Hyderabad: Owning the most massive postal network in the world with more than 1.56 lakh post offices, of which 1.41 lakh are in rural areas, the robust India Post has become a lifesaver, working round the clock, delivering COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators, masks and medicines to far-flung places.
India Post is delivering lifesaving and crucial medications and other COVID-19 testing kits, food and cash, thereby ensuring help reaches everywhere.
It is serving the people at a time when no other service providers are allowed as it falls under the Essential Service Maintenance Act.
Barring the geographical constraints, medicines and equipment have been delivered to places such as Una in Himachal Pradesh and the North-Eastern Hill University in Meghalaya. Ventilators have been taken from Puducherry to Odisha and Gujarat, cold-chain movement is effected from Delhi to Lucknow.
India Post is also trying to enable cash withdrawals, opening of accounts, and Direct Benefit Transfer and pension payments at the doorsteps of the customers.
The Department of Post has created a special road map of over 500 kilometres. This map comprises of 22 long routes touching 75 cities across states and will be used for faster delivery of essential items.
It has made special mail arrangements to ensure timely delivery. Medicines are also being delivered through cold-chain and deliveries are being done even at night and on holidays.
Since March 24, the Department of Posts has leveraged its vast network of 1.56 lakh-plus post offices and 4 lakh-plus employees on the ground to provide the delivery of essential services to the citizens at their doorsteps in the remotest corners of the country.
During the lockdown period, around 2,00,000 cash deliveries are being made in a day at people’s doorsteps which is almost 10 times higher than the number before the lockdown.
India Post has entered into a tie-up with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for delivery of its COVID-19 testing kits from 16 regional depots to 200 additional labs designated for COVID-19 testing across the country. Nodal officers have been identified from both the agencies -- Department of Post and ICMR for each regional depot to ensure smooth operations.
India Post has delivered consignments in Kolkata, Ranchi, Patna, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jaipur, Imphal and Aizawl, amongst others. These kits are being delivered packed in dry ice, said a statement released by India Post.
Amid the lockdown, around 1.7 crores Post Office Savings Bank transactions were carried out involving more than ₹23,000 crores, apart from 78 lakh India Post Payments Banks transactions involving around ₹2,000 crores.
AePS transactions worth more than ₹260 crores served around 13 lakh customers at their doorsteps.
Over 1 lakh AePS transactions are taking place every day and around 32 lakh of mail articles have been delivered apart from the payment of about 17 lakh money orders.
ALSO READ: WHO hails India for its strategy against Covid-19
