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How does India Post work? All about India Post System & Structure

Sukanya Mukherjee -

India Post Structure & functions in the country.

  1. Nowadays, the mediums of communication have become more convenient and varied.
  2. All you need to do is tap some buttons, and a message will be sent across the globe.
  3. However, before the advent of technology, things were not the same.
  4. Letters were deemed to be an essential mode of communication.
  5. It was one of the most popular methods in India, which led to the birth of an organisation called India Post.
  6. It is the main representative of the Indian Postal System.
  7. People must know about it in detail before it gets lost in the process of transition to current methods.

Introduction to India Post

  1. The spearhead of the Indian Postal System that has been in existence for centuries is called India Post.
  2. It was established way back in 1764 and had its main headquarters in the capital of the country, Delhi.
  3. India, as a country, has a lot of rural entities, which constitute a crucial part of the country, and India Post has played an integral role in integrating them and making communication easier.
  4. The fact that there are more than 1,55,000 post offices dedicated to India Post and more than 90 per cent have a rural background further substantiate the facts.
  5. This is also the largest postal system in the world with China coming a far second with 66,000 offices.
  6. As it has been evident since its time of conception, India Post started way before India gained independence.
  7. Post-independence, it came under the jurisdiction of the government itself.
  8. The fact that India Post has a considerable reach in the rural areas where other facilities are scarce, the department also provides financial aids and banking services for the people.

Recent Predilection

  1. In recent times, things do not look very conducive for India Post.
  2. It is under a huge debt of 1210 crores and 5,20,000 employees to take care of.
  3. The Department of Communications under the Indian Government has decided that the whole structure needs a major redo if India Post has to survive any longer.
  4. All the deficits that have bundled up in terms of revenues and the expenditures associated with it need to be taken care of quickly.
  5. The government has employed KPMG to perform this Herculean task of remodelling.
  6. They intend to reshuffle the whole architecture and look at new avenues through which guaranteed income can be generated.
  7. The banking aspect of it is going to gain a lot of prominence in recent times.

How Is The Governance of India Post Done?

  1. India Post is placed under the Department of Post, which is further under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
  2. The board is the apex body, and all other designations are designed around it.
  3. The chairman is the head, and there are three other members to accompany him.
  4. They hold the position of the authority in three different sectors, namely Infrastructure and Financial Services, Operation and Marketing and lastly, Personnel.
  5. The board also has a Financial Advisor and is aided by the Joint Secretary in its operations.
  6. The country is divided into postal circles, and there are 22 of them headed by a Chief Postmaster General.
  7. These circles are further subdivided into Divisions or field units, which have their Postmasters as well.
  8. Stamp Depot, Mail Motor Services, and Stores Depot are other constituents of this circle.
  9. There is also a separate circle which caters to the need of the Armed Forces and is known as the Base Circle.
  10. A Major General heads this, and it is separate from the 22 circles mentioned above.

What Are The Different Services Provided by India Post?

  1. The main aspect of India Post, which has led to its extensive usage and popularity is the kind of services that it provides.
  2. The major ones listed under them are as follows-

Speed Post

  1. If you want to send across a message really fast, Speed Post is the ideal medium.
  2. It was started in 1986 and has been instrumental in delivering parcels, documents, letters, cards, and other personalised stuff at a faster rate.
  3. It is known as EMS Postal Department under India Post.
  4. Not only does it provide express delivery with excellent coverage bute, but there is also the provision of Status Tracking, which helps in knowing where your package is.
  5. There are close to 290 counters for Speed Post all over the country and 1000 centres to facilitate it as well.

Certain advantages concerning Speed Post are-

  • It can deliver up to 35kgs all across the country.
  • If the Speed Post is not delivered, the fee gets refunded.
  • It has the provision of insurance of up to 1 lakh rupees.
  • Payment is flexible; nothing is required upfront.
  • For corporate and bulk orders, pick-up from door service is available.
  • Provision of discount for bulk orders as well.

Logistic Post

  1. Sometimes, for corporates and big business organisations, delivering large consignments to far-off places becomes a necessity.
  2. Logistic Post is ideal for express delivery via air.
  3. There are several cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, etc. in which it is functioning.
  4. Nagpur is the hub of Logistic Post. It has three types of services which includes airport to airport, city to city, and door to door services; one can avail any as per their requirement.

Business Post

  1. In this service, India Post takes care of the pre-mailing services as well.
  2. This includes the collection of the material, printing, and addressing it properly.

ePayment

  1. This is one financial tool provided by India Post which facilitates payments of different faculties under a single platform.
  2. It follows the concept of 'Many to One', and all of it is electronically cleared.

Direct Post

This involves the distribution of advertising material to potential customers.

E-post

All the documents sent to the receiver online are delivered through mails.

Life Insurance

  1. They provide lucrative life insurance schemes, which have resulted in its nationwide acceptance.
  2. Several departments ranging from the government sectors to the Zila Parishad are eligible for it. It benefits the employees of India Post largely.

International Money Transfer

Not only does it facilitate domestic money orders in 717 centres, but they collaborate with Foreign Western Union for International Money Transfer policies as well.

Media Post

This has a major outreach to millions of people as it facilitates advertisements through the use of postcards, letterboxes, etc.

What Are Some of The Strengths of India Post?

The reasons why India Post has been such a reliable source are-

  • They have a well-educated and capable workforce.
  • A large number of centres facilitate proper networking and delivery.
  • The cost incurred by the various services provided by India Post is minimal.
  • Since it is a government-aided organisation, the whole setup is considered to be secure.

What Are The Weaknesses of India Post?

There must be some reasons why India Post has spiralled into debts in recent times. This includes-

  • Lack of rotation of the job.
  • The working culture is outdated.
  • Provide lower interest rates when compared to others in the same niche.
  • The communication process is compromised, and the feedback is not proper.
  • Increased stress among employees concerning work.

Who Are Some of The Competitors of India Post in The Market?

  1. In the initial days, India Post had a monopoly in the market.
  2. However, in recent times, a lot of local and national services have come into play as well.
  3. A few major ones include DTDC, DHL, FedEx, Blue Dart, and First Flight.

How Can India Post Improve?

There are a few suggestions that they should consider to improve-

  • They should look to increase their distribution centres and expand more.
  • They should look at advertising better so that customers increase.
  • They should adapt to the new technological advancements in this area.
  • They should try to make use of the inflationary market.
  • They should try to eliminate corruption from India Post.

Conclusion

  1. India Post has been the flag bearer in the postal and delivery market for a longer period.
  2. During recent times, their hold has been dwindling, and the new competitors make the situation even more precarious.
  3. It is essential to preserve and remodel it so that India Post can get back its lost glory in no time.

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