I.P.S.A.A.
(Indian Postal System Administrators Association
Sir,
Placed Below is Our Representation Please.
Department of Posts, is one among the many Departments under Govt. of India having prolix operations. Almost all the areas of work are computerized that include works at different levels of hierarchy. It is delectable that our Department has kept pace with the changing world, by instituting technological advances as well as the promptitude and probity towards customer satisfaction.


Department of Posts caters the need for people of all walks of life. It deals with the Financial sector that comprises of the Savings Bank, Savings Certificates, PPF, Senior Citizen schemes etc with an intangible network span beyond any challenge that either Public Sector or Private Sector could come anywhere near. It also caters to the Insurance Sector with a century old history, which no other insurance players can match. It also caters to the Logistics and newly emerged e-Commerce area. This Department also have a privilege that other Departments could not boast off, that is the self reliance and self support of its technology and software developments including implementation, customization, standardization and support. This Department is a technologically driven and professionally managed one.


The Department of Posts has been constantly developing various softwares some regionally developed and some through different software outlets. These softwares are then implemented on all over the country in various levels of hierarchy. All these implementations including development and support are done through a few number of people, who are designated and given the nomenclature as “System Administrators” by the Department. These conglomerate group of techies have strived tirelessly and relentlessly to bring good returns and success story for the Department. The Department in return has shown some felicity in acknowledging the hardships each one takes but the decision of the 6th Pay Commission in embarking the requirement or granting any privileges to these few people is very painful and estranged. The Pay Commission had taken a precarious opinion in considering the plight of System Administrators, or creating a new cadre. These egregious and erudite lot of techies have given everything in life even sacrificing there private life and happiness for the cause of bringing success to the Department in software implementations. Hence it is imperative therefore to articulate the works associated with these few number of people and to prove why it cannot merely be considered a midge request nor it can be sorted out as any work transcending from a particular cadre.


The System Administrators though are selected from the cadre of Postal Assistants/ Sorting Assistants in the Pay Scale of 4000-100-6000, which demands a minimum qualification of PDC (10+2), in reality the System Administrators are selected on the basis of their extra technological degrees and proven quality of excelling in computer field. All the System Administrators are technology savvy people, who are having aptitude in computer field, by getting rigorous training from training centers such as PTC Mysore and also through the selected few private centers.. They have infact taken pain in studying the softwares and many other programming languages, Database and security operations, which is essential for any software implementations. Only transformation of services ie., the official taken in the cadre of Postal Assistant to work as System Adminstrator is not at all reflect the true judicature, as it is wrong evaluation of the type of work. The work of System Administrator requires talent as well as intelligence much more than a clerical job. Just as a Signal Man in the Railways Department cannot be utilized to work as an Engine Driver or an Airhostess cannot fly an aeroplance, it is not possible for a clerical staff to work as a software professional until and unless that person have some extra talent, and intelligence along with professional qualification. It is in this point that we would like to put forward the necessity of such a cadres and also recognize the hardships and efforts of the few number of System Administrators in implementing the technical and technological excellence in the Department.


The System Administrators are the people who gets the software developed for vivid use of Postal Sectors. There are development centers that includes the PTC Mysore and many others at different Postal Circles. These developed softwares are to be customized according to office requirements, implement and install them, give trainings on its operation on site thereby to move from office to office doing the same. There are other e-Commerce related websites which are also to be updated in day to day basis and to be able to keep it running without fail.


The System Administrators are also required to prepare sites (Like Head Office/ Sub Office / Branch Office ) as to how the implementations are to be carried out in respect of networking, Domain Server and security. They are responsible for the safe functioning of all offices in respect of Server, nodes, Printers, e-Commerce, UPS, Generators, Internet facilities, FTP, Log Files, Virus updations, Service Pack of software, Service Pack of Operating Systems, elucidating very few things that System Administrators do from time to time.


The System Administrators also work as Programmers developing softwares regionally as it becomes necessary at times to have regional softwares. These System Administrators also be considered at par as Programmers as many are working like this in Trichy, Chennai, Mysore, Vizag,Kochi to name a few Regions. These softwares if developed outside the Department will incur Crores of Rupees for development. These System Administrators are saving enormous revenue for the Department in the cause of development, installation, testing, maintenance and support of softwares


The System Administrators are those filtered and selected from the group of higher and technically qualified people from the selected group of Postal Assistants. Though these people have voluntarily agreed to the same for the cause of the betterment of service, the returns and remuneration that they get is very poultry. It is reminded that the 6th Pay Commission had a promise that the loosing of Human Resource in the Central Government will be brought to the barest minimum. The non recognition of this particular cadre and also not rewarding these few people with anything other than what a usual employee would get in the same cadre of selection (Postal Assistant) will lead to jettison the Department with most of these talented pool of employees, who were eagerly waiting just for the release of the 6th Pay Commission to know what exactly would be materializing. The Salary and Perks paid to similar technologically talented people in Private sectors is unimaginably huge, and in several multiples as they are getting right now, also the demand is also more. Hence the right recognition and rewards to these people is absolutely imparitive and it will act as a measure of correct and punctilious judicature.


Thus the System Administrators plea for a new cadre at par with that of Software Programer/ System Analyst or at least with a Data Processing Assistant is an absolute necessity. It should also be like all the System Administrators who have tirelessly worked during the implementation stages should automatically be absorbed in the new cadre along with the creation of separate selection formula.