ODIA GETS CLASSICAL LANGUAGE STATUS

Odia gets classical language status

>> Odia on Thursday became the sixth language of the country to get “classical language’’ status after the Union Cabinet conceded a long-pending demand for putting it in the same league as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

>> Odia is billed as the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group and the case for making it a classical language was also premised on the fact that it has no resemblance to Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu. The proposal was moved by the Culture Ministry.

>> Once a language is declared classical,

1) It gets financial assistance for setting up a centre of excellence for the study of that language and also opens up an avenue for two major awards for scholars of eminence.

2) University Grants Commission can be requested to create – to begin with at least in Central Universities – a certain number of professional chairs for classical languages for scholars of eminence in the language.

>> The criteria for declaring a language as classical mandates high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years, a body of ancient literature/texts which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers and a literary tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community.

>> Also since the classical language and literature is distinct from the modern, there can also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

Courtesy : http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com/ 

Declaration of result of SB Aptitude test held on 25.08.2013 in Odisha Circle : Kalahandi Postal Division

POST OFFICE- ATM cum Debit Card

Source- Facebook

Revenue of Postal Department

The Revenue generation of Postal Services in the country is increasing every year, and the targets for each coming year are raised by the Government. The revenue generated and expenditure incurred by the Postal Department, during the last three years and the current year year-wise, are as under:-

                                                                                                      (Rs. in crore)

Year	Net expenditure	Revenue
2010-11	13308.0	6962.3
2011-12	13705.3	7899.4
2012-13	14792.4	9366.5
2013-14 (up to Dec' 2013)	12144.1^	7733.2 #

^ Net expenditure included estimated recoveries of PLI & RPLI and Inter branch adjustment.

# Revenue figures of 2013-14 (up to December) inclusive of estimated revenue from Savings bank and certificates.    

       

Giving this information in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister ofCommunications and Information Technology, said that main reason for deficit despite constant increase in revenue is periodical increase in expenditure on account of Pay and allowances and pension payment which constitute more than 90 % of the total expenditure of the department. Unlike other civil ministries pension payments are shown as expenditure of the department. Other reasons for increase in expenditure are hike in price/cost of office equipment and machinery/Oil/diesel/Petrol, increase in expenditure on AMC due to computerization of Post Offices, cost of carriage of mail etc. Department of Posts provides universal service throughout the country.

Source:-PIB

GDS POSTAL STRIKE IN KALAHANDI DIVISION

source -odia paper sambad dt 19.02.2014

AT NUAPADA MDG

photo source- facebook

Labourers to get higher wages under MNREGS

Wages under the government's flagship rural job guarantee scheme are set to rise 11.4% from April 1, according to people close to the development. The rural development ministry has decided to increase wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from an average of Rs 156.4 per person, per day at present to Rs 174.3 in fiscal 2014-15 , the same persons said.

The proposed wage hike is expected to cost the government an additional Rs 1,000 crore under the scheme from next fiscal. The government is spending over Rs 30,000 crore on the scheme in 2013-14 . MNREGS is widely seen as a plank on which the UPA government returned to power in 2009. The scheme entitles millions of workers enrolled under it to Rs 100 a day for a minimum of 100 days of work in a financial year.

On an average, 25% of rural households seek employment under it every year. The wage revision is based on the rise in the inflation rate as measured by the consumer price index for agricultural labourers (CPIAL ). The CPI-AL is based on data collated by the 38th round of the National Sample Survey Organisation's household consumption expenditure survey for 1986-87 . For the first nine months of the current fiscal, inflation based on CPI-AL stood at 12.4% compared with 12.6% for 2013 (January-December ). The wage increase will be different for most states.

At Rs 212, Kerala will see the highest increase -- up 17.7% from 2013-14 . This will be followed by Lakshadweep -- up 17.4% at Rs 195. For Bihar, wages will rise 16.6% to Rs 153 while Jharkhand will see a 14.9% increase to Rs 158.

Wages in Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland , Sikkim and Tripura will increase 14.8%. In absolute terms, however, Haryana tops the wage increase list at Rs 236 per person, per day, compared with Rs 214 at present, followed by Andaman and Nicobar at Rs 228 (Rs 204) and Chandigarh at Rs 227 (Rs 209). At the list's bottom is Bihar at Rs 153. Despite the annual increase in wages under MGNREGA since 2011, minimum wages in more than a dozen states are still higher than MGNREGA wages. The government is looking at ways to remove this disparity.

Electronic Indian Postal Order-extension of service to Indian Citizens residing in India

No.1/44/2009-IR

Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions

Department of Personnel & Training

North Block, New Delhi

Dated the 13th February, 2014

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject :  Electronic Indian Postal Order-extension of service to Indian Citizens residing in India.

In continuation to this Department’s O.M. of even number dated 22/03/2013, it is intimated that Department of Posts has extended the “e1P0″ (electronic Indian Postal Order) service to Indian citizens residing in India also w.e.f. 13.02.2014, for purchasing Indian Postal Order electronically by paying a fee online through e-Post Office Portal i.e. http://www.epostoffice.gov.in. It can also be accessed through India Post website www.indiapost.qov.in

2. It is reiterated that:

i) This facility has been provided for Indian citizens to facilitate them to seek information from the Central Public Information Officers (CP10s) under the RTI Act, 2005. Debit or Credit Cards of any Bank powered by Visa / Master can be used to purchase e-IPO

ii) The user needs to get registered at the website. He has to select the Ministry / Department from whom he desires to seek the information under the RTI Act and the elP0 so generated can be used to seek information from that Ministry / Department only. A printout of the elP0 is required to be attached with the RTI application. If the RTI application is being filed electronically, elP0 is required to be attached as an attachment

iii) This facility is only for purchasing an Indian Postal Order electronically. All the requirements for filing an RTI application as well as other provisions regarding eligibility, time limit, exemptions etc. will continue to apply.

3. An eIP0 so generated must be used only once with an RTI application. To check any multiple use of the same elP0, the Public Authority shall maintain a record of the eIPOs so received. In case of any doubt, the details of elP0 can be verified from the above mentioned site / portal of India Post.

(Sandeep Jain)

Director(IR)

1. All Ministries / /Departments of the Government of India

2. Union Public Service Commission, Lok Sabha Secretariat, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat, Central Vigilance Commission, President’s Secretariat, Vice-President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, Planning Commission, Election Commission.

3. Central Information Commission

4. Staff Selection Commission

5. 0/o Comptroller & Auditor General of India, 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi

India Post to install 3000 ATMs,1.35 lakh micro-ATMs by September 15

Even as its application to start a commercial bank is pending, India Post has drawn a massive plan to install as many as 3,000 ATMs and 1.35 lakh micro-ATMs at the ubiquitous post offices across the country for savings account holders by September 2015, a top official has said.

"We will be starting with three ATMs to be installed in New Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore on February 5 and then ramp it up gradually," postal department secretary Padmini Gopinath told a select group of reporters here over the weekend.

She said 1,000 ATMs with the India Post branding will be put in within the first year, which will be ramped up massively to 3,000 in the next 18 months.

To start with, the ATMs can be used only by 26 crore savings account-holders who save with the postal department, but Gopinath exuded confidence that within six months of the launch, they will get the interoperability permission from the Reserve Bank.

Postal savings are worth around Rs 6.05 trillion, which is half the savings in the largest lender SBI and more than double that of the largest private sector lender ICICI Bank.

Through interoperability, India Post will join the National Financial Switch, which will benefit India Post account holders to transact at the banks' ATMs and vice versa, she added.

India Post has been working with software major Infosys on this project, she added.

The micro ATMs will be handheld devices to be operated at the post office level while the ATM will be similar to the one operated by any commercial bank, she added.

The postal department, which has 1.55 lakh post offices over 90 per cent of which are in villages, offers the savings account to people across the country and pays an interest of 4 per cent per annum for such deposits. The account offers cheque facility at present.

It can be noted that the Department of Posts is fighting a very contentious battle to convert itself into a full fledged bank, asserting that its reach can help achieve the goal of financial inclusion.

However, the finance ministry has expressed some reservations about the idea, while Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has exuded confidence of winning over his Cabinet colleagues to get the go ahead for the 'Postal Bank'.

Source:-The Economic Times