Action points related to CBS

ACTION POINTS RELATED TO CBS

Finacle

Point 1: The main base for the non-accessibility of the Finacle server, is either with the Main server capacity or the programming done by the Infosys. Bandwidth alone is not the reason for the slowness in Finacle. So,server as in Railways has to be installed. If necessary post offices across the country may be divided into four zones and one server for each zone with inter accessibility may be installed. The bandwidth for single handed and other S.Os should be increased. To overcome the existing problem additional servers shall be provided to bear the load.

Reply : Since start of June 2016, performance of Finacle availability has shown considerable improvement. Option of adding additional Servers are also examined at Directorate level.

Point 2: From the date of migration, the Finacle server is not running promptly and takes very much time in processing even a single transaction.

Reply: Directorate has informed that WAR ROOM set up at Infosys campus Bangalore will continue to monitor the health of Finacle. DPS, SK Region Bangalore has been nominated as coordinator from the Department.

Report on inaccessibility/slowness issues is submitted on daily basis to Directorate for action

Since start of June 2016, performance of Finacle Server is satisfactory

Point 3: Agent portal is not working from last 10 days and not services of this portal is not resumed till date.

Reply: Agent portal was not working during month of May and now it is working smoothly. The issue was already taken up with Directorate and SB order was issued on this regards to accept the Agent schedule through BCP in case of slowness or inaccessibility.

Point 4: Variety of services in Finacle Server found to be inaccessible on routine basis. Whenever one error rectified, another appears in a consecutive manner.

Reply: Since start of June 2016, no such issues are occurring

Point 5: Finacle works on the principle of maker and checker, but in single hand offices where only one official works, this concept of maker and checker not seems to be logical. Either the concept of maker and checker should be scrapped or the concept of single hand offices should be abolished. All single hand SO’s should be upgraded to Double Hand SO’s.

Reply: Policy matter to be taken up with Directorate. In Finacle due to performance issue, Maker & checker concept has been adopted for all SOLs inspite of status. In single handed office , in fact it gives an opportunity to the SPM to check for correctness of transactions entered by him as CPA in his Supervisor ID.

Point 6: Whenever the deposits for SSA, SB and PPF is made, the transid directly enters into posted stage and no modification/deletion is possible in this stage. In the later stage supervisor finds any mistake during verification, the only way to get rid is the verification of that particular transid. For this the only solution is that the deposit made by counter clerk firstly has to enter in the entered stage which allows the rectification of any kind of mistake.

Reply: This will be taken up with Directorate for consideration

Point 7: DMCC is pressurizing to execute EOD on 2000 hours daily. And after this they are not providing any support to the staff who is working late hours in the night. Workload of transactions is that much that it is not possible to finish the work well before 2000 hours.

Reply: Instruction have been issued from Directorate not to enter any new transaction after 1700 Hrs. and regular verification of transaction by supervisors for timely completion of EOD.

In CPC Staff remain at CPC upto 10.30 pm and leave the office only after completion of Pre EOD and EOD First menu for all SOLs

Point 8: The following additional issues have also to be sorted out.

Sl. No.	Description	Remarks
01	Ensuring increase in capacity of Server / Core	Increase the capacity of Server and processor.  Upgradation may find a solution for slow access at user end level. Reply:  To be decided at Directorate level
03.	DC Closure	DC closure is not done on daily basis which results officials to wait beyond office hours and delay in executing HISCOD. Reply:  Since May 2016, DC is getting closed before 7.00 am of the next working day and as of now there is no issue.
04.	MIS reporting Server	MIS report Server is not at all accessible for most of the days.  Capacity of reporting server should be upgraded for easy access. Reply: Daily report regarding inaccessibility is being reported to Directorate
06.	SOL change menu option is to be given to Divisional System Administrator	Deputation or transfer orders are placed at DO level.  During deputation of a PA to other place, the SOL of a PA may be changed at DO level easily. At present, it is being done at CPC and it gets delayed or changed after completion of deputation. Reply: Matter has already been reported to Directorate by Circle. Once the security features are stabilized, delegation can be examined.
07.	CSAC	Now, Supervisor can release the CPA under their SOL only except at HOs.  All Supervisors under one HO may be permitted to release other Supervisors/CPAs under the same HO.  Reply: Now users can release their already logged in ids themselves and this is in vogue since April 2016 itself.  Only for IDs which are getting locked due to entering wrong password (rare occasions) they have to approach CPC.
08.	Prior intimation in case of particular menu is disabled during slowness time	Some menu options are being disabled for testing slowness of Finacle but the same is not properly communicated to gross root level.  Hence the CPAs keep on trying the menu without knowing the fact and in some times the same transaction is being done for more than one number of times. Without proper intimation, disabling of menus should not be done by infosys. Reply:  Since June 2016 this issue has not occurred
09.	Maintenance/ migration time	It is not clear that the slowness is because of migration/ DC closure.  Sometimes, restarting the server is needed at Data centre. These types of works may be fixed by the end of the week and the server may be exclusively used for these purposes at that time.  In these situations, we may be intimated the fact and be asked not to do transactions at these time. For instance, we may be asked to complete the works on before 1300 hrs on Saturdays.  After that, they may proceed with either maintenance work of Server or Migration activities without interruption. Reply:  Since June 2016 performance issue is not faced and no restart of Service / Server made

Point 9:

• In SSA, total deposit in a Financial year should not exceed Rs.1,50,000/- but there is no provision to stop any excess deposit in any single account. The official as well as the public suffers due to excess deposit in SSA account. Mechanism to disallow any excess deposit above the limit should be provided.

Reply: At present only PPF menu is used for SSA deposits and hence the issue. CEPT has already stated that when separate menu is enabled for SSA these validations will be enacted

• For Cash Certificates, either the present system of Certificates with specified denomination has to be dispensed with as in banks for Fixed Deposit or Higher denomination up to Rs.100000/- to be introduced for all Post Offices as printing of cash certificates consumes much time.

Reply: Demat of certificate is already under consideration of Directorate

• The supervisors should be given option to reconcile the errors committed by the clerks at counter while making deposit entry with reverse option as in PPF deposits.

Reply: While verification the Supervisors can check and option is there to delete the transactions which are wrongly made by the CPA if they are in entered state (other than SB& SSA) 

• In RD accounts Pre Mature closure is not allowed if any advance deposits is made, till the lapse of the period up to which advance deposits has been made by the depositor. It denies the right of the depositor to close the account prematurely. Provision may be made to close the accounts with advance deposits with provision to recover the rebate given for the advance deposits.

Reply: This will be taken up with Directorate for making changes in Software