Postal Assistants Induction Training Reading Material PDF

1 POSTAL ASSISTANTS INDUCTION TRAINING READING MATERIAL Postal Training Centre, Darbhanga – 846005  2 Table of Contents SI. No Topic Page Nos. 1 Introduction -...

1 POSTAL ASSISTANTS INDUCTION TRAINING READING MATERIAL Postal Training Centre, Darbhanga – 846005  2 Table of Contents SI. No Topic Page Nos. 1 Introduction - Vision & Mission, Our 03- 11 Organization 2 Basic Records of Post Office 12 -14 3 Departments in Post office 15 - 16 4 Equipments used in Post office 17 - 19 5 Postal Manuals 20 6 Products and Services 21 – 32 7 Collection and Despatch of Ordinary Mail 33 - 51 8 Collection and Despatch of Accountable Mail 52 – 63 9 Acceptance of Remittance Transactions 64 – 67 10 Indian Postal Orders 67 – 69 11 Savings Bank 70-106 12 Recurring Deposit Account 107-112 13 Time Deposit Account 113-115 14 Monthly Income Scheme Account 116-117 15 Public Provident Fund 118-121 16 Senior Citizen Savings Scheme Account 121-123 17 Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA) 124-126 18 Certificate Account 127-131 19 Saving Bank Control Organization 131-173 20 Jan Suraksha Schemes 174-183 21 Postal Life Insurance 184-204 22 Rural Postal Life Insurance 204-212 23 National Pension System (NPS) 213-220 24 ePayment 221 25 Telephone revenue collections 222 26 General Collections 222 27 Subaccounts and Treasury 222-227 28 Accounting work at SO 227-228 29 Accounting in Head Office 228-229 30 Philately 229-232 31 My Stamp 232-235 32 Common Service Centre 235-237 33 Nanyatha 237-238 34 Deceased Claim Settlement 239-256 35 Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) 256 36 Aadhaar Service & IPPRS 256-257 37 Preservation of Records 258-259 38 CCS Conduct Rules, 1964 260 39 India Post Payment Bank 261-265 40 IT Modernization Project 2012 266-267 41 Office Procedure 267-282 42 Branches of CO/RO 283-289 43 SBCO/AUDITOR Manual 01-27  3 Introduction We extend a warm welcome to you to the Postal family. The organization you have chosen to enter had a glorious past and a bright future with an ambitious project commissioned. The Department has been the backbone of India’s communication network and core of the country’s socio-economic development for the last 167 years. It touches the lives of every citizen, be it through mail, banking, insurance, and money transfer or retail service. It has a network of 159251 Post Offices (25110 Departmental Post offices and 134141 Branch Post offices) in the country, the largest in the world, of which more than 143985 (90.41%) are in rural areas and 15266 (09.59%) in urban areas. Average area served by PO is 20.64 sq. km. (As on 31.03.2022). The core activity of the Department is booking, processing, transmission and delivery of mail. Mail is collected from 393984 letter boxes, processed by network of Mail Offices and conveyed by rail, road and airlines all over the country to reach the customers. eClearance of Letter Boxes has been implemented through “Nanyatha” software. Postal operations at the post office counter encompass the entire gamut of basic postal services that include sale of stamps, booking of registered articles, insured articles, value payable articles/COD, remittance of money through money orders, booking of parcels and Savings Bank transactions. Traditionally, these services were being provided at manually operated counters. Considering the vital need for providing benefits of technology to customers, counter operations are now computerized to provide a greater range of services to the customer from a single window. With the spread of mobile services, internet and modernized banking services, citizens are used to new level of speed, transparency and quality. This has also been the experience of other postal administrations in the world. In India, customers of the postal service expect Department of Posts to provide a service level similar to industry standards maintained by banks, insurance, express industry, etc. This is the challenge that the Department faces today and you have a greater role to play in fulfilling the customer aspirations through dedicated, honest and efficient service. Our vision “India Post’s products and services will be the customer’s first choice” The vision, in its broader sense, means that customer will prefer our products and services ahead of other similar options available in the industry. If a customer has to prefer our products and services, the delivery mechanism of our products and services has to be of a very high quality coupled with an efficient after sales service. This requires that all of us should always strive to achieve the standard of service that customer expects from us and sustain the high standard achieved, always. For this to be realized, we should have a clear understanding of the organization structure, the functional levels, tasks performed, operational procedures and be updated with latest changes. This training will provide you the right inputs towards these objectives. Our Mission Our mission underlines the steps to be taken towards achieving the vision of the organization. The mission is To sustain its position as the largest postal network in the world touching the lives of every citizen in the country. To provide mail parcel, money transfer, banking, insurance and retail services with speed and reliability. To provide services to the customers on value for money basis. To ensure that the employees are proud to be its main strength and serve its customers with a human touch.  4 To continue to deliver social security services and to enable last mile connectivity as a Government of India platform. You can observe that our mission, apart from stating the economic objective, also tries to realize the potential of its employees, recognizing them as an asset. The mission also underlines the social responsibilities through its objective to deliver social security services connecting the last mile. This multi-faceted approach makes India Post a viable entity in the life of the common man. Our Organization Our organization is a large network of offices with 4, 03,678 strong workforce of which, 167065 are Departmental Employees and 236613 are Gramin Dak Sewaks (as on 31.03.2022) delivering efficient Postal services across the country. This vast organization is managed through administrative units and services rendered through operative units. You need to understand the various levels of administrative hierarchy and the operative network to appreciate your position in this network and the role you will play. Administrative Setup The Department functions under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India. The head of the Department is Secretary, Department of Posts, who is also the Chairman, Postal Services Board. There will be a Director General, Department of Posts with specific functions entrusted to him. The Postal Services Board consists of 6 Members. Also, there is a post of Additional Director General (Co- ordination) and Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, whose role have been clearly identified. The organization setup at the Directorate is in the chart below. Each Member is assisted by DDGs and other staff in the day-to-day functions. The Administrative setup from the Directorate down to Post offices is shown in the chart below The Department is territorially divided into 23 circles, each encompassing one or more than one state and/or a union territory. A Circle is headed by Chief Postmaster General. The circle is divided into Regions each headed by a Postmaster General. Regions are further classified into divisions headed by Superintendent or Senior Superintendent. Divisions can be under the jurisdiction of PMG or CPMG. Divisions are classified as Postal or RMS Divisions. Postal Divisions are in charge of the Postal operations in their jurisdiction whereas, the RMS Divisions manage the mail processing. The Postal/RMS Divisions are divided into Sub Divisions In-charge of Inspector or Assistant Superintendent. Each Regional Headquarters has a Postal Stores Depot. In-charge of a Superintendent, catering to the needs of forms and stationery of the PO/RMS offices in the region. Each circle has Circle Stamps Depot. In-charge of a Superintendent, which supplies Stamps and Postal Stationeries to Head offices in the Circle. The organization chart below shows this functional classification 5  6 List of Circles & Head Quarters Following is the list of Postal Circles: SL Circle Headquarters Territorial Jurisdiction 01 Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh and Yanam (Hyderabad) 02 Assam Guwahati Assam 03 Bihar Patna Bihar 04 Chhattisgarh Raipur Chhattisgarh 05 Delhi New Delhi Delhi 06 Gujarat, Daman, Diu, Gujarat Ahmadabad Dadra and Nagar Haveli 07 Haryana Ambala Haryana 08 Himachal Shimla (Sundar Himachal Pradesh Nagar) 09 Jammu & Srinagar (Jammu) Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir 10 Jharkhand Ranchi Jharkhand 11 Karnataka Bangalore Karnataka 12 Kerala, Lakshadweep Kerala Thiruvananthapuram and Mahe 13 Madhya Bhopal Madhya Pradesh Pradesh 14 Maharashtra Mumbai Maharashtra and Goa 15 Arunachal Pradesh, North Eastern Shillong Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura 16 Orissa Bhubaneshwar Orissa 17 Punjab Chandigarh Punjab, Chandigarh U.T (Kapurthala) 18 Rajasthan Jaipur Rajasthan 19 Tamilnadu, Pondicherry Tamilnadu Chennai (except Yanam and Mahe) 20 Telangana Hyderabad Telangana State 21 Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 22 Uttarakhand Dehradun Uttarakhand 23 West Bengal, Andaman West Bengal Kolkata and Nicobar islands and Sikkim State  7 PAO (Postal Accounts Office) Postal Accounts Offices consolidate the accounts of a Circle. We have 22 PAOs in the country shown hereunder. SL Postal Accounts Headquarters Territorial jurisdiction Office 01 Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam 02 Assam Guwahati Assam 03 Bihar Patna Bihar 04 Chhattisgarh Raipur Chhattisgarh 05 Delhi New Delhi Delhi 06 Gujarat, Daman, Diu, Gujarat Ahmadabad Dadra and Nagar Haveli 07 Haryana Ambala Haryana 08 Himachal Sundar Nagar Himachal Pradesh Pradesh 09 Jammu Jammu Jammu and Kashmir and Kashmir 10 Jharkhand Ranchi Jharkhand 11 Karnataka Bengaluru Karnataka 12 Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Kerala, Lakshadweep and Mahe 13 Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 14 Maharashtra Nagpur Maharashtra and Goa 15 Arunachal Pradesh, North Eastern Shillong Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura 16 Orissa Cuttack Orissa 17 Punjab Kapurthala Punjab, Chandigarh U.T 18 Rajasthan Jaipur Rajasthan 19 Tamilnadu, Pondicherry Tamilnadu Chennai (except Yanam and Mahe) 20 Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 21 Uttarakhand Dehradun Uttarakhand 22 West Bengal Kolkata West Bengal, Andman & Nicobar island & Sikkim * Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Postal Circle have same PAO. Operative Network We will now look at the operational network. Post offices collect mail and perform other financial transactions. The mail collected is moved to sorting offices. The sorting offices sort the mail according to destination and move towards them to the delivery Post Offices. The delivery Post offices deliver the mail. The Post offices are classified as Head Post Offices (Head office or HO) Sub Post Offices (Sub office or SO) Branch Post Offices (Branch office or BO) Other special kind of offices viz., GPO, MDG, NPO Franchise outlet, PSSK.  8 Operative The Head Post offices and Sub Post Offices are in charge of Departmental officials whereas the Branch Post Offices are in charge of Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS). Every Postal division comprises of one or more than one Head Post Offices, Sub Offices and Branch Offices. The operational network is such that the Branch Offices report to its Account Office (a Sub Office or Head Office) and Sub Offices report to Head Offices daily. Branch office: Branch Post Office (BO) is mostly located in rural areas. They operate for minimum of 4 hours and maximum of 5 hours daily. BOs offer basic services such as Mail Booking, Banking and Insurance. In addition to this, BOs are also responsible for the disbursement of wages under the MGNREGS. The office is in charge of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) Branch Postmaster. He/She may be assisted by a Assistant Branch Postmaster (ABPMs). Territorial jurisdiction of Branch offices comprises of one or more villages. Sub Office: Sub Post Office (SO) is an operational unit located in urban as well as rural areas which reports to Head Post office. SO provides Mail Booking Services, Banking Services, Remittance Services and Insurance Services. It also provides other services like Aadhaar enrollment, correction, CSC cervices. It incorporates the account of BOs placed under it and also supplies and receives funds. SOs are classified based on the number of staff. They are MDG, HSG SO, LSG SO, A class SO, B class SO and C class SOs. These POs are further classified into delivery and non delivery offices. Each delivery PO will have delivery staff and is allotted a unique Pincode number. Non delivery offices perform only counter transactions and are not assigned any Pincode. They are identified with the Pincode of the concerned delivery PO. Head Office: It is the Chief of a group of Post Offices consisting of itself and its Sub Offices and Branch Offices. It is an operational unit and is authorized for the posting, Receipt, Sorting, Handling, Transmission and Delivery of mails. HO offers mail-related services such as booking of articles, sale of postage stamps/Philately and special services like Post box/Post bag/Franking. It also offers non-postal services like Banking, Insurance, money remittances and retail services such as Passport Seva Kendra & Aadhaar enrolment. It consolidates accounts of all SO’s under its jurisdiction and reports to the Postal Accounts Office. It also draws salary and other bills for officials in its jurisdiction and maintains the service book. HO is classified based upon the number of officials. It may be in charge of a Higher Selection Grade (HSG-I/II) Postmaster or a Senior Postmaster (Gazetted). The Principal HPO at the circle Head quarters is called General Post Office (GPO). Army Post Office: These Post Offices serve defense personnel. There are two POs carrying the HO status – 1 CBPO (Central Base Post Office), in Delhi and 2 CBPO, in Kolkata. 1 CBPO is called 56 APO and 2 CBPO is called 99 APO for the purpose of addressing. Field Post offices (FPOs) which carry the status of sub offices are under  9 the jurisdiction of CBPOs and serve the armed forces in different locations. Foreign Post: There are Foreign Post Offices and Sub Foreign Post offices in the country which deal with the incoming and outgoing foreign mail. Mails are exchanged between countries and the accounts need to be settled on account of the mails transmitted and delivered. The Universal Postal Union facilitates this. Night Post Office: Night Post Office is an extension counter situated in HO/GPO and that starts functioning before/after normal working hours of a PO. It also functions on holidays and Sundays. The working hours of the NPO is being fixed by Chief Postmaster General of the Circle. Only limited services like booking of Speed/Registered articles including VP articles, IPO sale, stamp sales etc are being provided to the customers through night POs. Role of Universal Postal Union (UPU): The Universal Postal Union was established on 9th October, 1874, with its headquarters in Berne (Switzerland), sets guidelines for the free flow of mail between countries. It is a special agency of United Nations coordinating the Postal Policies of member nations. The conventions entered into under the aegis of the UPU ensure that the national boundaries merge into one for the purpose of exchanging letter post items. There is a guaranteed freedom of transit within the territory of the Union. Under the convention each country keeps the postage it collects on international mail. But each country must pay other member countries for the excess mail sent (Terminal Dues) and also for transporting mails across their borders (Transit Charges). Apart from promoting international cooperation in organizing and improving postal services, the UPU has standardized postal charges to be collected by each country for letter post items. The UPU has made it possible for a postal item to reach the addressee, wherever on the globe, regardless of his social status, political views, religion, or race. Free postage for items concerning prisoners of war and civilian internees and for literature for the blind and reduced rates for conveyance of newspapers and periodicals are some of the achievements of the UPU. Currently there are 192 member countries. The UPU’s Technology Centre manages IPS (International Postal System), which is an international mail management system facilitating track and trace of international mails and IFS (International Financial System), a software application for international money order service. Railway Mail Service (RMS) Railway Mail Service wing performs two functions – Collection of mail from Post offices, sorting and transmission. We have different types of offices Sorting Mail Office (SMO): This is a stationary office of the Railway Mail Service. This office deals with the contents of mail bags addressed to it and closes bags. Transit Mail Office (TMO): This office deals with the closed bags. Transit Section: It is a travelling office of RMS working in trains. Sections deal with only closed bags. Head Record office (HRO): The Head record office is a branch of the office of the Superintendent of RMS. It prepares salary and contingent bills for the staff and offices of the entire division and maintains the accounts in this connection. Sections and Mail Offices are attached to a Head Record Office. Sub Record Office (SRO)is located outside the headquarters of the division and may have sections apart from mail offices attached to it. It takes care of the staffing requirement of Mail Offices and supplies forms and stationeries. The work papers of the sets of Mail Offices are checked and preserved in the Sub Record Office. Record Office supplies the forms, bags and stationery required by sections for their work. The records of the sections are checked and preserved in a record office.  10 Speed Post Centre or Sorting Hub: The sorting Hubs concentrate speed post articles, sort and move them to destination Post Offices. We have nation Sorting Hubs (NSH) and Intra circle Hubs (ICH) handling speed post articles. We will learn more about this process later. Look into the history of India Post Office We are unable to exactly determine the origin of Indian Post Office. Even though there is mention of Postmasters and messengers even during the Mogul period in Indian History, we find that the Indian Post Office acquired its identity during the British rule in India. While the British started their commercial ventures in India and presidencies were established in Bengal, Bombay etc., the Post Offices became very important part of the administration. The Post Office used to carry mail as well as keep the Rulers informed about the various incidents in the kingdom. The Postmaster was thus a very important pillar of the administration. There were many native Postal systems in India at that time. The British attempted to bring these systems under the Imperial Post Office but the move was resented and resisted by the native rulers. There were private agents running the mail service for some rulers too. With the Post Office Act passed in 1854, Indian Post Office came to have a legal sanctity. Subsequent acts made it possible to integrate and expand the services of the Post Offices. In 1898, the Post Office Act was passed which gave shape to the Postal system. Of course the number of offices was very small. Some native Postal systems were integrated with the Indian Post Office much later. After independence, there was considerable growth in the network of the Post Offices. Anybody who reads the Indian Postal History would be surprised to see the loyalty of the staff, their desire to render valuable service to the customers and the utility of the service. These included such services as palanquin service to carry travelers or supply of quinine to fight against malaria. It is the utility of the Post Office and the values and qualities of its personnel which have helped the Post office to maintain its efficiency over decades. The value of the Post office to the society even today cannot be underestimated. Some important dates in Indian Postal History 1st July 1852 – Use of first Postage stamp (Scinde Dawk) 1st October 1854 – Indian Postal system came into existence October 1854 – Release of first Postage stamp for use throughout India 1882 – Introduction of POSB 1st February 1884 – Introduction of Postal Life Insurance 18th Feb 1911 – India first country to carry mail by air (Allahabad to Naini)- (Covering 12 kms) 1931 – Use of first pictorial stamp 21st November 1947 – Release of first Postage stamp of independent India 15th August 1972 – Introduction of Postal Index Number 1986 – Introduction of Speed Post 1995– Introduction of VSAT money order system 24.03.1995 – Introduction of Rural Postal Life Insurance 2004 – 150 years of India Post 2008 – Commissioning of Project Arrow 2010 – Introduction of Mail Network Optimization Project 2012 – Commissioning of India Post 2012 2013 - Core Banking Solution (CBS) 2016 – Commissioning of IPPB. 2017 - Start of Passport Seva Kendra, DARPAN (Digital Advancement of Rural  11 Post Office for a new India) & Core System Integrator (CSI) 2018 – Commencement of Aadhaar enrollment, Operationalization of Parcel Network Optimization Project (PNOP) w.e.f 17.08.2018 1st September 2018 – Launch of India Post Payment Bank PAN INDIA Basis. 2022 – IT Modernization 2.0 India Post logo The design of the new logo is inspired by the fact that India Post carries emotion across physical distance. At first glance, it is an envelope and at the next glance, it is a bird in flight, unhindered and unrestricted. Bold strokes convey free flight. The India Post new Logo was designed by an Agency, Oglivy and Mather in the year 2008 under Project Arrow. The choices of colours are Red and Yellow. Red has been chosen for its traditional association with the Postal Service. It embodies passion, power and commitment. Yellow communicates hope, joy and happiness. Evidence of the combination of the two colours is found across the country. India Post Website India Post website provides valuable information for the customer as well as for the employees. It is a platform for sharing & disseminating information across the Country & the web URL is – www.indiapost.gov.in  12 Basic Records of Post Office The Post office, during the course of its business, maintains various records and handles them on a day-to-day basis while carrying out routine transactions. Each branch of a Post office has its own set of records, which you must be aware of when you function in the branch. However there are certain common records of a PO which are referred frequently. The following is the brief description of these records. Attendance Register (S 37) This is a book kept for the officials to sign, noting the time of attendance before the start of their duties. The head of the office examines and initials it. It is the register that gives information about who worked in a Post office on a particular day. In many bigger offices a new system of marking the attendance using biometric devices input in place which makes the Attendance register more accurate & meaningful. Reports are available to check the hours of attendance for various officials. Nominal Roll (MS 12) This is a record showing the names of Postal Assistants actually on duty on a given date and the nature of duties performed by each of them. Whenever there is a change, the Postmaster notes it on the Nominal Roll. In other words, if there is no change in the duties performed by an official, no entry need be made and the previous day’s arrangement continues. Normally, the Nominal Roll is maintained for operative staff. But it is maintained for postmen staff also, in offices having more than 25 postmen. After IT Modernization Project, the Nominal Rolls are maintained by the system and only reports need to be generated & filed which will serve the purpose of nominal roll. Notice of Hours of Business (M 6 for Pos & M 6 (c ) for Bos) It shows the hours of business of different postal transactions with members of public. It also shows the time of delivery and time of despatch. It is prepared by the Superintendent of Post offices and supplied to non gazetted HOs and SOs. In respect of First Class HOs the Postmaster issues for his office. For branch offices it is prepared and supplied by the Inspector of Post offices. It is prominently exhibited for information to the public. The Postmasters cannot make any correction in it on their own.  13 Memorandum of Distribution of Work (MS 11) This shows the duties to be performed by each official working in a post office. The Gazetted Postmaster issues for his own office. The Superintendent of Post offices supplies to other offices other than ‘C’ class offices. Any change of a permanent nature in the duties of officials, has to be ordered by the authority competent to issue the memo. But the Postmasters can order temporary changes in the duties of officials, in the case of shortage of staff etc. Book of Postmarks (MS 18) This book is maintained in all Post offices. In this book, impressions of all stamps and seals having changeable types are taken before they are brought in to use. In HOs and SOs two books are maintained, in one book the impressions of Oblong Money order, Due Stamp, Round Money order and Insurance seal is taken and kept under the personal custody of the Postmaster. In other book the impressions of all other stamps are taken. Concerned officials should see and initial below the impressions. Error Book (MS 2) This is maintained in form MS-2 by all post offices. In big offices it is maintained separately for each branch. Normally it has the following headings in manuscript: 1) Date 2) Name of official or office committing irregularity 3) Particulars of irregularity 4) Remarks. After recording the irregularity the Postmaster will initial it and a copy of the extract will be forwarded to the concerned office or sections, copies may also be sent to the controlling authorities wherever necessary to draw their attention. Hand to Hand Receipt Book (MS 7) In Post office there is need to transfer bags, cash valuable, articles, keys etc. by one official to another. For this purpose, Postmaster and all the PAs maintain receipt books in form MS-7. It always remains in the custody of the official concerned. The Hand to hand receipt book contains the following information: 1) date 2) description of bag, article or document 3) name and designation of official to whom transferred and initials of officials in acknowledgement of receipt. Before receipt book is brought to use the pages should be serially numbered. Every day the Postmaster should examine and initial these books and see that transfers are properly made. Complaints and Suggestion Book (MS 94) This is a book kept in all Post offices for recording any service matters by the members of public. It is examined daily by the Postmaster. If the nature of complaint can be settled by him, he can dispose of the complaint and the nature of action taken be informed to the member of public. In other cases an extract should be forwarded to the immediate superior by service registered post and the complainant be informed accordingly. As an alternative, the customers have been provided with facility of lodging their complaints electronically by login into India Post URL in which they can  14 select complaint session. Order Book (MS 8) Every post office is supplied with this book to record remarks and orders of inspecting officers. Postmaster is personally responsible to take action on the remarks and orders passed by the officers. It should always be kept in the personal custody of the Postmaster; willful removal of any page from this book is a serious offence punishable with removal from service. Postmaster’s Order Book (MS 1) It is maintained in big offices to record the following: (a) result of test applied to any branch or work by duty staff (b) result of examination of locks, uniforms etc (c) temporary arrangements of work of PAs and Postmen (d) any unusual occurrence. Every entry is to be signed by the Postmaster and the official concerned should initial after noting the entry. Statistical Register (MS 13) These registers are maintained in all POs for the purpose of posting statistical information regarding work done in various branches. Different registers are maintained in different branches. These statistical registers are maintained in calendar month at HOs and according to account month at SOs (we will study about calendar and account month later). Statistical registers are now available in various terms in electronic form. Memo of Authorized Balances (MAB) (ACG 14) This is a document showing the balances to be held in a Post Office. The maximum and minimum balances within which the office has to operate while operating with cash is prescribed in this memo. Apart from the minimum and maximum cash balance to be held, it also shows the maximum of Postage, and other stamps to be held and IPO minimum and maximum to held. In offices with Branch offices, the MAB also stipulates the aggregate balance to be held. This document is issued by Divisional Head. Combined Memo of Authorized Balances (CMAB) is a consolidation of authorised balances of all subordinate offices. This document is used to follow up the retention of cash within authorised limits. Due Mail and Sorting List (M 9) This document is issued in two parts. The Due mail list gives the details of receipt and dispatch of mails whereas the sorting list shows the manner in which the articles are despatched. This is issued by the Head of the division.  15 Departments in Post office The PO functions are carried out in the following branches: 1. Sorting 2. Mail 3. Delivery 4. Deposit 5. Registration 6. Parcel 7. Money order and Indian Postal Order 8. Sub accounts 9. Treasury 10.Savings bank and Savings certificates Account 11.Account Branch (only in HO/GPO) 12.CPC for processing PLI/RPLI (only in HO/GPO) 1. Sorting In this branch the work relating to the sorting of the mail is done. This involves collection of mail from various sources, examining the mail, postmarking them to cancel the postage paid, sorting, bundling and closing of mail bags for despatch. You may find an exclusive Assistant for this job in bigger offices whereas in smaller offices, this job is performed in addition to some other work 2. Mail In this branch, the work relating to the despatch, transmission and receipt of mail is done. The tasks involved are – Receipt of bags, despatch of bags and accounting of bags. 3. Delivery This branch performs the delivery functions of the Post office. The tasks involved are – Receipt of mail bags from the mail branch and opening these; separation of letters for post boxes, taxing (to make up deficiency in postage), BOs & for its own offices. 4. Deposit This branch deals with mail which is not delivered. Undeliverable mail or where the addresses are not clear or when the customer wants the mail to be kept in deposit are kept with this branch. 5. Registration In this branch, registered letters from customers are accepted and despatched and the registered letters received for delivery from other offices are issued to Postmen for delivery. An account of the letters handled is maintained. 6. Parcel This branch performs similar tasks as that of registration branch while handling parcel mail/BP COD/EP COD. 7. Money Order The tasks involved here are Booking of Money orders (Ordinary, eMO, Value Payable MO, iMO) Sale and Payment of Indian Postal Orders (IPOs) Receipt & Printing of eMOs received for payment Arranging of Cash for payment of MOs Payment through Postman/window Accounting of eMOs, IPOs 8. Sub Accounts The function of this branch is to monitor the functioning of the subordinate  16 offices whose accounts form a part of the accounts of the main office. Here the duties include Receipt and accounting/distribution of contents of account bags(from SOs at HO)/ Branch office bags (from BOs at SO/HO) to concerned branches. Meeting the requirements of subordinate offices Verifying and correcting the accounts of subordinate offices Communicating with subordinate offices Consolidation of accounts of subordinate offices 9. Treasury There are two types of treasurer or Treasurer has to play dual role in CSI platform – one online treasurer and another is offline treasurer. During the PO being offline, treasurer has to get Cash, Stamp and IPO from Online Treasurer and same may be given to Counter as and when he receive the request from Counter. The following tasks are carried out here Safe custody of cash, stamps and other valuables Supply of cash to counters Receipt of cash from counters Supply & receipt of cash from sub-ordinate offices Receipt and payment of cash to Postman Payment of bills/ PLI, RPLI payments Maintenance of Treasurer’s Cash Book & Summary If there is an exclusive person to handle this job he/she is called the treasurer. In smaller offices where there is no treasurer, this task is carried out by the Sub Postmaster himself/herself 10. Savings Bank and Savings Certificates Account The following tasks are performed here Opening of Savings schemes A/cs & Subsequent transactions Issuing of Saving Certificates. Transfer/Discharge/Closure of A/cs & Certificates. Opening of Social securities schemes like PMSBY/PMJJY/APY Settlement of Claims. There are certain tasks that are performed at the counter which are called front office transactions involving interaction with the customers. Acceptance of articles/money orders/SB,SC transactions come under this category. The other classification is back office transactions which normally involve preparation and despatch of bag, receipt of bag and distribution of mail to postmen/others and accounting functions. 11. Account Branch – This branch deals with accounting work of entire HO and also deals with drawal of Pay & allowance, maintenance of Service book/GPF/NPS/Personal claim payment, filing of IT/GST returns and other works related to account. 12. CPC Branch – This branch deals with processing of new Policy and after sales service related to PLI/RPLI work.  17 Equipments used in Post Offices Post offices use various equipments in their routine operations. It is necessary that you have an idea of their usage. We will now study the utility of each of these equipments Stamps and Seals Post offices are supplied with stamps and seals. The stamps and seals are used for various purposes depending on the branch where they are used. Generally these are used for authentication as also to cancel the stamps affixed on articles. It is also used to mention the date/office of posting and date/office of delivery. In case of oblong/round MO stamps, they are used to authenticate financial transactions. Impressions of the stamps are obtained using black stamping ink smeared on the stamp pad. Since stamping on articles create noise and heavy usage wears out the impressions, we use a rubber pad placed on a slab. Since the impressions have to be clear, stamps and seals have to be regularly cleaned. Seals are used for sealing bags, envelopes and covers. Date stamps, round MO and oblong stamps have changeable date, month and year types. Every day, date types have to be changed and sample impression obtained on book of postmarks which should be initialed by the concerned official. Stamps and Seals have to be secured carefully as they are used to authenticate Post office transactions. Each Postal Assistant is personally responsible for the safe custody and proper use of the stamps entrusted, during working hours. The following stamps/seals are in the personal custody of the Postmaster and are to be used to obtain impressions in the presence of Postmaster. Round Money Order Stamp Oblong Money Order Stamp Postage Due Stamp Insurance Seal All the stamps and seals should be kept in safe custody when not in use Letter Boxes Letter boxes are placed at convenient public places for members of public to post letters, letter cards and packets. These letter boxes are cleared periodically as per the schedule available in the Letter Box Statement in the office. The time of clearance of letter box will be painted on the letter Box and in some cases if there is more than one clearance, changeable plates showing the time of clearance will be placed. The office letter-box is cleared by Sorting PA and the outside letter boxes are  18 cleared by Group ‘MTS / GDS’ Besides letter boxes are also provided in Post Office premises. We have different types of letter boxes as shown in figure above. Presently LBs are being ecleared through Nanyatha App. Post Boxes/Post Bags Post Boxes are provided on rent by Delivery Post office to members of public on payment of prescribed fee. A Post Box Number is allotted to the customer and key is given to him/her. The correspondents of the Post Box renter can merely mention the Post box number on the address portion and the Post office will deliver the letters through the concerned Post box. Only fully prepaid unregistered articles except parcels are delivered through the Post box. The fees for hiring post box or post bag (any one facility) is Rs. 50/- per quarter and Rs. 150 per year and for both facilities Rs. 80/- per quarter and Rs. 250/- per year. Weighing scales Weighing scales are used in Post offices to weigh the articles presented by customers to arrive the postage stamps to be affixed, depending on the service requested for. These are also used for back office purposes like weighing the insured envelopes, bags, cash bag/stamp bag etc., during despatch as well as receipt. We use manual as well as electronic weighing scales. The electronic weighing scales are connected to computers for auto capture of weight. We have different weight ranges of scales supplied. These scales are periodically checked by the weights and measures department for accuracy. Computers and Accessories Computers and allied accessories are used in Post office to perform transactions and generate reports. You may come across the following Desktop PCs (Used by operators and supervisors to perform transactions) Servers (At the centre of the office network; Office data is centralized here) Printers o Dot matrix – for generating receipts and reports o Laserjet – for printing eMOs  19 o Inkjet – for printing ePost, WUMT/iMO printouts Scanners o Barcode scanners – to capture barcode while handling articles with barcode o 2D barcode readers – to read and verify frank impressions of RMFS o Flatbed scanners – to capture specimen signature in Savings accounts and ePost manuscript message Networking equipments o Switches, cables to connect all systems in the office UPS o To provide uniform power supply and immediate power in case of power failures Generator o To provide captive power supply during prolonged power failures Wax Heaters Wax heaters are supplied to bigger offices. These heaters are normally used to heat black sealing wax while closing bags and envelopes. Franking Machines Franking machines are provided at the counter of the Post office as a mode of prepayment of postage by customers.  20 Postal Manuals The manuals and guides prescribed specify the procedure to be followed in performing routine operations in Post Offices in various branches. Every official performing various transactions is expected to know the rules prescribed for doing the job and be updated with the latest changes. The Postal Manuals are now found available on India post website- www.indiapost.gov.in Following is the list of manuals prescribed and a brief of their contents Post office Guides are for the guidance of customers Post office Guide – Part I - Contains guidelines to customers transacting in various Postal products in inland mail and other financial services and details the conditions subject to which posting can be made. Post office Guide – Part II - This guide deals with conditions for posting of international mail Post office Guide – Part III - Contains the list of Post offices Post office Guide – Part IV - This guide relates to Post office Savings bank and certificates Postal Manuals are for the guidance of staff in Post Office. They lay down the operational procedures. The various volumes and their scope are detailed below Postal Manual Volume 1 – This is a compilation of legislative enactments related to Post office. It contains the following acts and rules The Indian Post office Act 1898 The Indian Post office Rules, 1933 The Government Savings Banks Act 1873 The Post office Cash Certificates Act 1917 The Post office Savings Banks (Nomination) Rules, 1960 The Government Savings Certificates Act, 1959 The Government Savings Certificates Rules, 1960 Postal Manual Volume II – Contains general guidelines, rules relating to organization matters, appeals, petitions, stock, budget and buildings Postal Manual Volume III – Rules relating to discipline Postal Manual Volume IV – Rules relating to appointments, promotions, leave and establishment Postal Manual Volume V – Rules relating to mails and investigation Postal Manual Volume VI – This is in three parts and contains rules relating to Postal operations except Savings bank and certificates Part I – Rules relating to collection and delivery of ordinary and accountable mail Part II – Rules relating to booking, transmission, payment and accounting of Money orders Part III – Rules relating to functioning of sub accounts branch, accounting in POs, Duties of postmen and letter box attendants Postal Manual Volume VII – Rules relating to operations in Railway Mail Service Postal Manual Volume VIII – Rules relating to functioning of various administrative units like Circle office, Divisional office, stock depot.etc., Branch office rules – Rules relating to the working of branch offices Post office Savings Bank Manual Volume I – Contains rules relating to various types of savings accounts Post office Savings Bank Manual Volume II – Contains rules relating to transactions in various types of Savings Certificates.  21 Products and Services India Post offers several products and services. These can be broadly classified under the following heads Mail Services Premium Products Financial Services Retail Services Philately Mail Services Mail service is the primary service offered by India Post. The activities involved in mail services from the time it is posted by customer to the time it is delivered to the addressee are – Collection, sorting, transmission and delivery. Our efficiency lies in moving the mail as quickly as possible from the time it is collected, to facilitate early delivery to the addressee. We offer domestic and foreign mail services. We have 10 types of domestic mail: 1. Letters 2. Inland Letter Cards 3. Post Cards 4. Book Packets 5. Sample and Pattern Packets 6. Book Packets containing Printed Books 7. Book Packets containing Periodicals 8. Registered Newspapers 9. Blind Literature Packets 10.Parcels. Apart from above a new mail product namely “Magazine Post” has been launched by India Post in 2022. The first 9 types of articles are letter mail and the last one is Parcel Mail. The mail items are further classified as First Class and Second Class Mail for the purpose of providing air lift. The first three of the above list are First Class Mail and get airlifted, wherever available, free of charge. The next seven items are termed Second Class Mail and are moved by surface. For airlifting the Second Class Mail, Air Surcharge has to be paid. We will discuss the features of each of these mail items and handling process later. For transmission of these mails, customers have to pay tariff. The tariff is normally paid in the form of postage stamps affixed on the articles posted. However, the customers also have the following options: By obtaining frank impressions – Bulk customers can buy franking machines, secure license and generate frank impressions on the articles in their premises. Certain Post offices also have franking machines at the counter and customers can present the articles to generate franks. The process is explained in detail later. Postage in cash: Certain customers, on obtaining license from the department, are permitted to pay cash in lieu of postage stamps License to post without prepayment: Registered newspapers can be posted without prepayment of postage on obtaining license from the department. Registration This is a value addition to the mail. The Registration facility is available for all articles except for Post cards. This provides a secure mode of transmission and the article is accounted for at every stage of handling from collection to delivery. An  22 additional fee of Rs. 17/- is charged. Customer can also avail the acknowledgement facility at a further additional fee of Rs. 3/-. The delivery and movement of the article can be tracked & traced through India Post site. The Department pays ex- gratia compensation to the customer, in case the article is lost in course of transmission. Insurance Insurance service is more secure transmission method. An additional fee, apart from registration is charged. This system covers all risks during transmission and in case the article is lost, the department pays compensation to the extent of insured amount, subject to certain conditions. Acknowledgement is free. This category can also track & trace. The facility of Insurance is available for Letters and Parcels only. Rate of Insurance is as follows: A) For all Retail Customers: Up to Rs. 200- Rs. 10/-, Above Rs. 200 – Rs. 10 + Rs. 6 for every additional Rs. 100 or fraction thereof B) For all Contractual Customers of SP and Business Parcel: Up to Rs. 200 – Rs. 4, Above Rs. 200 – Rs. 4 + 1.50 % of insured value exceeding Rs. 200/- Value Payable Through this system, the sender of the article can recover the amount specified from the addressee, on delivery of the article and have the amount paid back to him. The amount collected is remitted back to sender through Value Payable money order service. The insurance of all value payable articles on which the amount specified for recovery exceeds Rs. 1500/ - is mandatory. Cash on Delivery Cash on Delivery facility is also made available to the bulk customers of Express Parcel (Discontinued w.e.f. 18.11.2019) / Business Parcel and Speed Post which is at par with the Value Payable Service. Premium Products The premium products are the segments where the business interest lies as they bring in additional revenue. The following is the list of premium products 1. Speed Post 2. Business Post 3. Business Parcel 4. Media Post 5. Logistics Post Speed Post: Salient features - Speed post is a reliable and high speed service. The service was started in August 1986 offering time bound delivery of mail which is address specific. The tariff is based on weight and distance. Speed post articles are indemnified against loss or delay at no additional charge and refund of charges is made in case of delay. Proof of delivery (like acknowledgement for registration) can be obtained on payment of additional fee. Domestic speed posts are accepted for transmission up to a weight limit of 35 kgs. Book Now Pay Later service is provided for bulk customers using the service regularly. Tracking facility is also available. Business Post: Salient features - This service offers a ‘One Stop Solution’ by providing pre-mailing activities for bulk mailers. The pre-mailing activities which are provided along with the tariff is given below: S.N Activity (per article) Business Post Rates  23 Unregistered Registered 1 Collection from premises 0.30 0.50 2 Franking 0.40 0.50 3 Addressing 0.50 0.50 4 Sealing 0.20 0.20 5 For inserting (per insertion) 0.20 0.20 6 For folding before insertion 0.10 0.20 7 For continuous stationery that requires 0.05 0.05 cutting 8 For pasting pre-gummed 0.05 0.05 computerized address label 9 Pasting computerized address labels 0.10 0.10 that are not pre-gummed 10 For insertions that are to be matched with 0.15 0.15 address on the envelope 11 Special handling for articles weighing 0.30 0.70 upto 100 gms 12 Special handling for every additional 100 0.20 0.20 gms or part Business Parcel: Salient features: Business Parcel service is offered to contractual customers to book parcels from 2 kgs up to 35 kgs. The transmission of such service is by surface. Cash on Delivery: Cash on Delivery facility shall be available to Business Parcel and Speed Post customers subject to the following conditions, namely:- (a) Customer is a contractual customer and has agreement with the Department for transmission of Cash on Delivery articles; (b) Amount specified for recovery from addressee in the case of any such postal article shall not exceed fifty thousand rupees (Rs. 50,000/-) and shall not include a fraction of rupee; (c) Such articles do not contain coupons, tickets, certificates or introductions designed for the sale of goods on what is known as the “Snowball System”; (d) In addition to postage, insurance fee wherever leviable, the sender of the postal article intended to be transmitted by post as Cash on Delivery article shall be required to pay the following additional fee on delivery of such postal article:- Amount to be recovered Schedule of Fee Up to Rs. 6500/- 1.6% of amount recovered Above Rs. 6500/- Rs. 100/- + 1% of amount exceeding Rs. 6500/- The above fee shall be exclusive of taxes and the taxes, if leviable, have to be paid extra as notified by the Central Government from time to time. (e) Insurance of Cash on Delivery articles shall not be compulsory irrespective of amount of recovery from addressee; (f) Amount, recovered from addressee on delivery of such article by post, shall be remitted to the sender through e-Payment; Media Post Through this service, the corporate customers, Government organizations and other private organizations can have their products/services advertised on Postcards, inland letter cards, envelopes, aerogramme, Post office savings bank Passbook, Postal stationery, mail vans and letter boxes. The tariff for the service is in the table below  24 Charge Charge Minimum Medium Space quantity Single multi (cms) colour colour lakhs Paise/ Paise/ piece piece Postcards 3 x 2.20 10 20 10 Lakh for ILC 9 x 2.50 15 30 multi colour advertisement. Aerogramme 4 x 5.5 20 40 5 Lakh for Envelope 9 X 2.5 -- 30 single colour. MO Forms 2 x 4.25 10 -- 10 Lakh POSB PB 9 x 2.25 10 -- 5 lakh Meghdoot 9X 6.5 -- 200 1 Lakh Postcard Logistics Post This is a fast, safe and reliable service for transportation of large volume of parcels. This service operates between two fixed stations/cities. Any material other than prohibited items can be transmitted. Consignment should be packed and addressed to individual consignee. It offers a total solution which involves pickup, loading, door delivery and warehousing solutions before despatch and delivery. Minimum chargeable weight is 50 kg and insurance facility is optional. There is no upper weight limit. Tariff is based on weight and volume. Applicable octroi, toll tax, storage and demurrage fee are additional charges. Further, a minimum charge of Rs. 50/-(for delivery and pickup) plus Rs. 100/-(docket charge) are levied in addition. Retail Services Retail sale or distribution of products of other organizations is undertaken by India Post under this service. Products will be offered through any specific location/region of customer’s choice. Bill Mail Financial statements, Bills, Monthly account statements or other such items of similar nature can be sent by ‘Bill Mail Service’, but on the condition that no communication in the nature of letter or personal communication should be included. Following are the other conditions: Nature of Bill- Mail should be from a service provider to a customer Must be repetitive in nature at least once in 90 days Local Bill Mail services are within one city or one district. The volume of posting at a time should be 5000 pieces. Mailer to present pre sorted PIN code wise bundles at the designate office. BMS aims at dispatching the bundles directly to delivery office without the intervention of sorting in between BMS should not have an exclusive commercial publicity item; but advertisement is allowed. Such advertisements should interface with address portion, or on the face of the cover Envelope, covers should be super scribed with “Bill Mail Service” in bold at the top middle of the address portion The Department of Post has the liberty to intercept the article posted to examine any violation at any time Prior permission should be obtained from the competent authority Charges should be paid in advance Rates of postage  25 o Up to 50 gms - Rs. 3.00 o For every additional 50 gms or fraction thereof – Rs. 2.00 The biller can avail business post solution at the appropriate rate The mails will be received at identified locations fully sorted pin code wise. There is no credit facility. National Bill Mail Service This service is meant for destinations other than the local ones serviced by BMS. NBMS articles are accepted at BMS Centres. Articles have to be submitted in pin code wise bundles. The minimum quantity to be posted in 10000. Under this service, the articles can be sent to any destination in India. These articles will be treated as first class articles providing air transmission Tariff o Upto 50 gms - Rs. 5.00 o For every additional 50 gms or part thereof – Rs. 2.00 Direct Post Through this service, unaddressed Postal articles like letters, cards, brochures, questionnaires, pamphlets, samples, coupons, posters or any other form of printed communication that is not prohibited under the Indian post Office Act can be sent. A minimum of 1000 pieces at a time is prescribed. No upper limit. Length and width of articles should not exceed A-3 size paper. Articles do not bear any address. To be accepted across the counter – not be posted in LB. Sender/ Mailer to specify the area of delivery of his Direct Mail. Pre mailing activity also under taken by the Post office. The Tariff Local upto first 20 gms - Rs. 1.50 per article Intercity upto first 20 gms - Rs. 2.00 per article For every additional 20 grams or part there of - Re 1.00 Discount of 5% for articles tendered at one time are 50000 or more Retail Post Retail Post involves distribution of products of customers and other services. Third party Payments Sale of application forms, university forms etc., Bill collection using ePayment (telephone bills, water/electricity bills etc.,) Railway passenger reservation system Delivery of Ration cards ePost The Internet revolution has allowed rapid exchange of communication through e-mail. However, the internet has not reached most of the rural India and other remote areas, & to bring the benefit of the revolutionary internet technology to people living in these areas, India Post has introduced e-post. Features: Printed, or even handwritten messages can be sent through e-post All the District and town post offices are provided with e-post facility.  26 The messages received across the counters are scanned and transmitted instantly through the e-post software. e-post messages are down loaded by the e-post centers and further sent out for delivery e-post messages should be of A-4 size paper Any number of messages can be booked and sent Multiple message options are also available e-post messages are treated on par with unregistered mails. Charges: o Retail - For A4- Rs.10/- o Corporate - Rs.6/- o Credit facility for corporate customer Other facility: Customer having internet facility at home or office can also avail this facility by accessing www.indiapost.gov.in following the instruction. Payment can be made online. Procedure: Customer to present A-4 size paper message - printed, handwritten, (any language), picture , text or both - at any PO The name, address, Pin code to be clearly furnished on the top Fee Rs.10/- per copy, per addressee to be collected Receipt granted Message scanned and transmitted Messages received, print taken out and sent out for delivery. ❖ Tracking Facility is available on India Post Home Page for Speed Post, eMO, Registered Letters and Parcels, International Mail, Express Parcel and Business Parcel ❖ PINCode Search can be done on India Post Home Page for identifying PIN Codes and PO contact information. ❖ Postage Calculator link can be used for calculating Postage of Domestic as well as International mails. ❖ Directory of Speed Post Network is available for download in India Post Website Financial Services The department offers various financial services through various savings schemes and also remittance services. The services offered can be broadly classified into the following 1. Post Office Savings Schemes 2. Postal Life Insurance/Rural Postal life Insurance 3. Money Remittance Service Money Orders (MO) including eMO Instant Money Order (iMO) Mobile Money Transfer Service discontinued w.e.f. 26.03.2018Field Postal Orders eIPO International Money Transfer (IMT) ✓ Western Union money transfer  27 ✓ IFS MO 4. Electronic Clearance Service 5. Indian Postal Order 6. Mutual Funds Post Office Savings Schemes India Post offers various savings scheme, mainly attracting small savings. The types of accounts available are – SB, RD, MIS, TD, SCSS, PPF, SSA, NSC & KVP. We will briefly discuss the salient features of each of these schemes here and understand the detailed operational procedures later. Current Scheme Features Rate Limits Of interest w.e.f. 01.10.23 Savings Min–500/-For A/c Deposits and withdrawals at Account Opening; frequent intervals; Cheque 4% No maximum facility is also available; Single Limit. and joint account facility subsequent deposit available Rs. 10 & above Minimum withdrawl – Rs. 50/- National Account is opened in Minimum Savings denominations for 5 years; 6.7 % denomination is Recurring Monthly deposit in same Rs.100/-and others Deposit denomination every month for in 5 years; Maturity value can be multiples of Rs. paid after 5 years; 10/-; No maximum Limit National A single deposit is accepted at Minimum Rs. Savings the time of opening the 1000/-and deposits in Time account; Can be withdrawn multiples of Rs. 100/- Deposit after the tenure; In case of 2 1 TD –6.9 % ;No maximum limit Account – years, 3 years and 5 year TD 2 TD –7.0 % Tax rebate on 5 years 1 year, 2 accounts, annual interest is 3 TD –7.0 % TD only. yr,3 yr payable; Interest is 5 TD –7.5 % And 5 compounded quarterly and Years payable annually; Unpaid interest is not added to balance for calculating interest subsequently Minimum Rs. 1000/- National Single and joint account can and thereafter Savings be opened; Account can be 7.4 % per multiple of Rs. Monthly opened in multiples of Rs. annum 1000/- income 1000/- and minimum of is Rs. payable Maximum : Single – scheme 1000/-; Maturity period is 5 monthly 900000/- years Joint - 1500000/-  28 Account opened for 15 years Minimum deposit Rs. by an adult or guardian on 500 and thereafter in behalf of minor; Deposits multiple of Rs. 50. accepted every year; Loan is 7.1 % Maximum Rs. PPF admissible from third year; 150000/- in a F.Y. Account Withdrawal is permitted after Minimum 1 deposit. five financial years from the Tax rebate under year of opening; Account can 80 C. be closed in the 16th financial year; Depositor has option to continue with or without deposit for further blocks of 5 years; Investment qualifies for income tax rebate Account opened by individuals Minimum Rs. 1000/- who are 60 years of age and and in multiples of Rs. above or who have attained 55 8.2 % per 1000/- years age and retired on annum Maximum – Rs. superannuation or otherwise payable 3000000/- Senior (subject to certain Qty from citizen conditions); Period of Account date of Savings is 5 years & can extend for deposit i.e. scheme further blocks of 3 years; 31 Interest in the account can be march/30 withdrawn quarterly; Account june/30 can be closed prematurely sep/31 Dec subject to certain conditions. Retired Defence Personnels (excluding Civilian Defence Employees) can open SCSS account only on attaining age of 50 years. Earlier there was no age restriction for these personnel. A legal Guardian/Natural A/c opening Minimum Guardian can open account in INR. the name of Girl Child. A 250/-. Deposit in guardian can open only one Rate of multiple of Rs. 50/- Interest is account in the name of one girl Maximum INR. Sukanya child and maximum two 8.0 % 1,50,000/-in a Samriddhi accounts in the name of two per financial year Yojana different Girl children. Annum Account can be opened up to calculated age of 10 years only from the on yearly date of birth. For initial basis. operations of Scheme, one Yearly year grace has been given. compound With the grace, Girl child who ed. is born between 2.12.2003 & 1.12.2004 can open account up to 1.12.2015. Account can be opened in the denomination of Rs. 1000/- NSC and multiple of Rs.100/- individuals (either single or 7.7 % No maximum limit  29 joint) can invest; Can be pledged as security; No premature encashment before 5 years; Investment qualifies for income tax rebate Account can be opened in the 7.5 % denomination of Rs. 1000/- Maturity No maximum limit KVP and multiple of Rs.100/- period is 115 months. Mahila Account can be opened by a 7.5 % per Minimum of Rs. Samman woman for herself by the annum 1000/- & multiple of Savings guardian on behalf of a minor Rs. 100/- Certificate, girl Maximum of Rs. 2023 200000/- in an account or all account hold by an account holder. A time gap of 3 months shall be maintained between existing a/c and opening new a/c. As per SB Order 18/2017, Banks now can open and operate Time Deposit Accounts, Monthly Income Accounts & Recurring Deposit Accounts. Banks can also issue National Savings Certificates (VIII-Issue) Interest Rates are being revised on a quarterly basis by Ministry of Finance. Postal Life insurance (PLI) Introduced on 01.02.1884. This is one of the oldest welfare schemes for government employees. The scheme boasts of low premium and high bonus and has been of immense help in mitigating the financial hardship. Minimum sum assured in Rs. 20,000/- and maximum is Rs. 50,00,000/-. Initially the scheme covered only Postal employees. Gradually the scheme was extended to other employees and today, the following categories of employees are eligible Employees of – Central Government – Defence Services – Para Military forces – State Government – Local Bodies like Municipalities, Zilla Parishads etc. – Government-aided Educational Institutions& Universities – Reserve Bank of India – Public Sector Undertakings of both Central and State Governments – Financial Institutions like IDBI, IFCI, ICICI, UTI, LIC, RBI – Nationalized Banks – Bodies like Indian Standard Institutions, Medical Council of India, Dental Council Of India, Nursing Council of India & Pharmacy council of India – Autonomous Bodies – Gramin Dak Sevaks in Department of Posts – Employees engaged/appointed on contract basis by Central/state  30 governments, where contract is extendable – Employees of joint ventures in which Central/state Governments/public undertakings/nationalized banks have minimum holding of 10% – Members/employees of credit cooperative societies and other cooperative societies registered with government under the cooperative acts and partly funded from central/state governments/RBI/SBI/Nationalized banks/NABARD and other such institutions notified by the Government Employees of deemed universities and educational institutions accredited by recognized bodies – Employees (Teaching/ Non-teaching Staff) of all private educational Institutions/schools/colleges etc affiliated to recognized boards (recognized by Center/State Government) of Secondary/Senior Secondary education i.e CBSC, ISCS, State Board etc. – under the scheme expansion of clientele base of PLI, it has now been decided that benefits of PLI will no more be confined to Government and semi-Government employees, but will also be available to professionals such as Doctors, Engineers, Management Consultants, Charted Accountants, Architects, Lawyers, Bankers etc. and to employees of listed companies of NSE (National Stock Exchange) and BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange), Graduate and diploma holder from recognized university. The decision has been taken to enlarge the cover of social security and bring maximum number of people under the protection of Postal Life Insurance (PLI). Schemes available Whole Life Assurance (Suraksha) Endowment Assurance (Santhosh) Convertible Whole Life Assurance (Suvidha) Anticipated Endowment Assurance (Sumangal) Joint Life Assurance (Yugal Suraksha ) Children Policy (Bal Jeevan Bima) Rural Postal Life insurance (RPLI) The scheme was introduced on 24.03. 1995. The scheme is open to resident Indians having permanent residence in rural areas. Minimum sum assured in Rs. 10,000/- and maximum is Rs. 10,00,000/-. The following schemes are available Whole Life Assurance (Gram Suraksha) Endowment Assurance (Gram Santhosh) Convertible Whole Life Assurance (Gram Suvidha) Anticipated Endowment Assurance (Gram Sumangal) 10 Year RPLI(Gram Priya) Children Policy (Bal Jeevan Bima) Money Remittance Services The following remittance services are provided Money Order: The traditional money order service through remittance subject to a maximum of Rs.5,000/- can be remitted within India. eMO (electronic Money Order)  31 eMO service is a value addition to the traditional money order service. The Money Order data is transmitted from booking office to payment office electronically to quicken the payment process and provide management with all the relevant reports. iMO (Instant Money Order) This is an instant, online money transmission mechanism within India offered by India Post which is safe, reliable and convenient. This service launched on 20.01.2006. An amount up to Rs. 50,000/- can be remitted. The only requirement is that the payee will have to visit the Post office for payment. Once iMO is booked in one office, it can be paid at any of the POs in India. The amount of iMO can also be transferred to the SB account of the payee. Minimum amount of remittance is Rs. 1000/-. SL No Amount Commission (Rs) 1. 1000 to 10000 100 2. 10001 to 30000 110 3. 30001 to 50000 120 NOTE: The facility has been discontinued w.e.f. 14.07.2020. Field Postal Orders: Field Postal Orders are issued by the field post offices of the Army Postal Service. This provides a convenient means of transmitting money by Armed Forces Personnel served by Army Post Offices at reasonable cost. They are available in denominations of Rs.2000, Rs.3000 Rs.5000 Rs.15,000 Rs.20,000 and can be encashed in any Field Post Office or Civilian Post Office. Denomination Commission Rs. 2000 30 Rs. 3000 30 Rs. 5000 50 Rs. 10,000 60 Rs. 15,000 80 Rs. 20,000 90 eIPO: Department of Posts has launched eIPO facility on 22.03.2013 for Indian Citizen living abroad for purchasing Indian Postal Order electronically through epost office Portal for paying RTI fee Online. Now the eIPO facility is also extended to Indian citizen living in India. Indian Postal Order can be purchased online termed as ‘electronic Indian Postal Order’. The applicant will have to register at e-Post Office portal of India Post i.e. https://www.epostoffice.gov.in or through India Post website www.indiapost.gov.in to avail this facility to pay RTI fee. email ID, Mobile number, address, date of birth and gender etc. will be captured at the time of registration. For the process of registration email id and mobile number are mandatory. The codes for verification will be sent by the system on email id as well as to mobile number provided while registering. The applicant has to select the Ministry/Department from whom he/she desires to seek information under the RTI Act and the eIPO so generated can be used to seek information from the Ministry/Department only. A unique number for each transaction will be generated by the system which is to be used as eIPO number. A print out of the eIPO is required to be attached with the RTI application. If RTI application is being filed electronically, eIPO is required to be attached as an attachment. International Remittances International remittances are facilitated by India Post using UPU/Eurogiro  32 system or Western union financial services. IFS (International Financial System) MO – India Post uses the UPU developed IFS for money transmission across borders. At present only inward foreign money order service from UAE and France is available. Two types of MOs – urgent and normal are available. The IFS integrates with eMO system to facilitate payment through DPMS. We will study the process later. Western Union Money Transfer (WUMT) – As a result of collaboration India Post has with the Western Union Financial Services, USA, the service is available through selected Post offices in India. India Post acts as agent of WUMT. Through this facility, international remittances from over 185 countries to India are possible instantaneously. Disbursements can occur within minutes of the remittances being made. The service is targeted to particularly fulfill the needs of NRI dependent families in India, visiting international tourists and foreign students studying in India. New Financial Services MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) – This account is opened primarily to credit wages earned under MGNREG scheme. The account is opened on issue of job cards to households and can be opened with zero balance. National Pension System (NPS) The system is compulsory for Government employees entering service on or after 01.01.2004 and open to members of public from 01-04-2009 in the age group of 18 to 70 years. There are two types of account – Tier I (Non withdrawal account to build pension corpus) and Tier II (voluntary savings account in which withdrawal is allowed). We will study the details of this process later.  33 Collection and Despatch of Ordinary Mail Mails posted by customers in a Post office have to be delivered through Post offices in some other parts of the country or in foreign countries. This is possible only through systematic and professional processing of the mail. We will now study the process of collection of mail. Before we start our discussion on the mail processing, we need to understand the features of various mail types, both inland and international. Mails handled by the Post Office are classified into 10 kinds: I class mail 1) Letters 2) Letter cards 3) Post cards II class mail 4) Book packets 5) Book packets containing Printed Books 6) Book packets containing Periodicals 7) Sample or Pattern packets 8) Blind Literature packets 9) Registered Newspapers 10) Parcels 11) Magazine Post. First Class Mails get airlift wherever possible without the customer paying any air surcharge, whereas the second-class mail will be air lifted, only when the sender pays for it. Items 1 to 9 are termed as “Letter mail” and the 10th as “Parcel Mail”. Let us study these different classes of articles, in detail. Since postage is charged on weight basis, let us understand how weight is considered for the purpose of calculation of postage. The department has now introduced volumetric weight for this purpose. Now, in charging postage, weight shall mean gross weight or volumetric weight whichever is more. Gross weight is the weight of the article as shown by a standard weighing scale. Volumetric weight of the article shall be arrived at from the volume of that article using the appropriate formulae and procedure as described below Volume of the article shall be calculated in cubic centimeters as under a) Whenever a postal article is presented for booking, its dimensions shall be measured in centimeters using a standard measuring scale or tape. For a cuboid (e.g. rectangular, square, etc.) dimensions means length, breadth and height of the article. For cylindrical rolls, dimensions are diameter of its circular base and length. Each dimension shall be measured in centimeters and rounded off to the next higher whole centimeter. b) Articles of shapes other than cuboids and cylindrical roll should not be accepted and the customers should be advised to place the said article in a package that is either cuboid or cylindrical. Sketches of the standard shape and their dimensions are given below. c) Volume shall be calculated using the appropriate formula from amongst those given below: 1) For cuboids: (e.g. rectangular, square, etc.) - Volume = Length x Breadth x Height 2) For Circular rolls: Volume = 0.785 X (Diameter of Circular Base) 2 x Length When the dimensions have been measured in centimeters, the volume  34 arrived is in cubic centimeters. The volume so arrived at should be rounded off to the next higher whole number. Formula to calculate Volumetric Weight: When the volume is calculated in cubic centimeters, the formula to determine the volumetric weight in kilogram shall be – Volumetric Weight (in kg) = (Volume in cm3) ÷ 6000 Volumetric Weight so arrived shall be rounded off to the next higher kilogram. Postage or tariff or charges for the postal article shall be determined with reference to weight; i.e. gross weight or volumetric weight, whichever is more. Exceptions: Volumetric weight need not be determined for the cases given below and the gross weight shall be taken as weight. a. In case of a rectangular article, if the sum of the length, breadth and the height is not more than 90 cm, and any one of the dimensions is not more than 60 cm. b. In case of an article in roll form if the length and diameter each are less than 90 cm. Having understood the volumetric weight, we now proceed to study the features of all the ten kinds of postal articles. 1. Letter Letters are used mostly for communication, sending applications, documents etc. Embossed covers are sold at the Post Office. We accept if the customer uses privately manufactured covers also for posting letters. Maximum weight is 2 kilograms Rate of postage – Rs. 5/- for every 20 grams or part thereof Roll Minimum Maximum form Any single diameter 10 cm 80 cm Length + twice the diameter 17 cm 100 cm Other than Roll form Minimum Maximum Any single dimension 14 X 9 cm 60 cm (Length Breadth) / Height 90 cm 2. Letter cards (ILC)  35 Letter cards are more popularly known as Inland Letters. Used for communication. We accept privately manufactured ILC also, if it is of the same type and size of the departmentally manufactured ones. These are for transmission within India only. Maximum weight is 5 grams. Rate of postage per ILC is Rs. 2.50 PRESCRIBED SIZE Dimension Minimum Maxim um Unfolded 28.2 X 18.2 cms 30 X 21 cms Flaps Left and right hand side not exceeding 1.5 cms X 10 cms Top side not exceeding 1.5 X 21 cms Folded 15.2 X 9 cms 21 X 10 cms ILCs shall be made of paper of minimum 70 GSM. 3. Post card Post Card is the most economical means of communication. We accept privately manufactured Post Cards also provided that they are of same size and consistency of departmentally manufactured ones. Reply Post card facility is available for the customer who wants to provide an immediate means of communication to the addressee. A Post card will be treated as Printed Post Card, if the communication is not handwritten or typewritten. Post cards are for transmission within India only. Dimension is 14 cm X 9 cm (length and breadth). We also have Meghdoot Post card wherein the portion next to the address is available for advertisement in four colours. Rate of postage: Single – Rs. 0.50 Reply Postcard – Rs. 1.00 Printed Postcard – Rs. 6.00 Meghdoot Postcard – Rs. 0.25 4. Book Packet Book Packet articles may contain greetings, invitations, circulars, horoscopes, pictures, maps, drawings etc. without personal communication. This is economical compared to letter post. May or may not be superscribed ‘Book Post’ or ‘Book Packet’ and should not be closed against inspection of contents. Maximum weight is 5 kilograms. The prescribed size is in the following table Size Prescribed Minimum Maximum In Roll form length 10 cms 80 cms Total length + 2 17 cms 100 cms diameters Other than Roll form 10 cms X 7 60 cms X 30 cms X 30 cms cms Book packet when sent in card form whether folded or not, shall be neither thinner nor more flexible than Inland Post Cards Rate of Postage: For the first 50 grams or fraction thereof – Rs. 4.00 For every additional 50 grams or fraction thereof – Rs. 3.00 Prohibitions: There shall be no personal communication enclosed or written up on a book packet It shall not contain any paper money, postage or other stamps, cheques etc., (Exception: It may contain stamped self-addressed post card or letter or wrapper) 5. Book Packet containing Printed Books Any book packet containing printed books without advertisements, like text  36 books, will be coming under this category. The book should not be a periodically published on. Packet should be superscribed ‘Printed Books.’ It shall consist wholly or substantially of reading matter, painting, photography, diagrams etc., Specifications are the same as for book packet. Rate of Postage: For the first 100 grams or fraction thereof - Re. 1.00 For every additional 100 grams or part thereof - Re. 1.00 6. Book Packet containing Periodicals Any book packet containing any periodical publication will be coming under this category. The publication so posted should be registered with the Registrar of Newspapers New Delhi and the registration number should be printed on the cover page or wrapper. Specifications are same as for book packets. Price of the periodical has to be printed on the cover. Tariff is based on weight and price of the periodical. Tariff is as in the table below Value of periodical For first 100 For additional 100 gms gms or part thereof Up to Rs.20 Rs.2 Rs.3 Above Rs.20 and up to Rs.4 Rs.5 Rs.50 Above Rs.50 Rs.8 Rs.9 If the periodical is for free circulation or if price is not printed, no concession is admissible and the article will be treated as book packet. 7. Registered Newspaper To avail the concessional postage for registered newspaper, the following conditions should be fulfilled A newspaper is a publication consisting wholly or in great part of political or other news, with or without advertisement It is published in large numbers at intervals of not more than 31 days It should have a bonafide list of subscribers It should be registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India It should further be registered with the office of Superintendent/Sr. Superintendent of Post offices of the area where the newspaper is to be published The registration number allotted to the paper should be printed on the top of the front page of the newspaper preceded with the word ‘Registered’. Registration is valid for a period of three years Application of renewal should be submitted at least one month before the date of expiry For posting, newspapers should be presented at the counter of the PO and should not be posted in letter boxes