During the discussion with Ms. Samita Luthra, GM(Rectt.), held yesterday, Com.P.Abhimanyu, GS and Com.Swapan Chakraborty, Dy.GS, insisted upon the following issues also:-

1. Holding of the JE LICE as already been greatly delayed. Hence, the examination should be conducted as early as possible. The GM (Rectt.) responded that at least two months time is required to make the preparations for ‘off-line’ exam.
2. The questions of the last JE LICE, held on 28.01.2018, were of very high standard. Hence, only very less number of candidates were able to pass. Hence, the standard of the questions should not be very high. The GM(Rectt.) told that this matter would be looked into.

During the discussion, the GM(Rectt.) informed that the ‘off-line’ JE LICE would be conducted as an objective type with OMR (Optical Marker Reader). 

The General Secretaries of the constituents of the AUAB met Shri Anupam Shrivastava, CMD BSNL today and demanded that the notices for imposing break-in-service under FR 17A should be withdrawn immediately. They further drew the attention of the CMD BSNL to the crises going on at the field level due to the disconnection of electricity connections and demanded suitable action. They also demanded that the ban imposed by the Corporate Office on CAPEX should be withdrawn immediately. The CMD BSNL assured to look into.

Election campaign meetings were held at Ferozepur and Kotkapura, (FZ) on 29-08-2019. At Ferozepur Com. Ajay Kumar presided over the meeting. Com. Balwant Singh, Circle Vice President, Sudama Mishra, Assistant Circle Secretary, Com. M.S Bajwa, District President and Tarsem Singh, District Secretary addressed the meetings at Ferozpur and Kotkapura. Com. Balbir Singh, Vice President, elaborately explained the Financial crisis in BSNL, staff issues, VRS, reduction of age from present 60 years to 58 years.

The Ghaziabad CEC meeting, held on 12th & 13th October, 2019, has decided that all circle unions should hold their Executive Committee meetings during the period from 01^st to 15th November, 2019. The decisions of the Ghaziabad CEC meeting, with regards to the review of the 8th Membership Verification, organising the campaign for the 8th January, 2020 General Strike, etc., should be reported by the Central Office bearers in these Circle Executive Committee meetings. Many of the circle unions have already issued notification to hold their Executive Committee meetings. CHQ requests that the remaining circles should also complete their Executive Committee meetings within the stipulated time. In any case, all the Circle Executive Committee meetings should be completed by 15th November, 2019. Thereafter, all the District Executive Committee meetings should be conducted during the period from 16^th to 30^th November, 2019. In those meetings also, the decisions of the Ghaziabad CEC meeting should be reported.

As per the vote percentage secured by BSNLEU in the last Membership Verification, it is entitled to nominate 8 Staff Side members to the Councils. The All India Centre meeting of BSNLEU, held today, has decided to nominate the following comrades to the Staff Side of the National Council.

1. Com.Animesh Mitra, President.
2. Com.P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary.
3. Com.Swapan Chakraborty, Dy. General Secretary.
4. Com.J. Sampath Rao, CS, Telangana.
5. Com.N.K. Nalawade, CS, Maharashtra.
6. Com.S. Chellappa, Asst. General Secretary.
7. Com.Santosh Kumar, CS, Kerala.
8. Com.S.R. Das, CS, Odisha.

An Air India Express plane met with a tragic accident at the Kozhikode airport yesterday. 18 persons, including the two pilots, were killed in the accident. The Vande Bharat flight was carrying 190 people from Dubai. While landing in rain and bad weather, the Aircraft skid from the runway. In the impact of the accident, the Boeing 737 Aircraft got split into two. BSNLEU expresses deep grief and pays homage to the people killed in the accident.

Com.P.Indira, Convenor, BSNL Working Women’s Coordination Committee, retired from BSNL service on superannuation, on 31-01-2018. A well organised felicitation meeting was held at Nagercoil yesterday, to honour Com.P.Indira. Com.S.Chellappa, AGS, presided over the meeting and briefly recollected the contributions of Com.P.Indira. The meeting was addressed by a host of leaders, belonging to various walks of public life, including Com.A.V.Bellarmin, Trade union leader and former Lok Sabha member, Com. P.Abhimanyu, GS BSNLEU, Com. P.Sampath, a former trade union leader and presently President of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, Com.Karumaliyan, Secretaty,CITU, Tamil Nadu, and many other trade union leaders. In his address, Com.P.Abhimanyu, GS, paid glowing tributes to Com.Indira. He recollected how Com.P.Indira, with her brilliant oratory skill and untiring tours, had worked together with him and other contemporary leaders of Tamil Nadu for more than three decades, to shape a militant trade union movement in the telecom sector.The GS honoured her by offering a shawl.

As has already been announced, the Mazdoor Kisan Sangarsh Rally will be held at New Delhi on 05.09.2018. BSNLEU is taking part in this rally. Leaders and members of BSNLEU are coming from all parts of the country to participate in this rally. On 05-09-2018, the main rally will start from the Ramlila Maidan and will reach the Parliament Street police station. As regards the participation of BSNLEU is concerned, it is decided that BSNLEU’s rally will start from the Eastern Court and will join the Main Rally at the Parliament Street. Hence, the leaders and comrades of BSNLEU, coming from various circles are requested to assemble at the Eastern Court, sharply at 09:30 hrs. Circle and district secretaries are requested to make note of this and guide their members accordingly. CHQ has arranged for the banners, flags and play cards, which will be distributed at Eastern Court.

The Management has informed that the next meeting of the National Council would be held in this month. Hence, we have to submit the items within a few days. CHQ requests all the circle secretaries and central office bearers to send the items immediately.

An election campaign meeting of BSNLEU was held on 19/08/19, at Telecom Factory, Alipur. Com. Chattacharjee, Circle President, presided over the meeting. Com.Om Prakash Singh, Circle Secretary, welcomed and placed his deliberation. Com. Animesh Mitra, president, inaugurated the meeting. More than 70 comrades from TF-Kharagpur, Gopalpur, Alipur and circle office were present. All District Secretaries and senior comrade also participated. Meeting ended with a vote of thanks.

BSNLEU is extremely saddened to know that, Com.Gurudas Dasgupta, the former General Secretary of AITUC, as well as an outstanding Parliamentarian, has passed away. He was one of the top most leaders of the Communist Party of India also. Com.Gurudas Dasgupta has immensely contributed to the cause of the Indian working class movement. As a member of the Parliament for long years, he has effectively voiced the issues of the working class in the Parliament. He has also greatly contributed to the united struggles, organised by the Central Trade Unions. BSNLEU dips it’s banner and salutes Com.Gurudas Dasgupta. BSNLEU also conveys it’s heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family and friends.

Jagdeep Dhankar, the governor of West Bengal has stunned the nation by saying that the arrows of Arjun of Mahabharat had nuclear power. It is a tragedy that, the governor has made this brilliant statement while inaugurating a science fair in Kolkata.  

[Source: The Times of India dated 15.01.2020]

Girish Chandra Murmu, who was the Lt. Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, resigned that post all of a sudden a few days back. Today he was sworn in as the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) of India. It is important to note that Girish Chandra Murmu is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, Girish Chandra Murmu was also brought to the Centre. He was the Secretary of the Department of Expenditure, before his appointment as the Lt. Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. The job of the CAG is to audit all the accounts of the Central and State Governments.

The year 2017 is coming to an end. The year has been eventful for the BSNL employees. They took to the struggle path, to fight against the denial of 3rd wage revision. Two glorious strikes have taken place, demanding settlement of wage revision. This is the year in which the unions and associations buried their differences and decided to fight unitedly, under the single banner of "All Unions and Associations of BSNL". This is also the year in which the unions and associations of BSNL decided not to surrender in the matter of Subsidiary Tower Company, even after the Union Cabinet decided to form the same. Above all, even when big private telecom companies, like Vodafone and Idea run 'helter skelter', BSNL continues to add 20 lakh new mobile customers every month, and challenge Reliance Jio. While bidding good bye to 2017, we resolve to step into 2018, carrying forward all it's positivities.

It is shocking to note that the biggest bank of the country, State Bank of India, went into a loss of RS.2416 crore, in the quarter ended December,2017. In comparison, State Bank of India earned a net profit of RS.1582 crore in the previous quarter ended September, 2017. What has gone wrong with the SBI ? It must be noted that in 2017 alone, the SBI has written off an amount of RS.20,339 crore as bad loans. This is the amount borrowed, mostly by the big corporates and not repaid. Bad loans, created by the big corporates, is the real disease which ails the government banks.

Recently, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused in the Parliament that, the policies pursued by the previous Congress led UPA government was responsible for the huge amount of bad loans, which is killing the government sector banks. It is correct. At the same time, the present Narendra Modi government is also equally responsible for this. The Congress party led government helped the big corporates to get huge loans from Public Sector banks. Now, the BJP led government, instead of making the corporates to repay the loans, allow them to escape, by writing off those loans. Why the Narendra Modi government is not taking action against the big corporates, who are cheating the Public Sector banks, and swindling thousands of crores of people’s money?

The meeting of the AUAB, held on 24.04.2018, has called on the employees to conduct powerful street corner meetings from 07^th to 11^th May, 2018, against the anti-BSNL policies of the government and demanding the rolling back of the Subsidiary Tower Company. The AUAB has issued a joint circular, requesting the employees to conduct the programme effectively, giving guidelines for the programme.

Due to unavoidable circumstances, the dates of the forthcoming All India Conference, to be held at Mysuru, have been changed. The new dates are 8^th, 9^th, 10^th & 11^th January, 2019. All comrades are requested to kindly make note of the change in dates. As usual, the pre-All India Conference CEC meeting will be held on 07^th January, 2019. CEC members are requested to book their journey tickets accordingly.