Pulak 
The Day Two Nominees Fought Over One Employee’s Money A colleague in my PSU died during his service. He had two wives. The first wife was documented — her details were on record with the organisation from the beginning. The second wife had no paperwork trail with the company at all. After his death, the … Read more
The One Housing Loan Benefit Most PSU Employees Underuse If you work in a PSU, you already know about the House Building Advance. Ask any colleague planning to buy or build a house — they will tell you to go for the company loan first. The interest rate is low, and everyone knows it. But … Read more
You Have Form 16. But That’s Not Enough to File ITR Every June, the same thing happens in PSU offices across India. Form 16 arrives. Someone collects it, hands it to the person who “knows these things,” and the ITR gets filed in 20 minutes. Job done. Or so it seems. Form 16 only tells … Read more
What Is Form 16 and Why PSU Employees Cannot Ignore It Form 16 is a certificate your employer issues every year. It shows your total salary income, all allowances like TA/DA, medical benefits, LTC, and the tax deducted from your pay during the financial year. Think of it as your official income and tax statement … Read more
Your Salary Looks Bigger This Month — But It’s Not What You Think You open your salary slip this month and something feels different. The number at the bottom is higher than usual. No promotion. No increment. Just a fatter figure sitting there quietly. That’s your DA arrears. The Assam state government recently hiked DA … Read more
Why I Always Ask “Why?” Before Filing Anything Every time a colleague walks up to me saying “bhai, PF nikalna hai” — my first question is not “what’s your UAN?” My first question is “why?” PF is the single biggest financial asset most PSU employees are building. And they are building it mandatorily, whether they … Read more
The “Sarkari” Medical Illusion In every PSU office across India, there is a silent consensus about healthcare. When a new joinee asks a senior colleague, “Should I buy a private health insurance policy?” the answer is almost always the same: “Why? The company will bear all your medical expenses.” This is the “Sarkari Medical Illusion.” … Read more
What Is HBL for PSU Employees and How Is It Different from a Normal Home Loan Most people outside the public sector think “Home Loan” means standing in line at SBI or HDFC. But for many PSU employees, there is a much better alternative: the Departmental Home Building Loan (HBL). In my PSU, this isn’t a … Read more
What Is DA and Why Does It Matter More Than Your Increment, DA Hike explained DA stands for Dearness Allowance. On paper, it is defined as a cost-of-living adjustment — compensation for inflation, revised twice a year to protect your salary’s purchasing power as prices rise. In reality, for PSU employees, DA is far more … Read more
I Had Never Heard of Any of These Rules — And That’s the Problem I had never heard of any of these rules until I started researching for this blog. Not one. Not the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, not the 40% EMI limit, not the 6-month emergency fund guideline, not the 20/4/10 car buying formula. And … Read more