TRAI Reduces National Roaming Tariff Ceilings from 1st July 2013.

   TRAI Reduces National Roaming Tariff Ceilings, Permits Customised Tariffs Through Special Tariff Vouchers for National Roamers and Mandates Free National Roaming Plans.
 
   TRAI has reduced ceilings for national roaming calls and SMS and instituted a new regime for providing flexibility to telecom service providers to customise tariffs for national roamers through STVs and Combo Vouchers. TRAI has also mandated two types of free national roaming plans to be provided by all telecom service providers. These changes will come into effect from 1st July 2013.

   National roaming service is the facility provided to a subscriber to use his cell-phone to make and receive voice calls and SMS when travelling outside the geographical coverage area of his home network, by using a visited network. In the Indian context, national roaming refers to facilities for making and receiving calls and SMS when the subscriber is travelling in a State which is different from the State of his residence.

   The present exercise to review national roaming tariffs was initiated by TRAI earlier this year in the context of decline in costs and the declared intent in the New Telecom Policy-2012 to move towards One Nation-Free Roaming throughout the country.

Railways to Launch Ticket Booking through Non-Internet based Mobile Phones with Effect from 1st July 2013.

   With an aim to further facilitate the passengers, Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC),a public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, will be launching a pilot project of ticketing through non-internet based mobile phones with effect from 1st July 2013. This will enable people using non-internet based mobile phones to easily access Railway ticketing services through SMS/IVRS/USSD. The scheme is user-friendly, secure and also eco-friendly, as no print out is required.

   Indian Railways has continuously endeavored to improve the ease and access of ticketing. The e-ticketing initiative of Indian Railways has been one of the most passenger-friendly initiatives of Indian Railways. In order to further expand the reach of ticketing, the Minister of Railways had made a Budget announcement regarding launch of ticketing through mobile phones was announced in the Railway Budget. The objective was to tap the potential of mobile phone market in India and thereby facilitate the common man, by providing him any-where any-time and hassle free booking option.

Central Govt. is at present not considering any move to raise the Retirement age to 62 years.

   There was no such proposal to increase the age for superannuation of central government employees to 62

   Central government employees are in for a disappointment as the Centre is at present not considering any move to raise the retirement age to 62 years.

   A senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which acts as nodal department for personnel matters, said there was no such proposal to increase the age for superannuation of government employees.

   “There is no proposal to increase the retirement age to 62 from 60 years. The Ministry is not working on any such proposal,” the official said.

   Recent media reports claimed that the Ministry has written to Prime Minister’s Office for raising the retirement age and sought the Union Cabinet’s nod for the purpose.