Revokation of referral of CGHS beneficiaries to Narender Mohan Hospital Gazaibad

Option for zonal wise posting of Common cadre Officers

Promotion to the post of S.O(G)/(FA)/(SP)

Implementation of Government’s decision on the recommendation of the VIth CPC – revision of CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules

No.45/6/2008-P&PW (F)

Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions

Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare

*******

3^rd Floor, Lok Nayak Bhawan,

Khan Market, New Delhi-110 003

Dated 16th April, 2009

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Implementation of Government’s decision on the recommendation of the VIth CPC – revision of CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules,

1939 – Constant Attendant Allowance.

……………..

The undersigned is directed to say that on the Recommendations of Sixth Central Pay Commission in para 5.1.44 of its Report, orders were issued vide Department of Pension & Pensioner's Welfare O.M. No.38/37/2008-P&PW (A) dated 2.9.2008 that:

“In the case of pensioners who retired on disability pension under the CCS (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1939, for 100% disability (where the individual is completely dependent on somebody else for day to day function), a Constant Attendant Allowance of Rs.3,000/- p.m. shall be allowed in addition to the disability pension, on the lines existing in Defence Forces.”

2. Accordingly, the payment of the Constant Attendant Allowance (C.A.A.) shall be governed by the provisions as under:-

(i) Constant Attendant Allowance (C.A.A) will be Applicable to cases where the disability for which Constant Attendance Allowance is payable is attributable to or aggravated by service.

(ii) Constant Attendant Allowance (C.A.A) may be granted to a Government servant who is awarded a disability pension for 100 percent disablement, if in the opinion of the medical board, he needs the services of a constant attendant for at least a period of three months, and the necessity arises solely from the condition of the accepted disability or disabilities.

(iii) Constant Attendant Allowance (C.A.A) shall not be payable for any period during which the pensioner is an inmate or an in-patient of a Government institution or hospital.

(iv) Payment of Constant Attendant Allowance (C.A.A) shall be made along with disability pension. Payment shall be made on the basis of declaration as in Annexure which shall be submitted to the Pension Disbursing Authority in May & November each year.

3. Formal amendments to the Central Civil Services (Extraordinary Pension) Rules, 1939, are being issued separately.

4. These orders are issued with the approval of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure vide their U.O.No.7.32/10/2009-IC dated 23^rd February, 2009.

5. In their applicability to the personnel of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, these orders issue in consultation with the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.

6. Ministry of Agriculture, etc. are requested to bring the contents of these orders to the notice of the Heads of Departments, their Attached an Subordinate Offices, Controller of Accounts, Pay & Accounts Officers, etc. under their administrative control.

Indian scientists sequence fish genome

The genome which, because of its similarity to the human genome, holds several clues to identifying genes that cause diseases in human beings

New Delhi: Scientists at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory, have sequenced the genome of a fish, which, because of its similarity to the human genome, holds several clues to identifying genes that cause diseases in human beings.
Vinod Scaria, IGIB scientist, said that the wild zebrafish strain analysed, was a first of it’s kind genome analysis in India.
“To my knowledge, it’s the first time that a vertebrate’s whole genome has been analysed in an Indian lab,” said Scaria. Globally, scientists have studied zebrafish genomes before, but Scaria said these were mostly hybrids cloned in labs.
“Studying a wild type strain is vital to understand the complete genetic variation within a species. Without that it’s not possible to determine which genes are responsible for certain diseases,” he added.

Comment received

"Dear Arvind Khanna,

Thanks a lot for covering the zebrafish genome on your Blog. I have also gone through your blog and find it very interesting and informative.

Best regards

Dr Vinod Scaria
Scientist
G N Ramachandran Knowledge Centre for Genome Informatics,
Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR),
Mall Road, Delhi 110 007, India"

Complaint against NBRI director for fudging CV

15 Apr 2009, 0155 hrs IST, Neha Shukla, TNN

LUCKNOW: The director of NBRI might sustain his tenure on the claim that he passed MSc in three subjects. He might have also convinced the search committee with his curriculum vitae. But his alma mater, Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, does not approve of the same with Gujarat University denying to the extent that it awarded a PhD in first division to the director.

GBPUAT, Pantnagar, said that Dr Rakesh Tuli, director, NBRI did not pass MSc in three subjects -- genetics, biochemistry and plant breeding, as mentioned by him in his CV. The director's CV talks of several facts which RTI responses provided by the universities contradict.

Could it be a case of a botched CV? It is now up to the prime minister to find out. A complaint containing several such revelations has been forwarded to the PM after being endorsed by the chairman, public accounts committee. The complaint has been filed by a local, Naveen Gupta who gathered the `quoted' information by way of RTI.

GBPUAT states that Tuli was awarded the MSc degree with major in genetics and minor in bio-chemistry. The fact that Tuli has a PhD degree in botany in first division from Gujarat University has also run into trouble after Gujarat University informed that he was not awarded PhD degree in 1982 by it. The university further clarified that there is no system to award class/grade while awarding PhD degree.

Tuli had been the applicant for the same post twice in the past. But he was rejected in 1997-98 and 1998-99 by the prime minister on the ground that he had used `political pull against conduct rules'. Little success came his way in 2,000 when he got selected as director, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP).

But before he could take over, the then minister of science and technology, Murli Manohar Joshi recommended SPS Khanuja for the post. "To his indiscretion he pleaded for his case and also spoke lightly about other scientists," wrote Joshi in his letter, while turning down Tuli's appointment.

The complaint says that `misrepresentations' do not end here. The director had allegedly fudged information under heads like national competitive research grants awarded to him by governmental agencies, inter-institutional team work and skills in industrial networking.

Appointing a director for CSIR (Council for scientific and industrial research) laboratory calls for responsible selection. The search committee is constituted for the purpose by the vice-president (minister of science and technology) of CSIR which comprises a chairman, six experts and DG, CSIR.

But in case of Tuli the committee reportedly bypassed the norms to appoint him as the director. However, sources added, "things have started moving at the level of CSIR though proceedings might not come out in the open".
Courtesy: Times of india

CIC asks CSIR to make NET exam papers public

New Delhi (PTI): The Central Information Commission has directed the CSIR to bring NET examination papers of previous years, kept under wraps till now, in public domain to improve the overall "processes" of administering and undertaking of exams in the country.

Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi in his hard hitting order had asked CSIR to provide the information free of cost to the appellant before April 25.

Refuting the CSIR's contention that "if question papers are in public domain the scientific interest of the State will be affected", the CIC said, "transparency will only improve all institution and processes".

Disallowing the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's (CSIR) contention that disclosing the examination papers would "expose the CSIR examinations system", the CIC in its order said, "if a student can really master all fundamentals of the Science and Technology portion, no exam system can really want to test anything else".

The CIC also dismissed CSIR's stand that "there is a limited scope of framing questions as the basic concept and their interpretation are established facts".