Lok Sabha Question No. 288 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-22
Subject: Courier Companies
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: YOGI ADITYANATH

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF POSTS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.288**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 22** **ND** **JULY, 2015**

**COURIER COMPANIES**

**†288. SHRI YOGI ADITYA NATH:**

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

(a) 	whether registered and unregistered courier companies are operating in the

country;

(b) 	if so, the details thereof;

(c) 	whether the Government is aware that these companies are giving tough competition to the Indian Postal Department;

(d) 	if so, the details thereof and the criteria fixed by the Government for operation of courier companies; and

(e) 	the steps taken by the Government with regard to making Indian Postal Department competitive?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

(a) & (b) Courier companies are registered under the Companies Act, 1956.  As such, no such information is available with the Department of Posts.

(c) & (d)   As per section 4 of the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, the exclusive privilege of conveying letters  is reserved to the Central Government.

(e)	Department of Posts handles more than 600 crore mail pieces every year and is the only agency in the country that touches each and every individual in the country.  Owing to the Department’s consistent focus on quality improvement & increasing use of technology, the revenue receipts have steadily grown from Rs.9,366.50 crore in 2012-13 to Rs.11,733.13 crore in 2014-15.  Speed Post, which is the flagship express mail product of the Department, has also shown increase in revenue from Rs.1,261.50 crore to Rs.1,473.39 crore in the same period.  Parcel revenues have shown an increase of 37% from 2013-14 to 2014-15 owing to infrastructure improvement for parcel handling and delivery as well as focus on quality of service delivery.

**Contd..2/-**

**-2-**

As per CAG Report No.20 of 2015, laid before the Parliament on 08 th May 2015, Speed Post services are far better as compared to that of private couriers in terms of reach, reliability and timely delivery.

Various schemes have been/are being implemented by the Department for further improvement in the quality of services, such as Project Arrow and Mail Network Optimization Project (MNOP).  Track & Trace facility has been made available for Speed Post, Registered letters, Parcels as well as Money Orders.  Under the ongoing IT Modernization Project, 27215 Post Offices, Mail offices and Administrative offices have been connected through a nation-wide WAN which will connect all Post Offices. Further, all 1,30,000 rural Post Offices shall also be connected, through biometric, solar charged hand-held devices with wireless connectivity, to provide seamless services including mails, money remittance, savings bank and Post Office life insurance services and information including Track & Trace, along with a plethora of Government as well as private sector services, & new public facilities.  In addition, several new services have also been launched by the Department to further improve its competitiveness vis-à-vis private couriers, viz., Express Parcel, Business Parcel, Cash on delivery, etc.

Track & Trace, Pincode/Post Office search, information on Post Office Savings Schemes have also been made available to mobile users through a recently launched Mobile App.

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