HAPPY HOLI

Dole cha Dolagovindam

Chape scha Madhusudanam

Rathe tu Bamanam drustwa

Punarjanma na bidyate.

wishing d day of divine grace & glory.

DOLA PURNIMARA SHRADHA,SHUVECHHA,AVINANDAN,PREMA O PRANAMA

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL EMPLOYEES , PURI DIVISION  WISHES A COLOURFUL DOLA &  HOLI TO ALL ITS MEMBERS AND ALL THE BROTHERS  AND SISTERS OF POSTAL FAMILY PURI DIVISION . 


SECRETARY
G.C.PRATIHARI

Speed Post, money orders may get costlier

India’s department of posts has proposed to raise tariffs for most of its services, including Speed Post, money orders, postcards and inland letters, by 15-20% for the first time in 10 years to cover increased costs of printing and transportation.

File Photo

The new tariffs are expected to be implemented by April and will generate additional revenue of Rs. 1,000 crore for the department, according to two department of posts officials, who declined to be named.
“The last time the rates were increased was in 2002. Since then, the cost of printing and transportation has gone up significantly; the tariffs need to be hiked significantly,” one of them said.
The proposal has been approved by the seven-member Postal Commission that decides on policies. The Postal Commission is headed by the secretary of the department of posts. The commission has approved the tariff increases and has forwarded the proposal to Sachin Pilot, junior minister in the ministry of communications and information technology, for approval.




The increase in tariff for Speed Post can be implemented once the minister approves it. Hikes in tariff for the most of the other services need a change in the Postal Act.
The postal department has been running at a loss for a number of years. Its deficit widened to Rs. 5,632.46 crore in the year ended 31 March 2010 from Rs.3,593.09 crore the previous year, Gurudas Kamat, a former minister of state for communications and information technology, had told Parliament in reply to a question.
The latest deficit numbers were not available.
The deficit had increased substantially because of an increase in salaries and pension because of the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission.
“The main reason (for the deficit) is that the rates of most of the postal services do not reflect the market price as they are subsidized to make them within the reach of common man and to the remotest area of the country,” Kamat had said.
In recent years, the postal department has started a number of services—including ePost, railway ticket vending and the sale of gold coins—to increase revenue and stay relevant in the age of email.
EPost is a hybrid mail service through which as many as 992,000 messages were sent until November, earning the department Rs. 81.07 lakh. Between January and October 2011, it earned Rs. 2.04 crore as commission by selling 1.37 million railway tickets through post offices, and Rs. 6.25 crore by selling 591.4kg of gold coins in 2011.

Postal ballot system needs improvement: experts

While electronic voting machines (EVMs) have replaced paper ballots in India, little has been done to change the old postal ballot system, which is at the centre of a raging controversy in Uttarakhand, experts and top officials today said.

"This is an old age system where we feel that a lot of improvement can be done. It can be done by bringing new software or electronic gadgets that will allow the armed personnel to cast their votes from the place of their posting," said Anil Jaggi, an IT expert here.Despite being a costly affair, the Election Commission has not taken steps to improve the postal ballot system for the armed forces, officials said. The cost of a postal ballot is roughly around Rs 100 per ballot that includes the postage which is to be paid by the state government.

"So far, politicians in our state have not shown any interest to improve the postal ballot system in the state," said a top official of the state election commission.

As a war of words escalated between BJP and Congress over the postal ballot issue in Uttarakhand, the election commission last month had put the onus on the army for the large number of undelivered postal ballots.

The ruling BJP, which banks on the support of army personnel, had asked the commission to clear the air on the controversy pertaining to the undelivered postal ballots.

This time, over 1.19 lakh people including one lakh army personnel are casting their votes through ballot papers and those which reach the counting centre till 8am of March 6 will be taken in account.

Experts said the postal ballots could play a crucial role in as many as 20 constituencies out of the total 70 in the hill state where assembly elections were held on January 30.

Since the time period between the polling and the counting is very long, the election commission is expecting the polling percentage of the postal ballots to be heavy.

Meanwhile, even as BJP general secretary Dharmendra Paradhan, who is incharge of the party affairs in the hill state, accused railways and postal department of not delivering the postal ballots, Congress today slammed the BJP for raking up the issue.

"BJP knows that it has already lost the race. So, it is enacting the drama to distract the people's attention from real issues," said Surendra Kumar, a state Congress spokesman.

In the past, Congress had alleged that postal ballots had marred the chances of their candidates including that of senior Congress leader Satpal Maharaj in the 2008 Pauri Lok Sabha by-election.

India gives globe tips on UID

The unique identification project is yet to take off fully in India, but it has created an international buzz. A number of countries have shown interest in the project, which now consists of the world's largest biometric database of 13 crore people, surpassing the US immigration

department's database of 11.4 crore people.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is assisting the government of Papua New Guinea, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean close to Australia, in starting a national identity scheme. Two UIDAI officials — deputy director general BB Nanawati and additional director general Anup Kumar — spent a week there this January to guide the country's government in providing biometric identity to its residents.

Papua New Guinea's high commissioner in New Delhi E Tarcisius said the project will help track students and will be part of the country's inclusive growth strategy. "We haven't had any identification programme so far," he said.

The authority had also provided inputs to Mauritius, Australia, Indonesia, France and Columbia on the project.

The UIDAI has enrolled a million people every day, but only four crore Indians have got their Aadhaar numbers because of the postal department's constraints in dispatching them.

RS Sharma, director general of the UIDAI, said collecting biometric details of over a billion people for just $3 (Rs 150) per person is unimaginable for many. The same cost 130 Euro (Rs 8,500) per person in the UK.

"The magnitude and the flawlessness of the project have caught the attention of people worldwide. They now say biometric collection has three phases — pre-9/11, post-9/11 and post-UIDAI," Sharma told HT

Indians abroad can now file online RTI application

The first step to seek online information from the government under the Right To Information Act has been taken.

Banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India, has allowed sale of electronic postal orders to Indian citizens living abroad through their credit and debit cards. "The 

facility will be used only for payment of fees under the RTI Act," says an order issued by RBI.

The facility available only for Indians living abroad would soon be extended to domestic citizens. "It is only matter of time before the government extends the facility to citizens living in India," said a senior government department.  

The RTI activists have been demanding online filing of application to reduce cost of seeking information from the government. A study by National Campaign for People's Right To Information had found that a person spends about Rs 220 for filing an RTI application with a government department.

"By providing online facility this cost will reduce dramatically," said Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra, who had filed several RTI applications on the problems faced by Indians living abroad in using the transparency law since 2008. 

Till now, the Indians living abroad were allowed to file RTI applications with the Indian embassies and high commissions only. Many embassies and high commissioners had expressed their inability to accept a large number of RTI applications citing resource crunch.

Payment of the RTI fees of Rs 10 per application was the biggest hurdle in filing RTI applications as postal orders are not available outside India and fees in foreign currency was not accepted by many Indian missions.

With the new facility, the hurdle has been removed and the non-resident Indians will be able to submit RTI applications through an email with the respective Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs).

To make the system work, the CPIOs will be required to reply through email. Public information officers of RBI, Prime Minister's Office and the Planning Commission provide replied through email. "Others (CPIOs) will to follow suit," a government official said.

The department of posts has an international money transfer facility and would soon be providing electronic postal orders to facilitate online filing of applications from abroad. The way to make the facility seamless has been discussed by postal department minister Kapil Sibal and minister for personnel V Narayanasamy, mandated to implement the RTI Act.

Foreign Post Office to be set up at VALLEY .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              The Postal Department will set up a ‘Foreign Post Office’ in Kashmir valley to facilitate export and import of goods from the state.

“Many organisations in the valley have been demanding the functioning of a full-fledged Foreign Post Office in Srinagar, and we have decided that a Sub-Foreign Post Office will start functioning at Srinagar soon,” Cheif Post Master General, JK Circle, John Samuel told reporters here.

He said the space for the Foreign Post Office has been provided by Jammu and Kashmir government at Kashmir Haat, in the city, which will help exporters to import and export their goods through Post Office.

“The Foreign Post Office will have staff from the Customs Department who will check the exports on the spot and once customs has cleared the consignment, it will be directly sent to addresses outside India,” Samuel said.

He said the Foreign Post Offices are only provided in metro cities around the country, but Srinagar has been chosen as a ‘special case’.

The Chief Post Master General also announced that two new post offices will be set-up at Nowapora in the frontier Baramulla district and at Lal Bazar in Srinagar.

“The post office at Nowapora near Uri will be the closest post office to Line Of Control (LoC),” Samuel said.

He said the new post offices will be computerised and will provide all postal facilities including Speed Post, Registered Post and financial services.

He said ten post offices in and around Srinagar will be modernised in next three months and will be provided computerised and customer friendly facilities.

STILL 25 PAISE ; THE ORDINARY PEOPLE'S COMMUNICATION MODE .

One of the leading humor writers in Malayalam – Shri N Goplakrishnan – has defined a cardiologist as one who writes letters only on post “cards”! He describes himself as one of the leading cardiologists in his home town!

            There is a little magazine in Malayalam called “Innu” (meaning “today”) which is published only as a letter card. It has now entered the 30^th year of its publication, with the letter card being posted more than 10,000 subscribers all over the world!!

            Here follows a collection of facts concerning the post card, the letter card and the art and science of Deiltology.

The Post Card

            In official terms, the post card can be defined as a type of open communication written on a card of prescribed size. The common dimensions of the card are 14  × 9 cm.

Post cards are commonly available in two varieties – either as a single card for just sending a communication or as a set of two attached cards – one for the outgoing communication and the other for the receiver of the card for immediately sending a reply. The replier cannot delay the return communication since the card has already been paid for by the initiator of the correspondence!

One of the little known information about the post card is that they can be used for transmission within India only. An individual or institution can also print cards for communication of messages among their staff or consumers. Such privately manufactured post cards should also follow the dimensions of the official post cards. They should not be thinner or more flexible than an embossed post card, and they should have the same size and thickness of embossed post card.

History of Indian Post Card

            The quarter anna post card was introduced for the first time by the Indian Post Office in July 1879. This was meant to provide postage from one place to another within British India. This was the cheapest form of post provided to the Indian people to date and proved a huge success.

The establishment of a large postal system spanning India resulted in unprecedented postal access where a message on a postcard could be sent from one part of the country to another part (often to a physical address without a nearby post office) without additional postage affixed. This was followed in April 1880 by postcards meant specifically for government use and by reply post cards in 1890. The postcard facility continues to this date in Independent India.

Post Cards Elsewhere

            The private postal card was developed by John P. Charlton of Philadelphia in 1861 for which he obtained the copyright which was later transferred to H.L. Lipman. The cards were adorned with a small border and labeled "Lipman's Postal Card, Patent Applied For".  They were on the market until 1873 when the first Government Postcards appeared.

The United States issued pre-stamped postal cards in 1873.  The United States Postal Service was the only one allowed to print the cards until May 19, 1898 when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act which then allowed private firms to produce cards.  The private mailing cards cost one cent to mail instead of the letter rate which was two cents.  The term "Private Mailing Card" was required to be printed on cards that were not printed by the United States Postal Service.  Only the government was allowed to print the word "Postcard" on the back of postcards.  Private printers used the terms, Souvenir Card, Correspondence Cards and Mail Cards. 

Inland Letter Card

            The Inland Letter card is different from the post card in that here the communication is not open. In order to see what is written one will have to open the flaps of the inland letter card. What is written on a post card can be seen by every one who handles the card.

            Technically, the inland letter card is a communication contained on a sheet of paper with prescribed size & folding. Inland letter card is also used for transmission within India only. For sending messages to foreign countries one will have to make use of special inland letter cards of higher values called the aerogramme.

            The Malayalam magazine Innu (meaning today) is printed entirely on such an inland letter card. It contains every thing from poems to editorials to cartoons to letters to the editor that can be seen in a full size magazine – but in the smallest scale imaginable!! 

Dieltology

Deltiology is the study and collection of post cards. Professor Randall Rhoades of Ashland, Ohio, coined a word in 1945 that became the accepted description of the study of picture postcards.

Worldwide, deltiology is thought to be the third largest hobby after stamp collecting and coin/banknote collecting. Postcards are popular because just about every subject imaginable has been, at one time or another, pictured on a postcard.  History itself can be tracked on postcards, from famous buildings, important personalities, various art forms, and many more subjects like these.

However, Compared to philately (the systematic collection of postage stamps), the identification of the place and time of production of a post card can often be an almost impossible task. This is mainly because postcards, unlike stamps, are produced in a largely unregulated manner.

Because of this many collectors often limit their acquisitions to cards by specific artists and publishers, or by time and location.

One of the most popular specializations in dieltology refers to town views. These refer to actual scenes from a particular town or region. Most of these collectors centre around the views of the town where the collector reside or the town where he or she grew up.

Preserving Your Post Card Collections – Some Tips

·         The major enemies of post cards are fire, humidity, dirt, sunlight, mold, and bugs. It is best to keep your collection safe in a deposit box, that is cool, dry and dark.

·         Do not use albums with plastic sleeves. This Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) substance will cause chemical damage to antique paper if left for long periods of time.

·         If descriptions of individual post cards have to be noted for exhibition purposes it must be ensured that it is done using pencil. Do not use tapes or such material to attach post cards to exhibition panels.

·         When exhibiting old post cards special care has to be taken that they are never exposed to direct 

THE MEETING OF DEPARTMENTAL COUNCIL (JCM).

 Meeting of the Departmental Council (JCM) under the Chairpersonship of Secretary(Posts) was held on 10.02.2012. 

The meeting started with introductory remarks of the Chairperson wherein she apprised of the staff side about the proposal of recognition of federations heaving been taken up for consideration and approval of the competent authority. This was followed by the staff side thanking the Chairperson for convening the meeting as per the schedule. Thereafter agenda items were taken up for discussion. The gist of discussions held during the meeting is as follows:-

Annexure – I

1. Long distance schedules of MMS

The staff side was apprised of the instructions having been issued to Heads of Circles on 15.06.2010 to increase the utilization of vehicles by extending the existing schedules up to 300 kms. The position about clearance of Ministry of Finance regarding purchase of new vehicles as also replacement of old vehicles happening much faster was also explained to the staff side.

The contention of the staff side was that the aforesaid instructions are not being observed and it was agreed to reiterate the said instructions.

2. Diversion of MMS vehicles

The staff side averred that the vehicles allotted to MMS for operational purposes were diverted to Circle/Regional offices, which is adversely affecting the efficiency of mail delivery. They desired issue of strict instructions in the matter so that vehicles are used for the purpose for which they are procured.

The instructions issued in this regard by the Department from time to time were brought to the notice of the staff side with an understanding to reiterate the instructions once again.

3. Holding of examination for filling up the posts of AMM in MMS

The staff side pointed out delay in finalization of Rules of Recruitment for the post of Assistant Manager in MMS, with a request to finalise it on priority. The Chairperson advised the official side to complete the pending action in regard to finalization of Recruitment Rules within 2 months.

4. Holding of DPC for filling up the posts of Deputy Manager MMS

It was agreed to complete the process within 2 months.

5. Appointment to the grade of Supdt. Stg. In RMS

The contention of the staff side was that the 4 posts of Supdt. Sorting in RMS which were meant for general line officials are either manned by ASPs or by PSS/PMS Group B officials. Further, the Circles in which these posts exist are also not known. During discussions, a reference was also made to 4 posts of AD (Recruitment) out of which 3 are lying vacant. Besides requesting for filling up of the above posts, the staff side mentioned about their merger with main stream of Group B posts and increasing quota of General line officials from the existing 6% to a higher percentage.

The Chairperson advised the Personnel Division to find out the availability of posts and to fill all the posts meant for general line officials from that category only within three months.

6. Acute shortage of ‘C’ Bags

The staff side was explained that for the year 2011-2012, much of the supply has already started and there are only 2 companies which are yet to start it. Further, action has already been initiated to ensure timely supply of bags for 2012-2013 & 2013-2014. The staff side was also apprised about the constitution of a Committee which will consider decentralization of procurement of stores of other than prescribed sizes, and the Committee will submit its report within one month.

7. Change of nomenclature of cleaners in MMS

Redesignation of Cleaner as Helpers may go against their interest and, therefore, it was agreed to drop the item.

8. Change of Recruitment Rules ensuring parity in recruitment to the posts of Postmen and Mailguards in the Department of Posts

The Recruitment Rules for the posts of Postmen and Mailguards have been revised and notified in the Gazette of India after due deliberations. In the background of the above, the item is treated as closed.

9. Recruitment in the cadre of erstwhile Group D upgraded as Multi Skilled Employees in the Department of Posts

In the background of Revised Rules of MTS it was agreed to close the item.

10. Providing additional hand to single handed offices due to decentralization of RD Work etc.

The staff side drew attention to the agreement reached in an earlier meeting of the Departmental Council (JCM) in 2006 in the wake of which a Sub Committee was constituted, which submitted its report in favour of the proposal. In turn, it was explained to them that norms for the work of decentralized schemes like RD/MIS have already been finalized and further, redeployment was within the power of the CPMSG.

11. Implementation of recommendations of the 5^th CPC with regard to payment of cash handling allowance to treasurers and Asst. Treasurers in Post Offices.

The Staff Side was informed that the proposal was taken up with the Ministry of Finance in 2010 but it was not agreed to. However, it was decided to once again take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance.

12. Payment of OSA and other benefits to MMS staff on par with RMS Staff.

The proposal of the Staff Side was agreed to. Order in this regard will be issued shortly.

13. Allot 19% Group B vacancies for General line and permit all Group C officials in Postal, RMS, Admn. And Postal A/Cs with minimum 20 years of service to appear in the exam by dispensing with present reservation of posts to RMS & Admn. Staff.

It was agreed to constitute a Committee which will look into the matter (other than Postal Accounts) and submit its report within 2 months.

14. ACP Scheme to wiremen and electrical staff.

In the background of instructions issued by the Department vide No. 2-13/2009/PCC dated 12.08.2012, it was agreed to close the item.

15. Streamlining the work of Cash Certificates and causing uniform work procedure.

The staff side was informed about the norms having been issued on 26.04.2010, a copy of which was supplied.

16. Anomaly in the preparation of PA gradation list. Date of confirmation should not be taken now and d ate of appointment be taken for construing seniority. Fixing seniority based on the date of confirmation in unconstitutional and discriminatory and dropping of confirmation examination.

It was agreed to refer the matter to the Committee constituted to consider item No.13.

17. Ensure speedy verification of caste.

It was agreed to reiterate the instructions of DOPT to the Maharashtra Circle.

18. Merger of Despatch Riders with the Drivers.

In the background of different rules of recruitment for the post of Despatch Riders and Drivers, the proposal could not be agreed to.

19. Allowing lift operators to sit for the LGO examination.

It was explained that it was a different category altogether and thus it would not be possible to allow the Lift Operators to sit for LGO examination.

Annexure -2

1.Non absorption of Lift Operators

Referring to the case of 5 Lift operators working at Howrah Post Office building, the Staff Side was informed that it appeared to be a case of absorption of Casual Labourers and not Lift operators and therefore it was agreed to drop the item.

2. Relaxation of educational qualification in respect of widow applicant for compassionate appointment.

The staff side was apprised of the position that prior to implementation of the recommendations of 6^th CPC, in case of widows the provision to relax the educational qualification existed subject to the condition that it would not adversely affect the work. The above clause has been found missing in the 6^th CPC recommendation and, therefore, its continuance thereafter will be ascertained from the Department of Personnel & Training.

3. Request for correct identification of Speed Post Hubs.

The staff side was informed that selection of Speed Post Hubs was done as part of Mail Network Optimisation Project after a comprehensive study of the network and taking into account mail volume Air/Rail/Road connectivity into account. In regard to Asansol, the Chairperson explained her discussions with the CPMG West Bengal in which he was asked to increase the mail business during the next 3 months and the position will be reviewed thereafter. The point of Guntakal having better connectivity then Kurnool this justifying its identity as hub was also mentioned by the staff side. M B division will have this examined.

4. Request to issue instructions to the Heads of Circles to follow the Directorate order in respect of Speed Post Norms.

The instructions have already been issued and therefore it was agreed to drop the item. A copy of the instructions will, however, be made available to the staff side.

5. Request to extend the Station Tenure to Senior Manager Cadre in MMS.

The proposal of the Staff Side that rotational transfers should be done on time, was agreed to by the Chairperson.

6. Incentive structure for handling UIDAI (Aadhar) cards to the PO staff.

The contention of the staff side was that Aadhar Cards were being handed over to the Postmen for delivery along with other dak which form part of their normal duties without considering their limitations in this regard. Mention was also made about higher rate of incentive being paid in Andhra Pradesh Circle with a request to follow it in other Circles.

It was clarified to the staff side that there is a provision to ensure delivery of Aadhar Cards within 15 days from the date of booking and it was quite a relaxed condition, in comparison to other Speed Post articles. In the matter of payment of incentive, the Chairperson agreed to reiterate the instructions in relation to Speed Post articles (including Aadhar) of the Department to all Heads of Circles. Higher incentive cannot be approved.

7. Reassessment of the Role of the Office Supdts. Working in Circle Administrative offices including the office of the DPLI and upgradation of them as the holder of Gazetted Group-B posts.

It was not agreed to. The item may be closed.

8. Promotion of senior most HSG-I in each regional office as office Supdt.

It was not agreed to. The item may be closed.

9. Release the Pension/DCRG of employees against whom minor penalty proceedings concluded after retirement.

In the light of instructions having been issued by the Department and reiterated vide letter dated 10.02.2012, it was agreed to close the item.

10. Pay protection to employees who seek transfer to a lower post under FR 15(a)/transfer under Rule 38.

It was agreed to have a relook into the matter.

11. Construction of Departmental Buildings for Postal Accounts Offices at Hyderabad, Trivandrum and Patna.

The Staff side was informed that all the 3 projects will be considered for construction during the 12^th Plan period, subject to availability of funds.

12. To fill up the time scale Driver Post at MMS.

It was agreed to have a relook into the matter of filling up of all residual vacancies of Drivers in the MMS.

13. Revival of Bandel and Barasat RMS in West Bengal Circle.

The staff side contented that the closure of these offices was against the agreement reached with them and requested for their revival. The staff side was explained that in view of the networking exercise, L1 and L2 has to be followed and therefore this item become irrelevant. It was further clarified that in the wake of networking exercise, number of mail offices with less than 10,000 mails are being allowed to continue. In the light of the above discussions, the item is treated as closed.

14. Problem arisen subsequent on centralization of Tax related work at HO in S.B.Branch.

The staff side was apprised that TDS is a mandatory income tax requirement and is part of the statutory requirement when commission is paid to agents. There is every possibility that the issues raised by them will be sorted out by the new software. It was further stated that in case the issue does not get resolved with the new Financial Services software, this would be examined separately.

15. Posting of in charge of BPC – regarding.

It was agreed to look into the matter.

16. Request for procurement and supply of scanner to HOs and SOs in Maharashtra Circle effecting MSEDEL bills on e-payment.

The staff side was informed that the matter had been discussed with the CPMG Maharashtra Circle and the possibilities were being explored to split the existing Barcode of Maharashtra State Electricity Board so that it comes within 12 digit Bar code reader. It was also explained that the Department would not be in a position to procure scanner so as to suit the requirement of different organizations, utilizing the services of the Post Office. In the background of the above, the item was closed.

17. Delivery/Remarks on Speed Post articles pertaining to Pass Port - Clarifications sought for.

After discussions, it was agreed to reiterate the instructions of the Department to all concerned.

18. Irregularities in the accounting procedure in Post Offices – case of Delhi Circle.

It was agreed to look into the matter.

19. Postal Assistant Direct recruitment – compulsory education in regional language – regarding.

The staff side was informed that in the new recruitment rules for PA/SA, the condition has been changed as regional language/Hindi. After detailed discussions, it was agreed to close the item.

20. Reduction of tenure in the Naxalite threat areas in Baster division, Chattisgarh circle.

The staff side was informed that the issue falls within the purview of the Circle Office.

21. Holding of JAO part II Examination – regarding.

It was informed to the staff side that the matter was earlier taken up with the Ministry of Law & Justice and is now under consideration in consultation with the Department of Personnel & Training. It was also stated that in case of eligible candidates, the examination may be conducted without much delay.

22. Arbitrary & irregular Audit objection and recovery of licence fee from the officials provided with rent free recommendation.

In the wake of instructions issued by the CPMG West Bengal, it was agreed to drop the item.

23. Removal of age limit for appearing in IPO exam.

After detailed discussions it was agreed to drop the item.

24. Evolution of norms for all duties performed my Multi tasking staff (erstwhile Group-D).

The staff side was informed that norms for all the duties performed by MTS are being evolved.

25. Creation of justified additional posts while implementing new system for delivery work and allowing postmen to write correct remarks for non delivery.

The issue is under examination by the Postmen Committee, under the Chairpersonship of CGM PLI.

26. Grant of uniform and kit maintenance allowances.

The fact of the matter having been taken up with the Department of Personnel & Training vide letter dated 02.02.2012 was brought to the notice of the staff side.

27. Providing Security to cash overseers.

The staff side was informed that the present cash limits are not so high to provide for the security and further the Circle Heads would be instructed to ensure adherence to the line limits by all concerned. It was also agreed to examine the feasibility of raising line limits and to provide security guards in the Post Offices located in highly sensitive areas. The issue of utilizing services of the bank branches located in the area will also be examined.

28. Incentive to Mail overseers for procuring PRLI Business.

It was agreed to issue a clarification to the effect that Mail Overseers are also eligible for incentives on par with other departmental officials and depending upon the suitability, they can be engaged for this work.

29. Weight and size limit of express post parcels delivery of by Postmen.

It was agreed to reiterate the existing instructions on the subject to all Heads of Circles.

30. To keep status quo in the post of Departmental Stamp Vendor.

The staff side was informed that the issue is covered by the standing instructions on utilization of surplus manpower and redeployment of posts and therefore, the plea to maintain status quo cannot be approved.

NO LESS THAN COURIER !

 The Indian postal system was in the news recently for something that appeared to be a little more positive. The Minister of Communications and IT, Kapil Sibal, is reported to have turned his focus on India Post, a department that also happens to be in his charge. He has done so none too soon though, as the department seems to have been sliding downhill rather rapidly despite vigorous efforts made by one of his predecessors Jyotiraditya Scindia, to modernise post offices and introduce into them Information Technology.

Starting from scratch, rejecting the departmental logo and introducing a new one, he devised Project Arrow under which hundreds of post offices were done-up and computerised with a view to improving mail delivery, banking and other services. Soon, the department bagged in 2010 the PM’s award for excellence in public administration. However, the parameters on which the department was adjudged for the award are not known as the improvement that was sought to be brought about in the quality of service largely remained unachieved. Scindia was taken off the ministry even as the Project initiated by him was in the process of implementation. And, therefore, as normally happens in Government, it lost steam.

Now Sibal is talking of a national postal policy which, apparently, will spearhead action to “take on” the couriers and to introduce in the more-than-a-century-old Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) most of the banking operations that are carried out by regular banks. While bestowing on POSB the status of a regular bank will have to be decided upon in consultations with several other departments of Government of India and its agencies, action to meet the challenge posed by private couriers will need to be stepped up by none other than India Post.

At the outset, Sibal may have to look for the weaknesses that enabled the private couriers to make significant inroads into the preserve of India Post. The most important reason would seem to be the want of quality in the performance of the department insofar as mail delivery is concerned. Over the years the plummeting standards of performance left the field wide open for couriers to troop in. The department could very well cite exogenous reasons for the same, but many were the ones that could be attributed to its own lack of initiatives.

Time was when the Indian postal system was acknowledged as one of the finest in the world. Although working in a monopolistic environment it had that in-built system of monitoring mail handling to ensure quality that was coupled with a spirit of rendering service to the community. With all 1^st class mails being flown down to the closest air terminal of destinations without any surcharge (not prevalent even in the West) and in-train sorting of letter mail on almost all railway routes, the department developed an unique capacity to reach most of the letters to distant destinations within 48 hours. On occasions letters would reach faster than the then-prevalent telegrams. The ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s were its glorious decades.

Later, unfortunately, the needs of the Railways came to the fore. With a view to enhancing their passenger carrying capacity they summarily did away with the coaches in which mail used to be sorted piece by piece. And, later speeding up of trains on the same old shaky tracks made such sorting impossible, anyway, taking that edge away from the department that ensured quality. Soon thereafter the country witnessed convergence of IT and telecommunications with the help of the World Wide Web that acted as a midwife to give birth to an era of instant communications.

To start with, it was e-mail by which one could exchange messages containing texts, images, and videos with multiple addresses. While e-mail was initially restricted only to those who had access to computers, the cell phone put the means of instant communication into the hands of millions of those who had just a palm-sized handset. With the advent of “smartphones”, technology has put virtually a portable computer in the hands of the people with facility, inter alia, of sending and receiving e-mails and conversing over long distances. Once “cyberspace” became the medium of instant communication conventional messaging, known now as “hard messaging”, had to take a hit.

And it did. The volume of mail traffic in India fell to 6,677.18 million pieces in 2006-07 from the figure of 15,749.30 million in 1997-98 – a hit of severe proportions. Internationally too, there were clear signs of the Internet eating into postal systems. Statistics provided by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) show that between 2008 and 2009 domestic mail volumes were globally down 12 per cent. Obviously, the World Wide Web had a worldwide impact and India Post was not alone in losing its “bread & butter” business.

With the sharp decline in traffic, India Post virtually threw in the towel. Instead of aggressively trying to trap the traffic captured by the progressively consolidating courier industry, it drastically downsized its mail establishment adversely impacting its efficiency. Whatever mail it received – mostly documents, periodicals and other 2^nd class stuff – got horribly delayed in delivery. Even the department’s answer to couriers, the EMS Speedpost, could not match its potential because of lack of manpower and, of course, that kind of agility which is needed to compete with private operators.

No wonder people lost confidence in it. Predictably, the couriers moved in, capturing the traffic originating from corporations, banks and other sundry mailers. They seem to be cashing in on the reported “exponential” growth in mail volumes unleashed by the country’s rapid economic growth and widespread use of the very same technology that hit the department hard. IndiaKnowledge@Wharton, an online resource, found that Pitney Bowes, a mail-management service-provider, is bullish about India finding in it, inter alia, “… rapid increase in cell phone subscriber-base, statement-based credit and debit card usage, and computerized billing by utilities” suggesting an upward trend in mail traffic. Only it was escaping the departmental radars.

One would, therefore, tend to think it is not a policy that is necessary to “take on” the couriers. What is needed is revamping of the system with proper, pragmatic staffing and a new work-culture that is committed, agile and vigilant to raise the standards of performance by several notches. The Post Office is synonymous with mail (including its express variety); all its other activities, even those related to social and financial sectors, are only add-ons. It is, therefore, imperative for it to take steps to revitalise its mail delivery system to re-inspire confidence among its users and give the couriers a run for their money. If there is a will there is a way.–INFA.

Postman rings twice in rural areas for inflation data

The postman in rural areas across the country has his hands full. Apart from his regular job, he now has to go out three to four times a week to collect data from retail outlets which is then used to calculate the rural consumer price inflation.

Faced with an acute manpower shortage, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation tied up with the department of posts to get over the problem of collecting such massive amount of data from rural areas across the country.

"When we were discussing about the comprehensive CPI data we were looking for a department which had reach across the country. We zeroed in on the postal network," said Pronob Sen, adviser in the Planning Commission and former chief statistician of the country.