Lok Sabha Question No. 3258 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-23
Subject: Upgrading Post Office Branches
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3258 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD  MARCH, 2022

## UPGRADING POST OFFICE BRANCHES

## 3258.   DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated any policy/scheme to upgrade the branch post offices and sub post offices in higher category post offices;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor along with the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
- (c) the  details  of  the  post  offices  where  modernisation/upgradation  has  already  been undertaken, State/UT-wise, especially in West Bengal; and
- (d) the post offices where modernisation/upgradation is proposed to be undertaken in West Bengal including Balurghat?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

- (a) Yes sir, there is a policy guideline in place for upgradation of Branch Post Offices and Sub Post Offices to higher category post offices.
- (b) According to the aforesaid policy, periodical reviews of the establishment of Departmental Post offices and Branch Post offices are carried out on workload as well as on financial norms. Based on this review, augmentation and rationalization of manpower is carried out including upgradation of post offices, if any required.
- (c) 154347 post offices in the country including 8768 post offices in West Bengal State have been modernized to provide online Banking, Insurance, Postal and other Citizen Centric Services. The Postal Circle wise list of such modernized offices including all States and UTs is enclosed at Annexure .
- (d) In the State of West Bengal all the 8768 Post offices have been modernised including 12 Post offices in Balurghat.

## Annexure

Annexure referred to in reply of Para (c) for LS unstarred question no. 3258 to be answered on  23 rd   March  2022  raised  by  Hon'ble  Member  of  Parliament  Dr.  Sukanta  Majumdar regarding 'Upgrading Post Office Branches'

## Details of Post offices modernised - Postal Circle wise (including States /UTs).

| S.No.   | Name of Postal Circle                                                                       |   Total Post Offices |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                                                                              |                10510 |
| 2       | Assam                                                                                       |                 4007 |
| 3       | Bihar                                                                                       |                 9054 |
| 4       | Chhattisgarh                                                                                |                 3207 |
| 5       | Delhi                                                                                       |                  443 |
| 6       | Gujarat (including UT - Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu)                              |                 8836 |
| 7       | Haryana                                                                                     |                 2690 |
| 8       | Himachal Pradesh                                                                            |                 2791 |
| 9       | Jammu &Kashmir (including UT - J&K and UT- Ladakh)                                          |                 1581 |
| 10      | Jharkhand                                                                                   |                 3117 |
| 11      | Karnataka                                                                                   |                 9627 |
| 12      | Kerala (including UT- Lakshadweep)                                                          |                 5062 |
| 13      | Madhya Pradesh                                                                              |                 8275 |
| 14      | Maharashtra (including Goa)                                                                 |                12855 |
| 15      | North-East (including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland) |                 2868 |
| 16      | Odisha                                                                                      |                 8230 |
| 17      | Punjab (including UT-Chandigarh)                                                            |                 3865 |
| 18      | Rajasthan                                                                                   |                10286 |
| 19      | Tamil Nadu (including UT-Puducherry)                                                        |                11862 |
| 20      | Telangana                                                                                   |                 5791 |
| 21      | Uttar Pradesh                                                                               |                17662 |
| 22      | Uttarakhand                                                                                 |                 2711 |
| 23      | West Bengal                                                                                 |                 8768 |
| 23 (a)  | Sikkim                                                                                      |                   40 |
| 23 (b)  | UT -Andaman and Nicobar Islands                                                             |                  209 |
|         | Grand Total                                                                                 |               154347 |

West Bengal Circle includes Sikkim and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands

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