Remarkable comments on GDS system by Shri Kamalesh Chandra Committee in its Report -2016.

Dear Comrades,

After going through the GDS Committee Report, the Committee observations and comments on GDS system and on GDS beside on the part of Department and Govt are so impressive and courageous.

In brief, the comments are extracted here :

…..The GDSs working in the net work of GDS Post Offices are Ambassadors of Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications in the rural and remote areas of India……

…..The Govt of India still holds the same position and has so far held that the Gramin Dak Sevaks are not departmental employees. They are outside the Civil Services of the Union and shall not claim to be at par with the Central Government Employees……

……Currently, a large number of well educated, talented and capable youths are joining GDS posts and strengthening the GDS system and this trend is likely to propel growth of the Department in the coming days……

……. The Committee observed that in last several decades, the Department has not invested enough to strengthen the network of GDS Post Offices until recently……

……. The quality of life of GDSs and their family’s needs to be improved by  harmonizing their wages and other emoluments in tune with present day’s needs and aspirations of young GDSs joining the workforce….

……. The Committee also noted that a large number of them are totally dependent upon the emoluments received from the Department and has no other means of livelihood to supplement their income…….

…… The Committee views that the demand of regularization of their services is due to better emoluments, reliability and security of regular government service. The Committee noted that GDSs are exploited at the hands of their local supervisors because of existing wage structure and their legal status. The administrative powers such as “put off duty” are exercised on frivolous charges and frequently used for exploitation rather than as remedial measures.

…… The Department recognizes the engagement of GDSs as contractual, but the present method of engagement and disciplinary proceedings, job contents, risks and responsibilities are getting closer to the regular employees of the department….

…...that there is tendency to withhold the legitimate demands of GDSs which are due to them, based on the apprehension that they will get closer to regular employees and their claim for regularization will be strengthened in the Court of Law, if such demands are allowed. The Committee finds this as unreasonable and counter productive for the Department. It also deprives them of living a happy life in the changed situation where financial dependence on GDS position is increasing day by day because of shrinking alternate means of livelihood…….

…….the Department has lost its tag of having the largest network for providing financial services to the customers by decelerating expansion of network based on the assumption that GDS post offices are loss making and adding to the overall deficit of the Department….

….The Committee observed that the ‘Rationalization of Postal Network Scheme’ has also not worked on the expected line….. the Committee supports the demand for presence of postal facility in the headquarters of each of 2.50 lakhs Gram Panchayats and revamping of PSSK and FO Schemes my making it more remunerative as opening of regular or GDS Post Office in each of such location may not be feasible….

…….the GDS Post Offices, is around 45% of the total deficit (Net Expenditure – Revenue) of Rs.6258.60 crores and around 15% of the total expenditure of Rs.17894.58 crores in the Financial year 2014-15………..the Committee found that total expenditure on GDS system is far less than deficit of the Department.

………. Future survival of the Department will largely depend on the successful management of GDS Post Offices, which effectively for its “soul”.. It would be difficult for the Department to survive without the soul…..

…….trust of GDS network which enables the Department to deliver trustworthy services in each and every village of the country that can not be quantified in terms of revenue…

…..the Committee observed that the Sub Post Masters of single handed Sub Post Offices do not encourage Branch Post Masters to increase their workload as it results into increase in the workload of Sub Post Offices which they are unable to handle properly due to lack of manpower……

…… Sub Post Office by utilizing the services of capable and willing GDSs in the single handed sub post offices…..

….the India Post Payment Bank which is going to be rolled out shortly will use the strengths of the GDS net work and experiences of more than 2.60 lakhs trustworthy Gramin Dak Sevaks serving in the Department of Posts….

…..the GDS network can potentially wipe out the deficit (gap between the expenditure and revenue) of the Department and emerge as rural digital hubs for delivery of DBT and other postal, financial, remittance, third party and several e-services to the rural population and forming an integral part of fulfilling SABKA SAATH  SABKA VIKAS agenda of the Central Government.

source: GDS Committe Report (Executive Summary)

=P.Pandurangarao

General Secretary