Union cabinet clears major computerisation plan for India Post

In its continuing efforts to modernise the country's postal services, the cabinet committee on economic affairs today approved computerisation and networking of post offices, expected to cost Rs628.66 crore.

This first phase programme will cover computerisation and networking of 6,915 post offices, 2,222 administrative offices and 23 accounts offices. 
The project includes all the 5,143 double-handed sub post offices, as all bigger post offices are already computerised.

A double handed post office comprises a postmaster and a postal assistant. The cabinet also approved upgradation of the hardware of the 1,772 post offices, which were computerised in the ninth 5-year plan  and computerisation and networking of all divisional offices and sub divisional offices and postal accounts offices.

Modernisation of PTC, Mysore, and setting up of a project management unit are part of the approved proposal. The project will be completed by 2009-10. It will be implemented by the field units and monitored by the PMU set up in Department of Posts. 

Following the implementation of the project, double-handed offices will be able to improve their quality of services, increase their productivity and manage the additional work load on account of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme payment work.

Increase in computerisation of sub post offices will improve the efficiency of the head post offices as more accounts will reach these offices through electronic means.

Computerisation of more post offices will create an enabling environment for enhancing track and trace and other web based services. There will be reduction in paper work, particularly in administrative and accounts offices and the management of post offices and monitoring can be made more effective.

Accessibility of information from database will enable improved decision making and responsive administration, with overall benefits for customers and stake holders.

In the second phase, computerisation and networking of all single handed sub post offices, all GDS post offices, development of integrated modular software, establishment of data centres and disaster recovery centre and total networking of all post offices, postal accounts offices and administrative offices will be taken up.

India has 155,204 post offices in the country. Of these 24,835 are departmental. A total of 9,639 departmental post offices had been computerised till 31 March 2008. Now only the double-handed and single-handed post offices remain to be supplied with hardware.

The department of posts has an approved outlay of Rs2,700 crores for the broad scheme of IT induction in postal operations. Out of this, Rs2,106 crore has been earmarked for the sub scheme computerisation and modernisation of post offices.

In the Eleventh 5-year Plan, it is proposed to computerise all the departmental post offices and grameen dak sevak post offices, develop an integrated software with the guidance of consultants and a technology partners, establish national data centres and disaster recovery centres and network all computerised offices.

The benefits of computerisation are that computerised post offices are characterised by a high turnover. These have more service facilities for customers as compared to the non-computerised post offices.

Addition of new services has resulted in increasing the customer base and the quantum of business, while computerisation has resulted in reduction of transaction time, availability of accurate data, quick management decisions and easy track and trace of Speed Post articles.

Further, increased staff productivity, transparent work culture and professionalism have been noticed in the computerised offices. It has also brought better customer satisfaction.