CGHS launched new website

CGHS today launches its revamped & improved version of website. Take a look here

Discontiuation of continous empanelment scheme of CGHS

stoppage of emergency service at CGHS wellness centers

Revision in CGHS subscription/ entitlement w.e.f 1/6/2009

Government implements Modified ACP Scheme

Please see the other details here
http://persmin.gov.in/WriteData/CircularNotification/ScanDocument/35034_3_2008-Estt.(D).pdf

World Environment Day- 2009

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

Commemorated yearly on 5 June, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day's agenda is to:

1. Give a human face to environmental issues;
2. Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
3. Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
4. Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

The theme for WED 2009 is 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.

This year’s host is Mexico which reflects the growing role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.

Mexico is also a leading partner in UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign. The country, with the support of its President and people, has spearheaded the pledging and planting of some 25 per cent of the trees under the campaign. Accounting for around 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the country is demonstrating its commitment to climate change on several fronts.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon states that the WED celebration will “further underline Mexico's determination to manage natural resources and deal with the most demanding challenge of the 21st century – climate change.”

GOI clarification dt 18/05/2009 for pensioners/ family pensioners

Modification in eligibility criteria and procedure for call of tender for specialised works- CPWD

Composite tender- Modidification CPWD

Clarification regarding Plastic card for individual CGHS beneficiaries

GOI resolution on Public Interest Disclosure & Protection of Informer

Usage of Inter-bank window for customer transactions

RBI/2008-09/476
DPSS (CO) RTGS No.1959/04.04.002/2008-2009

May 11, 2009

Chairman and Managing Director /
Chief Executive Officer of all banks participating in RTGS

Dear Sir,

Usage of Inter-bank window for customer transactions

We invite a reference to our earlier circular No.RBI/2008-09/362 dated January 28, 2009 advising extension of cut off timings for various types of RTGS transactions.

1. It is brought to our notice that many RTGS participants are routing RTGS customer payments in the inter-bank session i.e., after the customer window is closed. This is probably done to accommodate late transactions of high net worth customers.
   
   
2. We advise that different time windows are prescribed for different types of RTGS transactions taking various things in to consideration. For example, a gap of one hour and thirty minutes is kept between customer timings and interbank timings to ensure that a customer transaction where credit cannot be afforded to the beneficiary would have to be returned to the sender’s account within one hour and thirty minutes. Therefore, routing of customer transactions in the inter-bank session is a violation of return discipline since the gap of one hour and thirty minutes is not maintained.
   
   
3. All RTGS participants are, therefore, advised to strictly adhere to the RTGS procedural guidelines and desist from the practice of pushing customer transactions in the interbank mode. Violations, if any, brought to our notice would be viewed seriously and would attract penalty under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007(51 of 2007).
   
   
4. Please acknowledge receipt of the circular.

Yours faithfully,

(G. Padmanabhan)
Chief General Manager

Issue of analogue insulin to CGHS beneficiaries, GOI OM Dated 13/05/2009

clarification regarding no change in pension rule w.e.f 2/9/2008

Fairness & trasparency in maintenance & prepration of Annual performance appraisal report ( formally ACR) w.e.f 1/4/2009

Classification of post as per 6th pay commission

Helpline from CGHS

Tel. 011-66667777

e-mail- helpline-cghs@nic.in

Beneficiaries can contact the Helpline by phone or e-mail for

(1) any information about CGHS including Medical Reimbursement Claims

(2) any Grievance or Complaint

CGHS Helpline operates on all working days from 9:30 A.M. to 5:30 PM.

Additional relief on death/ disability of Government servants covered by the NPS

Closing of Central Government Offices in connection with election- Guidelines

Video conferencing to help RTI applicants

CHENNAI: For the past three years, M Sivaraj, an RTI activist from Vellore, has been spending Rs 1,000 every month towards travel and other expenses. The former tahsildar travels at least 900km a month to appear at hearings conducted by the State Information Commission (SIC) at its headquarters in Chennai.

With SIC planning to introduce video conferencing for petitioners, Sivaraj and other petitioners will have less trouble in future.

The hi-tech facility funded by the Union government will be introduced after the general elections. "The contract has been awarded to the Electronic Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), for development. We hope that petitioners will not have to travel all the way from different parts of the state to Chennai, spending time and money. Officials, too, need not reclaim amounts from the public exchequer for travel expenses," SIC chief commissioner S Ramakrishnan told The Times of India.

With the district headquarters in Tamil Nadu having video-conferencing facilities at the collectorates, it would take only a few months to stabilise the system, Ramakrishnan added.

The plan envisages the commission having a state-wide area network connectivity from ELCOT's data centre in Taramani or the common service centre at the DMS campus in Teynampet. ELCOT will install equipment and related infrastructure, costing Rs 13 lakh.

On an average, SIC receives 40,000 petitions every year, the highest in India, seeking details from various government departments. Almost 90% of the petitions come from the southern districts. About 30 cases are taken up for hearing daily.

"If such devices are not introduced forthwith, there will be deterioration in services rendered by the commission," Ramakrishnan pointed out.

The commission has six commissioners, besides the chief commissioner, to look into appeals.

The commission is holding talks with the Centre for Good Governance (CGG), a central government agency, to develop software modules for designing a website, complete with the decisions and cause list so that applicants from any part of the state can get updated information on cases.

It also plans to include success stories and the status of applications on the website, with the application status being conveyed through SMSes, too.

"The decision to seek CGG support came about after the National Informatics Centre, which designed the SIC website, failed in uploading relevant data over the past four months," official sources said.

The urgency in dealing with a flood of applications has put SIC in a spot. With only 15 stenographers available for administrative work, analysing information has become a problem area.

julie.mariappan@timesgroup.com