Recently, Congress Party leader Shri Rahul Gandhi, has made speeches at London, wherein he has stated that democracy in India is under attack. In reply to this, the ruling BJP is making a hue and cry. They accuse that, Rahul Gandhi has insulted our country, on a foreign soil. On this issue, World reputed economist, Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar has written an article in yesterday’s Times of India. We are re-producing excerpts from this article. 

• Forget what Rahul or the BJP says abroad or at home. India’s prestige depends on performance, not political claims and counter-claims.
• Alas, several international indices measuring democratic performance, show India in poor light. The most prestigious global media deplore India’s deterioration. That determines India’s image and prestige. 
• Revoking the licences of Oxfam and Amnesty for foreign funding worsens India’s prestige. So does banning a recent BBC documentary, followed by tax ‘surveys’.
• Freedom House, measuring political and civil liberties across the world, has downgraded India from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’.
• The Democracy Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit shows India falling from 27th position in 2014 to 46th.
• India is now categorised as ‘flawed democracy’: it was once ‘full democracy’.
• The Cato Human Freedom Index shows India falling from 75th position in 2015 to 111th in 2020. 
• Sweden’s V-Dem measure of liberal democracy now places India at only 108th position in freedom. 
• The World Press Freedom Index puts India at a dismal 150th position, though it was as bad as 140 even during Congress rule.
• Dissent is under threat in India. The Supreme Court has bemoaned the use of “process as punishment”. It complains that, by harassing targeted victims through arrests and raids, life is being made a nightmare for those targeted even if they are ultimately proved innocent.
• The court has strongly regretted the misuse of laws on sedition and unlawful activities. One does not have to look at international indices to see the problem.

In no true democracy is criticism of the government called “insulting” the country. Those trotting out this line are damaging, not protecting India’s democratic prestige.

BSNLEU has continuously been insisting upon the Management to hold the JE LICE (50% internal quota) for the vacancy year 2021. In accordance with this, the Corporate Office has issued notification yesterday the 17.03.2023, for holding the JE LICE. According to the Corporate Office letter, the online registration for the JE LICE will commence on 21.03.2023. The last date for online registration is 20.04.2023. Further, the Corporate Office has informed in the letter that, the date of the online examination will be communicated separately.

It has been brought to the notice of the CHQ that, customers are dissatisfied with the slow speed of FTTH service in Amritsar district. FTTH is a costly service. Hence, customers expect good quality. Due to the non-settlement of the technical issues, FTTH speed is slow in Amritsar district and the customers are dissatisfied. Hence, BSNLEU has written to the CMD BSNL, requesting to resolve the outstanding issues.

बैंक ऋण ईएमआई राशि और सोसायटी बकाया के प्रेषण में देरी - BSNLEU ने सीएमडी, बीएसएनएल को पत्र लिखकर उचित कार्रवाई करने की मांग की।  

BSNLEU ने केनरा बैंक और यूनियन बैंक ऑफ इंडिया के साथ हस्ताक्षरित समझौता ज्ञापनों को नवीनीकृत करने के लिए प्रबंधन पर लगातार दबाव डाला है।  नतीजतन, केनरा बैंक के साथ समझौता ज्ञापन पर हस्ताक्षर किए गए हैं और कर्मचारियों ने विभिन्न सर्किलों से बैंक ऋण लिया है।

तथापि, सीएचक्यू के संज्ञान में लाया गया है कि कर्मचारियों के वेतन से बैंक ऋण के रूप में काटी गई ईएमआई की राशि बैंक में समय पर जमा नहीं की जा रही है। इसी प्रकार हमारे संज्ञान में यह भी लाया गया है कि कर्मचारियों के वेतन से काटे गये सोसायटी बकाया का भुगतान सोसायटी को नहीं किया जा रहा है।  पहले भी ऐसी चूक हुई है।  इसलिए, BSNLEU ने आज सीएमडी, बीएसएनएल को पत्र लिखकर बैंक ऋण ईएमआई राशि और सोसायटी बकाया राशि का शीघ्र भुगतान करने की मांग की है।

As per the call of the CoC of BSNLEU, AIBDPA and BSNLCCWF, Meet the Employees Campaign is being conducted throughout the country. The contents of the bulletin issued by the CoC is being explained to the employees. CHQ heartily congratulates the circles which have carried out the programme and requests the other circles also to implement the call.