Postal System in India It may be recalled that the postal system of India was used solely for official purposes till 1837 when the postal services were opened to the public. The first postage stamp was issued in Karachi in 1852, valid only in the Sind province. The Indian Post Office was reorganised as an institution in 1854 when 700 post offices were already in existence. The statute governing the postal services in the country is the Indian Post Office Act, 1898. It vests the government with the exclusive privilege of collecting, carrying and delivering letters within the country. However, now private courier services have been allowed.
In 2008, the India Post adopted a new logo. After 150 years of its existence the India Post has witnessed a sevenfold growth in the postal network. India has the largest postal network in the world. On an average, a post office serves an area of 21.09 sq.km and a population of 6,602. Post offices in rural areas are opened subject to satisfaction of norms regarding population, income and distance laid down by the department for the purpose. The element of subsidy involved in opening post offices in hilly, desert and inaccessible areas is to the extent of 85 per cent of the cost, whereas the subsidy in openinf a post office in normal rural
areas is to the ~xtent of 663 per cent of the cost.
The postal network consists of four categories of post offices, viz., head post offices, sub-post offices, extradepartmental sub-post offices and extra-departmental branch post offices. All categories of post offices offer similar postal services, with the delivery function being restricted to only earmarked offices. In terms of management control, accounts are consolidated progressively from branch post office to sub-post office and finally in head post office.
The postal network in India (constituting the largest in the world) continues to fulfil its universal service obligations of making basic services available to all. The postal services continue to run into deficit. This is mainly because the emphasis is on the social objective.
The long-term objective of the Department of Postal Services is to locate a post office within three kilometres of every village and to provide a facility of a letter box in every village with a population of over 500.
Showing posts with label Postal System. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Postal System. Show all posts
Friday, November 6, 2009
POSTAL SYSTEM
POSTAL SYSTEM Postal system may be defined as an institution, usually under the control of a governmental or quasi-governmental agency, that makes it possible to send a letter, packet, or parcel to any addressee, in the same country or abroad, with the expectation that it will be received.
The earliest references to postal systems are from Egypt in 2000 BC and the Chou dynasty in China 1,000 years later. China is also believed to have developed the first post house relay system in the world. However, the origin of the development of modem postal system may be traced to the early eighteenth century when a programme to improve the condition of public roads in Great Britain greatly increased the speed at which mail travelled. In 1784, John Palmer introduced mail coaches. The mail was first carried by rail from Liverpool to Manchester in 1830. Another major milestone in postal progress in the nineteenth century was the idea, first proposed by the British ,educator and tax reformer, Rowland Hill, in 1837, of charging a single uniform rate for delivery based on weight rather than distance and using prepaid adhesive postage stamps. In 1853, Britain introduced the first post boxes. In 1855, it first installed post boxes in London. The Post Office Savings Bank was begun in 1861, and private telegraph services were taken over by the post office in Britain. The introduction of steamships and rail-roads in the nineteenth century also greatly facilitated the delivery of mail between nations.
The two most significant advancements of the twentieth century were the development of reliable airmail service and the introduction of automated mail handling. Mail wa's carried unofficially by Claude Grahame White, a British pilot, on a flight from Blackpool to Southport, in England. In 1911, a French pilot, Henri Pequet, carried mail from Allahabad to Naini in India; and a regular airmail service was set up. Mail flights in Britain and the USA also began in 1911. In the USA, a regular trans-continental service was introduced in 1924. Airmail services in Australia began in the 1920s. The first airmail flight between Australia and Britain took place in 1934.
In recent years, post-offices in industrial countries have followed a policy of providing more automation in the handling of mail to provide customers with a better service. There has been an increase in the number of private carriers of circulars, catalogues, magazines and merchandise samples, although private firms are not normally allowed to handle ordinary mail. Private parcel carriers also compete with the post office. The growth of elettronic postal services has been a major development.
The earliest references to postal systems are from Egypt in 2000 BC and the Chou dynasty in China 1,000 years later. China is also believed to have developed the first post house relay system in the world. However, the origin of the development of modem postal system may be traced to the early eighteenth century when a programme to improve the condition of public roads in Great Britain greatly increased the speed at which mail travelled. In 1784, John Palmer introduced mail coaches. The mail was first carried by rail from Liverpool to Manchester in 1830. Another major milestone in postal progress in the nineteenth century was the idea, first proposed by the British ,educator and tax reformer, Rowland Hill, in 1837, of charging a single uniform rate for delivery based on weight rather than distance and using prepaid adhesive postage stamps. In 1853, Britain introduced the first post boxes. In 1855, it first installed post boxes in London. The Post Office Savings Bank was begun in 1861, and private telegraph services were taken over by the post office in Britain. The introduction of steamships and rail-roads in the nineteenth century also greatly facilitated the delivery of mail between nations.
The two most significant advancements of the twentieth century were the development of reliable airmail service and the introduction of automated mail handling. Mail wa's carried unofficially by Claude Grahame White, a British pilot, on a flight from Blackpool to Southport, in England. In 1911, a French pilot, Henri Pequet, carried mail from Allahabad to Naini in India; and a regular airmail service was set up. Mail flights in Britain and the USA also began in 1911. In the USA, a regular trans-continental service was introduced in 1924. Airmail services in Australia began in the 1920s. The first airmail flight between Australia and Britain took place in 1934.
In recent years, post-offices in industrial countries have followed a policy of providing more automation in the handling of mail to provide customers with a better service. There has been an increase in the number of private carriers of circulars, catalogues, magazines and merchandise samples, although private firms are not normally allowed to handle ordinary mail. Private parcel carriers also compete with the post office. The growth of elettronic postal services has been a major development.
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