Editorial
POSTAL LIFE
A reply to a question in LOK SABHA on
14th July 2014, the
Hon’ble Minister of Communication & IT and Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar
Prasad Jee said that the GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS are not regular Government
Employees. They are part time workers and are governed by a separate set of
Conduct and Engagement Rules. They do not form part of the regular civil service.
They are engaged for only 3 to 5 hours daily work. It is mandatory for them to
have an independent source of livelihood before being engaged as GRAMIN DAK
SEVAKS and explained as Government already given so many welfare schemes like
SDB (Service Discharge Benefit Scheme), exgratia gratuity etc,.
With due respect and regards we appeal and urge our Hon’ble
Communication Minister who are the Minister also for Law & Justice to not
to deny the “JUSTICE’ to 2.73 Lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks down trodden and poor
employees working in the department of posts
In the present set up of the social, economic structure of
rural areas, the daily wages for an agricultural labourers has been fixed much
above the daily rate of a GDS. Resultantly, the GDS employees are not able to
meet the family expenses and have one square meal a day.
The declaration of Justice Talwar Committee that ’95.70 % joined
the Postal Department as ED agents hoping to get full time absorption and only
4.08 % took it as a side occupation” is the real fact still prevailing and they
are solely depending upon their wages for their livelihood” in rural areas,
still many of them are underpaid and lesser in the standard of living while
comparing the MNREGS beneficiaries.
Notwithstanding our genuine claim to declare the GDS as holder
of civil posts and dispen the class within the class which is in violation of
Article 14 &16 of the Union Constitution, we wish to put forth the
feasibilities of such departmentalization of GDS and improve the service with the
existing infrastructure in an effective manner.
With the hope of departmentalization at the one day, the GDS are
prolonging their life with more expectation of their future. Their hopes can be
considered by introducing various new services in the rural areas with the
cooperation’s of the Human resource ministry and by introducing various social
and developmental activities.
The Post Office alone has such a vast network and infrastructure
and it can be fully utilized by providing various new services to rural public
through post office by its own saving bank scheme to distribute the Govt.
welfare measures as if we are doing under the MGNREGS Scheme e.g (1) the work
like pension payment (2) sale of cash
certificate (Government bonds) (3) Introducing all kinds of bill services and
commercial activities in the rural areas like acceptance of electricity bills,
Land Revenue, Panchayat taxes etc. under business activities of Postal
Department or tie with such governmental organizations. This would result to enhance
the working hours for eight hours and introduce various new works at village
level with the cooperation of other government and public sector organization.
If time factors for all the work performed by the GDS is formulated certainly
it will pave way for the regularization of many GDS actually working for more
than six hours but not avaled the benefit of the departmentalization. We do not
want any incentive are perks denying our regularization. There is nothing wrong
to entrust the work of part time contingent in the case of departmentalization
of the Branch Offices.
If all the GDS are departmentalized by scraping the existing GDS system with eight
hours work and each official assigned with various new works to improve the
functioning of rural Post Offices in order to make it more remunerative and
will overcome the financial problems of the department. This vast infrastructure
will really be an invaluable asset to the department in this era of e-commerce
and e-governance not at all a liability. If Post Offices are kept open for more
hours by introducing more new work as suggested above there is every
possibility for increasing the workload generating extra revenue for the
department. By considering all above facts and cause action for
departmentalization of rural Post Offices for improvement of rural postal net
work it Justified.
