Thursday, January 19, 2017

Important Recommendations made by GDS Committee


 Dear Colleagues,
For the preliminary information to all our GDS Colleagues, & well-wishers, a gist of recommendations have been extracted from the GDS Committee Report submitted by Shri Kamalesh Chandra.

Categories of GDS:

Present Nomenclature Category
BRANCH POST MASTER All Branch Post Masters
ASSISTANT BRANCH POST MASTER GDS MD, GDS MC
DAK SEVAK GDSSV,GDS PKR
, GDSMM

Viability of GDS Post Offices:


  1. New norms for calculation of GDS Pos are recommended.
  2. Further Categorization of GDS POs based on proportion of Revenue / Expenditure
Category of GDS PO Revenue Norm
Urban & Rural (Normal) 100% of its expenditure
Rural (special) 50% of its expenditure

Category Colour Proportion of Revenue to expenditure
A Green 100% or more of prescribed form
B Orange 75% to 99% of prescribed form
C Pink 50% to 74.99% of prescribed form
D Red Less than 50% of prescribed form

Workload assessment:

In place of point system, the Committee recommends the new wage payment system. The new system linked to revenue generation and not to work load.

Rural Business Development and Marketing:

The Committee Recommended many items for successful realization of rural business potentials.

Committee recommends to improve the accessibility, visibility and infrastructure of GDS POs.


  • PO are with 10’ X 10’ dimensions in ground floor.
  • Building owned by Gram Panchayat
  • Building owned by Central Govt or State Govt. ie.,schools or offices BPM’s own house
  • Proper rented accommodation in a busy place of the village
  • Building owned by NGOs.
With all furniture and power supply.

Legal status of GDS:

  • The Committee observed that the matter is sub judice.
  • The Department should take suitable steps to increase security of job, prevent exploitation and increase income of GDSs so that they feel secure and live happily with in the GDS system and with the existing legal status.
  • Terms and conditions of engagement.
  • The Committee recommends changes in Rule-3A.
  • Introduce voluntary discharge scheme on willing to leave the post before 65 years
  • Discharge from the service on the last day of the month.
  • Relaxation on limited transfer facility.
Recommendations on wage structure and fixation of wages.
Committee recommends raising of minimum duty from 3 hours to 4 hours of all GDSs
Comparison : BPM = Postman
Asst. BPM & Dak Sevak = MTS
Minimum wage fixed at :
Rs.10,000- for 4 hours & Rs.12,000- for five hours. (Level-I)
Rs.12,000- for 5 hours & Rs.14,500- for five hours (Level-2)
Annual increase @ 3% on 1st January or 1st July
Wage matrix & Wage Level Table & Arrears calculation Table are given in detail.

Allowances:


  1. Dearness Allowance – no change
  2. % of DA with regular employees – no change
  3. Increased rate of DA – no change
  4. Recommended allowances :
  5. Composite Allowance
  6. Cash Conveyance Allowance
  7. Combined Duty Allowance
  8. Children Education Allowance
  9. Revenue linked Allowance for eligible BPMs
  10. Risk & hardship allowance

Allowances to be withdrawn:


  1. Office Maintenance Allowance
  2. Fixed Stationery Allowance
  3. Boat Allowance
  4. Cycle Maintenance Allowance
  5. Uttarakhand Allowance
  6. Split Duty Allowance.

Composite Allowance Includes:

Rent for housing GDS PO, Rent for Accommodation, washing-repairs-maintenance of premises, furniture, stationery charges, electricity usage charges for office, Mobile / Telephone usage charges, Boat Allowance/ CMA/ TA, Hospitality charges for drinking water, other incidental charges.

Performance Related Incentive


  • Revenue linked allowance along with the present system of incentives with automatic payment at the end of each month.

Ex-gratia Bonus:

Dept should re-examine the formula for payment of bonus and ex gratia bonus with reference to the share of revenue generated by the departmental as well as GDS POs.
Methods of engagement

  • Method of selection : on line method engagement should be introduced.
  • Recruiting Authority : appended to the GDS (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2011
  • Qualification :SSC/SSLC from State Board/CBSE/ICSE with certificate course or diploma course in IT
  • Knowledge of local language.
  • Maintenance of Reservation roster at divisional level.
  • Stop the security in the form of FG bonds, introduce 5 year TD or NSC as security.

Career Progression

There is need to increase the Direct Recuitment quota of GDS in Postman & Mail Guard because of large working strength of GDS and to provide them with better opportunities for getting into departmental posts.
Introduce a guaranteed special increase in wages after 12, 24 & 36 years of service with two annual increases.
Designation of GDSs should be changed after each financial upgradation.

Leave & substitute arrangement:


  • Paid leave should be renamed as ordinary leave and enhanced from 20 to 30 days in a year.
  • Introduce Encashment of Ordinary leave.
  • Introduce ‘emergency leave’ for 5 days in a calendar year, but no carry forward.
  • No full time substitute will be engaged.
  • Women GDS – 26 weeks of maternity leave and paid from salary head.
  • Paternity leave for 7 days.

Disciplinary Rules:

Department should add a new punishment of ‘compulsory discharge from the service’ in the list “major penalties’ and the content of Rule-9 of GDS (Conduct & Engagement)Rules 2011.

Social Security Schemes:


  • Severance Amount : @ Rs.4,000 from 01-01-2016 for every completed year of service subject to maximum of Rs.1,50,000-.
  • Service Discharge Benefit Scheme (SDBS):
  • GDS contribution should be revised as minimum of 3% and maximum of 10% of the basic wage per month.
  • Department contribution should be fixed as 3% of the basic wage.
  • Bring the GDS under the purview of Gratuity Act with an upper limit of Rs.5,00,000-
  • Group Insurance Scheme : enhance the rate of monthly subscription by Rs.500 per month with insurance coverage of Rs.5,00,000-.

Welfare Schemes:


  • GDS CWF subscription should be enhanced from Rs.20- to Rs.100- pm.
  • Department grant should be enhanced from Rs.100- to Rs.300- PA.
  • Point system should not be applied to the compassionate appointment of dependents of GDS.
  • Photo identity cards to all GDS with free of cost.
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