Dear Comrades,
After going through the GDS Committee Report, the Committee observations and comments on GDS system and on GDS beside on the part of Department and Govt are so impressive and courageous.
In brief, the comments are extracted here :
…..The
GDSs working in the net work of GDS Post Offices are Ambassadors of Department
of Posts, Ministry of Communications in the rural and remote areas of India……
…..The
Govt of India still holds the same position and has so far held that the Gramin
Dak Sevaks are not departmental employees. They are outside the Civil Services
of the Union and shall not claim to be at par with the Central Government
Employees……
……Currently,
a large number of well educated, talented and capable youths are joining GDS
posts and strengthening the GDS system and this trend is likely to propel
growth of the Department in the coming days……
…….
The Committee observed that in last several decades, the Department has not
invested enough to strengthen the network of GDS Post Offices until recently……
…….
The quality of life of GDSs and their family’s needs to be improved by harmonizing their wages and other emoluments
in tune with present day’s needs and aspirations of young GDSs joining the
workforce….
…….
The Committee also noted that a large number of them are totally dependent upon
the emoluments received from the Department and has no other means of
livelihood to supplement their income…….
……
The Committee views that the demand of regularization of their services is due
to better emoluments, reliability and security of regular government service.
The Committee noted that GDSs are exploited at the hands of their local
supervisors because of existing wage structure and their legal status. The
administrative powers such as “put off duty” are exercised on frivolous charges
and frequently used for exploitation rather than as remedial measures.
……
The Department recognizes the engagement of GDSs as contractual, but the
present method of engagement and disciplinary proceedings, job contents, risks
and responsibilities are getting closer to the regular employees of the
department….
…...that
there is tendency to withhold the legitimate demands of GDSs which are due to
them, based on the apprehension that they will get closer to regular employees
and their claim for regularization will be strengthened in the Court of Law,
if such demands are allowed. The Committee finds this as unreasonable and counter
productive for the Department. It also deprives them of living a happy life in
the changed situation where financial dependence on GDS position is increasing
day by day because of shrinking alternate means of livelihood…….
…….the
Department has lost its tag of having the largest network for providing
financial services to the customers by decelerating expansion of network based
on the assumption that GDS post offices are loss making and adding to the
overall deficit of the Department….
….The
Committee observed that the ‘Rationalization of Postal Network Scheme’ has also
not worked on the expected line….. the Committee supports the demand for
presence of postal facility in the headquarters of each of 2.50 lakhs Gram
Panchayats and revamping of PSSK and FO Schemes my making it more remunerative
as opening of regular or GDS Post Office in each of such location may not be
feasible….
…….the
GDS Post Offices, is around 45% of the total deficit (Net Expenditure –
Revenue) of Rs.6258.60 crores and around 15% of the total expenditure of
Rs.17894.58 crores in the Financial year 2014-15………..the Committee found that
total expenditure on GDS system is far less than deficit of the Department.
……….
Future survival of the Department will largely depend on the successful
management of GDS Post Offices, which effectively for its “soul”.. It would be
difficult for the Department to survive without the soul…..
…….trust
of GDS network which enables the Department to deliver trustworthy services in
each and every village of the country that can not be quantified in terms of
revenue…
…..the
Committee observed that the Sub Post Masters of single handed Sub Post Offices
do not encourage Branch Post Masters to increase their workload as it results
into increase in the workload of Sub Post Offices which they are unable to
handle properly due to lack of manpower……
……
Sub Post Office by utilizing the services of capable and willing GDSs in the
single handed sub post offices…..
….the
India Post Payment Bank which is going to be rolled out shortly will use the
strengths of the GDS net work and experiences of more than 2.60 lakhs
trustworthy Gramin Dak Sevaks serving in the Department of Posts….
…..the
GDS network can potentially wipe out the deficit (gap between the expenditure
and revenue) of the Department and emerge as rural digital hubs for delivery of
DBT and other postal, financial, remittance, third party and several e-services
to the rural population and forming an integral part of fulfilling SABKA
SAATH SABKA VIKAS agenda of the Central
Government.
source: GDS Committe Report (Executive Summary)
=P.Pandurangarao
General Secretary
