Electronically
empowered Post Offices can mitigate complaints of discrimination and
negligence that rural India always feels. In order to further widen and
deepen an already unmatched reach of this network, particularly in rural
areas, India Post has embarked upon an ambitious programme of ICT induction in all its post offices. The programme involves computerizing and digitally connecting all the post offices including those in rural areas. Rural ICT segment of this programme will bring in efficiencies in the way business is transacted. Under RICT Programme,
all rural Post Offices will be provided Main Computing Devices which
may be either handheld or computer net books. Majority of devices will
be handheld ones which are compact, rugged and are slightly bigger than
ordinary remote control devices for televisions, Printers, Digital
camera, Fingerprint scanner, Bar Code scanners, Smart card reader and
writers, Magnetic card reader, GPS and Solar Panels.
By
connecting Branch Post Offices to a central server customers in rural
areas can transfer money instantly, can operate their accounts, both
deposit as well as loan accounts, from their village or in case of
migrant labourers from their village as well
as from their places of work. Rural ICT program will improve the
quality of services and will facilitate faster payments and faster
integration of information. As Post Office is geared to serve the ‘aam aadmi’,
the benefit of quality service will pass on to the target group.
Digitally networked rural post offices may also become an important
medium of dissemination of information. In addition to improving
efficiency of mail, financial and retail services, the computerization
of rural post offices will enable India Post to deliver much-needed
social security schemes even more efficiently. It will also allow the
Department to engage in delivery of many more social security schemes.
Financial Services
It
is widely acknowledged fact that improving the access to financial
services is a very effective strategy for development of rural areas.
Financial inclusion of the excluded households of rural areas is being
accorded high priority by the government. Among all the organizations in
the country which deliver financial services, the Department of Posts
has the largest outreach in rural India, and more so, in backward and
remote areas. Moreover, the Personnel who run the rural Post Office
mostly belong to the local communities, and are thus trusted by their
clientele enhancing acceptability of financial services by local people.
Post
Office Savings Bank is the oldest and the largest banking institution
in the country. The money collected through Post Office Saving is also
utilized as investment towards nation-building by the Government and
various State Governments. Small Savings Schemes operated at Post
Offices in the rural areas contributing to the cause of rural development include Post
Office Saving Account, Post Office Recurring Deposit Account, Post
Office One, Two, Three, and Five Years Time Deposit, Monthly Income
Scheme, Public Provident Fund, Senior Citizen Savings Scheme and
National Savings Certificate.
Department
of Posts introduced Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) in 1995 for the
benefit of rural population with special focus on weaker sections. It
aims to ensure access to substantial cash at periodic intervals to meet
life cycle expenses on education, marriage and old age. RPLI offers
various policies like Whole Life Assurance (Gram Suraksha), Convertible Whole Life Assurance (Gram Suvidha), Endowment Assurance (Gram Santosh), Anticipated Endowment Assurance for 15 and 20, years (Gram Sumangal), 10 years RPLI (Gram Priya) and Children Policy (Bal Jiwan Bima).
Today,
India Post delivers financial services as an agent of Ministry of
Finance. Under the present setup, India Post cannot extend credit and
other banking services to the rural poor. With the proposed Post Bank of
India, post offices in India can be repositioned as the proactive
agents of ensuring financial inclusion even in the remotest corner of
the country. The Proposed Post Bank of India will deliver a host of
value added services (micro credit, insurance etc) to existing 237
million postal savings bank customers and will also provide one stop
financial services (savings, credit, insurance, remittance and pension)
to small and medium sized customers.
Delivery of Monetary Components of Social Security and Other Welfare Schemes
In
addition to the overall development of rural areas, the Government and
State Governments have been striving to economically and socially
develop the households in need of such development by providing them
with direct benefits under social security and other welfare schemes. A
large part of such schemes is being delivered through the Post Offices
due to their unparalleled outreach in rural areas.
The
Government enacted the MGNREGA in September 2005 and the scheme came
into force in all districts in the country with effect from 1st April
2008. Department of Posts has taken the responsibility to disburse the
wages through Post Offices by opening savings bank accounts in the names
of MGNREGA beneficiaries. Starting with Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle in
2005, the Scheme of disbursement of MGNREGA wages through Post Offices
accounts is currently operational in the entire country excepting Delhi,
Jammu & Kashmir and Tamil Nadu Postal Circles (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry). The Scheme is operational through 98168 post offices.
The
Department is also contributing to the efforts in financial inclusion
by payment of benefits under various social security pension schemes
viz. IGNOAPS (Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme), IGNWPS (Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme) and Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana(IGMSY Scheme), a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Maternity Benefit Scheme. Such payment are being effected either through money orders or Post Office Saving Bank accounts.
Rural Enterpreneurship Programme
India
Post has taken up this ambitious program in association with Tata
Institute of Social Sciences and National School of Open Studies. The
program aims to convert 3.5 lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks (including
Branch Post masters), in to rural entrepreneur through a continuous and
vigorous skill development program. It is proposed to cover all the 1,30,000 Branch
Postmasters in a phased manner. This vocational program will cover
areas such as financial management, micro finance, IT, communication and
leadership skills. The Branch Post Masters will develop the knowhow for
postal business such as post office savings bank, insurance and money
transfer services. The program will thus give the Branch Postmasters an
opportunity to grow as individuals and improve their own finances. It
will also tap their talents and make them key resource persons for
contributing to the development of the village. Pilot is being launched
with 2000 GDS in seven circles, Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Retail Post
Department
of Posts is being developed as a one-stop shop to provide a range of
utility services to the customers and thus providing convenience and
affordability at the door steps of the common man. With Retail Post,
India Post will be leveraging the vast network of post offices across
India. Services include collection of Electricity bill, Telephone bills,
Taxes and Fees. Further under Retail Post, the Post Office sells
application forms of AFMC, Universities etc. Apart from this Gold
Coins, Railway tickets etc are being sold through Post Offices. MoU has
also been signed between India Post and National Stock Exchange for
installation of LCD TVs in select Post Offices for creating “Financial
Awareness” among the public.
The Post Offices provide a large number of services in the rural areas through their vast network,trained
manpower and time tested operating and accounting procedures. The
Department of Posts has the largest outreach, especially in backward and
remote areas compared to any other similar institution in the country.
Post offices have a rich experience of delivering financial services and
a well-established audit trail. The expertise in running Savings Bank
and insurance activities of Department can act as a catalyst in
transforming the economic and social conditions of the weaker section of
the society by not only reaching credit when needed but also enabling
to adopt income generating activities leading to asset creation. Post
offices are ably suited to deliver all social security measures
instituted by State/ Central Governments in an efficient/ transparent
manner. The Rural ICT programme will further
strengthen the delivery mechanisms of all social security schemes,
reduce the delay in payment, and improve the quality of collection and
sharing of information between the Post Offices and State Governments
concerned. Encouraging Post Offices to remain involved in the activities
of rural financial inclusion will ensure sustainable all round
development of the rural populace. These features make postal network
the most effective vehicle of rural development
courtsey:sapot
