Ref. No. GDS/CHQ/41/1/2011 Dated. 27-01- 2011
To
The Secretary,
Department of Posts,
Dak Bhawan,
New Delhi-110001.
Subject:- Scheme for engagement of GDS on compassionate grounds-merit Points and procedure for selection.
Ref: Your office letter No.17-17/2010-GDS dated 14.12.2010
Madam,
The merit points prescribed in the said letter do not appear to be a yard stick for assessing indigence. The Compassionate appointment is given to offer immediate assistance and to provide livelihood to the bereaved family. The merit points prescribed and the procedure to be adopted will not only delay the compassionate appointment but shall in most cases deny the compassionate appointment. The compassionate appointment is given in relaxation of normal rules, but points and procedure laid down in the letter under reference take this issue deep in the complexities of rules.
2. The following make the position further clear;
(i) As repeatedly asserted by the Department, the GDS service is not treated as regular service despite all Justification. Then how come a parallel or comparison with departmental employees can be drawn in case of relaxation appointment. Since the GDS employees are low paid employees without any kind of relief to the bereaved family in case of death in harness, so far the relaxation appointments have been given almost in all cases. Now limiting the vacancies at par with departmental employees-may be slightly raising the percentage of vacancies is withdrawal of the available facilities and amounts to injustice to family of the deceased employee. Hence, the limitation of vacancies may be done away with and all cases of relaxation appointments should be compassionately considered. There is almost an embargo on appointments against GDS vacancies caused due to promotion or retirement. The vacancies caused due death are and should be thrown open for relaxation appointment.
(ii) It is said that the cases should be submitted to the Circle office by November each year. This mean the cases will be delayed at least by one year. This defeats the very idea and merit behind relaxation appointments, which is meant to provide immediate help to the bereaved family.
3. Now coming to the merit points prescribed the following points are pertinent:-
(i) The points for No. of dependents. This is very impractical and defies logic. When a person dies in harness in early age, he may not have three dependents or more. The widow herself would be a big liability because she would be getting almost very paltry sum or even no amount as terminal benefits. The merit points provided for dependents fall very short of assessing the indigence and merit of the case. These must be rescinded.
(ii) The above submission holds good mutadis mutandis in this case too the GDS employee may have left one child or the widow, but the family has to have sufficient or even minimum subsistence which a deceased GDS employee may not have left behind or be entitled to this criterion of dependent is really unjustified. At times the widow herself or one child may weigh heavier than other liabilities on factual basis. The provision of this merit point is superfluous and defeats the very purpose and should be withdrawn.
(iii) There is no relationship between left-over service and indigence. Indigence is the actual condition of the family whose earning member is no more the left over service has nothing to do with indigence as there is no provision for family pension. This must be withdrawn.
(iv) Merit points for house and land:- This is very vague and confussing. Almost every family has a small house or hut to hide the head and if point is deducted on this score, there can be nothing greater injustice than this similarly, supposing a bereaved family has 0.05 acre of land points will be deducted on this score. This is totally unjustified and has got to be rescinded.
(v) This is again unjustified and vague. In village area there is regular employment. Even MNREGA provide manual employment for 100 days only. Secondly if a family of four-wife, husband and two children earns Rs.2500/- per month the income per head is Rs.600/- only which puts the family below the poverty line. This provision of merit point is without any basis and has got to be withdrawn.
(vi) As the things are at the present, hardly the family of a person who dies in harness will be entitled to terminal benefits of Rs.1,00,000/- . So this is only presumptive. Secondly in these hard days, an amount of Rs.1,00,000/- is too meager an amount to provide regular substance to a family. Relation appointment cannot be denied on this score, especially when there is no provision of family pension. This is to be rescinded.
(vii) The merit point for educational qualification is totally superfluous and unjustified. The educational qualification as per recruitment rules at the best for appointment as BPM is matriculation. No weightage is given for higher education for appointment. Then how should we expect graduation for relaxation appointment. Higher merit point for 10+2 qualification also unnecessary and superfluous. These points for education are uncalled for.
We simply submit that the criteria to determine indigence is some
thing unrelated assessment of indigence.
Since GDS employees are unjustifiably low paid employees with no provision for family pension. The relaxation appointment in all cases of death in harness is totally justified on merit and humanitarian conditions.
Last but not the least, the date of effect of the instructions to be for cases registered on or after 1.1.2011 and NOT the cases already under consideration in the meeting held after 1.1.2011. This is misinterpreted in Karnataka Circle and hence this specific request!
The view points may kindly be deeply considered and accepted.
Thanking you,
--
S.S.Mahadevaiah
General Secretary
All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union