Regarding OBC status...Reply to Mr Praveen Shanker

Mr Praveen Shanker:-Dear Sir, Can a person working as Assistant Commandant(with same pay scale which a civil servant probationer gets) in CPF is eligible to apply as OBC candidate in Civil Services Examination?Will his income comes under Creamy layer Category?
Kindly reply as I am facing this dilemma..
Thank you Neutralviews.
Manmauji:- Hello Mr Praveen Shanker, thanks for your visit on the blog...Regarding your query, OBC status is determined on the basis of the status of the parents only. It means your salary status or Group A status will not affect your right to claim OBC benefit in UPSC unless your parents has the income which brings them under creamy layer....Now, since you are in Group A, so your children will not be able to claim OBC benefit... hope your doubt is clear now...further query is welcome...keep on blogging..

Regarding CSE-2010 mark sheets

Hello everybody, thanks for the great response to this blog...I am getting numerous mails regarding publication of CSE-2010 mark sheets on the blog. I want to clarify that UPSC has changed the pattern of its database which makes it difficult [keeping in the view of the bloggers ability and  time]  to fetch the mark sheets. However some highly qualified Computer engineers can try for this...As soon as possible I will come in contact with any of such guy, I will definitely put them on the blog for the benefit of CSE aspirants...keep on blogging...

Reply to Dr Sanjay

Dr Sanjay:- sir,what will happen if a candidate who is already in service doesnt accept the alloted service and remains in his service(selected previous year) but at the same time also doesnt reject the alloted service..............now will this service vacancy be blocked for other candidate below him and go in next years vacancy or it will still be alloted to the candidate below him...........
also sir which are the other sources from where i can get more info.........
regards..
Manmauji:- Hello Dr Sanjay,thanks for your visit on the blog...Regarding the situation you discussed, the service shall be allotted to that candidate...it may happen that once Foundation Course [FC] will start, these seats may be allotted to the reserve list already prepared by UPSC. You can contact to DoPT section officer for further clarifications....further query is welcome...keep on blogging..

Regarding upgradation...Reply to Dr Sanjay

Dr Sanjay:- hello sir, i am dr. Sanjay , we have interacted before also.sir i have cleared cse 2010 and will get irs (c&ce) for sure.i had opted it over irs(IT).sir would you be kind enough to explain the full procedure for service upgrade in detail.i went through your old posts but couldnt find a satisfactory answer.
regards .

Manmauji:-  Hello Dr Sanjay, thanks for your visit on the blog and congratulations on your grand success in CSE-2010. You are welcome in to prestigious IRS[C&CE] cadre. It is great to know that you have opted IRS[C&CE] above IRS[IT]....Regarding the process of up gradation, it is a cumbersome process which no body has definite answer...As far as I know, DoPt allot services taking in to consideration number of vacancy in a particular category. Service will be upgraded in case of the candidate above you is medically unfit [finally] for the allotted service or doesn't turned up to accept or reject the service. However, you can confirm from other sources also....further query is welcome...keep on blogging.. 

Speech of Hon’ble Chairman, UPSC , Mr D.P. Agarwal

Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Hamid M Ansari; Hon’ble Members of the Commission; Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,It is with great pleasure that I extend a very warm welcome to Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Hamid M Ansari. The Union Public Service Commission is deeply honoured that he has consented to deliver the second lecture on ‘Governance and Public Service’. The inaugural lecture in the series was delivered by Her Excellency, the President of India in 2009. We are extremely grateful to you, Sir.

The country has witnessed an all round development in almost all the sectors since last two decades. The need for maintaining the pace of development and the requirement to ensure that benefits of development percolate to all citizens pose a great challenge to governance system. We need to evaluate and re-jig the systems of governance responsible for ensuring an effective public service delivery and to keep it efficient and

people friendly.

In the journey of 85 long years in its various incarnations, the Union Public Service Commission as a constitutional body while zealously guarding its independence has discharged its mandated functions - not only the recruitment and selection for the civil service under the Union, but also advising the Government on matters closely relating to manpower requirement in public services. At the same time, the Commission has also been fully alive to the emerging challenges of governance. Good governance for effective public service delivery presupposes that the systems are manned by the right people with right skills and capabilities. While undertaking the recruitment and selections in a meritbased manner, the UPSC has always been open to innovations in the area of selection procedures and processes. The changes introduced in the Preliminary stage of the Civil Services Examination from this year are a pointer to the Commission’s commitment to select the most suitable person for the Civil Services. The changes in the scheme and pattern of the Preliminary Examination are based on the principle of equity in as much as it will provide equal opportunity to the candidates from diverse educational and social backgrounds. We are also in discussion with the ovt. of India about an alternative method of selection for induction into All India Services from the State Services. Commission handles more than 15 lakhs applications every year. To tackle this challenge Commission has introduced the system of online application for the candidates, which has been receiving an overwhelming response. Encouraged by the positive response, the Commission has recently introduced hundred percent online application for two Examinations, namely Engineering Services Examination and Indian Forest Service Examination. To facilitate the candidates from the remote area, Commission permits them to apply off-line also. Recently, UPSC also conducted successfully one online recruitment test at different centres in the country. Based on the experience from this experiment, the Commission may, in future, introduce online examinations and tests for other selections as well.

The primary concern of the Commission is to recommend the selected candidates to the Government as soon as practically possible. Detailed analysis of delayed cases has been done in the Commission which revealed a number of lacunae in the proposals submitted by the Ministries. A number of workshops have been organized by the  Commission for the Ministries/Departments to facilitate them to overcome these lacunas. In the same context, a Single Window System has been introduced, whereby a preliminary scrutiny of the cases is done at the time of receipt itself. I am happy to mention that this initiative has shown positive results in disposal of the cases. Commission recently organised a day long interaction session with the Heads of Training Academies and Institutes of All India and Central  services. The idea was to benefit from their feedback and perceptions. During the deliberations, it was learnt that no mechanism exists to map the performance and behavioural aspects of officers in the field in the early stages of their career. It was considered necessary by the group that the Government put in place such a mechanism. The Commission would be interested in knowing whether the selected candidates exhibit the attitudes, values required and display the skills and competence required for the job. In today’s globalized world, one cannot remain totally confined to one’s own approaches, methods and ideas for delivering the given mandate. We have to be a learning organization, ready to accept the best practices available globally. Towards this objective, the UPSC hosted the first Conference of the Chiefs of Public Service Commissions of SAARC countries in the month of November, 2010. The initiative was appreciated by all the Member States and it was decided to continue such dialogue every year. The Commission has also entered into bilateral partnerships with Public Service Commission’s of Canada and Bhutan. A similar MOU is likely to be signed with the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission of Afghanistan. We are confident that such partnerships will be of professional benefit to all of us. The Constitution of India, under proviso to Article 320 (3), provides for exemption of posts from the purview of the Commission. Such an exclusion of posts from the purview of Commission would be justified only  exceptional circumstances. To allow permanent exemption of posts/services would run counter to the spirit of the provisions of the Commission. However, over the years, the Government of India have excluded a number of civil posts /services from the purview of the Commission invoking this proviso to Article 320(3). Considering the purpose and spirit of the Constitutional provisions, I would urge the Government of India to bring all such civil posts/services back within the purview of the Commission. Aticle 321 of the Constitution mandates that Parliament may by

law provide for exercise of additional functions by the UPSC in respect of services of the Union and also as respects the services of any local authority or other body corporate constituted by law or of any public

institution. By virtue of its independent Constitutional status, the Commission inspires the highest confidence in the public with regard to its fairness, impartiality and objectiveness of its selection procedures. It is

therefore for the government of India to consider amending the existing Acts of Parliament creating Corporations, Tribunals or other Organizations, to incorporate a provision for consultation with the

Commission in making recruitment, selections, etc. for these bodies. As of now, our country has a large number of recruiting agencies which make selection to various services/posts under the Government. In

most of the Developed countries, an independent authority audits all selections made by different authorities. It may be worthwhile to adopt such a system in our country also. In our context such auditing could be

done by the Commission. The emerging dynamics of governance call for a fresh look at the issue of permanent appointment in the civil services vis-a-vis the outcome-based performance. The life- long job security provided to government servants perhaps brings in an element of complacency and inertia. There should be intense assessment of performance of the officers at various stages of their career to weed out dead woods at an early stage in order to have a civil service that is nimble, efficient, impartial, accountable and above all honest. Another issue that needs attention is opening up of senior positions in Civil Service to all persons possessing skill sets matching with the job profile. Such selections should be made on a competitive basis with no prejudice to anyone. Coming back to the subject of today’s lecture by the Hon’ble Vice President, I can’t resist from mentioning that the foremost challenge in governance today is to maintain the highest standards of probity, integrity, accountability, transparency and fair play. I am sure that if we

are able to successfully meet this challenge, the people’s aspirations and expectations are bound to be fulfilled. Before I end, I take this opportunity to welcome you all and also once again welcome the Hon’ble Vice President of India.

JAI HIND

Regarding uniform in Customs[Preventive]....Reply to Mr PR Jumle

Mr PR Jumle:-
 Dear Manmaujee,
Thank You so much for the series writings ''do's and dont's for the IRS Officers''. I have copied it and sent in verbatim to all of my batchmates (61st batch at Mumbai). They all have received it well and indeed it was very informative. Even at academy we failed get such inputs from the faculty.
Thank You so much and i hope to see more articles on similar issues. Next year I too will join you to give my experience to the coming batch.
I got Kolakata Customs (Preventive). I'll take charge on 19th. I want to know about dress code while in customs preventive and on the first day of joining.
Please reply me soon.
Thanking you...
 
Manmauji :- Hello Mr PR Jumle...Thanks for your visit on the blog and kind words about it. First of all, congratulations on getting in to Customs[Preventive]... Neutralviews will look forward for your kind support and attention....Regarding your query,there is no separate uniform for it...You must wear the standard Customs and Excise uniform which you must have received at your Police attachment..good luck.....further query is welcome...keep on blogging..

Series Article No-2....Do's & Don'ts for IRS[C&CE] officers of Customs[Preventive formations]

Hello all the IRS[C&CE] officers of 61st Batch, as per our series of compilations on Do’s & Don’t for your first posting, I am posting Do’s & Don’t for Custom [Preventive] officers received from the officer of 60th Batch without any edit.


“ Please accept my heartiest wishes on your joining of customs & central excise field formations. Apart from what has been comprehensively dealt by Neutralviews in its advice regarding Central Excise, I will like to add further on Customs preventive.

Customs preventive is quite different from other formations of CBEC and is concerned with policing of borders so as to prevent smuggling of contraband goods. The job is very similar to that of a police officer and one should enjoy and relish the unique opportunities offered by it.

Main Work of Customs preventive:-

[1] Anti smuggling:- under this, prevention of smuggling of contraband goods,3rd country origin goods, Narcotics,wild life parts, endangered species like red sanders,beer horns.etc, Antiques, fake currency notes, arms,explosive,etc. Please remember our AGENCY FUNCTIONS.

[2] Disposal of seized goods:- Please consult disposal manual of CBEC. There is little found on this topic in the academy.

[3] Collection of Arrears:- Remember section 142 of Customs Act,1962.

[4] Manning of land Custom stations

Do’s for Probationers:-


[1] Pay a little more attention to uniform.

[2] Brush up sections of customs act from 100 to 125,133,134,135 and 136.

[3] Please go through NDPS Act,preventive manual and disposal manual of CBEC.

[4] Revise the provisions of prosecution and arrest. There are specific guidelines for arrest.

[5] Go through old case files to have an idea of building up cases.

The general process is:-

Intelligence ----> Seizure effected-------> Seizure memo and Panchnama [very crucial document]---->summons to accused and witnesses,recording of statements,DTO verification in case of seizure of vehicles----> gathering additional evidence if any------> issue SCN---->personal hearing------>adjudication.

[6] Regularly visit all circles/LCS of your jurisdiction.

[7] keep good liaison with police,district administration,SSB,CRPF,RPF,etc. Meet senior officers in District like DM,SSP,DIG,etc. to have good interoperability and coordination. You will generally get a warm response.

[8] pay special attention to office infrastructure, guest houses and staff welfare.

[9] arrange guest lectures by inviting prominent people every fortnight. This keeps the environment in office learning oriented.

Don’ts:-

[1] file work is less in customs preventive. Don’t become lazy. Always keep on brushing up your knowledge.

[2] Don’t hesitate in seeking advice and help from superior officers and subordinates.

[3] don’t sign any letter without going through the file.

[4] Don’t send preventive teams unnecessarily to stop buses and rail without any credible information. This doesn’t yield any result.

A last word of advice, also go through CrPc,IPC and Indian evidence Act. Keep your armoury in ready to use condition. In the end, I will like to say that it is a nice opportunity to show your leadership skills.
Neutralviews sincerely thanks the officers of 60th Batch who are taking pain to write and send their valuable inputs to help the officers of 61st Batch...keep on blogging.

Series Article No-4...Do's & Don'ts for IRS[C&CE] officers of Service Tax formation

Hello all the IRS[C&CE] officers of 61st Batch, as per our series of compilations on Do’s & Don’t for your first posting, I am posting Do’s & Don’t for Service Tax officers received from the officer of 60th Batch without any edit.

"hi all...
1) first and foremost keep in mind service tax division is entirely different in functioning when compared to the central excise division especially when you work in a exclusive service tax commissionerate.
2) attend only urgent files in the first week.
3) pl call for pendency position of adjudication, arrears, refunds etc
4) wherever possible have a period wise break up in all cases
5) don't get panic seeing the pendency positions in the division. don't compare yourself with your colleague who may be posted in central excise division
6) u join the time when the AGT is also in progress. many subordinate officers will be leaving the division or may be joining the division. pl see that there is a smooth transfer of files is happening. keep a copy of the list of files handed over with u. this will help u in the future.
7) pl see the latest inspection report on your division. this gives u bird"s eye view over your division.
8) get a copy of all the relevant circulars, notification and clarifications with regard to the services u deal with from your colleagues in the commissionerate or from your officers.
9) visit CBEC site, your local commissionerate site and tax indiaonline site and get familiarised with them.
10) pl don't show any haste in dealing with refund claims whatever the pendency be with u. take your own time to understand the issue of refunds. go through the relevant notifications and circulars and read it carefully.
11) one last word..don't hesitate to ask questions or seek clarifications from your senior officers, colleagues or your any other officers. u may not get an opportunity to clarify things as days pass by.
 
Neutralviews sincerely thanks the officers of 60th Batch who are taking pain to write and send their valuable inputs to help the officers of 61st Batch...keep on blogging.

Series Article No-3..Do's & Don'ts for IRS[C&CE] officers of Customs formation

Hello all the IRS[C&CE] officers of 61st Batch, as per our series of compilations on Do’s & Don’t for your first posting, I am posting Do’s & Don’t for Custom officers received from the officer of 60th Batch without any edit.
"hi , some points which i think might be useful to newcomers...
[1]In customs everyone is in a hurry ,so consult your colleagues may be persons who joined last year about the issue.

[2] After receiving the charges open the act , go to CBEC website and read notifications , circulars and instructions about your charges right from year 2000 this will give you a sense of perspective and also increase your working knowledge.

[3]There will be many alerts , procedures given in the form of instructions and circulars this will make you more confident

[4] Your own commisionerate might have given some public notices and standing orders pl refer to them for local procedures

[5] Ask your section to put up all these as back ground before you sign.

[6] Assessment practice vary in many places sit with your appraisers and discuss before starting .

[7] Never hesitate to ask your colleagues or seniors they will not take it in negative light .

[8] Keep visiting NIDB and DOV website regarding valuation issues.

[9] Read as much as possible at early stage rather than making it post mortem effort.

[10] Ask for ICES 1.5 MANUAL and go through it to understand system issues.
 
Neutralviews sincerely thanks the officers of 60th Batch who are taking pain to write and send their valuable inputs to help the officers of 61st Batch...keep on blogging.

KUDOS TO ALL CSE-2010 SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES

Hello all, Neutralviews congratulates all the successful candidates of CSE-2010 which is topped by
S DIVYADHARSHINI...I wish you all the best...Enjoy these golden moments of your life....keep on blogging...

Series Article No-1...For all those officers of IRS[C&CE] about to join their first posting!!!

Hello officers of IRS[C&CE] 61st Batch...Congratulations to all of you on the completion of your training at NACEN and several other field formations of the department. You all must be excited on getting your postings at the preferred locations [hopefully most of you] and eagerly waiting for the joining. There have been numerous queries from some of you about what are the "Do's and Dont's " for this great occasion. Neutralviews is bringing a series of good compilations about Do's and Dont's received from number of senior IRS[C&CE] officers beginning from "Do's & Dont's for joining as Central excise officers" followed by similar compilations for Customs,Customs[Preventive],Service Tax, etc. Some of the instructions may be common for all types of field formations. Let us start this series with
"DO'S & DONT'S for Central Excise"
On the very first day of your joining to the department, you must remember following things:
[1] Go to the office in Uniform prescribed.
[2] Call on all the officers posted starting with Chief Commissioner. For this, inform PA [Chief Commissioner] about your arrival and intention to join. Don't forget to carry a pen and posting letter issued at NACEN. You need to write a joining letter addressing to Chief Commissioner [CC] mentioning the order no of your posting order letter.
[3] Give proper salute to all the senior officers except Asstt Commissioners posted there during call on.
[4] Remove your cap while you sit on chair in front of your seniors.
[5] Don't forget to call on less visible Commissioner [Appeal].
[6] When CC asks a specific choice for postings, prefer not to give any unless you have any compelling reason.
[7] Once your final place is decided, don't forget to apply for house/accommodation.
[8] During charge handover, Please ask your predecessor about any major/significant issue pending. Give your predecessor a humble and graceful farewell.
[9] on the first day in your Division [if you get it], your subordinates will call on you. Listen them carefully and give respect to age and experience. Don't hesitate in asking any doubt or current inadequacies faced by the division/ranges.
[10] Handling DAK PAD may be a difficult task for you. But don't worry, ask your Administrative officer [AO] to bring a copy of office order about work distribution in division technical branch. Go through carefully and then mark the DAK by reading Subject line and inside matter. Generally, Refund/Rebate related letters mark to Superintendent [Supt] Refund/Rebate and other letters to Supt[Technical]. Administration related letters are marked to AO.
[11] After this task, ask for 'Division at a Glance', ' Range at a Glance' and previous Inspection report of the Division as well as Ranges. Through this, you can get a glimpse of your division profile, deficiencies found during last inspection by senior officers of your Division and Ranges.
[12] Ask for 'Monthly technical report' [MTR] which will give you total summary of your division, all the pendency in different sections.
[13] Ask for Arrears Report which will provide details of all the arrears cases pending.
[14] Ask for office order issued by Commissioner about delegation of financial power to Asst Commissioner and follow it strictly.
[15] Don't hesitate to clear any doubt.
[16] There is no need to hurry, take your time, open the Manual in case of any doubt. Make a rule, 'Show me the Rule before I will sign the file".
[17] Visit your Ranges to have a glimpse of the conditions prevailing there.
[18] Try to improve your office area and infrastructure in your division/Ranges.
[19] Ask your AO to tell the financial resources available in the Division. Purchase new things if not available in your office by following due process.
[20] Don't show overenthu, every office has designated work to perform. Never try to encroach the domain of other office. Concentrate on your domain and try to excel there. If you try to encroach, it will lead to friction.
[21] Never overreact. Don't start things which you think that you can not sustain for a long time. Never create any unwanted seen for your seniors because they can make your life hell or heaven.
[22] Try to have lunch with your colleagues posted near you even if they are promoted officers. This will encourage sharing of information among all the officers.
[23] Whenever any senior calls you, always go with a pen and notebook to note down any significant instruction.
[24] always keep ready a pen and notebook near to your phone to make a note of any instructions given by seniors.
[25] Make a habit to note down important deadlines,reminders, reports need to be submitted and follow up otherwise your subordinates have the tendency to miss the deadlines. You need to remind them frequently.
                              I hope these suggestions will help you on your first day of your posting as it is a very significant milestone in your life. Some of you may not agree on many points described above. It depends on you. You can follow them or avoid them but You should be open enough to learn. Work hard during initial days. Start enjoying your work and continuously improve office environment.
                             Last but not the least,Don't forget to bring digital camera and take snap of charge handover ceremony and farewell ceremony of your predecessor.
                             Good luck and send your feed back on neutralviews@gmail.com . Keep on blogging.