Indian Postal Service : Introduction

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The Department of Posts functioning under the brand name 'India Post' is a government operated postal system in India generally referred to as 'the post office'. A career in Indian Postal service may not be as glamorous as other civil service careers like IAS, IPS, IFS etc. But it is a unique government job sector offering job satisfaction and providing opportunity to serve people from all walks of life. Indian postal services (IPoS) is one of the Group 'A' Central Services of India.

Indian postal service, falling under the department of posts is a part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology under the Government of India. The apex body of the department known as the Postal Service Board is under the administrative control of the Director General (DG) of Posts, New Delhi. The board consists of a chairman and six members. The six members of the board hold portfolios of Personnel, Operations, Technology, Postal Life Insurance, Human Resource Development (HRD) and Planning functions. The board is assisted by a senior staff officer of the postal directorate who acts as secretary to the board. Deputy directors general, directors and assistant directors general provide the necessary functional support for the Board at their Headquarters located at Dak Bhavan, New Delhi. The joint secretary and financial advisor to the board is a permanent invitee to the board.

For the purpose of administration, India has been divided into 22 postal circles, each circle headed by a Chief Post Master General (PMG). These circles manage the day-to-day functioning of the various Head Post Offices, Sub Post Offices and Branch Post Offices through their Regional and Divisional level arrangements. The chief PMG is over all in-charge of administration and operations of the units under his jurisdiction for all purposes. Each of the 22 circles are divided again into regions, headed by a Regional Post Master General (PMG) of the area. The Chief PMG and regional PMG's are assisted by the directors of postal services, assistant postmasters general and assistant directors.

The regions are further divided into groups of field units called Divisions (Postal/ RMS Division) which are headed by Group 'A' or Group 'B' officers (i.e. Senior / Superintendent of Post Offices or Mail Offices). The divisions comprise of sub-divisions, head post offices, sub post offices and branch post offices which are the basic operational units of postal services. The post offices and the Mail Business Centers are under the Divisional Superintendents of Posts or Railway Mail Offices respectively. The Divisional head controls the Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices or Inspector of Post Offices, Complaints Inspector, Manager Mail Business Centre, Manager Customer Care Centre etc. The divisional superintendent is overall in-charge of administration and operations in the division and reports to the regional postmaster general/ chief postmaster general. Just as the divisions report to the regional/ circle office, the circles report to the directorate which is the apex management and policy making body of the department.

In the circles and regions, there are other functional supporting logistical units like stamp depots, store depots and mail motor service. The R.M.S. (Railway Mail Service) offices and sections are similarly controlled by the senior superintendents or superintendents RMS in each circle.

The Head Post Offices are major offices which also have account jurisdiction on the smaller post offices. Mukhya Dak Ghars are Sub Post Offices with more powers than a Sub Post Office. Extra Departmental Sub Post Office and Branch Post Office are manned by Gramin Dak Sewaks who are Extra Departmental employees.

Besides the 22 circles, the communication needs of the armed forces are catered by a special circle called the base circle. The base circle is headed by the additional director general of Army Postal Service, holding the rank of a Major general. The officer cadre of Army Postal Services is drawn on deputation from the Indian Postal Service. 75% of the other ranks of the Army Postal Service are drawn from the Department of Posts and the remaining personnel are recruited by the Army.

Indian Postal Service Officers are recruited through the civil service examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Like other civil servants, they are eligible to move on deputation to other ministries and departments of the central government, state government or even on foreign assignment to United Nations bodies.

Some of the services offered by Postal departments are :

Mails Services - Delivery of Letters, postcards, Inland letter cards, book packets, value payable post, parcels, Speed Post articles, registered articles etc.
Financial Services - Payment of ordinary and instant money order; Post office savings schemes; Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance etc.
Philately - The philatelic activities of India Post includes designing, printing and distribution of special/commemorative postage stamps and other postage stamps/ service postage stamps; Monitoring and promotion of Philately/conduct of philatelic exhibitions within the country, participation in international and world exhibitions; Management of the National Philatelic Museum, Dak Bhavan
Counter Services - Counter services are provided from post offices (Departmental and Branch Post Offices), Mail Offices or any other outlet designated for the purpose. These include :
- Sale of postage stamps and postal stationery etc.
- Booking of registered, insured, Speed Post and other mail articles etc.
- Booking of money orders, various transactions relating to Post Office Savings and Postal Life Insurance (PLI)/Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) etc.
ePost Office for anytime anywhere transaction related to instant money order, electronic money order and philately products.