NEW POSTAL SERVICES PLAN

New Delhi, 5 December 2005

New Delhi, December 6 (INFA):  The Department of Posts has proposed to introduce new mail variants in the coming months to cater to niche market and provide value additions to the ordinary mail as well as Speed Post services.  They are City Posts, Inter-city post, Premium City post, E-Commerce initiative and PDA-based service.

The City Post service would be a competitively priced local mail service with assured, next day, pre-lunch delivery and electronic intimation of Delivery (IOD).  A pilot project of this scheme is proposed to be implemented in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Circles.

Inter-city Post service would be a competitively priced, inter-city mail, with assured next day pre lunch delivery and electronic intimation of Delivery (IOD).  It will be introduced along with City Post service as a pilot in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Circles.

The Premium Speed Post service would essentially be a Speed Post service between Central Business Districts of major metros, and would be time sensitive, with facility for electronic intimation of delivery. The scheme will provide dedicated arrangements for collection, transmission and delivery. The cost of service would be speed post charges plus premium charges, and in case of delay, automatic refund of premium charges would be provided. The pilot of this scheme will be introduced between Delhi and Mumbai.

The E-commerce initiative proposes to use the retail network of post office to front-end e-commerce.  The matter is being explored through a core committee comprising Department of Posts and members of the CII to utilize the trusted environment of post offices to provide e-commerce facilities.

For this purpose, present services offered by the post offices like Express Parcel Post, e-post, Value Payable Post (VPP) and the payment gateway facilities would be reengineered to facilitate e-commerce activities.

The PDA-based delivery and Point of Sales System is proposed to introduce Portable Digital hand held delivery-cum-point of sale systems, in the near future.  More and more corporate customers of India Post now require proof of delivery/intimation of delivery in real time.

Discussions are on to give hand-held devices to the postmen where they can key the delivery time and name of the person to whom the article has been delivered in the PDA and the information would go to the server over a wireless phone embedded in the PDA.  The PDAs would also have tiny printers to give receipts.---INFA.

ONE MORE EGG FOR KIDS

Hyderabad, December 6 (INFA): Children studying in government schools in Andhra Pradesh will get two eggs in the weekly menu, instead of one under the mid-day meals scheme.

The aim is to provide nutritious food.  It will be recalled during the MGR ministry days in Tamil Nadu, the supply of eggs to children claimed top priority.

Andhra Pradesh has taken a cue from Tamil Nadu in this respect. ---INFA.