Lok Sabha Question No. 6426 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Grameen Dak Sevaks
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: RAHUL KASWAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.6426

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH   APRIL, 2017

## GRAMEEN DAK SEVAKS

## †6426. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Grameen Dak Sevaks working in the country as of now, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to make them permanent government employees and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether any proposal regarding transfer of Dakpals/Postal Assistants on vacant posts is under consideration and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of the transfer policy of Grameen Dak Sevaks/Dakpals?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) The number of Gramin Dak Sevaks State/UT wise is given in the annexure.
- (b) No,  Madam.  There  is  no  proposal  to  make  Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  permanent Government employees. Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the matter of Superintendent of Post Offices vs. PK Rajamma (1977) (3) SCC held that the Extra Departmental Agents [now called  Gramin  Dak  Sevaks]  are  holders  of  the  civil  post  outside  the  regular  civil  services. They are part time employees being engaged for maximum of 5 hrs a day and belong to a separate and distinct category.
- (c) No, Madam.
- (d) Gramin  Dak  Sevaks  are  provided  with  the  facility  of  limited  transfer,  in  cases  of posting  at  a  distant  place  on  redeployment  in  the  event  of  abolition  of  the  post,  on  being appointed on compassionate grounds and posted at a distant place and on marriage/remarriage  of  woman  GDS.  It  is  also  available  where  the  GDS  himself/herself suffers from extreme hardship due to a disease and for medical attention/treatment of self on production of valid medical certificate from the medical officer of a Government Hospital. This facility is further available for looking after the welfare of a physically handicapped/mentally handicapped person/dependant requiring to move to different places to give support to such dependant. The facility is available subject to the condition that GDS is eligible for only one transfer during the entire career and having a minimum service of 3 years. An exception to these provisions has been made for women Gramin Dak Sevaks, who availed the transfer facility on the ground of extreme hardship due to a disease and for medical attention/treatment before their marriage and now they can avail the facility for a second time in the event of their marriage/re-marriage.

## STATE WISE LIST OF NUMBER OF GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS WORKING IN THE COUNTRY

|   Sl. No. | Name of the State   |   Number of Gramin Dak Sevaks working in the country |
|-----------|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andhra Pradesh      |                                                16875 |
|         2 | Arunachal Pradesh   |                                                  521 |
|         3 | Assam               |                                                 8667 |
|         4 | Bihar               |                                                15770 |
|         5 | Chhattisgarh        |                                                 4915 |
|         6 | Delhi               |                                                  214 |
|         7 | Goa                 |                                                  345 |
|         8 | Gujarat             |                                                12821 |
|         9 | Haryana             |                                                 3985 |
|        10 | Himachal Pradesh    |                                                 6118 |
|        11 | Jammu & Kashmir     |                                                 2580 |
|        12 | Jharkhand           |                                                 6074 |
|        13 | Karnataka           |                                                15389 |
|        14 | Kerala              |                                                10727 |
|        15 | Madhya Pradesh      |                                                12245 |
|        16 | Maharashtra         |                                                19844 |
|        17 | Manipur             |                                                 1804 |
|        18 | Meghalaya           |                                                  927 |
|        19 | Mizoram             |                                                  909 |
|        20 | Nagaland            |                                                  838 |
|        21 | Odisha              |                                                14084 |
|        22 | Punjab              |                                                 5719 |
|        23 | Rajasthan           |                                                13708 |
|        24 | Sikkim              |                                                  501 |
|        25 | Tamil Nadu          |                                                21598 |
|        26 | Telangana           |                                                 8813 |
|        27 | Tripura             |                                                 1305 |
|        28 | Uttar Pradesh       |                                                28466 |
|        29 | Uttarakhand         |                                                 5999 |
|        30 | West Bengal         |                                                16117 |

## UNION TERRITORY WISE LIST OF NUMBER OF GRAMIN DAK SEVAKS WORKING IN THE COUNTRY

|   SL. No. | Name of the Union Territory   |   Number of Gramin Dak Sevaks working in the country |
|-----------|-------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andaman and Nicobar           |                                                  185 |
|         2 | Chandigarh                    |                                                  425 |
|         3 | Daman and Diu                 |                                                   14 |
|         4 | Dadar and Nagar Haveli        |                                                    2 |
|         5 | Lakshdweep                    |                                                    6 |
|         6 | Puducherry                    |                                                  156 |

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## Annexure