calculation on expected  DA FROM JAN 2014 is as follows:

IF AICPIN RISE ONE POINTS IN THE BALANCE MONTHS OF AICPIN…

Jun-13	231	2648	220.67	104.91	90.62	90
Jul-13	235	2671	222.58	106.82	92.28
Aug-13	237	2694	224.5	108.74	93.93
Sep-13	238	2717	226.42	110.66	95.59
Oct-13	239	2739	228.25	112.49	97.17
Nov-13	240	2761	230.08	114.32	98.76
Dec-13	241	2783	231.92	116.16	100.34	100

IF AICPIN RISE TWO POINTS IN THE BALANCE MONTHS OF AICPIN…

Jun-13	231	2648	220.67	104.91	90.62	90
Jul-13	235	2671	222.58	106.82	92.28
Aug-13	237	2694	224.5	108.74	93.93
Sep-13	239	2718	226.5	110.74	95.66
Oct-13	241	2742	228.5	112.74	97.39
Nov-13	243	2767	230.58	114.82	99.19
Dec-13	245	2793	232.75	116.99	101.06	101

IF AICPIN RISE THREE POINTS IN THE BALANCE MONTHS OF AICPIN…

Jun-13	231	2648	220.67	104.91	90.62	90
Jul-13	235	2671	222.58	106.82	92.28
Aug-13	237	2694	224.5	108.74	93.93
Sep-13	240	2719	226.58	110.82	95.73
Oct-13	243	2745	228.75	112.99	97.6
Nov-13	246	2773	231.08	115.32	99.62
Dec-13	249	2803	233.58	117.82	101.78	101

Source: www.7thpaycommissionnews.com

Top 20 ways to Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease and the number of people affected with it has skyrocketed in the last couple of years.

If you think diabetes affects only elderly people then think again. By adopting few simple tips, you can turn off the diabetes clock. To get started, try these simple diabetes prevention tips, shared by Sunita Pathania - Sr. Registered Dietician and Diabetes Educator, Healthy Living Diet Clinic, Mumbai.

Diabetes prevention tip # 1: Know about diabetes

Before beginning the diabetes prevention act, it is important to know what is exactly diabetes. Once you are well acquainted with this disease, you can start your prevention therapy easily.

Diabetes prevention tip # 2: Reduce your portion size

Reduce the amount of food you eat, each day. Instead, of having one cup of fruit every day, try having half a cup of fruits, or you can also drink a glass of water every day before beginning your meal, this will make you less hungry and you will avoid over eating.

Diabetes prevention tip # 3: Get physically active

If you acquire the habit of exercises daily, it will benefit you in many ways. Exercising daily helps to maintain a healthy weight, lowers blood sugar level and boosts your sensitivity to insulin. Thus, exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes daily to keep your blood sugar lavel in normal range.

Diabetes prevention tip# 4: Lose weight

If you think, your excessive weight is making you closer to the risk of diabetes than, slash some kilos in a healthy way. Shedding even 10 pounds can significantly drop your diabetes risk drastically.

Diabetes prevention tip # 5: Add lots of whole grain in your diet

Count your carb intake and switch to whole grain diet, to reduce your risk of diabetes. Including whole grain, products in your diet not only help to prevent diabetes but also slow down your carb absorption in the body.

Diabetes prevention tip# 6: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

No matter how full you are, always make a habit of eating a healthy breakfast every day, as it helps to reduce your risk of getting diabetes. Eating a healthy breakfast not only helps to control your appetite but also helps to control your calorie consumption in the rest of the day, by keeping you full and thus prevents weight gain.

Diabetes prevention tip# 7: Avoid fatty foods

Junk food and other streets foods are high in saturated fat, which can raise your bad cholesterol level in your body. This in turn can also affect the blood sugar level in your body. Thus, avoid junk food and other fat filled foods that tempt you always.

Diabetes prevention tip # 8: Avoid sugary drinks

If you are thirsty, then quench your thirst with water or milk rather than purchasing sodas, soft drinks or any other flavoured water. All these sweetened beverages are sources of invisible sugar, which can spike your blood sugar level.

Diabetes prevention tip # 9: Choose healthy snacks

If you can bear your evening stomach growls, then treat your tummy with a bowl of healthy salad rather than a pizza. Besides severe your salad with less toppings and low-fat cheese or mayonnaise.

Diabetes prevention tip # 10: Eat many veggies

Meat is yummy, but it shouldn't be eaten every day, as it raises your risk to diabetes. Thus, ditch that meat and add colour to your life by having lots of veggies every day. They will help to load your body with nutrients and prevent you from diabetes.

Diabetes prevention tip # 11: Stay stress-free

Excessive stress can raise your blood sugar level. Thus, reduce your stress level by practicing yoga, meditation or breathing exercise.

Diabetes prevention tip # 12: Sleep well

Getting at least six hours of good night sleep is very essential to keep diabetes at bay. Lack of sleep can spike hormone cortisol in your body, which can raise your insulin level and cause blood sugar imbalance. Besides, improper sleep can also make your appetite regulating hormones mad.

Diabetes prevention tip # 13: Load up on fibre

Adding fibre rich foods to your diet helps to smoothen your digestive system and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Thus, add at least 25-30 grams of fibre to your diet, to regulate your blood sugar level.

Diabetes prevention tip # 14: Drink lots of water

Drinking sufficient amount of water everyday will help to mobilise the sugar content in the blood. Water also helps to regulate proper functioning of the body and reduces the risk of diabetes.

Diabetes prevention tip # 15: Get some health test

Most of the diabetes symptoms are silent, thus to avoid the risk of diabetes, do a routine health check up. A health check-up, will help to diagnose pre-diabetes symptoms, and prevent it from getting worse.

Diabetes prevention tip # 16: Soak in the sun

According to a research conducted by Loyola University Chicago, sufficient intake of vitamin D through early morning sunshine helps to increase insulin sensitivity and secretion in the body, which plays a major role in preventing the onset of diabetes.

Diabetes prevention tip # 17: Avoid diabetes with spices

According to a German research, adding spices to your diet especially cinnamon helps to activate the enzymes in your body, which helps to stimulate insulin receptor. Besides, it also helps to lower down cholesterol and reduces the risk of developing cholesterol, thus, spice up your diet with cinnamon.

Diabetes prevention tip # 18: Soy is good for you

Soy is one of the best foods to prevent diabetes among patients. The isoflavones contained in them helps to reduce the sugar content in blood, while accumulating much fewer calories, as compared to other food items. So eat a diet filled with soy, to avoid diabetes.

Diabetes prevention tip # 19: Drink green tea

Drinking green tea every day will help your body to get rid of free radicals. Besides, the antioxidants present in it will help to normalise the blood sugar level and keep diabetes at bay.

Diabetes prevention tip # 20: Quit smoking

Smoking increases chances of diabetes, since it begins to affect hormonal secretions in the long run. Thus, give up your smoke to keep diabetes away.

Read more Personal Health, Diet & Fitness stories on www.healthmeup.com

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

About World Post Day

9 October

World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in the Swiss capital, Berne. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1969.

Awareness

The purpose of World Post Day is to create awareness of the role of the postal sector in people’s and businesses’ everyday lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of countries. The celebration encourages member countries to undertake programme activities aimed at generating a broader awareness of their Post’s role and activities among the public and media on a national scale.

New products and services

Every year, more than 150 countries celebrate World Post Day in a variety of ways. In certain countries, World Post Day is observed as a working holiday. Many Posts use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services. Some Posts also use World Post Day to reward their employees for good service.

In many countries, philatelic exhibitions are organized and new stamps and date cancellation marks are issued. Other activities include the display of World Post Day posters in post offices and other public places, open days at post offices, mail centers and postal museums, the holding of conferences, seminars and workshops, as well as cultural, sport and other recreational activities. Many postal administrations issue special souvenirs such as T-shirts and badges.

IMPORTANT MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

IMPORTANT MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

1. Actinometer --an instrument for measuring the intensity of radiation, esp of the sun's rays.

2. Fathometer -- a tool to measure underwater depth of lake or ocean floors.

3. Planimeter -- a drafting instrument used to measure the area of a graphically represented planar region (on the map)

4. Lysimeter -- a measuring device which can be used to measure the amount of actual evapotranspiration which is released by plants, usually crops or trees.

5. Hygrometer --an instrument for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere.


6. Pyrometer --it is a type of thermometer used to measure high temperatures.

7. Rotameter-- a device that measures the flow rate of liquid or gas in a closed tube

8. Opisometer -- an instrument with a revolving wheel for measuring a curved line, as on a map.

9. Tellurometer-- device that measures distance by means of microwaves.

10. Anemometer-- device used for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument.

11. Hydrometer-- an instrument used to measure the specific gravity (or relative density) of liquids.

12. Barometer -- a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure.

13. Clinometer --an instrument for measuring angles of slope (or tilt), elevation or depression of an object with respect to gravity.

14. Venturimeter-- tool used for the calculation of a fluid's velocity as it goes through a pipeline.

15. Sinometer --it is a voltage sensor, it can measure AC/DC Voltage.

16. Manometer --an instrument for measuring the pressure of a liquid.

17. Nephometer-- an instrument for measuring the amount of cloud cover in the sky.

18. Seismometer-- an instrument that measures motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc.

DA RATE wef 1/7/2013 FOR CG EMPLOYEES DRAWING PAY IN PRE-REVISED SCALE asper 5 th CPC

TO VIEW ORDERS CLICK HERE

AAOs Induction Training" from 21.10.2013 to 27.12.2013

India Post - A Potential Service provider

Com. B Samal & G Rath writes in the national English daily "The Political and Business Daily" on the occasion of National Postal Week 

courtesy : http://aipeup3bbsr.blogspot.in/

B Samal writes in the national English daily "The Pioneer" on the eve of National Postal Week

INDIA POST GETTING COMPATIBLE WITH CHANGING NEED 

Wednesday, 09 October 2013 | BRUHASPATI SAMAL | in Bhubaneswar

     If one searches about an organisation which serves India, a land of heterogeneous racial, lingual, religious, and social cultures upholding a rich cultural heritage through religious pluralism and shares sorrows and happiness of millions of people in as many as 1,652 mother tongues, inclusive of 18 Constitutional languages, besides protecting national unity, social cohesion, secular and federal structure and democratic ethos, certainly, the name of the India Post comes to mind. 

Competently assisting the rulers, elite and mercantile community in its various forms in ancient and medieval times, it has conveniently served both the British rulers and general public in modern times as a forceful organisation in raising national and political consciousness. Long before the times of email and mobile phones, the mail-runner in earlier times not only carried people’s messages, but their emotions and hopes. Prior to independence, the India Post, through a limited work force could develop a vast network of communication even before the Railways and Telephones were introduced with widespread impact on the socio-economic life of the nation through efficient and prompt service. The days are gone. From pigeon to post, the India Post has travelled a long way with the passage of time. From 23,344 post offices primarily opened in urban areas prior to independence catering to the needs of Britishers for development of their trade and exercising control over their vast Indian possessions with one post office serving 15,038 persons covering an area of 53 square miles to 1,54,822 post offices having 4,74,574 employees as on March 31, 2012, the India Post has registered nearly a seven fold growth during the period of last seven decades focusing its expansion to rural areas and thus has been acknowledged as the largest postal network in the world with one post office serving 7,817 people on an average covering an area of approximately 21.23 sqkm and providing postal facilities within reach of every citizen in the country at affordable prices adopting every mode of transmission from bare foot to air route with recorded delivery of 1,575 crore mails every year. 

Going beyond its traditional products and services of sale of stamps and stationery, booking and delivery of letters/parcels etc., the India Post has introduced several new products and services like Speed Post, Express Parcel Post, Business Post, Media Post, Retail Post, Speed Post Passport Service, Direct Post, Bill Mail Service, Logistic Post, ePost, iMO, ePayment, World Net Express etc. which cater to the need of every citizen. 

The National Postal Policy has been formulated to develop services that assist, facilitate, enhance and quicken the process of development aimed at inclusive growth and reposition India Post to become a self-sufficient, credible, efficient, quick and cost–effective provider of these services. 

Thus, it is just trying to do more than what it can to stay relevant today. The India Post entered into the digital era through counter mechanization installing 102 personal computer-based MPCMs in 22 selected post offices during the year 1990 – 91 and conceived the Project Arrow concept in April, 2008 under “Look and Feel Good” concept which has been extended to 18,600 post offices in 2012-2013 by adding 3,039 post offices for improvement and monitoring of core operations. The Government has approved the Department of Posts’ IT Modernization Project with a total outlay of `4,909 crore in November, 2012 which aims at modernization and computerization of all post offices in the country, including 129,378 Branch Post Offices in rural areas. For providing Any-where, Any-time and Any branch banking, Core Banking Solutions (CBS) has been included in the IT Modernization Project, 2012. The Department of Posts is also emerging as a potential service provider to other organizations. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has entrusted the job of collecting statistics for ascertaining the Rural Price Index. The Railway Ministry and the Department of Posts have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for providing railway ticket booking services at the post offices. The Department of Posts is discharging the responsibility to disburse the wages to MGNREGS beneficiaries through Post Office Savings Bank account. In collaboration with NABARD, it is providing the facility of micro-credit to SHGs. The India Post has tied up with the State Bank of India to sell its assets and liability products through identified post offices. Old age pension is being paid through Post Office Savings Accounts and Money Orders. As a tie-up with Reliance Money Limited, sale of gold coins has been launched on October 15, 2008 as a part of retail post in selected post offices. 

The Department of Posts has been assisting other public authorities under the Central Government in implementing the RTI Act by providing services of its designated Central Assistant Public Information Officers (CAPIOs). For this, Sub Post Masters at tehsil level act as the Central Assistant Public Information Officer (CAPIO) for accepting RTI requests and appeals from all Central Government Departments. Under a partnership with Deutsche Post, Money Order Videsh was launched by the India Post on October 24, 2009 to facilitate remittances to foreign countries and receiving of remittances from foreign countries through post office. 

Thus, passing through ages, the India Post is now facing competition due to emergence of electronic alternatives, more demanding customers, presence of organised / unorganised couriers for mail conveyance financial players like banks and insurance companies and above all the challenges of globalisation, corporatisation and liberalisation. 

Thus, to meet the challenges and to face the competitors on one hand and to prove itself as an efficient and reliable communication network as the main component of the communication infrastructure for playing a crucial role in the socioeconomic development and integration of the country on the other, the Postal department is doing a lot of things other than just delivering letters aiming for a transformation with re-engineering of business processes and making it compatible to suit the new ICT solutions and evolving new processes based on customer needs. 

(The writer, Postmaster, Ashoknagar Head Post Office, Bhubaneswar, is secretary, All India PostalEmployees’ Union, Group-C, Bhubaneswar.) 

Digital touch to Post

Com. B Samal & G Rath writes in "The Orissa Post" on the occasion of World Post Day

MEETING WITH MEMBER (OPERATIONS) POSTAL SERVICES BOARD ON 23.10.2013

As decided in the meeting held by Secretary, Department of Posts with Postal Joint Council of Action on 02.08.2013 the meeting with Member (O) to discuss the MNOP related issues (Speed Post hubs & L1, L2) will be held at Dak Bhawan on 23^rdOctober 2013 at 11 AM. Circle Secretaries are requested to send the details of the cases to be discussed by BY EMAIL to nfpehq@gmail.com.

(M. Krishnan)

Secretary General

FLASH NEWS

NFPE, P3 CHQ & R3 CHQ FILED RTP CASE IN CAT PRINCIPAL BENCH DELHI ON 08.10.2013

NFPE, P3 CHQ & R3 CHQ has today jointly filed a case in the CAT Principal Bench Delhi for counting of RTP Service as regular service for all promotions and pensionary benefits. Case registration No. 3647/2013 dated 08.10.2013. Com. S. K. Vyas Ji, Veteran Leader of the Confederation is our Advocate. Hereafter there is no need for filing separate cases by employees.

Let us hope for the best.

(M. Krishnan)

Secretary General

Now, Pay Water bills at Post Offices

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, October 9, 2013 : Now, consumers of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) need not worry about the limited number of counters and the winding queues to pay water bills. The bills can be paid at post offices from Wednesday.

In the initial stage, the service will be available across five districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam and Palakkad. It will be a perfect gift for the State on the World Post Day.

“We have been running a trial of the water bills payment gateway for the past one year in the capital district. It was found to be successful and so we decided to extend the service to other districts. For the first few months, it will be available in the urban areas of five districts. Later, we plan to extend the facility to all the post offices in the State,” K.V. Vijayakumar, Assistant Director of Technology and Administration, Postal Department, told The Hindu .

The move is part of the department’s various initiatives to make post offices the one-stop shop for services required by every type of customer. Plans are also afoot to include electricity bills among the list of services.

Computerisation

The computerisation of all the 1,506 major post offices in the State was completed as part of the 11th plan. The work on digitising the 3,500-odd branch post offices, located in remote regions, will be taken up soon. Once this work is completed, these smaller centres will also become part of the integrated postal network across the State.

“The plan is to digitise the working of these branch offices using handheld devices, smart phones, thermal printers and barcode scanners. In places where electricity is scarce or is yet to reach, we will use solar panels. Various information technology players such as Accenture, TCS and Infosys are taking care of the various aspects of the project,” said Mr. Vijayakumar.

As of now, the performance of 1,285 post offices in the State are being monitored closely as part of the ‘Project Arrow’ initiative launched in 2008 to improve the quality of services in the core areas of mail delivery, money remittances, savings bank and office service levels.

The ‘look and feel’ of the post offices is also being improved as part of this project. The external branding as well as the interior design of the offices has been standardised.

Plan to make post offices one-stop shop for services

‘Project Arrow’ to better ‘look and feel’ of post offices

Source : http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/now-pay-water-bills-at-post-offices/article5216128.ece

Solution for Despatch Bags error in Revised Despatch 7.8 Module

In Some offices while giving the Despatch bags Option, it shows the error as "Could not find stored Procedured 'P_GetBagsdespatched'".

Solution Received from CEPT:

 Please run the attached script by script tool after taking counter database backup.

Download

Thanks to
P.Silambarasan
DSM,Theni Division ..
Mobile : +91 9842031341