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The President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will release a set of four stamps in the denomination of rupees five each to mark the 150 years of India Post, here tomorrow at Siri Fort Auditorium. The function will also be attended by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh besides the Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Shri Dayanidhi Maran and Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Dr. Shakeel Ahmad.
Though the Post Office is universally recognised as a facilitator of communication, the postal runner defied all odds – natural calamities, wild beasts, geographical terrain and bandits – in the discharge of his duties, to earn a place in the folklore of every region. In the mid 19th century, the post office served as facilitator of travel with its conveyance systems and by maintaining the dak bungalows and dak serais. With introduction of the Post Office Savings Bank in 1882 banking facilities were accessible to all and by 1884 all Government employees were covered by the Postal Life Insurance. The post office has even been used to retail quinine and salt in public interest. The philatelic stamps of the Department of Posts have showcased the best facets of India to the rest of the world.
While coming to the modern age, the focus is on modernisation and computerisation of the network, e-based services like e-post and value added premium services like Speed Post, Business Post etc., to meet the emerging needs of customers and also to provide e-governance facilities.
The origin of postal system in India dates back to the Mauryan Age, which has the roots of the elements of system, established later by the British, the Princely States, the District postal systems and the Zamindari dak. Today, the postal network has over 1,55,000 outlets as compared to its skeletal network of only 701 post offices when it was started in the year 1854. India Post today is a blend of tradition and modernity, playing the role of a catalyst for social change. It has knit the country together by facilitating education, trade and industry and by breaking down social barriers – an integrator in a fractured world.
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