ANNEXURES
: 31 - 39 ( 30 PAGES)
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 :
1.
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……
2.
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……
3.
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……
4.
The
Committee observed that in last several decades, the Department has not
invested enough to strengthen the network of GDS Post Offices until
recently……
5.
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….
6.
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…….
7.
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.
8.
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….
9.
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…….
10. 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….
11. 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….
12. 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.
13. 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…..
14. Tust
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…
15. 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……
16. Sub
Post Office by utilizing the services of capable and willing GDSs in the
single handed sub post offices…..
17. 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….
18. 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 Committee Report (Executive Summary)
