Lok Sabha Question No. 2691 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-05
Subject: GPS Enabled Postal Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF POSTS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2691**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 05** **TH** **AUGUST, 2015**

**GPS Enabled Postal Services**

**2691. SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:**

**SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:**

**SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:**

**DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:**

**SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:**

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a)	 whether the Government proposes to procure GPS enabled hand held devices for postal departments;

(b) 	if so, the details and the aims and objectives thereof;

(c) 	whether the tracking of postmen and delivery status of parcels is likely to be done by the device;

(d)	 if so, the details thereof and the time by which the system is likely to be implemented along with the area selected in the initial phase; and

(e) 	whether the Government also proposes to start sending SMSs about the status of the mails, parcels, money orders, etc. and if so, the details thereof and the timeframe fixed for implementing the scheme?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

(a)& (b)	The Department of Posts (DOP) has proposed to procure two kinds of handheld devices.

(i)	The DOP has finalized the procurement of approximately 130000 handheld devices for Gramin Dak Sewak (GDS) Post offices (previous nomenclature Branch Post Offices) under Rural Information and Communication Technology (RICT) segment of IT Modernization Project which will be used by GDS Postmasters. These handheld devices will act as micro ATM as well as performing the work relating to postal operations in GDS Post Offices. These handheld devices will be GPS enabled.

Contd…2/-

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(ii)	The Department has also proposed to procure 15,000 handheld devices under Mail Operation Hardware segment of IT Modernization Project. These handheld devices will be used by postmen for delivery purposes. GPS has not been included as a requirement for these handheld devices.

(c) 	The tracking of the delivery of accountable articles will be done with the help of these handheld devices both at the Departmental Post offices and Gramin Dak Sewak Post offices level. The handheld devices for Gramin Dak Sewaks are generally meant for office use. These devices are portable, and hence, the person carrying the handheld device can be tracked, if required. However, the tracking of postman through postman handheld devices is not included in System Requirement Specifications (SRS).

(d)

(i)	Under the Rural Information and Communication Technology (RICT) segment, the vendor has been selected and the project is in implementation phase. The Project implementation schedules the  supply of 4000 handheld devices in pilot phase by November,2015.The Phase I of the project covering 45000 Branch Post Offices in all states of the country has been scheduled by  May 2016 and the rest of the Branch Post offices i.e. 81000 in Phase II by September 2016. As per implementation plan, the implementation has to be completed by the year 2017.

(ii)	The process for finalization of vendor for postman handheld devices has been initiated in coordination with DGS&D (Director General of Supplies and Disposal)

(e)	Yes. The India Post IT Modernization Project has a provision of SMS gateway for sending SMS alerts and notifications to the customers for accountable mails, money orders, banking, insurance and e-commerce services. The integration of SMS gateway with the services is slotted for June 2016.

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