Postal Week Oct. 9 – 15, 2016 : An ode to India Post
Despite the instant messaging
services like whatsapp, SMS and the social networking sites, there is nothing
like receiving a personalized, handwritten letter. As India Posts enters its
162ndyear, here are some interesting facts about the largest network in the
world. World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October. The event was
declared by the 1969 Universal Postal Congress in Tokyo as a means to mark the anniversary
of the Universal Postal Union's (UPU) creation in 1874.
*S. Balakrishnan
It sounds unbelievable but
world’s first airmail flight took off in India! It was on 18th February 1911
that a private plane took off from Allahabad to deliver mail at Naini, 18 km
across the Ganges. A commemorative stamp was issued in 1961 on the occasion of
Golden Jubilee of the First Aerial Post.
The credit for issuing Asia’s
first postal stamp also goes to India. Such a stamp was issued in Sindh (now in
Pakistan) in 1852 and was in use till 1866. This rarest of rare stamp is
collectors’ pride. Sir Bartel Frere, the Commissioner of Sindh, introduced
paper stamps for his province in 1852. These stamps, known as Scinde Dawk, were
round in shape and were issued in three variations. They were withdrawnin
October 1854 on the introduction of the regular India Postage Stamps, though
their use continued for quite some time.
In 1854, it was decided to
issue stamps for the British India and, in the interest of the economy, it was
also decided to have them printed in India itself. Accordingly, on 1st October
1854, half anna stamps showing a youthful profile of Queen Victoria were
issued. Commemorative stamps were issued in 1954 to mark the centenary of this
event.
The year 1854 was also a
landmark year for the country’s postal service on various other counts as well.
An all-comprehensive Indian Post Office Act was enacted in that year only.
Again, it was in 1854 that rail mail service (RMS) began. The sea mail service
from India to Britain and China also commenced in that year.
While 1854 stamps bore the
inscription 'India Postage', in the same year, this was changed to 'East India
Postage'. In 1882, this was again changed to 'India Postage' and continued till
November 1962 when a new caption 'भारत' 'INDIA' was introduced.
The first independence stamps,
issued in 1947, were three in number. They depicted the Ashoka Pillar (National
Emblem of India), the Indian National Flag and an Aircraft.
With a total of 1,54,939 post
offices (as on 31.03.2015), India Post ranks the world’s largest postal
network. The beginning for this was in 1727 when the first post office was
opened in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Of these, 1,39,222 (89.96%) are in rural
areas. At the time of independence, there were only 23,344 post offices, mostly
in urban areas. On an average, a post office serves 21.22 sq. km. area and a
population of 8,354. This varies from 6,193 in rural to 26,198 in urban areas.
The number of post boxes
installed is almost five times the number of post offices, i.e., more than five
lakhs. As varied is our landscape, there are floating post offices on lakes and
rivers also. The number of employees is also an amazing 4.60 lakh (both
departmental and Gramin Dak Sevaks).
Now there are 22 postal circles
in the country in the range of almost one for each state but also combining
small states together or smaller states / UTs with neighbouring states. The
23rd circle, the Army Postal Service Circle, is an exclusive circle for the
armed forces.
The annual mail traffic handled
by India Post is around 20.48 crore registered mail and a voluminous 540.71
crore unregistered mail; of this, the humble 50 Paise post card alone counts
194.58 crore! Speed Post counts for a traffic of more than 3 crore every month!
The total revenue earned in 2014-15 was Rs. 11,635.98 crore. On its part, India
Post also strives to preserve its 38 heritage buildings spread across the
country.
Like the kings & queens of
yore, you can also have a stamp that features you on stamps under ‘My Stamp’
facility. The Gen Z might call this as Selfie Stamps! According to a Postal
Department website, ‘My Stamp’ is the brand name for personalized sheets of
Postage Stamps of India Post. The personalization is achieved by printing a
thumb nail photograph of the customer images and logos of institutions, or
images of artwork, heritage buildings, famous tourist places, historical
cities, wildlife, other animals and birds etc., alongside the selected
Commemorative Postage Stamp.
To face the challenges of
modern times and varied service requirements, the post offices are being
computerized and equipped with Core Banking Solutions (CBS) to roll out payment
banking services also. Post Offices are becoming nerve centres of innumerable
activities by providing financial services, including Postal Life Insurance,
disbursal of social security pension schemes, MGNREA payments, Direct Benefit
Transfers, and retail services.
One of the Missions of India
Post is to sustain its position as the largest postal network in the world but
at the same time touching the lives of every citizen in the nook & corner
of our vast country and to enable as the last mile connectivity as a Government
of India platform.
National flag stamp issued in 1947
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Means of mail delivery – Centenary of Indian stamp
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Letter Box at Ghoom Rly. Station, Darjeeling (Photo by author)
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Floating post office on Dal Lake, Kashmir (Courtesy India Post)
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*Independent
journalist based in Chennai.
The
views expressed in the Article are his personal.
Courtesy: PIB