e-Post: Our New Postman

It is the Internet age. Faster communication and instant messaging is the
name of the game, putting a doubt on the very need of the Department of Posts.
With its outdated postal services, the DoP noticed a fall in the number of
consumers using its services. Realizing that, the department is bracing up to
flow with the revolution.

The department has initiated various IT processes, sprucing up the earlier
agrarian ones. Some of the important steps involve initiation of e-posts,
instant money order, speed post tracking etc. Value additions to its
applications and aggressive marketing campaigns are now being planned. However,
MS Bali, general manager, Business Development and Marketing Directorate,
refrains from specifying allocations. He says projects and overall spending on
key initiatives will witness a phenomenal growth.

“When we started the e-post service, the idea was to bridge the digital gap
by enabling rapid communication through the e-mail,” says Bali. “We soon
discovered that along with the rural populace, the targeted customers, large
business entities were also benefiting from DoP. For instance, banks would use
it for sending bank statements,” Bali explains. 

 “We realized that our
application was not equipped to accept bulk printing orders. So, now we are
looking at tie-ups with private companies for providing applications support,
which can accept thousands of printing orders in one go, and also provide for
color printing,” says Bali.

Companies like IBM, Xerox, Canon, Kodak have evinced interest in helping the
postal department to shape the idea into reality.

e-Post was initially introduced in five states, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala, on an experimental basis. The project was later
implemented in other states, after the department tied up with National
Informatics Center (NIC), for technical support.

Besides, the postal addresses in India, the e-post messages can also be sent
to e-mail ID(s) anywhere in the world.

The e-post initiative by the DoP, earned the department Rs 30 lakh in its
first year. The earnings more than doubled in the second year (April 2005-March
06) to reach Rs 63 lakh. The current rates for the e-post services are Rs 10 per
page (A4) per addressee. The response has further encouraged the government to
set revenue targets almost four times larger than the preceding fiscals.

Currently, the e-post traffic is more voluminous in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,
and Tamil Nadu. “We are also closely monitoring targets assigned to each of
our state government postal circles,” Bali informs.

At present, the department has over 802-nodal e-post centers, covering all
the 28 states. The service was launched with an aim to take the Internet
revolution to the ones who had no access to the Internet. e-Post is a service
under which printed or even handwritten messages of customers are scanned and
transmitted as e-mail, using the Internet. At the destination offices these
messages are printed, enveloped and delivered through postmen like other letters
at the postal addresses.

The instant money order (iMO) initiative that the postal department started
in January this year is another web-based application that is being pushed
vigorously. DoP is upbeat about this latest initiative. In nine months of its
launch some Asian and African countries-such as Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan,
Mongolia, Maldives, Tanzania have shown interest in implementation of the iMO in
their countries, says Bali.

The iMO facilitates online transfer of money between two individuals in just
a matter of few minutes. Through the iMO, a customer can send a minimum of Rs
1,000 and a maximum upto 50,000. At present, there are 42 iMO centers covering
11 states.

The postal department plans to increase the number of iMO centers. By the end
of October this year, the department plans to launch iMO centers covering all
state capitals.

"When we started the e-post service, the idea was to bridge the digital gap by enabling rapid communication through the e-mail -MS Bali, GM, Business Development and Marketing Directorate

Cashing in on public confidence when it comes to bill collection and payment,
the department also looks forward to continue with its e-payment initiative,
which is a cash payment gateway. 

“We do realize that credit card penetration is low. And there is huge
population, which prefers making payments through cash. Hence, we initiated our
web-based application, e-payment,” says Bali.

In fact, it is not just a bill payment mode or e-commerce, it is much more
than that, he adds. e-Payment earned the postal department Rs 93 lakh during its
year of launch, in 2004-05, jumping to Rs 126 lakh in 2005-06.

To be able to handle a larger database, the department is now testing
e-payment on the Oracle 10G platform. The product is being tested in Bangalore
and Delhi, and will be rolled out, nationwide, very soon.

The department also has a treat in-store for information seekers under the
Right to Information Act. Under its new, yet to be launched initiative, the post
offices will take bookings from customers looking for information on any
particular article related to any specific ministry. DoP is examining the
technology part of the initiative.

The postal department plans to upgrade its software and hardware set up using
LAN based formations connected to a center server technology. “This
initiative, which is expected to be executed in a year's time, will ensure
faster delivery of e-applications,” adds Bali.

Team DQ

maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in