Archives- News Updates On January

Khadi industry set to offer over 13 lakh jobs across the country

With a 150 million dollar grant from the Asian Development Bank, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is set to increase jobs in this industry by three folds in the next two years. 20 out of the 300 institutes associated with KVIC for the special programme are based in Gujarat. Moreover the commission also aims to increase the salary by almost 50% and provide workers with better infrastructure at work.

Source: The Indian Express (Express Newsline), January 31, 2009. “Khadi industry set to buck layoff trend, attract artisans” Page No. 1

Defence Ministry to enhance pay of Lieutenant Colonels

On the instructions of the Defence Ministry, almost 11000 Lt Colonels will be eligible for the new band-IV status which refers to the increase of the existing pay scales by Rs 10,000-12,000 per month. But the Colonels working with organizations like ONGC, Pawan Hans or National Highways Authority of India will not achieve this status as they do not get paid by the Defence Ministry.

Source: The Tribune, January 31, 2009. “Lt Cols to get higher pay” Page No. 1

Big relief for Satyam employees as salaries get credited to bank accounts

Satyam Computer Services on Friday informed its employees about credited salaries to their respective bank accounts. The company also mentioned that it had bagged two large projects in order to boost their morale. Along with this, the Income-Tax department has begun collating the TDS data with permanent account numbers (PAN) of all employees of the company.

Source: The Hindu, January 31, 2009. “Satyam credits salaries to staff” Page No. 15

Get paid up to Rs. 5 L for maintaining historical places in Gujarat

The Gujarat state archeology department has put out advertisements inviting applications from interested voluntary groups towards maintenance of historical places. Facing severe shortage of staff, it has invited applications from public-private partnerships this year as well. It aims to offer Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 5 lakh to those interested and according to the nature of the work undertaken.

Source: DNA, January 30, 2009. “Job: Guarding Guj heritage Pay: Rs5 L pa” Page No. 1

NREGP under intense government scrutiny

Government is closely studying the impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) after finding poor performance in states like Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Kerala till December 2008-09. It has also cited insufficient dedicated staff as the root cause of underperformance.

Source: The Indian Express, January 30, 2009. “NREGP on table in state secys’ meet” Page No. 16

Workers under NREGA to receive their pay through banks only

In the wake of increased irregularities in cash payments to NREGA workers, the Gujarat government has decided to make payments through banks mandatory. The wages would be paid within the statutory time of 15 days from the job completion. The proposal sent to the ministry would test models like “business correspondent” or “smart card” to ensure workers access banking services for regions without banking facilities.

Source: The Financial Express, January 30, 2009. “Bank account must, no cash payment for NREGA wage” Page No. 4

Dy. Mayor cries ‘help’ to save diamond workers

Looking at the pitiable state of the diamond workers, the deputy mayor of Surat has requested the Chief Minister to help the jobless workers who are committing suicide out of helplessness. He sent a plea suggesting relaxation of the power tariff for house usage, arrangements of fair shops and identity cards on which workers could avail concessions on medicines. The diamond workers also plan to constitute a federation of 11 presidents who will represent their demands to state as well as Union government.

Source: The Indian Express (Express Newsline), January 30, 2009. “Fate of diamond workers: Deputy mayor sends SOS call to Modi” Page No. 1 and Business Standard, January 30, 2009. “Diamond traders come together to address crisis” Page no. 2

Employment outlook indices point out Telecom as cynosure for employment

Slowdown of the economy in the last quarter has led to a decrease of 30 points in the employment outlook index and loss of 50 points in the business outlook index. Apparently the employment index is the highest in the Telecom industry and lowest in the infrastructure sector. The attrition rate was reported to be highest in Bangalore and Chennai and lowest in Ahmedabad.

Source: Business Standard, January 29, 2009. “Job & biz outlook at all-time low: Report” Page No. 4

Employees can reimburse travel expenses without any evidence

Employers need not furnish supporting evidences towards claims of travel allowance made by the employees. Earlier if the employers didn’t submit the documents along with the claims the expenses were subject to taxation. But with the latest ruling from the Supreme Court coming in wake of the plea made by companies like Larsen &Toubro and ITI, claims can be sent without any bills.

Source: The Economic Times, January 29, 2009. “Now, you don't need proof to claim LTA, conveyance”

Tough time for freshers to enter India Inc.

Following the increase in job cuts due to the downturn, India Inc has plans to recruit fewer people at the junior and entry levels. A survey of HR heads, CEOs, and senior management personnel of leading companies across eight cities of India displays a drop of 30 points in the 'employment outlook index' for the January-March quarter.

Source: DNA, January 29, 2009. “India Inc to hire fewer freshers this quarter” Page No. 16

Army gets more applicants for vacancies this year

After the economic downturn which has hit the jobs and pay scales of the private sector hard, the armed forces are expecting more number of applicants to turn up for recruitments in the army. It is also good news for the military as its existing officers too plan to withdraw their requests for premature retirement.

Source: DNA, January 29, 2009. “Exodus slows, young make beeline for military” Page No. 16

IITs not to have quota in recruitment of faculty

The IITs have finally convinced the Human Resource Development Ministry to drop its proposal for reservation of posts for SCs, STs and OBCs in faculty recruitment citing adverse impact on faculty quality. Moreover they were successful in getting a nod from the ministry as IIT is an institute of national importance which are exempted from reservation of posts.

Source: The Indian Express, January 29, 2009. “Citing quality, IITs get HRD to drop proposal for quota in faculty hiring” Page No. 1

Jobless diamond workers to be employed under NREGA

With employees still being retrenched from work, the Labour department has suspended the survey which was being carried out to detect the number of closed diamond units. Though the government did not pay heed to the requirements of diamond workers earlier, it has now directed all the District Development Officers (DDOs) of the state to include the jobless workers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) which would provide them with work for at least 100 days.

Source: The Indian Express (Express Newsline), January 29, 2009. “Govt to rehabilitate jobless diamond workers under NREGA” Page No. 1 and DNA, January 29, 2009. “Labour dept suspends survey” Page No. 6

Pension liabilities of PSU banks increase to Rs. 12000 crore as investment yields dry up

The total pension bill of PSU banks has increased to Rs. 12000 crore with the latest wage revision. This includes pension of an additional 275,000 bank employees who had opted for provident fund earlier. The pension, which will be calculated on the last drawn salaries of the employees, has also risen as a result of a fall in interest rates.

Source: Business Standard (Money & Markets), January 28, 2009. “Banks face Rs 12k cr pension liability”, Page No. 1

Satyam Board reassures employees

Former ICAI chief and Chairman of Satyam Board T N Manoharan has said that the payment of current salaries for employees would be made on time and not from sale of any Satyam property. Things at Satyam could take better shape with Boston Consulting Group ready to lend its services free of charge and LIC likely to give funding to Satyam.

Source: The Indian Express, January 28, 2009. “Salaries will be paid on time, says Satyam board”, Page No. 14

Exiting Satyam employees will have to forgo gratuity

Satyam Computer has a gratuity obligation of Rs 70.5 crore and a leave encashment obligation of Rs 26.3 crore for the last fiscal year. However it is likely to fail in making a provision for the same to employees quitting the company as it needs immediate funds for meeting working capital requirements.

Source: The Economic Times, January 28, 2009. “Employees exiting Satyam may have to give up gratuity”, Page No. 6

Increase of 25% in the salaries of Gujarat MLAs and ministers

The Gujarat government has proposed a hike in the salaries of ministers and MLAs to bring them at par with Class I government servants. Although the new pay scale will be effective from April 2009, it has been implemented from January 2006 and arrears for 39 months would be paid in cash with a five-year lock-in period.

Source: DNA, January 28, 2009. “Gujarat ministers, MLAs likely to get a pay hike”, Page No. 7

Railway staff protest for equal pay

A memorandum was presented by the members of the Western Railways (Vadodara), to the Ministry of Railways on finding a gap in the pay of several job categories in railways and those of other grades. The Ministry is expected to resolve this matter soon as it has triggered a protest across the states of Gujarat.

Source: The Indian Express (Express Newsline), January 28, 2009. “Western Railway staff rally for pay parity”, Page No. 5

Meltdown hits Indian workers in Middle East hard

With work coming to a standstill in the real estate sector across Gulf countries, several Indian migrant workers are expected to return to the country. 90% of the Indian workers who have migrated overseas are in the Middle East and South-East Asia. Their return would not only diminish the remittances that India receives but also put considerable pressure on the country’s domestic employment.

Source: The Times of India, January 28, 2009. “Meltdown fallout: Indian workers in Middle East hit”, Page No. 10

UPA government to implement measures to prevent job losses

With elections looming large and job losses on the rise, the UPA government is contemplating a plan to prevent further degradation of the job market. It would discuss the impact of global meltdown on jobs and migrant workers at the Indian Labour Conference to be held in New Delhi to finalize the steps that need to be implemented.

Source: The financial express, January 27, 2009. “Govt to weigh crisis impact on jobs”

Placements at IITs extended till May

IITs across the country plan to extend their placement session late till May owing to poor response and low placement figures. This is in stark contrast to last year when placements were wrapped up by mid-February. Almost 50-60% students await their job offers while many of them are ready to work with lower pay packages as few companies turn up for recruitment.

Source: The Economic Times, January 27, 2009. “Longer wait for placements at IITs”

Trade unions rush to sneak in the IT sector through Satyam

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) is aiming to find a foothold in Satyam capitalizing on the fear of job losses among its employees. INTUC president Mr. Sanjeeva Reddy has promised to lobby with the PM to allow employees to orchestrate a management buyout if promoters fail to run the company as well as to form unions in IT companies.

Source: The financial express, January 26, 2009. “Trade unions seek a toehold in software space via Satyam

India expresses displeasure to UNESCO over distortion of facts at Geneva meet

The latest Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2009, in spite of speaking volumes on India’s progressive economic growth, has projected the country negatively in terms of child nutrition and education. Such gross misrepresentation of facts by UNESCO has earned it criticism from the Indian government. So now they aim to maintain data from reliable sources like NGOs and foreign experts.

Source: The Indian Express, January 26, 2009. “HRD Ministry fumes as UN report cites ‘incorrect’ data”

Satyam starts verifying actual staff strength

The HR department at Satyam Computer Services has begun affirming the actual number of employees on its rolls after the Andhra Pradesh CID's claim of 13,000 ghost employees in the company. Active e-mail IDs and access card data captured across the offices of Satyam are being used for the purpose. The state CID also asserts that Raju siphoned off over Rs. 20 crore a month towards staff cost of non-existent employees.

Source: The financial express, January 24, 2009. “Satyam’s HR starts employee verification”

Its advantage women as men bear greater brunt of job losses

According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the number of men employed as a ratio of the population dropped by 2.7 per cent while that of women dropped 0.8 per cent last year. Drastic impact of recession on industries like wholesale, construction and transportation have left men more jobless than women. Also, the economic slowdown has hit women less as they generally work in education and health sectors which have suffered fewer setbacks.

Source: The Indian Express, January 22, 2009. “Job losses hitting men harder than women”

Censor Board members not paid their dues since 6 months

The members of the Central Board of Film Certification have not received their honorariums for the last six months. This has been primarily because the number of promos, videos and films releasing in India has alarmingly increased over the last 10 years, which has led the censor board overshoot its budget. The grants have not increased in sync with the expenses resulting in the present situation.

Source: DNA, January 23, 2009. “Censor Board members not paid for 6 months”, Page no. 16

MSME workers await govt's decision on financial assistance

The micro, small and medium sized enterprises ministry has sent a proposal to the Planning Commission for financial assistance of Rs. 1000 crores for informal workers in the unorganized sector. The fund to be created would work on the same pattern as that of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. However, the proposal for the sector which has a total employment of 104 million remains unapproved.

Source: The Indian Express, January 23, 2009. “MSME ministry seeks more money for workers’ fund”

Pension plan for self help group women to be launched soon: Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh government is launching a pension plan for the women of self help groups to provide them assistance in their old age. This scheme is for women above 20 years. Under this scheme, they have to contribute Re. 1 every day and the same will be borne by the government. Then these women will get a pension of around Rs. 200 to Rs. 2500 according to their contribution when they attain the age of 60.

Source: The Hindu, January 23, 2009. “Sonia to launch pension scheme for SHGs”

Minister assures extension of due benefits to ex-servicemen: Kerala

'Extension of due benefits on time will be done for ex-servicemen', this was the assurance given by the Union Minister of Defence. The Minister has also assured them of a house and also an increase in pension to Second World War widows, from Rs. 400 to Rs. 1,000 at par with the neighbouring States.

Source: The Hindu, January 23, 2009. “Minister promises extension of benefits to ex-servicemen”

Closed diamond units in Surat under labour dept scanner

Under the instructions of Union Labour Secretary Sudha Pillai, the Labour department of Surat surveyed 1000 factories and found 360 units closed in the city. Moreover they studied that many factories had reduced the working hours and wages of the workers too. Besides taking action against such firms, the department also aims to keep track of factories that are not registered under the Factories Act.

Source: The Indian Express (The Express Newsline), January 23, 2009. “Labour dept finds over 600 diamond units closed, takes stock of manpower”, Page no. 1

Management students turn to offbeat sectors for placements

Medium-sized and regional companies are being sought after for recruitments at B-schools not only in India but across the world due to the ongoing financial crisis. To accommodate the students in the non-traditional enterprises, many institutes plan to introduce courses in retail and commercial business, coaching sessions for leadership programmes and workshops.

Source: The Economic Times, January 22, 2009. “B-schools guide students beyond the beaten recruitment track”, Page no. 5

CII trains 15000 workers across various industries

The collaboration of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Tamil Nadu government and seven companies have begun training programmes to train 15000 workers in the construction, engineering, automotive, logistics, textiles and beauty industries. It aims at ensuring a better healthcare delivery with health workers trained by the existing faculty of 290 people.

Source: The Economic Times, January 22, 2009. “CII training initiative gets momentum”

Uttarakhand govt to borrow Rs. 750 crore to resolve pay panel issues

The agitating teaching and non-teaching staff of Uttarakhand schools will soon avail the benefits of Sixth Pay Commission with the state government having received permission from the Central government to borrow Rs. 750 crore. With this the teachers of the state can look forward to pay raise at par with their counterparts in the central government.

Source: The Business Standard, January 22, 2009. “Uttarakhand extends pay panel benefits to teachers”

Farmers demand rate revision

After staging a demonstration for hike in the rates of milk procurement, the Orissa Milk Farmers’ Association will now be able to get an additional Rs 2 per litre of milk with its sale price being unaltered. However the demand made for change in the rates of paddy procurement remains unattended with Rs. 50 only.

Source: The Statesman, January 20 2009. “Milkmen demand rate revision”

Government gears up to overcome job losses in export sector

The Commerce and Industry minister Kamal Nath will be meeting various export groups from India to discuss the job losses in the export sector and the measures to overcome the same. India has made a negative growth in this area since last three months. If necessary steps are not implemented then it could lead to an additional loss of 10 million jobs.  

Source: The Economic Times, January 20, 2009. “Govt to minimize job losses”

B-school and IIT grads have dim hopes for placements 

The students at premier B schools don’t expect to receive the regular 30% annual increase in the salaries during the final placements this time as many of them receive fewer job offers. With recession hitting the recruitment process at these institutes, quite a few of these are planning to invite recession proof companies for placements.

Source: The Business Standard, January 20, 2009. “B Schools reel under recession”

HR experts still bullish on job prospects for Indians

Notwithstanding the after-effects of the global recession, India will have a demand for 85-90 million people across IT, outsourcing, banking, retail and healthcare sectors. Mining and construction sectors will continue to have sustained demand for workers while 60 percent of new jobs over the next five years are expected to be generated by the services sector, which constitutes a majority of the Indian GDP.

Source: DNA, January 20, 2009. “In India, you’ll still get a job”, Page no. 9

Workers at Adalaj resume work after raise in wage rate

The manufacturing units at Adalaj in Ahmedabad have finalized a wage of Rs. 300 for every thousand bricks for brick kiln workers, who called off their strike after the announcement. However, other amenities like sanitation, free housing, light, drinking water facilities and a crèche for children have not been accounted for by the units.

Source: The Indian Express, January 20, 2009. “Brick kiln workers decide to call off strike”, Page No. 12

Mehta Committee report on IIT/IIM salaries by January end

The Govardhan Mehta committee, set up to review the salaries of the IIT/IIM faculty, is likely to submit its report to the HRD ministry by January end. A major change in the salary structure may be in the offing as the committee is expected to recommend a hefty rise in pay scales across these institutes without disturbing the four-tier structure in the faculty.

Source: The Hindu, January 20, 2009. “Pay review committee report for IIT, IIM faculty by January end”

ST employees' federation in Arunachal Pradesh calls for full implementation of promotion quotas

The Tribal Employees Federation has requested the government to effectively implement quota in promotions for ST employees. The federation called for full implementation of all GOs (government orders) in this regard, while specifying that the ST employees who secured jobs in open category were given promotions under quota depriving other ST employees.

Source: The Hindu, January 19, 2009. “Tribal employees plea to State government”

Happy times for PSU bank employees

After months of hectic negotiations between the Indian Banks’ Association and the United Forum of Bank Employees Unions, a raise of 24-29% in the salaries of PSU bank employees has been finalized. Pension benefits are also likely to be extended to the employees if they are willing to contribute 15% from their Provident Fund in addition to the usual share of 50%.

Source: The Financial Express, January 19, 2009. “Bank mgmt, unions likely to agree on 24 % salary hike”

Students can now look at BPOs as a career option

BPO majors Accenture and Genpact have announced tie-ups with IGNOU and NIIT for young graduates looking forward to BPOs as a career option. The IGNOU-Accenture tie-up plans to offer a six month diploma to aspiring students and will focus on self learning and e-learning resources. NIIT and Genpact will offer a three month programme laying more emphasis on soft skills, accounting, finance and voice communications.

Source: The Financial Express, January 19, 2009. “Gearing up for BPO work”, Page no. 12

Non-Financial Rewards gain more popularity

Non-financial rewards like training and international assignments are fast replacing Esops (Employee Stock Option Plans) which earlier were an integral part of the incentives programme. In India, this concept is not widely practiced but high performers receive an increase in their pay. But with the fall in share market, Esops can be maintained if they are linked to the company’s performance.

Source: The Financial Express, January 17, 2009. “Rewards, not Esops, can motivate”, Page no. 7

Bangalore following the footsteps of West Bengal

In Bangalore, with an appeal made by the Karnataka Workers’ Union, the State government is expected to make arrangements like unemployment benefits for recession hit jobless people. A compensation of Rs. 1500 a month is being planned for them as was witnessed for their counterparts in West Bengal.

Source: The Hindu, January 17, 2009. “Provide aid for retrenched workers”

Assocham study reveals decline in job creation in the top six sectors

According to a recent study by Assocham, there is about 0.1-6.5 percent decline in job creation in top sectors in the last three quarters. This decline is particularly seen in sectors like financial services, IT, FMCG, retail and real estate. The downward trend is also seen in some strong sectors like manufacturing, engineering, construction and aviation.

Source: The Hindu Business Line, January 16, 2009. “Job creation in top sectors declining, says Assocham study”

NREGA produces more jobs out of existing ones

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is creating jobs mainly in the rural parts of India. As many as 2.3 lakh Rozgar Sahayaks/assistances, 38619 engineers, 8,519 computer assistants, 1,040 IT managers, 2,918 grievance redressal coordinators for NREGA workforce, 1,657 works managers and 701 accounts managers make NREGA’s workforce at three levels via gram panchayat-level, district-levels and state levels.

Source: The Financial Express, January 16, 2009. “NREGA creates jobs to create more jobs”

Indian IT outsourcing firms adopt ‘zero tolerance” policy on fraudsters

Many Indian IT outsourcing firms are cracking down on employees who have provided fake information in their resume at the time of joining. Though this ‘zero tolerance’ policy is an added expense for the firms, they are taking strong action against such practices. Firms like TCS, MindTree, Wipro, MphasiS, Infosys and Sonata Software are practicing this presently.

Source: The Business Standard, January 15, 2009. “IT firms to crack down on staff with fake CVs”

Government employees to get part of arrears in cash: Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu government has announced to pay the arrears to its staff in cash. Three months’ and one months’ salary will be given as arrears to the employees who had completed two years of service and those below that as on January 1, 2009 respectively. This will cost the state Rs. 4247 crore.

Source: The Business standard, January 14, 2009. “TN to pay part of arrears in cash”

Companies request IIMs to waive participation and recruitment fees

The IIMs are getting request letters from many companies to waive the participation and recruitment fees. As the economy is on a downslide, IIMs are restructuring their fee structure for attracting more and more companies to their placement session. The fee may not be fully waived while making it favorable for both the parties.

Source: The Business Standard, January 14, 2009. “Firms request IIMs to waive placement fees”

Government approves revised pay scale of nursing staff: Tamil Nadu

The recommendation of Sixth Pay commission has been approved by the government regarding the revision of pay scale of nursing staff. The revised pay scale of staff nurse would be Rs. 7,450 to Rs. 11,500, while head nurse would get Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 12,000. Nursing superintendent (grade II) and nursing superintendent (grade I) would receive a revised pay scale of Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 13,500.

Source: The Hindu, January 14, 2009. “Pay scales of nursing staff revised”

Indians working abroad get a reason to smile

Indians working abroad may get exemption from paying social security tax in the same country. This will be possible now with India signing bilateral agreements with more than a dozen countries. The terms and conditions of pension benefits, time period, location and many others things are in stage of negotiation.

Source: The Hindu Business Line, January 14 2009. “Indians posted abroad may get exemption from paying for social security”, Page no: 17

No salary increase during placement season this year

The final placement season in B-schools has been affected by the recession; resulting in a  dip in salary expectation of students as also in the offers. Unlike the past three years, there is 10-30 per cent annual increase in the offers as the salary is similar to the last year. Lateral Placements too had the same response.

Source: The Business Standard, January 13, 2009. “No increase in salaries this year”, “IIM-A looks at new sectors for lateral placements”, Page no: 11

Upcoming management graduates face bleak job prospects amid the slowdown

About 120000 future management graduates are now in deep waters, as they are the next to face the pinch of meltdown. Dip in hiring outlook and no salary increase have made MBA students scary about their future and their dreams. 

Source: The Financial Express, January 13, 2009. “MBA graduates face bleak job prospects”

Special economic zones (SEZs) not spared in the job cutting wave

Ministry of Commerce and Industry has disclosed that more than 30000 people working in SEZ units have lost their jobs in the last one year in the wake of slowdown in exports due to weakening global demand. The govt is now mulling over providing benefits like relaxation of certain duties on selling products in the domestic markets to salvage existing jobs in these SEZs.

Source: The Business Standard, January 12, 2009. “Over 30,000 job loss in SEZ: Ministry of Commerce”

Majority of Corporations freeze fresh hiring: FICCI

A survey of 412 firms by FICCI has revealed that a majority of companies are putting brakes on fresh hiring due to dip in export demand. The survey also reports that about 57 percent of companies are reducing the number of casual workers to curb their costs. To make matters worse, the overall Business Confidence Index dipped to a seven-year low of 37.8 this year.

Source: The Economic Times, January 11, 2009. “Corporates in India capping fresh hiring: FICCI”

21 companies express interest to setup pension funds for non-government staff

The Pension Fund and Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) received expression of interest (EoIs) from about 21 companies for setting up pension funds for non-government staff. Among these, about six companies satisfying the criterion in experience, net worth and AUM will be selected.

Source: The Business Standard, January 10, 2009. “21 firms express interest to set up non-government staff pension funds”

National Textile Mill workers will get salary hike: Tamil Nadu

3000 workers of  7 National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills will get a salary hike of Rs. 560 per month under a new agreement signed between the management and trade unions. This hike will be with effect from January 2008 and each employee would get an arrear of Rs 6,000.

Source: The Financial express, January 10, 2009. “Salary hike under new agreement to NTC workers”

What do officers earn at Indian public sector oil companies?

The striking officers of public sector oil companies who held the nation to ransom take home about a lakh plus perks every month. Oil Sector Officers Association (OSOA) President Amit Kumar drew Rs 85,000-plus before the pay revision and post revision, he will get Rs 1.29 lakh per month. Over and above this, officers also get a bag full of allowances.

Source: The Indian Express, January 10, 2009. “See how ‘underpaid’ they are: Those who held nation to ransom make over a lakh per month, plus perks”, Page no: 01

Gujarat inks pact to ensure timely payment of wages of NREGS workers

Gujarat's Rural Development Department has entered into an agreement with the Centre and Indian Postal Department to ensure for timely payment of wages and other financial assistance to NREGS workers. This agreement will help about five lakh workers in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). The dues will be directly credited to the workers’ savings account at the nearest post office.

Source: The Indian Express (Express Newsline), January 10, 2009. “Gujarat, Centre ink pact for timely payment of wages to NREGS workers”, Page no: 01.

Qualified professionals of Indian origin can now practice in India

The green signal has been given for qualified professionals of Indian origin to work in India. This was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while lauding the role of persons of Indian origin across the world. Professionals like doctors, dentists, pharmacists, engineers, architects and chartered accountants who hold Overseas Indian Citizenship (OIC) card can now practice in India. 

Source: The Financial Express, January 09, 2009. “Professionals of Indian origin can now work in India”, Page no: 2

Haryana Government to provide double pension for widows of ex-servicemen

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana has suggested that widows of ex-servicemen should be allowed to receive military pension as well as the State Government’s civil pension. He also suggested that there will be no distinction in the quantum of ex-gratia payment given to servicemen. The government will also be providing financial assistance of Rs.21, 000 to 51, 000 at the time of marriage of the orphan daughter of the ex-servicemen.

Source: The Hindu, January 08, 2009. “Double pension for widows of ex-Servicemen sought”

HR trends for hard times

In the present slowdown scenario, Indian Industries are giving Motivation lessons, personalized letters from the CEO, advisory sessions and learning workshops to their employees. This marks an attempt to boost the morale and confidence of employees and in turn, will also increase the productivity of the industry.

Source: The Economic Times, January 08, 2009. “Hard times”>

Insurance industry bucking up the recruitment trend

Life insurers are on the recruitment spree as they have expansion plans in their hands. The major recruiters, Life Insurance Corporation of India, SBI life Insurance, Aegon Religare Life Insurance, Max New York Life Insurance, ICICI Prudential Life Insuranc, are planning to hire 10000 employees, 100000 agents, 30000 agents and 250000 agents respectively. 

Source: The Business Standard, January 08, 2009. “Bucking the trend: Life insurers on recruitment spree”, Page no: 6

Gujarat has no pension scheme for former law-makers

In spite of being the fastest growing state, Gujarat is the only state in the country which does not have a pension scheme for its former legislators. Unlike Gujarat; Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Delhi and Nagaland are the states which offer pension to former legislators. 

Source: The Indian Express (Express News line), January 08, 2009. “No pension for former legislators”, Page no: 01.

VIBRANT GUJARAT 2009 to create 14 lakh jobs 

Around 881 projects’ memoranda of understanding (MoUs) will be signed during the forthcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit 2009. Through these projects there are prospects of employment generation for more than 14 lakh Gujaratis. The Special Economic Zones and Special Investment Region are the sectors offering the most with 313467 and 102630 jobs opportunity respectively. Power and oil & gas sectors too will generate considerable employment. 

Source: Daily News Analysis, January 08, 2009. “880 MoUs to create 14 lakh jobs”, Page no: 01.

Scores of IIT students face an uncertain future on account of dip in placements

IITians are facing very poor response from many companies due to the economic crisis. Many companies are either out from this year’s placement session or have very few numbers to be recruited. This has brought the placement ratio drastically down as compared to last year’s ratio. There has been a change in the salary packages offered as well. 

Source: The Indian Express, January 07, 2009. “Meltdown chills IIT Kanpur”, Page no: 7

Recommendations to be firmed up in a month regarding wage revision in oil PSUs

Home minister P Chidambaram has said that recommendation on the issue of wage revision of oil PSU executives is likely to come up in 30 days. This recommendation will be in respect of matters like wage hike and other benefits for oil PSUs. 

Source: The Financial Express, January 06, 2009. “Recommendations on oil PSU wages likely to come in 30 days”, Page no: 5

Port, dock workers demand five year period for wage revision

Port and dock workers are seeking a five year period of wage settlement from the management. Mr. Rao, General Secretary of Water Transport Workers Federation of India has clarified that in spite of drastic reduction in workforce at port and dock the productivity level has increased. And thus, this settlement would not cost anything extra to the management. 

Source: The Hindu Business Line, January 06, 2009. “Port, dock workers seek wage revision every 5 years”

Government steps in the process of Journalists’ welfare

Chief Minister Y.S. Reddy has agreed to divert a percentage of funds to media welfare activities. This means a sum total of 1 crore a year will be added in Journalists’ welfare fund. Minister has also announced to award (award amount Rs. 67 lakh) outstanding Journalists with retrospective effect from 2004. House site to all accredited working journalists has also been announced. 

Source: The Hindu, January 05, 2009. “Government committed to journalists’ welfare” 

1,21,502 families have provided job cards by NREGP: Kerala

NREGP (National Rural Employment Generation Programme) has so far provided job cards to around 1, 21, 502 families in Kozhikode district of Kerala. As many as 13,363 women and 2,441 men have been provided jobs through the projects for water conservation, rainwater harvesting, land development. The sum of Rs. 2, 89, 71, 227 has been distributed as wages through the programme. 

Source: The Hindu, January 05, 2009. “1, 85,262 families register for NREGP”

IIM graduates’ salary expectations come down this year 

Businesses, markets came to standstill due to the on going effects of economic downturn, making IIM graduates to face a “push and pull” from the job markets. They are adjusting with the reality rather than dreaming for their dream jobs. They are being offered less or the same salary packages as their seniors were offered in last year, which has prompted them to look for stability and security issues.

Source: The Economic Times, January 05, 2009. “Slowdown lowers average salary expectation of IIM grads”

Check out the dream jobs for Indian youth

For many the idea of landing that dream job with stratospheric salary across the country has become just a dream. But Indian youth are still dreaming big and will walk even few extra miles to get their hands on that dream job. MNCs, Investment-banking, media-communication, teaching, engineering & medicine, research, law, self employment, and off beats are the sectors/areas where our youth will be able to grab that dream job.

Source: The Economic Times, January 05, 2009. “Nine dream jobs for the Indian youth”

“Add-on Bonanza” for Government staff

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Chandigarh has announced to reimburse education expenses of children of government staff at the rate of up to Rs 500 per month per child, restricted to two children per employee. He has also announced house rent allowance at the rate of 10-30 percent of basic pay to the state government staff, depending upon the classification of the city.

Source: The Tribune, January 03, 2009. “House rent allowance on central pattern: CM”, Page no: 7. 

Armed forces get separate pay commission

The government has decided to set up a separate pay commission for armed forces. Apart from this decision, the Prime Minister's Office has also granted the demand for placing 12,000 odd Lieutenant Colonels in pay band four (Rs.37,400-67,000), one step higher than the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation. It has also assured the Ministry of Defence of enhancing pension to personnel below officer rank (PBOR).

Source: The Financial Express, January 02, 2008. “Centre to set up separate pay commission for armed forces”, Page no. : 2.

1.5 lakh additional jobs to be created in Telecom sector in 2009

With 120 new licenses issued by the government in the telecom sector, the job market scenario has changed. The sector employs about 1.5 lakh experienced people directly, while providing 1.5 million jobs with retail outlets, prepaid card sellers and tower constructors. The sector is expected to create 1.5 lakh additional jobs in the year 2009.

Source: The Economic Times, January 02, 2008. “Telecom sector to create 1.5 lakh jobs”

Job scenario may change in the second half of the year 2009

Job market scenario has changed with companies planning to hire more than 2.5 lakh employees in the next few months. The sectors planning to hire are public sector banks, insurance firms, BPOs, healthcare, telecom, infrastructure and Special Economic Zones. However, hiring uncertainty still prevails in real estate, textile and retail sectors.

Source: The Business Standard, January 02, 2008. “Job Street set to bloom again”, Page no: 3.

Jobs waiting to be grabbed in medical transcription area

The healthcare sector is reasonably recession proof area, creating job opportunities in medical transcription (MT) area. The fewer requirements of high English language skills and the outsourced work time that coincides with the day in India provide opportunities for housewives and graduates to take up jobs. Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi are the main centres for MT. Transdyne, CKar Systems (a 100% subsidiary of CBaySystems, US) are the few who will be adding hands to their workforce.

Source: The Hindu Business Line, January 02, 2008. “Job opportunities galore in medical transcription”

Haryana to implement the recommendations of 6th Pay Commission

Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Haryana Chief Minister has announced to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission for its 350,000-odd state government employees. It is the first state to implement the recommendations from January 1, 2006 and to have paid arrears in cash to its employees. The revision in pay scales of the employees and allowances would be made effective from January 2009.

Source: The Business Standard, January 02, 2008. “Haryana to implement pay panel recommendations”

 

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