Lok Sabha Question No. 2068 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-07
Subject: Services/Facilities Extended by Post Offices
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: KONDA VISHWESHWAR REDDY, RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK, MANSHANKAR NINAMA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2068 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 th  MARCH, 2018

## SERVICES/FACILITIES EXTENDED BY POST OFFICES

2068.  SHRI KONDA VISHWESHWAR REDDY: DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK': SHRI MANSHANKAR NINAMA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the Government services and other facilities extended to the public through post offices in the country along with the revenue earned during each of the last three years;

(b) whether decline in the usage of various postal services has been noticed by the Government in the said period and if so, the details thereof including the decline in the usage of the said services during the aforementioned period, service-wise; and

(c) whether the Government has prescribed latest innovation to connect the remote regions of the country and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a) The  details  of  Services  and  facilities  extended  to  public  by  Department  of  Posts  are mainly  under  the  broad  headings  of  Traditional  Services  under  Postal  Operations  and  Mail Operations,  Premium  Products  and  Services  under  Business  Development  Division,  Financial Services and Agency Functions and Postal Life Insurance and other products and services. Some of  the  important  services/products  are  Speed  Post,  Business  Post,  Express  Parcel,  Business Parcel, Bill Mail Service, Postage realized in cash, sale of stamps, Money Orders & Indian Postal Orders, logistic Post, Post Office Savings Banks Schemes, Philately Services, MGNREGA and other social security welfare schemes etc.

The revenue  earned  by  the  Department  of  Posts  has  been  showing  a  stable  trend.  The revenue earned during the last three years as per Book of Accounts is as follows

|                        |                                                                         |                        | In Crores )            | In Crores )            |
|------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
| Sl                     | Details                                                                 | 2014-15                | 2015-16                | 2016-17                |
| no.                    |                                                                         |                        |                        |                        |
| 1                      | Speed Post                                                              | 1495.63                | 1605.77                | 1785.25                |
| 2                      | Business Post                                                           | 962.54                 | 735.93                 | 752.52                 |
| 3                      | Express Parcel                                                          | 64.33                  | 58.77                  | 64.18                  |
| 4                      | Business Parcel                                                         | 48.14                  | 90.22                  | 94.80                  |
| 5                      | Bill Mail Service                                                       | 103.56                 | 99.04                  | 77.15                  |
| 6                      | e.Post                                                                  | 4.12                   | 2.90                   | 1.63                   |
| 7                      | Postage through Franking Machines and Pre- postage                      | 576.03                 | 830.66                 | 777.34                 |
| 8                      | Sale of Stamps                                                          | 522.76                 | 441.74                 | 470.78                 |
| 9                      | Commemorative Stamps                                                    | 27.78                  | 33.25                  | 43.30                  |
| 10                     | My Stamps                                                               | 1.58                   | 2.83                   | 5.33                   |
| 11                     | Philatelic Ancillaries                                                  | 3.49                   | 2.91                   | 13.54                  |
| 12                     | Postage- Other Schemes                                                  | 9.82                   | 9.04                   | 8.50                   |
| 13                     | MO&IPO                                                                  | 641.98                 | 464.84                 | 284.62                 |
| 14                     | Retail Post                                                             | 84.36                  | 76.87                  | 67.68                  |
| 15                     | Logistic Post                                                           | 24.43                  | 15.52                  | 16.31                  |
| 16                     | E. Bill Collection                                                      | 25.75                  | 30.79                  | 26.34                  |
| 17                     | Railway ticket booking                                                  | 5.67                   | 3.38                   | 2.54                   |
| 18                     | MGNREGA                                                                 | 400.00                 | 425.28                 | 48.00                  |
| 19                     | Other Activities                                                        | 140.00                 | 446.96                 | 152.57                 |
| 20                     | Net Receipts / Payments to Other Postal Administration(Other Countries) | -176.02                | -220.78                | -267.22                |
| 21                     | SB & CC Remuneration                                                    | 6670.03                | 7783.87                | 7085.84                |
|                        | Total                                                                   | 11635.9 8              | 12939.7 9              | 11511.00               |
| Recoveries (In Crores) | Recoveries (In Crores)                                                  | Recoveries (In Crores) | Recoveries (In Crores) | Recoveries (In Crores) |
| Sl no.                 | Details                                                                 | 2014-15                | 2015-16                | 2016-17                |
| 1                      | PLI and RPLI                                                            | 604.42                 | 619.66                 | 664.38                 |
| 2                      | Other Recoveries                                                        | 57.56                  | 88.04                  | 66.52                  |
|                        | Total                                                                   | 661.98                 | 707.70                 | 730.90                 |

(b) During the period, while growth has been achieved in certain services and products, some decline  has  been  noticed  in  few  services  also.  The  rates  of  Cash  Certificates  &  SBCC remuneration have been decreased by MoF for 2016-17 that has impacted the overall growth of 2016-17.

The percentage of increase and decrease service wise in the last three years is furnished below:

|           |                        | 2014-15                                     | 2015-16            | 2016-17             |
|-----------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------|--------------------|---------------------|
| Sl. No. 1 | Details Speed Post     | previous year 8.92                          | previous year 7.36 | previous year 11.18 |
| 2         | Business Post          | -6.51                                       | -23.54             | 2.25                |
| 3         | Express Parcel         | -17.13                                      | -8.64              | 9.21                |
| 4         | Business Parcel        | Distingui shed separately from 2014-15 only | 87.41              | 5.08                |
| 5         | Bill Mail Service      | 0.56                                        | -4.36              | -22.10              |
| 6         | e.Post                 | 18.75                                       | -29.62             | -43.79              |
| 8         | Sale of Stamps         | -16.05                                      | -15.50             | 6.57                |
| 9         | Commemorative Stamps   | 1210.38                                     | 19.69              | 30.22               |
| 10        | My Stamps              | Distinguis hed separately from 2014-15 only | 79.11              | 88.33               |
| 11        | Philatelic Ancillaries | 81.77                                       | -16.62             | 365.29              |
| 12        | Postage- Other Schemes | 32.17                                       | -7.94              | -5.97               |
| 13        | MO&IPO                 | 5.78                                        | -27.59             | -38.77              |
| 14        | Retail Post            | 20.14                                       | -8.88              | -11.96              |

|   15 | Logistic Post                                                            |   60.20 |   -36.47 |   5.09 |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|----------|--------|
|   16 | E. Bill Collection                                                       |  -26.64 |    19.57 | -14.45 |
|   17 | Railway ticket booking                                                   |   36.63 |   -40.39 | -24.85 |
|   18 | MGNREGA                                                                  |  100    |     6.32 | -88.71 |
|   19 | Other Activities                                                         |  -29.09 |   219.26 | -65.86 |
|   20 | Net Receipts / Payments to Other Postal Administration (Other Countries) |   20.33 |    25.43 |  21.03 |
|   21 | SB & CC Remuneration                                                     |   12.76 |    16.7  |  -8.97 |

| Recoveries   | Recoveries       | Recoveries                                        | Recoveries                                        | Recoveries                                        |
|--------------|------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| Sl no.       | Details          | 2014-15 %of Increase/ Decrease with previous year | 2015-16 %of Increase/ Decrease with previous year | 2016-17 %of Increase/ Decrease with previous year |
| 1            | PLI and RPLI     | 13.40                                             | 2.52                                              | 7.22                                              |
| 2            | Other Recoveries | -4.37                                             | 52.95                                             | -24.44                                            |

(c) Department of Posts is constantly working on improving quality and quantity of services for its customers. Many services have been introduced under the PO Division namely, Electronic Indian  Postal  Order  (e  IPO),  Jeevan  Pramaan  Centres  (JPC),  Instant  Money  Order  (iMO)  and Mobile Money Transfer Service (MMTS).

Around  28095  locations  of  the  Department  of  Posts  have  been  connected  under  the Network Integrator (NI) Project where Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the Primary Network Service Provider and M/s Sify is the Secondary Network Service Provider.

The  Department  is  under  contractual  obligation  with  the  above  service  providers  for provision of network connectivity in all the post offices. Besides, the Department has signed a tripartite  MoU  with  BSNL  and  Bharat  Broadband  Network  Limited  (BBNL)  to  provide broadband services in all feasible locations.

Under 'Digital Advancement of Rural Post Offices for a New India '(DARPAN) project, the  Department  of  Posts  in  a  phased  manner,  is  providing  SIM  based  Hand  Held  Devices  in approx.  1.29  Lakhs  Branch  Post  Offices  of  the  country,  for  carrying  out  online  Postal  and Financial  transactions.  58065  Branch  Post  Offices  have  been  rolled  out  under  the  DARPAN Project as on 28.2.2018.

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