CHARTER OF DEMANDS OF AICEIA

ALL INDIA CENTRAL EXCISE INSPECTORS’ ASSOCIATION

CHARTER OF DEMANDS



DEMAND 1: GRANT IMMEDIATELY

(A) RECOGNITION FOR AICEIA

In spite of this Association complying with the requirements of the CCS(RSA) Rules 1993, and even after submission of the AO (DD0) certificates as per the request of the Board to evidence the strength of the membership of the association, which as per the rules was to be ascertained by the administration itself, and even after submitting the said forms on 15.03.07, and after repeated reminders and pleadings, Recognition has not been granted to this association as per the new Rules. It gives an impression to the members that the administration is deliberately delaying the matter endlessly to ensure that the largest work force of the department does not get a legitimate collective hearing.

(B) PROPER ALLOWANCES FOR UNIFORM, RUMMAGING, RISK AND LOCAL TRAVEL EXPENSES.

The following legitimate requirements are required to be met in the interest of the department’s morale and in terms of equality:
1. Grant of proper equipment and maintenance allowance for three sets of uniforms for personnel in Customs.
2. Grant of Rummaging allowances for Officials posted in Customs area on par with the Officials of Customs.
3. Grant of Local Travel Expenses for Inspectors on par with the Inspectors of Income Tax.
4. Grant of Risk Allowance for Inspectors of Central Excise considering the risks attached to their duties and responsibilities.


DEMAND. 2: REMOVE IMMEDIATELY


(A) STAGNATION IN INSPECTOR CADRE.

Even after the restructuring of the department in 2002, the level of stagnation in the cadre of Inspectors of Central Excise has not reduced. This is inspite of the fact that one of the stated objectives of the restructuring was to take care of stagnation. Even today there are Inspectors who have completed 20 years of service as Inspectors and have not yet got even the first promotion in their career. Considering that the promotion of an Inspector as Superintendent itself is nothing substantial in one’s career given the fact that only one increment would be difference after such a long innings, the non-availability of even such a small change in one’s social ladder has not been addressed. The regional imbalances within the Central Excise Zones and between Central Excise and Customs are alarming that they would evidence total neglect of personnel management in the CBEC.


(B) CONTROL RAJ MIND SET BY ABOLITION OF CONTROL ROOMS AND UNIFORM IN C.EX AND SERVICE TAX.

In spite of preaching of an assessee friendly approach and change in mind set of the staff of the department, the CBEC itself firmly stands rooted to its colonial past. After the liberalization of excise and customs laws there is absolutely no justification to maintain Control Rooms and that at a very high cost. Similarly Uniform in Central Excise has become irrelevant and more of a mockery after the liberalization of Excise laws and introduction of Service Tax as the main base for indirect inland tax.


DEMAND-3: ORDER IMMEDIATELY

(A) REVISION OF PROMOTION QUOTA BETWEEN SUPDTS OF CENTRAL EXCISE AND SUPDTS OF CUSTOMS TO POSTS OF ASSISTANT COMMISSIONERS AS PER PRESENT CADRE STRENGTHS.

The ratio or 6:1:2 for promotion of Superintendents of Central Excise, Customs and Appraisers to the cadre of Group ‘A’, was fixed much before the 2002 restructuring of the department. Due to the change in the composition of the cadres after the re-structuring the ratio ought to have been revised.


(B) MERGER OF EXCISE AND CUSTOMS.

A policy decision to merge the Group ‘B’ and ‘C’ cadres of Excise and Customs was taken by the CBEC in the year 1996 itself. But till date it has not been implemented. The non-implementation of the Board’s own decision even during the re-structuring in 2002 has served to give only a bleak picture. Hence the merger has to be effected with effect from 1996.
In the event of the above not being implemented from the date of the decision, in order to bring down the disparities in promotional avenues within the Excise zones and between Excise and Customs in CBEC, the feasibility of making amendments to the Group ‘A’ Recruitment Rules to make the total length of service from the cadre of Inspector as the criteria for promotion to the cadre of Superintendents (since the post of Superintendents are 100% by promotion alone) has to be examined.

DEMAND-4: RESTORE IMMEDIATELY

(A) INTER-COMMISSIONERATE TRANSFERS.

Inter-Commissionerate transfers had been abolished by the CBEC thus prohibiting citizens in Government Service from opting to serve in any other part of India. Recruitments after 1997 are being done only on the basis of All India Ranking in the SSC Exam and postings are done to various parts of the country. In such a situation revival of inter-commissionerate transfers on request or alternative mechanism instead of the deputations as at present to enable persons to get transferred to any place in India due to personal problems has to be envisaged. It has also to be emphasized that initial postings should be done on the basis of the residential addresses of the candidates to ensure least difficulty due to the All India posting. To enable this the requisition for dossiers may be made by the CBEC itself once in six months.


(B) JCMS AT COMMISSIONERATE LEVEL.

Hearing the grievances of the staff is a fundamental requirement for a proper administration. An open discussion with the representatives of the staff would itself ensure the wholehearted participation of the staff in achieving the targets of the department. Apart from that, only a transparent administration would ensure that vested interests do not control the administration. It was with these requirements in mind that the three tier JCM set up was envisaged by the Government. But the meetings of the JCM are not properly held in many of the Commissionerates. This has created a divide between the administration and the staff in such Commissionerates. Hence the JCMs should be ordered to be held periodically in all Commissionerates.

DEMAND – 5: ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS FOR

(A) TRANSPARENT TRANSFER POLICY.

Guidelines for proper transfer policies, in the light of changes effected over a period of time and to ensure transparency in administration, are required to be issued at various levels. Towards that, the CBEC is required to issue broad Guidelines to its formations so that, at the Commissionerate levels and zonal levels, transfer policies are evolved by the local administrations in consultation with the staff representatives.


(B) TRANSPARANCY AND UNIFORMITY IN ALLOTMENT OF DEPARTMENTAL GUEST HOUSES.

Non-incorporation of the staff representatives in the management of the accounts of the Customs Welfare Fund gives room for various misgivings among the members of the department. Even in respect of the maintenance of guesthouses of the department, for which funds are released from welfare fund, in very many places there is an unwritten code that the guest house is not to be allotted to non-Group ‘A’ Officers or even if allotted gets cancelled at the last moment due to a subsequent accommodation of ‘Senior Officers’. Such practices demoralize the members of the staff and their family members due to such discriminatory treatment. The CBEC should issue strict instructions that allotment of Departmental Guest Houses should be made in a transparent manner and on a first come first served basis without relation to the class/cadre of the seeker.
Instructions also should be issued to ensure participation of Staff representatives of all Cadres in the CBEC in the management of the Customs Welfare Fund.


( C ) ISSUE OF UNIQUE GPF ACCOUNT NUMBERS.

Allotment of unique GPF account numbers to persons serving in the CBEC to avoid the problems of missing credits during transfers from one PAO zone to another.


DEMAND-6: INTRODUCE TO SAVE DEPT

(A) SEPARATE ORGANISATIONAL SET UP FOR ATTENDING TO QUESTIONS UNDER THE RTI ACT.

Numerous petitions are filed every day by various persons requiring information from the department, under the Right to Information Act. It is extremely important to give the correct information and only the correct information in every case. Since the RTI Act is a new one and decisions are coming out daily, separate formations may be envisaged to assist each Public Information Officer so that the correct position in law could be adhered to, while making available the desired information. Such a formation with willing and trained officers would ensure that unscrupulous elements do not take advantage of the Act to create nuisance to the department or to thwart investigations and adjudication of cases.


(B) MECHANISM AT COMMISSIONERATE LEVEL TO INTER-CHANGE DATA RELATED TO DIRECT AND INDIRECT TAXES TO INVESTIGATE IN PROFESSIONAL METHOD.

A machinery/mechanism to inter-change data pertaining to Indirect taxes and direct taxes at the level of Commissionerate level offices would enable broad based investigations in the department.

DEMAND-7: PROVIDE FOR FUNCTIONING

(A) INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FORMATIONS.

Provisions for proper infrastructure like furniture in offices, vehicles for executive work and computers to enable smooth implementation of computerization are required to be made.
In the light of the transfer liabilities, the satisfaction limit in the case of executive officers in respect of residential accommodation should be made as 100%.


(B) PERIODICAL TRAINING ON ALL FIELDS OF ACTIVITIES.

Periodical refresher courses and training programmes are mandatory for enabling a change in the mindset as well as effective implementation of the ever-changing laws.


( C ) DUTY LIST FOR ALL OFFICIALS SERVING IN CBEC.

Clear demarcation of duties to each cadre is required, in the light of changing laws and cadre compositions, and also in the light of the study undertaken at the instance of the VI Pay Commission regarding the feasibility of introducing Performance Related Pay in the department.
Though the oft-repeated excuse for not having a duty list is that every one should be prepared to do any work in an organization, the actual practice of a no-man’s land would lead to utter lawlessness and perpetuate feudalism.