# Army Postal Service (India)

The Army Postal Service (APS) functions as a government-operated military mail system in India. A primary role of Army Postal Service systems is to ensure security form of address in respect of Formations/Units/Troops deployed in Armed Forces and to ensure military mail posted between duty stations at India & Abroad are delivered by adopting security form of address (or vice versa). In some cases, Indian military personnel in a combat zone may post letters to the home country/ home town for free. Officers and men are deputed primarily from the Department of Posts on Field Service. Army Postal Service is the only service that enables civil service officers to work in the Armed forces as combatants.

## Activities

Army Postal Service provides Postal facilities, Schedule Despatch Services, Remittance services, Debit Army Post Logistics, Sainik Samachar Patra Seva, Permanent Aadhaar Enrolment Centre facility to Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Paramilitary forces personnel through 358 Field Post Offices established across the country. It also provides postal cover to Indian troops deployed with United Nations Peace Keeping Forces abroad.

## Organizational set-up

The head of Army Postal Service is the Additional Director General, Army Postal Service at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) in the rank of Major General He is assisted by Brigadier Army Postal Service at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) .
The two Central Base Post Offices at Delhi and Kolkata and Army Postal Service Wing at Kamptee, Nagpur are commanded by Commandants in the rank of Colonel. The Postal Officers at Command HQs in the rank of Brigadier / Colonel and Corps HQ in the rank of Lt Col/ Major/Captain monitor the functioning of Field Post Offices (FPOs) under their control and discharge the functions of the Postal Advisor to the General-Officers-Commanding. Two Central Base Post Offices and Mail Halls serve as the nodal points for mail processing. The Central Base Post Offices are 56 and 99 APO operating out of New Delhi (1 CBPO) and Kolkata (2 CBPO), respectively. 99 APO covers all formations in the eight north-eastern states, West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands through its network of nearly 96 FPOs. 56 APO covers the rest of the country through its network of 262 FPOs.

## Badge

The current badge of the Army Postal Service was approved on 07 Mar 2023. The badge consists of the State Emblem (Ashoka Lions) at the top with words ‘Mail- Milap’, a flying ascending Rajhans encased by a wheat stalk wreath in a semi- oval shape with upward crossed lighting flashes. The wheat stalk signifies growth and prosperity. The ‘Rajhans’ is a mythical bird messenger, representing the function of mail handling by the Corps. The words ‘Mail-Milap’ means ‘union through mail’.

## Head of Army Postal Service

List of Heads of APS :
| Name | From | To |
| Brigadier DS Virk, AVSM | 1 March 1972 | 10 March 1972 |
| Brigadier OP Raghava, AVSM | 13 March 1972 | 30 December 1978 |
| Major General SK Anand, AVSM | 1 January 1979 | 31 May 1989 |
| Major General SP Chopra, VSM | 1 June 1989 | 31 March 1993 |
| Major General BP Das, AVSM | 25 May 1993 | 1 November 1996 |
| Major General KK Srivastava, VSM | 14 December 1996 | 29 March 2001 |
| Major General RS Kareer | 30 March 2001 | 30 September 2002 |
| Major General SK Sen, VSM | 1 October 2002 | 31 May 2004 |
| Major General V Sadasivam, VSM | 1 June 2004 | 24 February 2010 |
| Major General ARA Sah | 18 June 2010 | 15 September 2011 |
| Major General AK Shori | 10 October 2011 | 31 March 2015 |
| Major General Meena Datta | 21 October 2015 | 21 December 2018 |
| Major General PS Negi | 22 December 2018 | 22 December 2019 |
| Major General DV Mahesh | 24 December 2019 | 19 January 2022 |
| Major General MK Khan, VSM | 17 February 2022 | Till date |