Department of Post Snail Mail Speeds Up

If anybody gave the DoP (Department of Post) a run for its money, it’s the

Internet and the e-mail facility. Those who had access to computers forgot what

handwritten letters were and those who didn’t, continued to curse the system

with vigor. Realizing the need to get its act together, DoP launched the ePost

initiative. ePost links those with Net access to the vast population of non-IT

savvy citizens in India. Electronic communication can be sent using just an

ePost ID-based on the recipient’s postal address. E-mail is received at this

ePost ID through the electronic mode. It is then downloaded, printed and sent

out for delivery to the addressee–all this in just a matter of hours.

Currently launched on a pilot basis in five states–Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa,

Maharashtra and Gujarat, the ePost facility is expected to be extended to the

rest of the country.

The DoP falls under the purview of the IT and Communication Ministry. And

this is one more reason for the DoP to be pushed towards a more IT savvy

environment. ePost is the DoP’s contribution to reducing the ever-growing

digital divide and providing a faster substitute to snail mail at a minimal cost

of Rs 250. The security aspect has also been addressed by having Entrust.net’s

globally accepted 128-bit SSL web server certificate on the DoP site.