Amaravati: Government employees in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Sunday staged a novel protest by tonsuring their heads and beating themselves with ‘chappals’ to press their demand for scrapping Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).Andhra Pradesh Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Association (APCPSEA) staged the novel protest near Vizianagaram collectorate.The protestors called a barber at the protest site to shave their heads. Some of the protestors were seen wearing garlands of footwear and also beating their cheeks with footwear.The protest was organised with the slogan “betrayal”. They alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government betrayed them by going back on its promise to scrap CPS.Refusing to accept the Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) being contemplated by the state government to replace CPS, they said: “We don’t want CPS or GPS. Restore the old pension scheme,” read a placard held by the protestors. During his padyatra before 2019 elections, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to abolish CPS and to restore the old pension scheme after coming to power. However, after coming to power the government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy found it not feasible due to the state.Employees’ unions and associations have been staging protests demanding that the YSRCP government fulfill its poll promise.During his state-wide walkathon, Jagan met numerous leaders, unions and associations who complained of severe injustice to employees due to CPS and sought implementation of the old pension scheme. Though Jagan Mohan Reddy made the promise, he could not deliver on it due to financial crisis in the state.As YSRCP has embarked on evolving a roadmap for victory in 2024 elections, it has mooted the idea of Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) in place of CPS. Under the proposed scheme, the employee receives a guaranteed pension of 33 per cent of the last drawn basic pay and the GPS enables an employee to assess the amount of pension in advance, so that he can plan his future financially.Market conditions will have no influence on the pension under GPS, leaving no chance for reduction of pension in future. According to the government, the GPS is nearly 70 per cent higher than the present pension under CPS received in line with present interest rates.However, the government employees have ruled out any compromise on their demand to abolish CPS and restore the old pension scheme.—IANS

 Government employees in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Sunday staged a novel protest by tonsuring their heads and beating themselves with ‘chappals’ to press their demand for scrapping Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Andhra Pradesh Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Association (APCPSEA) staged the novel protest near Vizianagaram collectorate

Andhra Employees Tonsure Heads, Beat Themselves With Footwear

 Government employees in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district on Sunday staged a novel protest by tonsuring their heads and beating themselves with ‘chappals’ to press their demand for scrapping Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). Andhra Pradesh Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Association (APCPSEA) staged the novel protest near Vizianagaram collectorate





Srinagar: Three government employees have been sacked by the Jammu and Kashmir administration for their alleged active support to the terrorism.Altaf Hussain Pandit, chemistry professor of Kashmir University, Mohammed Maqbool Hajam, a teacher in the school education department and Ghulam Rasool, a Jammu and Kashmir police constable terminated from government service over terror links, said J-K administration sources.The recent crackdown on a terror group and anti-national network that took place on Thursday, was part of the government's effort to detect and mitigate terror elements within the system who sneak in to the system during the previous regimes.According to the sources, Pandit was actively associated with Jamaat-e-Islam (JeI) and had crossed over to Pakistan for terror training. He remained an active terrorist of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front for three years before his arrest by the security forces in 1993.He also remained an active cadre of the JeI and worked as a terror recruiter. He was instrumental in organising stone-pelting, and violent protests against the killing of terrorists in 2011 and 2014.In 2015, he became an executive member of the Kashmir University Teachers Association and allegedly used the position to propagate secessionism among students. He also motivated students to join terror ranks.Maqbool Hajam was a terror overground worker (OGW) who used to radicalise people. He was part of a mob which attacked a police station in Sogam and other government buildings. Despite being a government teacher, he was always found involved in terror activities.And the third official terminated, Rasool, was working as an underground supporter of terrorists. He was also an informer who used to tip off terrorists and OGWs about anti-terror operations. He is also accused of leaking the names of police personnel involved in anti-terror operations.Rasool was in touch with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Mushtaq Ahmad alias Aurangzeb, who has crossed over to Pakistan.Sources also said that the designated committee in J-K for scrutinising and recommending cases under Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India had recommended the termination of these three employees from government service for having terror links and working as overground workers.—ANI

Three government employees have been sacked by the Jammu and Kashmir administration for their alleged active support to the terrorism.

3 J-K government employees sacked for terror links

Srinagar: The Gupkar alliance of major Jammu-Kashmir parties on Sunday urged Kashmiri pandit employees not to leave the valley as it was their home and it would be 'painful for all', after the community demanded their relocation following the killing of a member by terrorists.The appeal by the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) came after a delegation led by its president Farooq Abdullah met Jammu and Kashmiri Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.The meeting was over the issue of security of Kashmiri Pandit employees in the aftermath of the killing of Rahul Bhat that has sparked protests by community members. Briefing reporters after the meeting, the spokesperson of the five-party alliance, M Y Tarigami, said the valley is as much the home of Kashmiri Pandits as it is of Kashmiri Muslims."We appeal to them that this nation is yours as well as mine. Do not leave your home. It is very painful for you and us," Tarigami said.The alliance spokesperson said if Kashmiri pandits want to leave Kashmir in the wake of Bhat's killing, then what about the families of slain Kashmiri Muslims."If Rahul was killed, Riyaz (a policeman) was also killed. Where will Riyaz's family and relatives go? You (Kashmiri pandits) do not have to leave your home. This is your home, this is my home. We will bear this tragedy together and try to safeguard each other," he said.The Communist Party of India-Marxist leader said the alliance raised the issue of the transfer of the employees to safer places.However, there is no possibility of their transfer outside Kashmir, he said."We told them (a delegation of KP employees which the PAGD leaders met on Saturday) that we cannot afford to let them leave. The LG also agreed to that today," he said. He said while the protection of the minority communities in every society was the responsibility of the governments, the people 'cannot afford to oblige those who want to disturb our unity'.The delegation told Sinha that sufficient protection must be provided to the employees at their workplaces as well as wherever they live and all possible assistance be provided to them so that they live here with a sense of security, he said."We told the LG that it was not possible for them to work in remote areas, so relocate them to the areas where there is full security, so that they feel confident about their well being. We also told the LG to provide safer accommodation to them. The LG has agreed to it," Tarigami said.He said the meeting with Sinha was 'useful' and 'productive'.Apart from Abdullah, who is also the president of the National Conference, the delegation comprised People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti,&nbsp;Tarigami, National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi and Awami National Conference senior vice president Muzaffar Shah.Meanwhile, a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders led by its J-K unit president Ravinder Raina also met the LG over the issue."We raised the issue of the targeted killings of minority communities, and labourers from UP, Bihar, with the LG. These are the evil designs of Pakistan to wound Kashmir. These killings are a matter of grave concern," Raina told reporters outside Raj Bhavan Srinagar.He said the BJP delegation discussed all issues of Kashmiri Pandit employees as well as others who are working in the valley and raised their concerns with the LG."We requested Sinha that there is a need to look into the issues of the Kashmiri Pandit employees under PM package, and other such employees and to have their postings in a secure area in district and tehsil headquarters," he said."We also demanded that a nodal officer be nominated in the Raj Bhavan to coordinate with these employees."We put forth our concerns on the issues of rehabilitation policy as well as their accommodation before the LG. We told him that there is a sense of insecurity in various camps where Kashmiri pandits are living. "So, we requested him to visit these camps immediately to boost the confidence of all the employees, and take some confidence-building measures," Raina said.The BJP leader said Pakistan has always shed the blood of Kashmiris."We are pained by these killings. Pakistan is the murderer of Kashmiris. Pakistan is against everyone in Kashmir and Jammu be it a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or Christian," he added.—PTI

The Gupkar alliance of major Jammu-Kashmir parties on Sunday urged Kashmiri pandit employees not to leave the valley as it was their home and it would be 'painful for all', after the community demanded their relocation following the killing of a member by terrorists.

Gupkar alliance urges Kashmiri Pandit employees not to leave

New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said family pension rules for missing central government employees have been relaxed, in a major relief for families of those serving in terrorist-affected areas such as Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast as well as Maoist-hit regions. According to an order, in all cases where a government servant covered by the National Pension System (NPS) goes missing during service, the benefits of family pension will be immediately paid to the family and in case he reappears and resumes service, the amount paid as family pension during the intervening time of his missing period can be accordingly deducted from his salary.Earlier, the family pension would not be paid till the missing government employee was declared dead in accordance with the law or till seven years had passed since he went missing, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Referring to the order of the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, the minister said this is going to provide a huge relief, particularly in those regions where instances of government employees going missing are reported more frequently Mr Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said cases of abduction of central government employees working in violence-prone areas have come to the fore and therefore to instill confidence and to protect them and their family interests, the changes in the pension rules were brought about. The minister informed that if a government servant covered by the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 goes missing, the benefits of arrears of salary, family pension, retirement gratuity, leave encashment, etc. are paid to the families of the missing employees in accordance with the instructions issued dated 25.06.2013.He said the matter has been examined in consultation with Department of Personnel and Training, Department of Financial Services and Department of Expenditure and considering the hardship faced by the family of such government servants, it has been decided to extend the same benefits (as applicable to those under the CCS (Pension) rules) to the families of government servants covered by NPS. The other provisions of the order states that in all cases where a government servant covered by NPS goes missing during service, the benefits of family pension may be paid to the family if the missing government servant had exercised option for benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules on death or discharge from service on disability/invalidation or the benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules is the default option under the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021.The benefit of arrears of salary, retirement gratuity and leave encashment shall be paid to the family in all cases where a government employee covered under NPS goes missing during service, irrespective whether the employee had exercised option for benefits under CCS (Pension) Rules or under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under National Pension System) Regulations, 2015, the statement said. In the case of a government servant covered under NPS goes missing during service and his family is given family pension under CCS (Pension) Rules or CCS (EOP) Rules, the Permanent Retirement Account under National Pension System would remain suspended till the government servant reappears or till he is declared dead in accordance with the rules, it said.In the event of re-appearance of government servant, the NPS account would be re-activated and the same account under NPS will become operative, the statement said. In case of government servant being declared dead at any time or after seven years, government contribution and returns thereon from the accumulated pension corpus under NPS would be transferred to the government account and remaining corpus comprising of employees' contribution and returns thereon would be paid to the nominee or legal heir, it said.Mr Singh said that ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government assumed office in 2014, the Department of Pension &amp; Pensioners' Welfare had introduced a number of revolutionary reforms, including relaxation in the provision of family pension for divorced daughters and Divyangs, introduction of face recognition technology through mobile app for ease in submitting life certificate by elderly pensioners and Electronic Pension Pay Order, among others to facilitate pension process, etc. He said that moreover steps like extension of family pension to differently abled child of a government employee/pensioner who has died or giving a major hike in the family pension emoluments for Divyang children are not only pension reforms but these are social reforms having wide implications.—PTI

Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said family pension rules for missing central government employees have been relaxed, in a major relief for families of those serving in terrorist-affected areas such as Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast as well as Maoist-hit regions.

Centre relaxes family pension rules for missing government employees

New Delhi: In the latest string of layoffs in the funding winter, conglomerate Indiabulls' social commerce platform Yaari has reportedly laid off nearly 150 employees which makes 60 per cent of its workforce.According to a report in the leading startup news coverage portal Inc42, Yaari is likely to be merged with another Indiabulls-backed entity called 'Dhani', which is an ecommerce platform.The layoffs reportedly occurred in the last week of April across supply support, customer support, business development and marketing verticals, and the company allegedly did not extend any severance package or health benefits to those impacted by the round of layoff. The company was yet to react to the report that came out on Tuesday. Yaari is a social commerce marketplace for customised consumer products. Yaari Digital Integrated Services launched the social commerce marketplace in March last year, to enable small businesses and resellers to start their business online via social channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram etc.The Yaari app was built to have a variety of products to choose from, that the individual resellers can resell among their social contacts. The app also provides aspiring entrepreneurs, especially men, the ease to start an online business from home by taking away risk of inventory management, payments and even order fulfilment. The latest round of layoffs came as the Indian startup ecosystem is reeling under severe tremors owing to global macro-economic factors like the war, high inflation, rising interest rates and China lockdowns. To date, over 8,000 startup employees have lost their jobs in India -- led by edtech companies -- and the list is only growing. Although, the figure may be more if we take contractual workers into the account. The situation is set to get worse with recession looming and VC funding drying up in the Indian startup ecosystem that received about $42 billion funding last year.—: IANS

In the latest string of layoffs in the funding winter, conglomerate Indiabulls' social commerce platform Yaari has reportedly laid off nearly 150 employees which makes 60 per cent of its workforce.

Indiabulls-Run Social Commerce Platform Yaari Lays Off 150 Workers

Srinagar: Amid unabated targeted killings in Kashmir, hundreds of government employees posted in the valley took out a march in Jammu on Thursday to demand their immediate transfer to their respective home districts. The protesters were carrying placards in support of their demand and pictures of their colleague Rajni Bala, a school teacher who was shot dead by terrorists at a school in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Tuesday, and chanted slogans demanding relocation.The march was carried out from Press Club to Ambedkar Chowk. Assembled under the banner of ‘All&nbsp;Jammu-based reserved categories employees association', the protesters said they will not resume their duties as the government has ”failed” to stop targeted killings and provide a secure atmosphere to them. ”Nearly 8,000 employees from different districts of Jammu are working in Kashmir under inter-district transfer policy and we are not going to return and resume our duties in the present atmosphere. We are serving there for the last 15 years but are feeling insecure and tense in view of the spurt in the targeted killings,” Ramesh Chand, a teacher posted in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, told reporters.He said they have also come to pay homage to Bala and demand the government to ensure free education to her minor daughter and secure a government job for her.”We are frustrated by the deteriorating security situation as nobody, including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs are safe there. Anyone can become a victim of terrorists anytime,” he said and referred to the latest killing of bank manager Vijay Kumar from Rajasthan in Kulgam district on Thursday.Another employee, Anjana Bala, a teacher posted in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, said, ”We do not need government accommodation or promotion, we only want our transfer from the valley as providing security to each employee is not possible.””There is no safe place in the valley and we are not ready to accept the government proposal of relocation within the valley,” she said, adding they have never faced any problem from the locals who have always supported them.She said if the government can abolish decade-old Article 370 in August 2019, what stops them from making minor changes in the transfer policy and relocating them to their home districts.”We did not support the people of Kashmir who were against the revocation of Article 370. They were right and today we regret our decision as nothing changed on the ground except that we had lost the special status,” she said.Another teacher said they have gone there to earn their livelihood and not to settle there.”The government is saying that they will relocate us to safer places but even after that if something untoward happens, who will be responsible. Today a bank manager was shot dead inside his secured office, while recently a Kashmiri pandit employee was gunned down in his office chamber,” he said.He said they have lost faith in the administration and will not return to the valley to become scapegoats.—PTI

Amid unabated targeted killings in Kashmir, hundreds of government employees posted in the valley took out a march in Jammu on Thursday to demand their immediate transfer to their respective home districts.

Scared J-K govt employees take out march in Jammu, seek transfer back home

Srinagar: A group of government employees, mostly teachers, staged a sit-in in Jammu for the second day on Friday to press for their transfer from Kashmir to their home districts in the Jammu region following a string of targeted killings by terrorists in Kashmir. These employees have returned to Jammu after their colleague, Rajni Bala, was shot dead by terrorists at a school in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Tuesday.Under the banner of 'All Jammu-based reserved categories employees association', the protesters took out a march from the Press Club to Ambedkar Chowk on Thursday and followed it by another sit-in at Panama Chowk in the heart of the city on Friday. "We are not going to return to Kashmir to resume our duties in the prevailing alarming situation following the targeted killings. We prefer to die here rather than go back," said Surinder Kumar.He urged the government to take note of their protest and ensure their transfer from Kashmir to the Jammu region.Kumar said they have already served in Kashmir for 15 years and "are not willing to return to get killed at the hands of terrorists".Women teachers, who took part in the protest, expressed their unwillingness to return to the Valley because of the security issues. "Where are the safer zones in Kashmir? We have to move out, drop our children at local schools and attend to our duties," a woman said.She said they were living happily with the local population in Kashmir over the past decade and claimed that targeted killings have triggered fear among them.—PTI

A group of government employees, mostly teachers, staged a sit-in in Jammu for the second day on Friday to press for their transfer from Kashmir to their home districts in the Jammu region following a string of targeted killings by terrorists in Kashmir.

Won't return to Kashmir to get killed by terrorists: protesting govt staff

A group of government employees, mostly teachers, staged a sit-in in Jammu for the second day on Friday to press for their transfer from Kashmir to their home districts in the Jammu region following a string of targeted killings by terrorists in Kashmir.



Srinagar: Several Kashmiri Pandits, who have got jobs in the Valley under Prime Minister's employment package, have reached Jammu along with their families and said an environment of apprehension is prevalent in the valley owing to the recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/report/amit-shah-reviews-kashmir-situation-amid-spate-of-civilian-killings/20220603.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(71, 123, 196);">spate in the targeted killings</a>&nbsp;by terrorists. The Pandits said they have heaved a sigh of relief on reaching their township at Jagti in the outskirts of Jammu after spending sleepless nights in their rented accommodations in the Kashmir over the past few weeks.Nearly 4,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandits are working in different departments in the valley after their selection under Prime Minister's employment package which was announced in 2008 having two major components -- one pertaining to the provision of 6,000 jobs for youth and another pertaining to the provision of 6,000 accommodation units for the recruited employees. The process of filling the remaining 2,000 odd jobs is in progress along with construction of 4,000 accommodation units. "An environment of apprehension is prevailing in Kashmir in the wake of the selective killings in different parts of the valley. We lost our colleague Rahul Bhat who was shot dead inside his office in Budgam district on May 12 and decided to leave for Jammu," Deepankar Raina said.He said the majority of the PM package employees were reluctant to stay back but the government sealed the transit camps with barbed wire and did not allow the occupants to leave."Our only demand is our relocation outside Kashmir which, we believe, is not safe for us. The government is talking about our relocation to secure places but Bhat was working in a well secured office and so was the banker Vijay Kumar who was gunned down inside his office in Kulgam district on Thursday," Raina said.He said they have to move out of the secured accommodation to attend their duties and buy daily use items like vegetables and milk.Another employee Amit Koul said he has decided not to return to Kashmir and put his life and his family in danger."Our only demand is relocation of PM package employees out of the valley. We are ready to serve anywhere else till the situation returns to normal," he said.Jagnesh Kumar said fear psychosis has gripped the community who are presently living in the valley and many of them who were living in rented accommodations in Kupwara, Baramulla, Anantnag and Budgam have already left for Jammu."We are watching the developments from Srinagar to Delhi where a high-level meeting is under progress. Kashmir belongs to us and we are ready to serve there but the government needs to provide a secure atmosphere," he said.He said the repeat of the 1990-like situation is on cards due to the failure of the security agencies to check the targeted killings."Kashmiri pandits left en masse for Jammu in 1990 and the ground realities are forcing the miniscule community to leave the valley again," he said.A woman employee, accompanied by her husband and a minor child, said since the killing of Bhat, every day was a nightmare for the family."We had sleepless nights in our rented accommodation over the past few weeks and thinking of going back to the valley is impossible," she said.Though the exact number of pandit families who have returned from Kashmir to Jagti township could not be ascertained officially, social activist Sunil Pandita claimed that dozens of families have come back from the valley over the past two days."The spurt in violence is the reflection of the failure of the government and exposed the false claims of normalcy returning to the valley in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370. Heads should roll at the highest level in the Union Territory," he said.—PTI

Several Kashmiri Pandits, who have got jobs in the Valley under Prime Minister's employment package, have reached Jammu along with their families and said an environment of apprehension is prevalent in the valley owing to the recent spate in the targeted killings by terrorists.

Several Pandit employees leave Kashmir, say violence shows govt failure

Several Kashmiri Pandits, who have got jobs in the Valley under Prime Minister's employment package, have reached Jammu along with their families and said an environment of apprehension is prevalent in the valley owing to the recent spate in the targeted killings by terrorists.



Srinagar: Amid a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/report/govt-not-letting-us-leave-kashmiri-pandit-organisation-moves-hc/20220603.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(71, 123, 196);">growing demand for shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees</a>&nbsp;to safer places after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/report/kashmiri-pandit-teacher-shot-dead-by-terrorists-in-jk/20220531.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(71, 123, 196);">a series of targeted killings</a>, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday made it clear the employees would not be moved out of the Valley but transferred to safer locations. Official also said the recent escalation in targeted terrorist violence would not lead to any change in plans for holding the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled from June 30-August 11.The assertion comes in the wake of a spate of terror incidents which included targeted killings of civilians. One of the victim was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rediff.com/news/report/kashmiri-pandit-employee-shot-dead-inside-j-k-government-office/20220512.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(71, 123, 196);">Rahul Bhat</a>. Bhat was a Kashmiri Pandit migrant who was employed under a prime minister's package. He who was shot dead by terrorists on May 12 at his office in Chadoora of Budgam in central Kashmir.His brutal killing sparked demonstration by around 6,000 employees at various places who demanded their relocation outside the Valley.But officials Friday argued that the Jammu and Kashmir administration cannot be a party to any 'ethnic-cleansing' scripted from across the border by agreeing to the demand of Kashmiri Pandit employees to be shifted out of the Valley.They also asserted the killing of soft targets by terror groups won't deter them from holding the annual Amarnath Yatra.Over two lakh pilgrims have already registered themselves for the annual pilgrimage, they said.The terror groups working at the behest of 'countries fomenting terrorism' are worried by the return of normalcy in the Valley and therefore, soft targets are picked up to instil fear among the masses and create chaos, they said.The J-K administration is not going to be bogged down by this, they said, exuding confidence that the security forces would put an end to these targeted killings like they did in October 2021 when terrorists carried out a spate of targeted attacks including on prominent chemist M L Bindroo and a Sikh teacher.The officials said the Amarnath Yatra was a symbol of Kashmir's composite culture and will go on despite some threat perception which will be handled.They said these targeted killings show that terror groups' ability to strike at protected targets has shrunk, and therefore soft targets are being approached.They said there was an evil design behind these targeted killings and cautioned that the attacks were not to create a division between Hindus and Muslims but to establish one 'nizam' in the Valley. For this they can kill anyone who doesn't follow their line, they said, pointing out that Muslims have also been killed by these groups.The officials, while talking about prospects of holding elections in the union territory, said this was a decision that would be taken by the Election Commission only.—PTI

Amid a growing demand for shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees to safer places after a series of targeted killings, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday made it clear the employees would not be moved out of the Valley but transferred to safer locations.

J-K admin refuses to shift Kashmiri Pandit employees out of Valley

Amid a growing demand for shifting Kashmiri Pandit employees to safer places after a series of targeted killings, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday made it clear the employees would not be moved out of the Valley but transferred to safer locations.



San Francisco: SpaceX has fired employees who wrote an open letter against Elon Musk's behaviour on Twitter in the public sphere, calling it a "frequent source of distraction and embarrassment" for them.According to The New York Times, a number of the letter's drafters were fired by the company late on Thursday, and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell criticised the open letter as "overreaching activism".Shotwell said SpaceX had "terminated a number of employees involved" in writing the letter. "The letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views," wrote Shotwell."We have too much critical work to accomplish and no need for this kind of overreaching activism," she added.In an open letter addressed to company executives, the employees called out Musk's behaviour on Twitter, regarding allegations of sexual harassment against him by a female company employee last month."As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX, every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company. It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values," the SpaceX employees wrote.Employees "across the spectra of gender, ethnicity, seniority, and technical roles have collaborated on" writing the letter. Last month, an Insider report claimed that Musk allegedly offered to buy a horse to a SpaceX female employee in exchange for an erotic massage and touching "his genitals"."She accused Musk of... rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage," the report claimed, quoting interviews and documents.The incident took place in 2016 and was reported in a declaration "signed by a friend of the attendant and prepared in support of her claim".Musk defended himself on Twitter, saying "it was clear that their only goal was a hit price to interfere with the Twitter acquisition. The story was written before they even talked to me".In an email sent to employees, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell also defended Musk."Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations," Shotwell wrote.The letter by the employees argued that the company is not living up to its zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy."This must change. SpaceX must swiftly and explicitly separate itself from Elon's personal brand," the employees wrote in the open letter.A US judge last month denied Tesla's motion for arbitration in a sexual harassment case, directing that the lawsuit accusing Musk-run electric car company fostering a workplace with "rampant" sexual harassment will continue.Tesla employee Jessica Barraza filed the lawsuit last year, claiming she was "subjected to catcalling, lewd comments, and inappropriate touching while working as a production associate at Tesla's Fremont, California factory". After her, at least six more woman came forward and filed separate lawsuits against electric car-maker for rampant sexually harassment. —IANS

 SpaceX has fired employees who wrote an open letter against Elon Musk's behaviour on Twitter in the public sphere, calling it a "frequent source of distraction and embarrassment" for them.

SpaceX Fires Employees Who Wrote Open Letter Against Elon Musk 

Dehradun: Bracing for the monsoon, the Uttarakhand government on Monday cancelled leave of all its employees till September 30. The order was issued by Chief Secretary S S Sandhu in view of the state"s extreme vulnerability to natural disasters, especially during the rainy season.Government employees should not be granted leave till September 30 unless it is unavoidable, the order said.The competent official sanctioning leave due to unavoidable circumstances should also name the employee to be deputed as a substitute, it said.Landslides, cloudbursts and flash floods are common in Uttarakhand during the monsoon and often call for massive rescue and relief efforts.&nbsp;—PTI&nbsp;

Bracing for the monsoon, the Uttarakhand government on Monday cancelled leave of all its employees till September 30. 

U'khand Govt Cancels Leave Of Its Employees Till Sept 30 To Tackle Monsoon Damages

Sultanpur: Two employees of the transport department were run over by a speeding truck in this Uttar Pradesh district during checking early on Tuesday morning.Both driver Abdul Momin and constable Arun died on the spot.&nbsp;The Additional Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Sultanpur said that transport personnel tried to stop the truck for routine checking but the driver mowed them down. He fled the spot under the cover of darkness.The incident took place under Gosainganj police circle near Madhavpur Chatauna village.Senior police officials reached the spot and sent the bodies for post-mortem.—IANS

Two employees of the transport department were run over by a speeding truck in this Uttar Pradesh district during checking early on Tuesday morning.

2 Transport Employees Run Over By Truck During Checking In UP's Sultanpur

Gurugram: In a shocking incident, a couple was allegedly thrashed by bouncers at the newly constructed Ghamroj toll plaza on the Gurugram-Sohna Highway.The video of the incident has gone viral over social media platforms. A scuffle between the victims and the accused can be seen in the video.The entire incident was also captured on CCTV cameras of the toll plaza, which took place on Tuesday afternoon.In the complaint, Ritu Yadav, a resident of Raisina village of Gurugram told the police that she was going from Raisina to Maruti Kunj in her car with her husband and children.When she reached the toll plaza she stopped the car and asked the toll employees to remove the barrier."But instead of removing the barrier, the toll bouncer threatened to kill us while allowing the other vehicles to pass through unhindered," she alleged."My husband was driving and when I got down from the car and started removing the barrier, a toll bouncer came and started beating me up. A few minutes later, another bouncer came running and damaged our car by jumping on its bonnet. Later they started beating me and my husband and also misbehaved with us," the complainant told the police.Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Bhondsi police station."Based on the complainant, a case has been registered and police has conducted raids to nab the accused. Further investigation is underway", Inspector Devender Kumar, SHO of the Bhondsi police station told IANS."We have told the toll plaza management to put up boards with the names of the villages whose residents are exempt from paying toll," he added.—IANS

In a shocking incident, a couple was allegedly thrashed by bouncers at the newly constructed Ghamroj toll plaza on the Gurugram-Sohna Highway.

 Couple thrashed by toll plaza employees in Gurugram, case registered

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that restaurants should raise the salaries of the employees if they were concerned about their staff. The court said this while dealing with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)'s plea in relation to the service charge issue of eateries. The division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chander Sharma was hearing the appeal of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) challenging the July 20 stay order on its new guidelines restraining restaurants from adding a service charge by default to food bills.
The bench also comprising Justice Subramonium Prasad, also asked whether consumers be forced to pay a service charge. The common man can feel the service charge as imposed by the government is like a tax, the bench remarked. The matter will be further heard on August 18. The stay of the fresh guidelines of the country's consumer watchdog on July 20 was following the challenging plea of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
In the last hearing, Justice Yashwant Varma remarked: "Don't pay. Don't enter the restaurant. It's a matter of choice." Granting the stay, the court has also directed that the information regarding the levy of Service Charge should be displayed on menu cards and also otherwise displayed so that customers are aware of this charge. Importantly, the court also clarified that the Service Charge cannot be levied on any takeaway orders. NRAI is very relieved with the passing of this order because it otherwise had a direct adverse impact on the human capital employed in the trade.
In its response to the verdict, the NRAI said it has always been steadfast in its assertion that there is nothing illegal in levying of Service Charge and it is a very transparent system. "The levying of service charge is a matter of contract and decision of the management. The levying of service charge is displayed at various places in the restaurant. The same is also displayed on the menu cards of the restaurants. Once the customer places the order after being made aware of the terms and conditions there comes into existence a binding contract. No authority can interfere with the binding nature of a valid contract until and unless it is shown and proved to be unconscionable or is an unfair trade practice," it stated.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, has issued guidelines for preventing unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights with regard to the hotels and restaurants levying service charge, stating that the consumer may lodge a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) against such practice. The CCPA said that the consumer may make a request to the concerned hotel or restaurant to remove service charge from the bill amount. The consumer may also file a complaint against unfair trade practices with the Consumer Commission. As per the appeal of the consumer watchdog, "The Guidelines have been issued for safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers and to protect the consumers from unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights due to mandatory collection of service charge and adding such charge automatically or by default in the food bill without allowing consumers the choice or discretion to decide whether they want to pay such charge or not."
—IANS

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that restaurants should raise the salaries of the employees if they were concerned about their staff. The court said this while dealing with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)'s plea in relation to the service charge issue of eateries.

 'If eateries are worried about staff, raise salaries', Delhi HC on service charge plea

Haridwar: As many as nine employees of the Uttarakhand Excise department including the Excise Inspector were suspended after four people died due to the consumption of alcohol in the Pathri area of Haridwar on Saturday.
According to the Chief Minister's Office, the step was taken after the instructions of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami.
"On the instructions of Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, nine employees of Excise Department including the Excise Inspector suspended on the death of four due to consumption of alcohol in the Pathri area of Haridwar. CM said that strict action to be taken against guilty," said the CMO.
Earlier, Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police, Yogendra Singh Rawat said that post-mortem of the deceased will be done to ascertain the cause of death. "Four deaths took place in Phoolgarh village under Pathri PS limits today. Reports suggest the cause of the death to be the consumption of alcohol. Post mortem will be done to ascertain whether it was due to excess consumption or if something was infused," he said.
The official said that the police are probing the people to find the source of the alcohol and informed that no person was hospitalised.
"Interrogation is being done with some people to find the source of the alcohol. Everything is peaceful in the village, I went too to monitor that. No person has been hospitalized," the SSP said. Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar has suspended SHO and three constables after an SIT was constituted under SP Rekha Yadav to investigate the death of four people post consumption of liquor. Along with this, three candidates contesting panchayat elections were also taken into custody. Further investigation into the matter is underway. —ANI

 As many as nine employees of the Uttarakhand Excise department including the Excise Inspector were suspended after four people died due to the consumption of alcohol in the Pathri area of Haridwar on Saturday.

9 Excise Dept Employees Suspended After 4 Die Due To Alcohol Consumption In U'khand's Haridwar

Puducherry: The Puducherry government has requested the Centre to provide the services of Power Grid officials to tackle the crisis in the power sector of the union territory. Notably, the employees of the electricity department of the Union Territory are on an indefinite strike since September 28. They are protesting against the government's move of inviting tender to privatise power distribution. The Union Territory is facing a crisis with several parts plunging into darkness after some electricity staff allegedly took away fuse wires in some places. Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has warned agitating employees of evoking stringent action of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against them. On Saturday night, some parts of the state witnessed power cuts for five to seven hours and in some places, it continued till Sunday. People blocked the roads in Villiyanur and Ariyapalayam. State Home minister A. Namassivayam, who also holds the electricity portfolio, called an urgent meeting of the police officials and requested an additional company of CRPF. In rural areas of Sedrapet and Madagadipet, protestors blocked the road for hours on Sunday leading to the local legislators taking up the matter with the home minister. Namassivayam held an emergency meeting with top police brass and the state Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma on Sunday late night. The DG of Police, UT of Puducherry, Manoj Kumar Lal was also present. "We will not allow anyone to take law in their hands and taking away fuse carriers in sub-stations leaving general public including patients at the hospital at their mercy can never be allowed. We have requested the central government to deploy the services of Power Grid of India officials to control the situation as well as two companies of paramilitary force to stand guard to the power stations in the territory,".
—IANS

The Puducherry government has requested the Centre to provide the services of Power Grid officials to tackle the crisis in the power sector of the union territory.

 Puducherry govt requests for Power Grid officials to tackle stir by electricity employees

San Francisco/New Delhi (The Hawk): Elon Musk ruthlessly fired over half of Twitter's 7,600-person employees, closing numerous divisions completely around the world, including in India, in one of the most severe layoffs the tech industry has ever witnessed.
According to The Verge, teams working on trust and safety problems, such as those entrusted with fending against election misinformation before the US midterm elections on November 8, were hit the worst.
Product trust and safety, policy, communications, tweet curation, ethical AI, data science, research, machine learning, social good, accessibility, and several key engineering teams were among the Twitter verticals that suffered the most.
Additionally fired were Tony Haile, a senior director of product, and Arnaud Weber, vice president of consumer product engineering.
"I have also chosen to disconnect from Twitter. People on both sides of the 50% divide are unsure of whether to feel grateful or devastated today "Haile, a former Twitter Frontiers Lead, tweeted.
The futures of those still employed by the company are uncertain.
"I discovered when I woke up that my employment with Twitter had ended. I'm devastated. I'm denying it. The experience has been the finest, wildest, and most rewarding of my career. I have enjoyed every second of it "Michele Austin, a former employee of Twitter, said.
Musk fired the majority of its over 200-person workforce in India.
Marketing, engineering, and communications departments were reportedly the hardest hit.
Those whose jobs were protected are always terrified that they would lose them in the subsequent round, which they believe will come shortly.
The roles of workers in other nations have been "identified as potentially impacted or at risk of redundancy," according to the notification sent to those workers.
The layoffs will affect "approximately 50% of the staff," according to the employee FAQ.
Musk expressed his eagerness to "communicate with everyone about his vision for the company in the near future."
Twitter has been sued in the US for mass layoffs that occurred without providing written advance warning to employees.
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the California WARN Act, both of which call for 60 days' notice, are among the worker protection regulations that have been violated, according to the case, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
(Inputs from Agencies)

Elon Musk ruthlessly fired over half of Twitter's 7,600-person employees, closing numerous divisions completely around the world, including in India, in one of the most severe layoffs the tech industry has ever witnessed.

Twitter suffers a bloodbath as Musk fires half of its 7,600 staff

Surat / Dehradun: Govind Dholakia, Founder &amp; Chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd (SRK), a global leader in the diamond industry recently organised a 14-day all-inclusive trip to Uttarakhand for nearly 1000 staff members and their families.
SRK Gange Express- an AC special train was booked to facilitate the tour to Rishikesh from Surat. The 5th 'SRK Family Tour' to Rishikesh commenced on the auspicious day of Dhanteras, 22nd of October.
Under the leadership of Govindkaka, SRK Exports organises the trip every alternate year during the Diwali season, as they believe in strengthening the bond among employees by travelling together.
Each morning started with a rejuvenating Yogasana session followed by a Ganga samuh snan (community bath) and recitation of verses from the holy book Shrimad Bhagavad Gita by Govindkaka.
In addition to soaking in the spiritual atmosphere of Rishikesh, there were a variety of team building activities that included adventure and cultural programmes from river rafting and sports tournaments to Patanjali ashram tour, blood donation camp, motivation seminars, Ganga aarti darshan and dandiya-raas. There were also 2 free days for the employees to sight see the town with their families.
"We plan these journeys so that our entire SRK family and their leader are aligned with the same sentiment and value system. The reason I recite the Bhagavad katha is to motivate everyone to do the same," said Govindkaka. Everyone is encouraged to actively participate in the Bhagavad Gita session by asking questions to Govindkaka and also recite the verses if they wish to. As a firm believer in the preservation of the environment and with the spirit of giving back to the nature, SRKians also organised the 5th Ganga Safayi Abhiyaan (Clean Ganga Campaign) on the ghats of the holy river.
"Govindkaka treats us like his own family members and travels with us. He also ensures that our family too is a part of the holiday which makes the whole experience very memorable," remarked an SRKian.
Founded by Shri Govind Dholakia aka Govindkaka SRK is one of the world's leading diamond crafting and exporting conglomerates. Valued at more than 1.8 billion USD, SRK employs over 6,000 people and has played a pivotal role in transforming India's contribution into the global economy over the last six decades.
A purpose driven organization committed to what it calls 'PURE' trust, transparency and tenacity, SRK is galvanizing the gems and jewelry industry to prioritize ESG compliance and shed light on the urgent and necessary acceleration efforts for a zero emissions India and beyond. SRK is recognized as the most compliant company in the industry with the highest number of ISO, System &amp; Process certifications.
Additionally, more than 4.5 per cent of SRK's profits are contributed to various CSR and community welfare initiatives. Rooted in Govindkaka's lifelong pursuit of equitable opportunity, upward mobility, and universal living standards, the pioneering diamond entity holds an unwavering dedication to ensuring sustainability and human welfare remain the cornerstones of its growing empire for good.

Govind Dholakia, Founder & Chairman of Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt. Ltd (SRK), a global leader in the diamond industry recently organised a 14-day all-inclusive trip to Uttarakhand for nearly 1000 staff members and their families.

Diamond Baron From Surat Takes Employees On Fifth Spiritual Trip During Diwali Vacation

San Francisco (The Hawk): Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, fired about 11,000 workers on Wednesday, or nearly 13% of the company's global workforce, in one of the largest layoffs in corporate history. He also extended a recruiting embargo through Q1 2023.
Given the extent of access to sensitive information, the corporation also disabled most Meta systems for departing employees, "keeping email addresses active throughout the day so everyone may bid farewell."
The corporation will pay 16 weeks of basic pay as severance, plus two more weeks for each year of service, "with no cap."
Over 87,000 people are employed by the parent firm of Facebook (NASDAQ:META) and Instagram (as of September).
Zuckerberg announced in a statement that the business will take additional measures to become leaner and more effective, including reducing discretionary spending and extending its hiring freeze through Q1.
According to Zuckerberg, "today I'm sharing some of the most challenging adjustments we've ever undertaken at Meta. I've decided to cut the size of our team by around 13% and let go of more than 11,000 of our great employees."
I know this is terrible for everyone, and I'm especially sorry to those impacted, but I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we arrived at this point, he continued.
Everyone will shortly receive an email informing them of the implications of this layoff, according to the CEO of Meta.
Then, he continued, "any affected employee will have the chance to speak with someone, get their issues answered, and participate in educational sessions."
Everyone impacted will get their November 15, 2022 share vesting, and Meta will cover any remaining paid time off (PTO) hours.
According to Zuckerberg, the business would "give three months of career support through an external vendor, including early access to unpublished employment leads." They will also "pay the cost of healthcare for workers and their families for six months."
He attributed the decision to the financial slump, increasing competition, and loss of advertisements signals, claiming that these factors made "revenue far lower than I'd projected."
"I made a mistake, and I accept responsibility for it. We need to become more capital efficient in this new climate. The CEO of Meta stated, "We have concentrated more of our resources on a smaller number of high priority development areas, such as our AI discovery engine, our advertising and commercial platforms, and our long-term vision for the metaverse.
"We've reduced expenses across the board, including budgets, benefits, and the size of our real estate portfolio. Teams are being reorganised to improve productivity. I've also had to make the difficult decision to let employees go since these steps by themselves won't be enough to bring our spending into line with our revenue growth, Zuckerberg continued.
Even the most influential Meta investors have expressed disapproval of his $10 billion per year metaverse plan.
According to Zuckerberg, being laid off is particularly challenging if "you're here on a visa."
"Everyone will have time to make arrangements and sort out their immigration status because there is a notice period prior to termination and some visa grace periods. In a blog post, he wrote, "We have devoted immigration specialists to help guide you depending on what you and your family require."
"Support will be similar outside the US, and we'll follow up with distinct procedures that take into account local employment regulations soon," he continued.
(Inputs from Agencies)

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, fired about 11,000 workers on Wednesday, or nearly 13% of the company's global workforce, in one of the largest layoffs in corporate history. He also extended a recruiting embargo through Q1 2023.

Zuckerberg extends Meta's hiring freeze and fires 11,000 employees

San Francisco (The Hawk): The e-commerce behemoth Amazon has revealed job losses at the corporation as Big Tech enters the season of layoffs. According to Amazon, some teams are "making adjustments" in the present macroeconomic climate while "consolidating some teams and programmes."
Although initial reports put the figure at 10,000 people, or 3% of its employment, the corporation withheld the precise number of affected employees.
A corporate representative was quoted by TechCrunch late on Wednesday as stating, "As part of our yearly operations planning review process, we always look at each of our businesses and what we believe we should alter."
According to the spokesperson, "as we've gone through this, some teams are making modifications, which in some situations implies specific roles are no longer necessary, given the current macroeconomic context (as well as several years of rapid hiring)."
We don't take these choices lightly, and we're doing everything we can to support any affected staff.
In a separate internal post, senior vice president of Devices and Services Dave Limp stated that "we recently decided to merge several teams and programmes" following "a deep set of reviews."
Some roles won't be needed any longer as a result of these decisions, according to Limp.
"We will help the transition with a package that includes a separation payment, transitional benefits, and outside job placement support in circumstances where employees cannot find a new career within the company," Limp continued.
Numerous departments have been affected by the drastic employment layoffs, but particularly the Luna cloud gaming branch and the Alexa virtual assistant company.
The Washington Post previously stated that "Amazon employees were brought into meetings with their bosses around the country on Tuesday and many were informed they had two months to find another internal position or take severance payment."
Employees had a negative response to the choice.
"The fact of the issue is that this shitshow would not exist if the corporation was more open. The majority of the populace is now pondering who will be next "Recode was told by a senior firm manager.
"Even if I still want to work for this company, I'm not sure. What a terrible way to treat people "stated a senior management at Amazon.
Thousands of workers have already been let go by companies like Meta, Twitter, Salesforce, and others; Meta alone let go more than 11,000 workers.
(Inputs from Agencies)

The e-commerce behemoth Amazon has revealed job losses at the corporation as Big Tech enters the season of layoffs. According to Amazon, some teams are "making adjustments" in the present macroeconomic climate while "consolidating some teams and programmes."

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