Medical bill rising, ministry plans to shift to health insurance scheme for central govt employees.

The health ministry has moved a proposal for ending the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) in its current form and moving to an insurance-based scheme — the Central Government Employees and Pensioners Health Insurance Scheme (CGEPHIS) — in an apparent attempt to cut costs.

Instead of the government directly paying the medical bills of CGHS beneficiaries, the new scheme will be implemented through insurance companies registered with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and selected through bidding.

Currently, under CGHS, government employees pay Rs 6,000 annually as fixed medical allowance (FMA). The new FMA for beneficiaries is yet to be calculated. While the government’s actual financial commitment will depend on bids and the new FMA, the ministry is working on a presumptive figure of Rs 14,000 per family, which works out to approximately Rs 1,000 crore annually.

The scheme will cover medical expenses up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year. Beyond that, the insurer will have to get clearance from the nodal agency on a case to case basis. An additional sum insured of Rs 10 crore in each of the four zones will be provided by the insurer as buffer for such cases. The CGHS in its present form does not have any annual cap, but each procedure has a prescribed maximum limit for reimbursement. While a note for the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) was circulated last year, a fresh proposal incorporating inputs from various departments including the DoPT, erstwhile Planning Commission and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has been sent to the finance division of the health ministry.

While existing employees can choose between CGHS and CGEPHIS, the new scheme will be made compulsory for new employees.

Sources in the health ministry said the proposal dates back to 2011, when the committee of secretaries gave its in-principle approval.  The proposal was revived after the NDA government took charge. Former Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, however, was opposed to the idea. According to sources, Vardhan was of the opinion that the change would actually mean a higher burden on the exchequer. The annual CGHS bill has increased in the past few years, rising from Rs 987.75 crore in 2008-09 to Rs 1755.62 crore in 2013-14. The average expenditure per beneficiary adds up to Rs 4,787 (which means about Rs 23,000 for a family of five) — Rs 11,955 for pensioners and Rs 2,096 for serving employees.

The total number of CGHS beneficiaries is 36,67,765. Besides serving and retired government employees, this includes former vice-presidents, former prime ministers, MPs and former MPs, sitting and retired judges of the Supreme Court, PIB accredited journalists, railway board employees, Delhi Police personnel in Delhi and employees and pensioners of 60 autonomous/ statutory bodies.

Under CGEPHIS, the OPD needs will be met by the FMA. While the CGHS covers only 25 cities, the new scheme will be pan-India. This would automatically increase the financial commitment. All diseases, including pre-existing ones, will be covered, and in case of transplants, the expenses incurred for the donor or processing of cadaver organ will also be covered. Interestingly, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, which was run by the labour ministry so far, will be under the health ministry from April 1, as it moves from an insurance-based scheme to a trust-based scheme.

21 ALL INDIA CONFERENCE OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES, GROUP C

The 21 ALL INDIA CONFERENCE OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES,GROUP C   STARTED IN A GRAND MANNER WITH ITS OPEN SESSION ON 20^TH JANUARY 2015 AT NEHRU HOUSE OF CULTURE,BHILAI STEEL PLANT.SRI Y.P ROY,CPMG WAS THE CHIEF GUEST. THE OTHERSPEAKERS IN THE OPEN SESSION ARE S/S D.THEAGARAJAN,SG FNPO,GS  D.KISHAN RAO GS NAPECP.U.MURALIDHARAN,GS NUGDS,GULAM ABBANI,PRESIDENT,NUPM& MTS, DR ASHISH KUMAR THAKUR,SSP DURG,SANJAY PATHAK CONGRESSCOMMITTEE,SUBHASH SHARMAJI,GS CONGRESS COMMITTEE, D.VIJAYA KUMAR INTUC,SMT SEETHA SAROJI,PRESIDENT CITY MUNCIPAL COUNCIL,SUNIL PANDEY CS NUR III,P.S BABY EX GS NAPEC

ON 21.01-2014 THE SUBJECTS COMMITTEE STARTED.335 DELEGATES FROM 223 DIVISIONS PARTICIPATED.THESUBJECTS COMMITTEE DISCUSSED ON THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT AND 7^TH CPC ISSUES, TASK FORCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AND FORMULATED RESOLUTIONS.SRI D.KISHAN RAO AND CWC MEMBERS GUIDED THE HOUSE.THE SUBJECTS COMMITTEE WAS ADDRESSED BY SG,FNPO,GS NUGDS. ON 22-01-2015 THE ELECTIONS WERECONDUCTED AND THE FOLLOWING OFFICE BEARERS WERE ELECTED UNANIMOUSLY.

I.        PRESIDENT    SRI RAJAT S DAS,ASST SUPDT FOREIGN POST,[KOLKATA]

II.       VICE PRESIDENT          

       1.V.S.SINGH,SULTANPUR[,U.P]

2 .N.K. PANDYA, SPM, RAIGADH,[ GUJARAT]

3.F.A RESHI,PM GRADE I.LALCHOWK,SRINAGER[ J&K]  

III.GENERAL SECRETARY  D.KISHAN RAO,PA,KHAIRATABAD HO,HYDERABAD[ AP]

IV.ASST.GENERAL SECRETARIES  

 1. B.SHIVAKUMAR,P.A. BASAVANAGUDI HO[,KARNATAKA]

2 JOHNSON AVOKKARAN, OA.PSD,THRISSUR[,KERALA]

3.R.N.DEORE,PA,MALEGAON,[MAHARASTRA]

4 R.SARAVANAN,PA, TIRUVANNAMALAI HO[ T.N]

5 AJAY KR SHARMA PA PATNA GPO [BIHAR]

V. FINANCIAL SECRETARY    

 SHRI BHAGWAN ACCOUNTANT, DELHI GPO [DELHI]

 VI. ASST FINANCIAL SECRETARY  HARISH KUMAR SHARMA PA MOHALI,CHANDIGARH [PUNJAB]

VII. ORGANIZING SECRETARIES     

 1 VASIREDDI SIVAJI, PA SATTENAPALLI [AP]

2 S.SAMSON, MOTILAL NEHRUNAGAR BHILAI[CHATTISGARH]

3 P.JAISWAL, PA, VIJAYANAGAR SO INDORE CITY [MP]

Extension of Public  Provident Fund  scheme up to Post Office with Sanctioned strength of 1+1( double handed Post Office)

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Special casual leave order from CPMG TN Circle  in  c/w All India Conference

21 st ALL INDIA CONFERENCE REPORT ON ACTIVITIES BOOK COVER & BACK PAGE

Post office cannot be held liable for postal delay

 

The postal department stands protected against claims of deficiency in services by virtue of a statute

The postal department takes 15 days to deliver a speed post resulting in a woman missing out on her chance of being appointed as a JBT teacher. However, the department stands protected against claims of deficiency in services by virtue of a statute which says a post office is not liable to compensate if damage caused was not wilful or fraudulent.

The post office derives this protection from section 6 of the Indian Post Office Act, 1898 which says no official of the post office shall incur any liability by reason of any loss, mis-delivery, delay or damage, unless he has caused the same fraudulently or by his wilful act or default.

In the instant case, a woman from Gurgaon, was denied any relief by the Gurgaon District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum when she claimed a compensation of Rs. 20 lakh from three post offices after her applications for JBT teacher’s appointment failed to reach the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board’s office in time.

The woman had sent two applications for appointment of JBT teacher by way of speed post registry on December 31, 2009 through post office, Pataudi, Gurgaon with last date for submission as January 15, 2010.

The Speed Post registry failed to reach it in time to DSSS Board at Karkardooma here even as a speed post should have reached within 48 hours.

She moved the District Forum against Post Office, Pataudi, District Gurgaon, the main post office in Gurgaon and the post office at Karkardooma and also the DSSS Board seeking compensation.

In their reply, the post offices at Gurgaon told the Forum that the complainant’s post was dispatched to Speed Post Centre, Delhi on December 31, 2009 for being delivered to its destination. However, the centre in New Delhi inadvertently dispatched both the articles to Krishna Nagar head office due to heavy work in connection with mailing AIEEE admission forms. Her posts were received at Krishna Nagar office on January 15, 2010 and were anyway taken to DSSS Board but they refused to accept the same.

The post offices on their part said it was the fault of the Board that it refused to accept the applications and went on to claim protection under section 6 of the Indian Post Office Act. The Board in turn said it could not accept any application after the advertised date and time.

Accepting the arguments, the District Forum held the post office not liable. Consequently, no case of deficiency of service is made out, it said.

நேற்று திருவண்ணமலையில் நடந்த FNPO P 3 கோட்ட மாநாட்டு நிகழ்வின் புகைப்படங்கள்...