by Suman Gupta
Shri. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology, today unveiled a financial upgradation scheme to improve service conditions and remove stagnation in service of more than 2.56 lakhs Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDSs) working in the Department of Posts. GDSs serve as the backbone of the Department of Posts in rural areas and play a vital role in delivering postal and financial services to the remotest part of our nation.
KEY FEATURES OF THE GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS (GRANT OF FINANCIAL UPGRADATION) SCHEME, 2024.
- Every Gramin Dak Sevak will get three financial upgradations on completion of 12, 24 and 36 years of service amounting to Rs. 4,320/-, Rs. 5,520/-, and Rs. 7,200/- per annum respectively.
- This is in addition to the remuneration provided to GDS in the form of ‘Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA)’.
- In a significant step to improve the service conditions of GDS, this scheme is expected to benefit more than 2.56 lakh GDSs and remove stagnation in their service.
Speaking on the occasion, the Honorable Minister highlighted the significant strides made by the present government in the Indian Postal Services. Prior to 2014, 660 post offices were closed but after 2014 with the engagement of 1,28,000 new employees and the opening of over 10,480 post offices, the 175 age old organization continues to earn the trust of the public through various services viz;
- 53 lakhs registrations across India in PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
- 17 crore Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts opened with deposits of Rs.1,50,000 Crores.
- Core banking services are being provided through postal network within 5 km of distance in each and every aspirational and left wing impacted districts of India.
- 1000 Dak Niryat Kendra have been opened within a short period and 3,85,000 parcels were exported creating 12,000 new exporters in rural areas.
- 434 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras opened till date and 1.25 crore passports issued.
He further stated that the establishment of India Post Payment Bank in 2018 has made a big difference in people’s lives across the county. IPPB is technology focused bank and is riding on the network of the post offices. It is able to reach to the remotest corners of the country, providing DBT, state and central government schemes. It’s a very big instrument of change, a big medium for bringing transparency and a bank which in the coming years will become an important arm of good governance.
Furthermore, 2,50,000 Gramin Dak Sevaks and Postmen have been trained on the Dak Karmayogi Portal. This is a very large program which was successfully executed. The training program made a significant change in their lives, in their skill and in the way they interact with the customers. There will be continuous programs focused at technology, focused at operations and the GDS financial upgradation scheme will also have a mandatory element of refresher course.
