Questions & Answers: Related to New Pension Scheme (NPS) VISIT: www.LTRSNRMU.blogspot.com

Questions & Answers: Related to the New Pension Scheme (NPS)

1. Whether a retiring Government servant is entitled for leave encashment after retirement under the NPS?
The benefit of encashment of leave salary is not a part of the retirement benefits admissible under Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972. It is payable in terms of CCS (Leave) Rules which will continue to be applicable to the government servants who join the government service on after 1-1-2004. Therefore, the benefit of encashment of leave salary payable to the governments/to their families on account of retirement/death will be admissible.
2. Why is it mandatory to use 40% of pension wealth to purchase the annuity at the time of the exit (i.e. after the age of 60 years) from NPS?
This provision has been made in the New Pension Scheme with an intention that the retired government servants should get regular monthly income during their retired life.
3. Whether any minimum age or minimum service is required to quit from Tier-I?
Exit from Tier-I can only take place when an individual leaves Government service.
4. Whether Dearness Pay is counted as basic pay for recovery of 10% for Tier-I?
As per the New Pension Scheme, the total Dearness Allowance is to be taken into account for working out the contributions to Tier-I. Subsequently, a part of the “Dearness Allowance” has been treated as Dearness Pay. Therefore, this should also be reckoned for the purpose of contributions.
5. Whether contribution towards Tier-I from arrears of DA is to be deducted?
Yes. Since the contribution is to be worked out at 10% of (Pay + DP + DA), it needs to be revised whenever there is any change in these elements
6. Who will calculate the interest PAO or Central Pension Accounting office(CPAO)?
The PAO should calculate the interest.
7. What happens if an employee gets transferred during the month? Which office will make deduction of Contribution?
As in the case of other recoveries, the recovery of contributions towards New Pension Scheme for the full month(both individual and government) will be made by the office who will draw salary for the maximum period.
8. Whether NPA payable to medical officers will count towards ‘Pay’ for the purpose of working out contributions to NPS?
Yes. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has clarified vide their O.M. no. A45012/11/97-CHS.V dated 7-4-98 that the Non-Practising Allowance shall count as ‘pay’ for all service benefits. Therefore, this will be taken into account for working out the contribution towards the New Pension Scheme.
9. Whether a government servant who was already in service prior to 1.1.2004, if appointed in a different post under the Government of India, will be governed by the CCS (Pension) Rules or NPS?
In cases where Government servants apply for posts in the same or other departments and on selection they are asked to render technical resignation, the past services are counted towards pension under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972. Since the Government servant had originally joined government service prior to 1-1-2004, he should be covered under the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.
10.Procedure for allotment of Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN):-
Immediately on joining Govt. service, the Govt. servant will be required to provide particulars such as his name, designation, scale of pay, date of birth, nominee(s) for the fund, relationship of the nominee etc. in the prescribed for (Annexure I).
The DDO concerned will be responsible for obtaining this information from all Govt. servants covered under the New Pension Scheme.
The PAO concerned will allot a unique 16 digit Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN). The first four digits of this number will indicate the calendar year of joining Govt. service, the next digit indicates whether it is a Civil or a Non-civil Ministry, the next six digits would represent the PAO Code (which is used for the purpose of compiling monthly accounts), the last five digits will be the running serial number of the individual govt.
servant which will be allotted by the PAO concerned. PAO will allot the serial number pertaining to individual Govt. servants from 00001 running from January to December of a calendar year. A register will be maintained for allotment of PRAN to ensure that PRAN are allotted in sequence and there is no duplication of PRAN.
For the flow of information from Non Civil Ministries/Departments to the CPAO, each of them will nominate a Nodal Office, which will be responsible for forwarding the consolidated information/particulars in respect of their Ministry/Departments and for correspondence with CPAO.
The particulars of the Govt. servants received from the various DDOs will be consolidated by the Nodal Office identified in each Ministry/Department/Office and sent to the CPAO. The CPAO will keep this information in their computer database.
The accounting heads involved in the operation of the new pension scheme will be intimated in due course.
The first salary bill of the new entrant will be passed after ensuring that the Annexure-I is received.
Tier1 amount equal to 10% of the (Basic+DA+NPA) will be deducted from the pay Bill and a matching contribution will also be credited to the individuals credit.
Separate pay bill should be prepared for the individuals who are covered under this scheme. The schedule information is to be captured in the Annexure-II, which should be carefully checked. The data file of annexure-I and annexure-II will be created and forwarded to CPAO on monthly basis. CPAO on receipt of this information will update its database and generate exception reports for missing credits, mismatches etc.
No withdrawal of any amount will be allowed during the interim arrangements.
At the end of each financial year the CPAO will prepare annual accounts statements for each employee showing opening balance, details of monthly deduction and Govt.’s matching contribution, interest earned, if any, and the closing balance. CPAO will send these statements to Nodal Office concerned.
After the close of each financial year, CPAO will have to report the details of the balances (PAO-wise) to each PAO for the purpose of reconciliation. The PAO will reconcile the figures of contributions with figures as per the books of CPAO.

Mathura Accident: DRM/Agra transferred, SrDSTE & SrDEE sent on leave, CBI will enquire, Officers R derailing Safety

Mamata wants CBI probe into Mathura train accident

New Delhi (DNA): The real reason behind the collision between Mewad Express and Goa Express, that killed 22 people in Mathura on Wednesday, remain a mystery. Did policemen pull the chain because a convict was trying to escape or was the driver too fatigued to notice the signal?
Railways minister Mamata Banerjee will ask for a CBI inquiry into the Mathura accident. "Realising the gravity of the accident, I have decided it is better to go for a CBI probe," Banerjee said during a visit to the site.

"Many questions have cropped up. Somebody said that chain-pulling was the reason for the accident and others say there was a problem in the signal. It may be a case of criminal offence too. So, I have handed over the case to the CBI," she said. The commissioner of railway safety will also investigate the matter.

Banerjee also ordered the transfer of Agra divisional railway manager(DRM) and sent two technical officers on leave.The decision was taken after Banerjee chaired a safety review meeting with railway board officials.

DRM RD Tripathi was transferred with immediate effect and the dean of Indian Railway Institute of Transport Management, Lucknow, Devesh Kumar Mishra posted in his place.

 

Railways transferred Agra DRM after Mathura train accident

The Railway Board today transferred Mr R D Tripathi, the Divisional Railway Manager of the Agra Division of the North-Central Railway, in the backdrop of the major train accident near Mathura yesterday.

As many as 22 people were killed and 26 others injured in the mishap in which the Delhi-bound Goa Express rammed into the stationary Udaipur-Nizamuddin Mewad Express between Mathura and Vrindavan stations of the Agra Division early yesterday morning.

An official press release said Mr Devesh Kumar Mishra, Dean of the Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management (IRITM), had been posted in his place with immediate effect.

In addition, the Senior Divisional Signal and Telecom Engineer (Sr. DSTE), Agra Division, and the Senior Divisional Electrical Enginner-Operation (Sr. DEE), Jhansi Division have also been asked to proceed on leave, the release said.

Meanwhile, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee reviewed safety measures on the Indian Railways with the entire Railway Board here today.

According to the release, she categorically stated that the safety of the passengers should continue to be given the highest priority. She said there should be no compromise on this and any laxity would not be tolerated.

Ms Banerjee said anyone found wanting on this vital aspect of railway operations would not be spared and stern action would be taken against those playing with the lives of passengers.

She directed the Railway Board to closely monitor all spheres of railway operations connected with safety and conduct periodical reviews of this aspect, the release added.

 

 

'Officers are derailing train safety'

 

The Mathura accident, and many others over the past decade, could have been avoided had trains in India been fitted with indigenous anti-collision device (ACD).

But officials in the railway ministry have been sitting over the implementation of the ACD project for the past 10 years even as hundreds of lives have been lost.

The father of the indigenous ACD project and former MD of the Konkan Railway, B. Rajaram, on Wednesday shot off a letter to railway minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to implement the system at the earliest.

Certain bureaucrats in the ministry, Rajaram alleged, have been holding back a fullscale implementation of the indigenous ACD to benefit foreign companies that want to capture the Rs 3,000-crore worth market for accident prevention systems in India.

"I truly feel sad and angry for our failure to protect lives, even when we have developed and proven to international standards - as certified both by the (Lucknow-based) Research Design and Standards Organisation and Lloyds, UK - our own ACD to prevent such collisions," Rajaram wrote in the letter.

Talking to Mail Today, he said: "MNCs are threatened by our product which is more accurate than many of their systems. But they have friends in the railway ministry. That is why the project is getting delayed." Rajaram had alerted the ministry on the efforts made by some MNCs to enter into a collaboration with the Indian Railways for developing the ACD. The indigenous ACD has been working with 99.9 per cent efficiency in the Konkan Railway.

Incidentally, Mamata was the railway minister when the prototype of the system was first tested at Goa in 1999.

She had travelled on the loco engine fitted with the experimental prototype and had overlooked the Railway Board to approve the implementation of the system in Konkan Railway in January 2000.

In 2004, the Railway Board told the parliamentary standing committee on railways that the ACD technology was working well and would be extended to other parts of the country.

The railways in 2007 announced a pilot project to fit ACDs in trains on 1,736 kilometres of broad gauge route of the Northeast Frontier railway zone.

Rajaram alleged that the ministry selected this zone to prove that the technology would not sustain in adverse environmental conditions.

"The ministry chose such adverse conditions, which is not done when it is an imported technology. But against all odds, the indigenous technology stood the test and came out with flying colours," he said.

"Some people on the (Railway) Board and in the ministry seem to be anxious to help foreign companies... May I request you to intervene and allow Indian technology, proven beyond doubts, to be implemented, at least on the three zonal railways forthwith as already sanctioned," the retired top railway engineer said in his letter to Mamata.

Courtesy: Mail Today

Rajdhani stopped by Maoists, passengers taken hostage, drama ends, all safe

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Midnapore (WB), Oct 27 (PTI) Armed activists of a Maoist-backed group today stopped the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani Express and held up the prestigious train for several hours in a hostage-type situation in a jungle area in West Midnapore district but all 1,200 passengers were safe.
The train was secured after dusk by CRPF and the state police who were rushed to the spot where it was under the control of the activists of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities(PCPA), five hours after the dramatic incident that started at about 2.30 PM.
"The train is safe and passengers are safe," said Home Minister P Chidambaram, who monitored the situation closely in New Delhi. There is no sign of any adversary at the scene, he said. The train left Bhubaneswar at 9 AM.

CBI will conduct criminal enquiry of Railway Accidents. GM, DRM & Branch Officers may held Responsible- Railsamachar

रेल अधिकारी अपना 'कट' लेना बंद करें-रेलमंत्री

• रेल अधिकारी 'क्लब कल्चर' छोडें
• रेल दुर्घटनाओं की सीबीआई से आपराधिक जाँच कराई जायेगी
• दुर्घटनाओं के लिए जीएम, डीआरएम् और ब्रांच अफसरों को जिम्मेदार ठहराया जाएगा

नई दिल्ली : मथुरा में हुई दो ट्रेनों की दहशतनाक टक्कर के तुंरत बाद ठाणे, मुंबई में २३ अक्तूबर को ट्रैक के ऊपर पुल का गर्डर/pa[plaa[na गिरने saoहुई दर्दनाक घटना और लगातार ३०-३५ घंटों तक सभी ट्रेनों के बंद रहे आवागमन से मुंबई के लाखों दैनिक रेल यात्रियों की परेशानी को देखकर और शायद इससे होने वाली अपनी भारी आलोचना से बचने के मद्देनजर रेलमंत्री सुश्री ममता बनर्जी ने २३ अक्तूबर को ही आनन - फानन रेलवे बोर्ड पहुंचकर पुरे बोर्ड की इमरजेंसी मीटिंग बुलाकर सभी अधिकारियों की लम्बी खिंचाई का डाली।
सूत्रों का कहना है की ममता ने अधिकारियों को सामानों की खरीद और आउट सोर्सिंग तथा टेंडर सिस्टम में अपनी कमीशनखोरी खत्म करने को कहा है। सूत्रों का तो यहाँ तक कहना है की ममता ने इसके लिए वास्तव में 'कट' जैसे टपोरियों की भाषा के शब्द का साफ़ इस्तेमाल किया जिससे ईमानदार अफसरों के होठों पर भी मुस्कराहट उभर आई, यह देखकर रेलमंत्री भी उनका मंतव्य समझकर हलके से मुस्कराए बिना नहीं रह सकीं।
रेलमंत्री के आदेश पर एक तरफ़ पैलेस ऑन व्हील्स का मजा ले रहे दक्षिण पूर्व रेलवे के महाप्रबंधक श्री ए.के.जैन को उनकी छुट्टियाँ रद्द करके तुंरत वापस बुलाया गया तो दूसरी तरफ़ उनके और लालू के सबसे बड़े सिपहसालार रहे सीऍफ़टीएम्/द.पू.रे.श्री बी.डी.राय, जो की इस पड़ पर पिछले करीब ५ सालों से बिराजमान थे, को तुंरत प्रभाव से इस पद से हटा दिया गया है जिससे तमाम अफसरों के कलेजे को काफी ठंढक मिली है क्योंकि लालू वरदहस्त होने के कारण श्री राय अपनी मनमानियों के चलते बहुतों को अपना दुश्मन बना लिए थे।
उधर मथुरा के पास हुई ट्रेनों की टक्कर और उसमें दो दर्जन से ज्यादा मौतों के लिए जिम्मेदार ठहराकर ममता ने आगरा मंडल के मंडल रेल प्रबंधक श्री के.जी.त्रिपाठी को उनके पद से हटा देने का आदेश दिया है।
२३ अक्तूबर की इमरजेंसी बोर्ड मीटिंग में बताते हैं की रेलमंत्री ने न सिर्फ़ रेल अधिकारियों की सभी विदेश यात्राओं पर अगले एक साल तक के लिए प्रतिबन्ध लगा दिया है बल्कि पिछले ५ वर्षों के दरम्यान जितने भी फ्रेट रेकों का एलाटमेंट हुआ है सभी की जाँच सीबीआई से कराने को कहा है। सूत्रों का कहना है की रेलमंत्री ने आउट ऑफ़ टर्न रेक एलाटमेंट की गलत परंपरा को तुंरत प्रभाव से रोक देने को कहा है.

-rola samaacaar

Delay killed motorman R Ramchandran, Mumbai Local Accident, Sudhir Kumar, CRS,will conduct an enquiry

Freak Rly mishap kills two, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a compensation Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed, Rs 1 lakh to those seriously injured and Rs 10,000 to those who received minor injuries in the Thane bridge collapse.

TMC, CR in blame game Even as the railway services are yet to be restored, a blame game has started between CR and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). While CR spokesperson A K Singh said they have asked the TMC to carry out necessary repairs, however, they have not done it yet. On the other hand TMC City Engineer K D Lala said that they have several times sought permission of the railway to change the girders, however, the CR never accorded permission.

Probe ordered Commissioner Railway Safety, Central Circle, Sudhir Kumar will conduct an enquiry on Monday at Thane station, and on Tuesday in Divisional Railway Manager's office at CST-Mumbai.

Delay killed motorman R Ramchandran, the motorman who died in the tragic accident near Thane railway station was battling for life for over three hours in the motorman's cabin as the firemen failed to remove him from the debris in time.The motorman was trapped in his cabin as it was completely damaged. Pipeline, overbridge falls on Kalyan local Trains to Pune, Nashik, Nagpur affected

Two persons including a motorman were killed and 10 others were injured, two of them grievously, when a portion of under construction Road Over Bridge along with adjacent water pipelines collapsed over a speeding suburban train in Kopri between Thane and Mulund stations on the Central Railway, severely disrupting the train traffic.

The train, K37, was on its way to Kalyan from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus when the incident took place at 10.52 am.The mishap ­ in which the pipeline carrying water from western part of Thane to the eastern parts burst and the railway overhead electricity wires snapped ­ threw railway traffic out of gear. Normalcy is expected only by Saturday evening.

As soon as the report of the incident came, an accident relief van was rushed to the spot.
Services on all the four up and down lines were affected because of the accident. It would take nearly 30 hours to restore the services, CR officials said.

On Friday evening, train services were being run between CST-Ghatkopar and ThaneKalyan and beyond. Pass-holders of CR were allowed to travel on Western Railway (WR) and harbour routes.

WR tied up with MSRTC to run buses between Borivli and Thane/Bhiwandi. Similarly, pass-holders were also allowed to travel between CST-Vashi-Thane route. As many as 88 additional buses were deployed between CST-Sion-Ghatkopar-Thane.
Heavy rush was seen at some railway stations, however, CR was constantly updating the passengers through SMS alert system besides Radio and TV announcements.
The girders and pipes fell on the motorman's cabin and the adjacent luggage compartment, trapping several people ­ including the motorman. While most of the trapped commuters were rescued by the onlookers present and fire brigade personnel, the motorman ­ identified as R Ramachandra (43) ­ remained trapped inside his cabin till 2.30 pm. He, however, died before he could be rushed to the Thane civil hospital.
One more person ­ who had died earlier ­ was identified as Subhash Popat Nikam, a resident of Bhandup.
Of the 10 injured all of whom are undergoing treatment at the Thane civil hospital, the condition of two is said to be serious