Gramin Dak Sevak Committee

Ministry of Communication and IT

Govt of India

Department of Posts

GDS Committee Malcha Marg PO Complex

New Delhi-110021

                                                                                  No 2-30/2007-GDS Committee

                                                                                  Dated   16^th October, 2007

                                                                                  Tel : 011-24122960

Dear   Shri..................

                   The Gramin Dak sewak committee, as you are aware is collecting information to enable it to have proper examination  of the issues involved. I deem it a privilege to have  valuable suggestions and views of the  Gramin Dak sewaks who are providing postal services in the rural and remote corners of the country. In particular your specific  views on the following  aspects would be very useful. useful.

Ø  Improvements in the working conditions of GDS.

Ø  Improvements in the wage structure.

Ø  Provision of social Security.

Ø  Items of work that need to be included in the

assessment of the   workload.

Ø  Items of  present work and new items of work

that can be done on Incentive basis

Ø  Improvement in the rural postal services

and  introduction  of new products  and  services.

           I would request you to give your views on  the above issues or any other issue which you may consider significant for improving the service conditions of the GDS and enhancing the public services in the rural areas. I assure you that replies will be duly  considered.

                        Your views/suggestions   may be  sent to  Secretary Gramin Dak Sevak  Committee  Malcha Marg  PO  New Delhi 110021.

                              With best  wishes,

                                                                                                            Yours  sincerely

                                                                                                                        Sd/xxxxxxxx

                                                                                                (R.S.Nataraja  Murti)

R.S. Nataraja Murti

Chairman

GDS Committee                                                                           

     No 2-29/2007-GDS Committee

                                                                                     Dated:  09-10- 2007      

Dear    Sir / Madam                          

            In  the   rural ,  remote corner of the country, Postal Services are rendered through Branch Post Office, working for limited hours utilizing the services of rural based personnel called “Gramin Dak Sevaks” (previously called Extra Departmental Agents) who work on a part time basis. India has the largest postal net work in the world with  1,55,333  Post  Offices of which 89% are in the rural areas.  On an average, a post office serves an area of 21.2 sq.kms and a population of 6,623.

            The Government of India has now constituted a committee to examine the system of Extra departmental Post Offices; the terms and reference of the committee inter-alia include the following:-

(a)       To examine the system of extra departmental post offices, conditions of employment, method of recruitment, wage structure of Gramin dak sevaks,

(b)       To examine the reasonableness of introducing a social security scheme for providing provident fund and retirement benefits to GDS.

(c)        To review the facilities provided to the public by the rural post offices.

Gramin Dak Sevaks are employed as GDS Sub Postmaster / Branch Postmasters/Mail Deliverers, Mail Carriers and Mail Packers.  For GDS SPM/BPM the minimum educational qualification prescribed is Matriculation pass while for all other categories of GDS ,the educational  qualification  is  middle  standard  pass, Preference, is however given  to  those with Matriculation  qualification.  Persons  who  are  selected  as  GDS SPM / BPM  are  required  to  take  up  residence  at  the  Post  office  village. The  other  category  of GDS  are  required  to take up  reside  in  the   PO  Jurisdiction/ originating  point  of mail.

The  minimum and maximum Time  Related  Continuity Allowance   payable  to

 the  Gramin Dak  Sevaks  including dearness allowance @ 91% w.e.f. 01-7-2007 is  given below:-

                        The Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  are  now provided  with  ex-gratia  gratuity upto  Rs 18,000  and  severance  allowance  upto  Rs. 30,000  at the time  of discharge .  They are     provided  with  Group insurance  scheme   wherein   the dependent  of deceased  Gramin Dak  sevak is  paid   Rs.10,000 on death in addition to the payment from the saving fund.

I will be grateful   to  have  your  valuable views  and  suggestions at the

earliest on  the  issues  relating  to  Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  as per  the enclosed  annexure or any other  issues  which you may consider  relevant  for consideration   by the  committee. 

 Yours  faithfully,

                                                                                  (R.S. Nataraja  Murti)

                                                                                  Chairman 

                                                                                  GDS  Committee

011-24122960

                                                                       e-mail: gdscommittee@indiapost.gov.in

To,

Mr.

Hon’ble Member of Parliament.

Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha

Issues for eliciting views of Hon’ble Members of Parliament 

1.      Presently a Branch Post Office is opened in Rural areas provided they fulfil the following norms:-

NORMAL RURAL AREAS

(a)   Minimum  distance  of  3 kilometers   from  a nearest  Post  Office

(b)   Population  of   3000  in   a group of villages.

(c)   Proposed  post office  meeting  one third  of  the  cost.

 Backward / Tribal/Hilly and   inaccessible  areas 

i)       The minimum distance  criteria  of  3 kilometers  in  hilly areas    is

relaxable by  Postal  Directorate.

ii)        500 population   in  an individual  village    or  1000  population  in a    

        group  of  villages.

iii)       The proposed    post  office  is expected  to  generate   15%

         of income  of  its  cost.

         The  Committee  would like  to  have  views  and  suggestions   on  the  existing  access  criteria  for opening of  post  offices  in  rural  areas.

2.      In the rural  areas, not meeting   the  above  norms  for opening  of  Branch Post  Offices, what  should be  the preferred alternative  option for extending  the  postal  facilities viz,

(a)         By opening   a  regular  post  office  by  relaxing  the norms.

(b)        Authorizing   the  Gramin  Dak  Sevak  mail   deliverer  to  sell postage  stamps ,    Booking  and  delivery  of  Registered  letters,  Booking and payment  of  Money  orders,  Collection  of  Bills, and unregistered  articles  during his / her  visits  to  villages.                                                     

(c)        By  extending  basic postal  facilities  through  Panchayat  Sanchar  Seva  Kendra  (PSSK).

(d)       Through  a  Franchised   outlet.

3.                The  Committee  would like  to have  views  and suggestions

                   in  respect of  :-

(a)       Improving  the  quality  of  services  viz., collection  delivery   of  letters,  booking  and payment  of   money  orders,   booking  and delivery  of  registered  letters,    collection  of bills,    savings  bank  transactions  and  rural  postal  life insurance  through  post office  network.

(b)       Expansion  and  introduction  of new  services  like  payment  from  Government   under  various  welfare  schemes like   NREGS, old  age pension, micro  credit,   payment   of   electricity  and  telephone bills, Government to Citizen Services in  computerized  environment.

(c)        The  quality  of  services   rendered  presently  and  scope for  further  improvement..

4.                 Suggestions   for improving   the  working  conditions  of  Gramin  Dak

                        The GDS have been given one time increase of 5% in their basic allowance  wef 1.4.2004.  On the TRCA GDS are paid DA, the present DA being 91% of TRCA wef 1.7.2007.         

                        The Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  are  now provided  with  ex-gratia  gratuity upto  Rs 18,000  and  severance  allowance  upto  Rs. 30,000  at the time  of discharge .  They are     provided  with  Group insurance  scheme   wherein   the dependent  of deceased  Gramin Dak  sevak is  paid   Rs.10,000.  In case of death while in service in addition to payment of accumulation in the savings fund.  On discharge the amount accumulated in the savings fund is paid to the GDS.

                        In the past the service conditions and other aspects of the Gramin Dak Sevaks were reviewed from time to time by the Government. The Government  of  India has now constituted  a  committee to  examine  the  system  of  Extra  departmental  Post offices. The  terms  of reference  of  the  committee  inter-alia  include  the  following  :-

(a)         To  examine  the  system  of  extra  departmental  post  offices,

conditions   of   employment,   method  of recruitment,  wage  structure 

of  Gramin  Dak  Sevak.

(b)     To examine the reasonableness of introducing a social security

 scheme for providing provident fund and retirement benefits to GDS.

(c)    To  review  the  facilities  provided  to  the public  by  the  rural 

post  offices.

I will be grateful   to  have  your  valuable views  and  suggestions at the

earliest on  the  issues  relating  to  Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  as per  the enclosed  annexure or any other  issues  which you may consider  relevant  for consideration   by the  committee. 

 Yours  faithfully,

                                                                                  (R.S. Nataraja  Murti)

                                                                                  Chairman 

                                                                                  GDS  Committee