By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Chandigarh : From sacraments of south Indian temples to Assam tea, spices from Kerala and sweetmeats from Punjab, India Post is set to deliver all this at your doorstep – for a mere Rs.10 in addition to the product’s cost.
“India Post has tied up with the Spice Board of India to supply the product directly at the customer’s doorstep via Speed Post,” Punjab’s chief postmaster general Prithvi Raj Kumar told IANS
“The scheme has been there on the paper for more than a year but was not marketed well,” he said, adding that it was now being revised.
Tie-ups were also being put in place to enable people order prasad from the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab’s famous dhoda sweets from Kot Kapura town, 250 km from here, and even tea from Assam.
All that a customer has to do is to place an order at the nearest post office, which will send out an e-mail to the organisation concerned to place the order. The product will be picked up at the other end and despatched to the customer within a day or two.
He pointed out that since there were no middlemen involved, the products would be cost effective and of the best quality.
Kumar was upbeat when asked about India Post’s other initiatives in Punjab.
“With 3,900 post offices spread all over Punjab and Chandigarh we have our presence in every nook and corner of the state. No other authority can boast of such a widespread presence,” he maintained.
“We will extensively market our services and try to make Punjab a good revenue generator,” Kumar said.
In this context, he pointed to the tie-up with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to disburse money to the beneficiaries.
“This will bring more accounts to post offices,” Kumar added.
The Punjab postal circle also plans to coordinate with the health department to spread awareness about AIDS and to assist in the campaigns to eradicate malaria, polio and water borne diseases.
“We are in the process of tie-up with the railways, universities, and the Punjab staff selection commission to sell tickets, prospectus and forms,” Kumar said.
Railway tickets will also be made available at selected post offices of the region in two months’ time, he added.
Kumar said India Post did not face any threat from the private courier agencies that are mushrooming in the country.
“They are not authorized to carry government post. Moreover, the reliability and efficiency of our Speed Post service at a more competitive price is a better option,” he contended.