Send-off function of Honbl'e CPMG A.K.Dash Sir

Respected A.K. Dash Sir,

Although you left this office, but your legacy will remain here forever...

We wish you the very best in your future endeavors.

A Rare Philatelic Delight: Just About Two Weeks Left to Visit the ‘Pandharichi Wari’ Mobile Post Office

Featuring one of the images from the set of 15 postcards being issued
to commemorate Pandharichi Wari

The annual ‘Pandharichi Wari’ pilgrimage which has the Vitthal temple of Pandharpur at its focus, represents a revered tradition of Maharshtra that is more than 800 years old. The Wari is a 200 km procession on foot in which the warkaris (devotees) carry the palkhis (palanquin processions) carrying the paduka (foot prints) of famous saints of Maharashtra, most notably Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram.

This year, trailing the thousands of Warkaris walking towards Pandharpur for the entire period of 18 days (28th June to 16th July, 2016) of the Wari is a Mobile Post Office, adding a unique postal endorsement to the event, and capturing the occasion for posterity through a series of philatelic commemorations. Housed in a Mail Motor Service van of the Department of Posts, the Mobile Post Office  also provides the Warkaris access to postal services including Speed Post during the entire journey from Alandi Devachi to Pandharpur. Further the Warkaris can use the Mobile Post Office even for sending and receiving Money Orders.

The Pune Postal Region which has taken up this initiative has also brought out a set of 15 picture postcards, which is expected to become a prized possession of stamp collectors in the years to come. For the pilgrims and other devotees, the postcards represent an ideal means for treasuring the memories of the procession.

Ganesh V. Sawaleshwarkar, Postmaster General
flagging off the Mobile Post Office

The 15 postcards feature Wari photographs clicked by  Sandesh Bhandare, who has also directed a Marathi film 'Mhadu'.  "It is an honour for me that the postal department chose my photos for this initiative. It will help in spreading awareness about the Wari as well as be of great help to those participating in it," said Bhandare to news reporters.

The Mobile Post Office will halt al all the scheduled halts of the Pandharichi Wari. The Postal Department has priced the set of 15 postcards at a reasonable Rs. 110, as the objective is not to make profits, but to promote the message of peace, devotion and spirituality that the Wari represents.  Another set of 5 postcards depicting images of postage stamps issued on ‘Sant Namdeo’, ‘Sant Eknath’, ‘Dnyaneshwari’, ‘Sant Tukaram’ and ‘Sant Dnyaneshwar’ will also be made available at Rs. 50 per set of 5 postcards. Postcards can be mailed through Mobile Post Office to any part of the world by affixing postage stamp of appropriate denomination. Special commemorative cancellation for each day of eighteen-day pilgrimage depicting the 'Sprit of Wari' will also be made available at the Mobile Post Office.

The Postal Department has made special arrangements for stamp collectors and others interested in procuring these postcards, but are not able to participate in the procession, or visit the Mobile Post Office.  They can purchase the postcards from Philatelic Bureau, Pune GPO. They can also send payment by Money Order to Postmaster, Alandi Post Office 412105; the set of postcards would be sent by post to the address.

The Second Issue of Sandesh, Staff Journal of Mumbai Postal Region, released.

On 31^st March 2016, we bid good bye to another financial year. The year left some good memories for Mumbai Postal Region, and quite a few moments of pride. At a time when the postal industry around the world is struggling, the post offices of Mumbai have come up with some extra ordinary achievements in revenue generation, traffic growth and postal financial services.

These, along with our hopes and aspirations for the new Financial Year, form the thrust of the second issue of Sandesh, the quarterly staff journal of Mumbai Postal Region.

Smt. Usha Chandrasekhar releasing the latest issue of Sandesh

Sandesh Issue II was released on 21^st June 2016 by Smt. Usha Chandrasekhar, Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka Postal Circle (who is holding additional charge of Maharashtra Circle). The occasion coincided with the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Philately Bureau, Mumbai GPO.

Remembering the launch of Issue I of Sandesh

The issue carries a round-up of important events of the Postal Region in the previous quarter, information about some important products and services of India Post, and reports on some individual achievements of staff members and their families.  

It is hoped that Sandesh Issue II would succeed in mobilising the aspirations of the entire staff of the Region and that its clarion call, as captured in its various contributions to make 2015-16 the year of turn-around for Mumbai Postal Region, will inspire one and all. It is also hoped that Sandesh would be a proud reminder of  last year’s outstanding performance, and of the responsibility that it brings upon us to maintain the trend, and to add momentum to it in the new year. 

The Sandesh team is proud to present to you its second issue, along with the best of wishes to each one of you for another year of outstanding performances!

Team Sandesh

Tejas K Bhanji: The Quiet Presence Behind Mumbai Postal Region’s CBS Success Story

More than 400 post offices in Mumbai have been brought on to the Core Banking Solutions (CBS) network, making the postal system in Mumbai the largest CBS –enabled network in the city. Even the major banks like SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank are way behind in terms of number of branches that are on CBS.

While the Post Office has won lavish praise for this achievement, it is time also to acknowledge a few selfless individuals whose tireless efforts made it possible. Notable among them is Tejas Kesarinath Bhanji, System Administrator and User Champion of CBS, presently working at the Postal Regional Office (RO) Mumbai RO.

As is well known, CBS is a software platform that interconnects the entire network of a banking organisation, standardises all operations, eliminates procedural errors and speeds up services. It also  enables  customers  to  operate  their  accounts  and  access banking  services  from  any  branch  on the  CBS  network,  regardless  of  the branch where  they  maintain  their account.  Thanks to CBS, a Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) customer in Mumbai  is  no  longer  a  customer  of  any  particular  post  office, but can avail the services from any of the 400 odd post offices of the city. Thus, CBS migration has considerably enhanced customer convenience and made “Banking Anywhere and Anytime” possible.

This initiative posed considerable challenges to the Post Office, as it involved numerous pre-migration activities, such as providing training to end users and user champions, maintaining a post-migration monitoring process, and ensuring end-of-day monitoring of migrated post offices. All these required deep subject knowledge and the stamina to put in long hours of tedious effort. In Mumbai Postal Region, Tejus Bhanji took up the challenge willingly, and came out with flying colours. His efforts did not end with this migration process, but extended to CBS support activities for assisting dozens of individual operators working in the field, via telephone and e-mail. His patience, innovation and dedication enabled him to manage all residual CBS issues single-handed.

A graduate in Commerce, Bhanji joined the Department of Posts in July, 2005 as a Postal Assistant in the Juhu post office. In 2008 he became the System Administrator at Andheri HO, and the next year, Instructor at the Work-place Training Centre (WTC), Mumbai GPO. As an instructor, Tejas Bhanji designed and conducted many training sessions at the WTC Mumbai GPO, invariably equipping staff members who lacked familiarity with IT with the knowledge and confidence required to handle IT systems. Thanks to his exemplary work, he was selected as System Administrator and CBS User Champion of Mumbai Postal Region in 2014.

The selection of Tejas Kesarinath Bhanji for the Best Performance Award of Maharashtra Circle at the Annual Divisional Heads Conference 2016-17, therefore, comes as no surprise. Mumbai Postal Region joins him in the celebration of this recognition. May his efforts and farsightedness bring more laurels to the Post Office.

Postman Mobile App – the launch and after.

Every once in a while an idea comes alive and takes the world by storm.  In the fast paced technological world of today, ideas often evolve and come to life as mobile Apps, and every once in a while an App is launched that revolutionizes the way we live and perceive our lives. The new Postman Mobile App (PMA) is a harbinger of the many good things that are coming the way of India Post.

Bhandup East Post Office

PMA was successfully inaugurated by SSPOs Bipasha Das at Bhandup East Post Office in Mumbai on 10.06.2016. The launch of this App is first not only in Mumbai Postal Region but also in Maharashtra Postal Circle. The all too familiar image of your neighbourhood postman will now be a tad more familiar - in sync with the pulse of today’s tech savvy world, where a touch of your finger is enough to turn your imaginations into reality.  

PMA is an Android based mobile App designed and developed by Centre of Excellence in Postal Technology (CEPT), Mysore. It is useful to reduce the time lag between actual delivery and updation in the system and further reduce the delay in updation in the central server. It can be used by Postman and other delivery staff for all accountable articles such as Speed Post, Express Parcel, Business Parcel and Registered Post including COD parcels and enables electronic capturing of delivery data by Postman and is also capable of acknowledgement of delivery. The customer signs online and hence a more authentic verification is enabled. In this way the postman delivers letters fast, accurately and safely while the customer also gets the satisfaction of receiving and authenticating in a modern and hassle free manner.

Distribution of mobile phones to Postmen by Bipasha Das, Sr. Superintendent

To mark the inauguration of PMA,  

Mobile handsets were distributed amongst the Postman staff and 2 Speedpost articles were successfully delivered to customers using the App. In the subsequent days, a few hundred  Speedpost articles have been delivered using the App, and the pilot exercise already looks like a winner.

Poised to be a step ahead in the digital progress of the nation, the new App is all too suited to strike a chord with the younger generation, while at the same time embracing the Post Office’s loyal customers and making each and every resident of the country a part of the digital revolution. PMA is an idea whose time has come. It’s an idea that is taking us across to the other side of the digital divide. 

Mobile App for mail delivery to be launched in Mumbai.

Bhandup East PO has been selected as the first post office in Maharashtra for deploying the Postman Mobile Application (PMA), which enables the postmen to complete the capturing of mail delivery data in real time, using their mobile phones.

PMA is an Android based mobile App designed and developed by the Centre of Excellence in Postal Technology (CEPT), Mysore. It can be used by Postman and other delivery staff for delivering various postal articles including cash on delivery. It enables electronic capturing of delivery data by Postman and is also capable of obtaining acknowledgement of delivery.

The date, time and location are captured automatically the moment the article is delivered. This eliminates possibility of inaccurate capturing of the same during manual delivery. This also helps India Post to analyse delivery performance in a more realistic manner and improve transit time KPI.

Customers can track delivery of articles the moment they are delivered.

PMA supports popular services like Speed Post, Registered Letter, Registered Parcel, Electronic Money Order, and Cash on Delivery and delivery of articles to bulk customers.

A training programme for the post master and postmen on PMA was held at Bhandup East post office on 4^th June 2016.  Prakash Shewale, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices led the session. The features of PMA were explained to the postmen, which was followed by a comprehensive demonstration and practical training.

President conveys his appreciation and admiration for India’s unparalleled postal network.

Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India held a meeting with Shri Ravishankar Prasad, Minister for Communications and IT at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 20th May 2016, in which the central topic of discussion was the ongoing transformation of the postal network. The President enquired about the modernisation project, and was happy to learn about how the induction of IT was making service delivery at post offices contemporary. He also used the occasion to convey his fondness and admiration for the postal network to the postal staff, through the Minister.

File photo of President Mukherjee with Minister Prasad at a stamp release function in October 2014. Courtesy: www.prokerala.com

Details of this interaction with the President were revealed by Shri Prasad himself, during his keynote address on 22^nd May 2016, at the Conference of the Heads of Postal Circles at Hyderabad.

There have been a few other occasions in the past also when the Department has had the opportunity to benefit from President Mukherjee words of guidance and came in for praise from him. While inaugurating an international postal event at New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhavan in 2013, he had commended the unparalleled network of the Post Office and advised that there is a huge scope for postal services to be engaged in e-commerce, and that it should capitallise on the rising demand for such business products. On that occasion, he had also highlighted the need to move with the times, and said that globalization and easier movement of workforce across nations have opened a great window of opportunity for the postal sector in parcel and money remittance businesses. Further, he had emphasised that worldwide, postal administrations enjoy the trust of people and advised that the Post Office must leverage this and other strengths to provide improved quality of service to the people.

Inauguration of the new building of the Rashtrapati Bhavan PO 

in July 2014. Photo courtesy: Exposeindialive.com

It is no surprise then that hearing from the Minister about developments like the networking of post offices, postal savings coming on a CBS platform and the Post Office preparing to set up a Payments Bank would have been a matter of satisfaction for him. His sending a message a message to the postal staff through the Minister is a rare gesture, which is sure to inspire them to higher standards of service delivery.

The words of appreciation from the President represent the increasing significance of the Postal network in the national mainstream and in public perception. With it also comes a higher responsibility for the management and staff of India Post, the responsibility of living up to the expectations of the country’s First Citizen.

Postal official from Mumbai nominated coach of national sumo team

The 450,000 strong postal family is known to include numerous talents in varied pursuits like sports, fine arts and literature. But even in such a talent pool of notable diversity, the emergence of a technical expert of international eminence in the field sumo wrestling draws disbelief. “What? A sumo coach from the Post Office?” is the typical reaction of people who are introduced to Chandrashekhar Shinde.

The familiar neighbourhood post office and the exotic dohyo of sumo wrestling appear to be worlds apart. But not so for Shinde, or Shekhar, as he is known to his friends. Balancing his regular work at the Post Office with his passion for the sport of wrestling, he has made a name for himself, first as a much feared wrestler, later as a sharp-eyed Referee, and thereafter as a respected Coach.

Growing up in Satara District in a village famed for wrestlers, the natural favourite among childhood games for Shekhar was wrestling. After being selected as a Postal Assistant in the Department of Posts, the Departmental wrestling competitions became his hunting ground and he won numerous medals for Maharashtra Postal Circle. The Youth Commonwealth Games 2008 where he was nominated as an official was a turning point, and his vast experience and technical knowledge of the sport came up for high praise. His selection as a Referee (Technical Officer) in the Commonwealth Games of 2010 was a natural progression from there.

The establishment of the Indian Sumo Wrestling Association (ISWA) was another turning point for him, and he was found to have a natural affinity for sumo wrestling. Since wrestling and sumo wrestling are both played to common rules, Shekhar was able to adapt his skills and proficiency in the former to the latter. Recognitions followed him, a notably one being the nomination as the Secretary of the Maharashtra State unit secretary of the ISWA.

The recent announcement nominating him as the Coach of the national sumo team for the International SUMO Wrestlers Tournament to be held in California, USA from 19^thMay, 2016 comes as another acknowledgement of his skills. As Shekhar prepares to cross the seas for this important assignment, Mumbai Postal Region feels a sense of pride, about one of their own having made it big in the international sporting arena.

Fare well, friend! Keep the Postal flag flying high!

CR Pakrashi: Brilliance Stamped for Posterity

CR Pakrashi, well known artist and leading stamp designer, left us on 16^th March 2016 at the age of 95. During his association with the Department of Posts that lasted many decades, he produced some brilliant stamp designs that now form a proud part of our philatelic heritage. Sankha Samanta, fellow artist and stamp designer, reflects on the teacher –pupil equation that he shared with the senior.

Picture courtesy www.dnaindia.com

Some time back in the late 1980s at the headquarters of the Department of Posts, I was introduced by the Director Philately to a remarkable gentleman whom I came to look up to as a guide and philosopher. He was Chitta Ranjan Pakrashi, who had to his credit the designs of some of the most beautiful stamps issued by India Post, which I had always admired. I was then a young artist myself, freshly out of Delhi Art College having done Post Graduation in Fine Arts, and was a newly empanelled Postage Stamp designer of Department of Posts.

For me then, Pakrashi  Sir was an icon. However that awe was soon made to diminish by him himself during our conversation. I was amazed that a man of his stature, age and experience could be so simple and full of grace. Later I was surprised that he knew my family also, as my father who is an artist of his generation was known to him. In our nearly 3 decades of association I would often exchange notes about stamp designs with a view to improve the designing standard of postage stamps.

Of the 54 stamps he designed  from 1956 to 2008, the one that I admire the most is his first which was issued in 1956 on the occasion of the 2500th Buddha Jayanti. The Stamp depicts a stylized Bodhi tree on a full moon night. Buddha attained enlightenment when he went into deep meditation during a full-moon night under a Bodhi tree. The simple single sepia colour stamp plays with the negative spaces of the paper white in such a way that it shimmers with light, across the half concentric patterns of the Bodhi leaves in two radiating rows. The deliberate focus on single leaf in the centre of the image creates a trance that is experienced in meditation. The stamp blends the moonlit night, Enlightenment, tranquility, peace and celebration in an extraordinary design format. I assume he could have achieved this only after elaborate research and after the process of elimination of all that is not necessary (a fundamental aspect of Stamp Designing process). Like his own persona, his designs reflect  simplicity.

The other stamps which are landmarks in his extraordinary journey are the Jai Bangla stamp issued in 1973 to commemorate the first parliament session of Bangladesh, the 1982 INPEX stamp depicting railway mail service wagon and the  J.R.D. Tata stamp issued in 1994. Of course, this is a subjective selection and many more among his designs could be described as outstanding. Each of these designs can be analyzed in great detail as each design is embedded with a history of research, devotion to the art form, sensitive handling of the subject and great dexterity in doing the artwork.

Chitta Ranjan Pakrashi  was a man of many talents. And like a guiding star he left us with a book written by him. Titled A Stamp is Born, it was released on 6 May 2014 by the Vice President of India, M Hamid  Ansari.

Today as a stamp designer, I miss his valuable advice, and as somebody who had the fortune to be close enough to him, I will always cherish the moments of love and affection he gave me all these years.

Staff of GPO Mumbai Discuss Gender Issues Threadbare at Workplace Seminar

Q&A session by HC Patel

Government of India (GoI), the country’s largest employer with nearly 4.5 million employees in its fold, is also known to be a benevolent employer that upholds its special duties to its personnel. It is no surprise then that GoI has laid down elaborate provisions to promote gender equality in general and to prevent instances of sexual harassment in particular, at its workplaces.

Despite these provisions, gender issues do arise, and women employees many a time find themselves at the receiving end of these issues. The general reluctance to discuss the topic of Sexual Harassment, though it occasionally raises its head at government offices, adds to the challenge of eliminating it altogether.

Mumbai GPO, true to its reputation as a forward- looking institution, recently took the initiative of organising a seminar for its staff on Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace.  A large number of employees of the 1000-strong GPO attended the Seminar, which was held in an atmosphere of esprit de corps and team spirit. The Seminar progressed through screening of relevant videos, discussions and a Q&A session. 

H. C. Patel, Senior Dy. Director of the GPO led the discussions, and was supported by other Dy. Directors. There was significant attendance of the women employees. The success of the Seminar was that the participants recognised and accepted the fact that sexual harassment was a common problem faced by all staff, the prevention of which was a shared goal for all irrespective of whether they are male or female.

The Department of Posts (DoP) has a special responsibility in the fight against sexual harassment, as it has the highest rate of women employment among all the major employers within GoI. While the percentage of women employment across all units of the Central Government is only 11%,  DoP stands out, with 17.3% of its employees being women. In this context the Seminar was indeed a laudable effort, and one looks forward to other units of DoP emulating it.

Post Office honours the national body of architects with a Commemorative Cover

The Department of Posts released a Special Commemorative Cover on 12th May 2016 at Mumbai to mark the commencement of the centenary celebrations of Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), the national body of Architects in the country. 

The journey of the Indian Institute Of Architects began on 12th May 1917. On that day the past students of Sir J J School of Arts, Bombay met in the sylvan surroundings of the school and formed what was then called the Architectural Students Association. 

VVS Reddy, Director GPO releases the Special  Cover

The institute evolved over the decades and today, plays a major role in promoting the profession and practice of architecture in the country. Even as contemporary Indian architecture grapples with challenges like population explosion, lack of vision among the planners, a less than satisfactory standard of architecture education, inadequate funding and the existential dilemma of “Revivalism vs. Modernism”, IIA holds the fort with self assurance,  promoting aesthetic, scientific and practical efficiency of the profession both in Practice and Education.

Dignitaries with the Special Cover albums

The Department of Posts released a Special Commemorative Cover on 12th May 2016 to celebrate the fruitful journey of IIA. Titled “The Indian Institute of Architects 1917-2017”, the Cover was released at Sir J J College of Architecture, Mumbai by VVS Reddy, Director Mumbai GPO and presented to Divya Kush, President of IIA and Vilas Avachat, Vice President, IIA.

Special Covers are valued collectibles across the world. They are collected, exchanged and traded by philatelists globally. They also get exhibited as part of carefully curated collections, thus propagating the message of the subjects commemorated on them around the world. 

Special Cover to Honour India's Legendary Numismatician

Special Commemorative Cover depicting the picture of SM Shukla

Numismatics in India has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the late 18th century when a handful of scholars came together to study some Roman coins they had recently discovered. It is today a respected and well known pursuit, perceived to contribute richly to developing an understanding of our past. 

S. M. Shukla, the legendary numismatician, played a stellar role in the rise of numismatics in India by inspiring generations of coin collectors to excel in this pursuit. 'Shukla Day' is observed every year to remember his contributions. He spread awareness about the rich monetary history and heritage of the country and generated a sense of pride in the public about this precious inheritance.

Dignitaries with the album containing the Special Commemorative Cover.

The Department of Posts issued a Special Cover on 22 April 2016 to focus attention on Numismatics and  the contributions of S. M. Shukla. The Special Cover was released at Mumbai by E.V. Rao, Director Postal Services, Mumbai Region.

Postal Flag Flies High at the Civil Services Day Celebrations in Mumbai

RP Patil (left) and Yunus Mohammed (right) receiving awards from Devendra Phadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra

Two officers of the Postal Department were among the winners of the prestigious Civil Services Day awards given away by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 21st April 2016 at a formal function organised in Mumbai. 

RP Patil, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Kolhapur Division won the award for his notable contribution in popularising Sukanya Samridhi Accounts (SSA), and Yunus Mohammed, Superintendent of Post Offices, Thane West Division earned it for his outstanding success in taking the message of Atal Pansion Yojana (APY) to the masses. SSA is a small deposit investment scheme that offers highly attractive returns, and aims to assure a prosperous future for girl children.  APY is an attractive pension scheme targeted at the unorganised sector, and is expected to emerge as a significant social security platform in the coming years.

Civil Service Day is observed by all Civil Services on the 21st of April to re-dedicate and re-commit themselves to the cause of the people. It was on 21st April that Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel addressed the first batch of civil servants in Independent India at Metcalf House where he referred to civil servants as the 'steel frame of India'. The national level celebration of Civil Service Day takes place at New Delhi every year, the highlight of which is invariably the address by the Prime Minister, with inspiring messages for the Civil Servants of the country. Parallely, celebrations take place at the state level also, where notable achievements in the field of Public Administration in the state are recognised and lauded.

RP Patil succeeded in utilising the potential of the rural postal network for promoting the SSA scheme. He mobilised Gramin Dak Sewaks to approach gram panchayats, primary schools and rural hospitals, and enlist their support to create awareness about the SSA scheme. His persistent efforts saw nearly 27,000 Sukanya Samidhi Accounts being opened, with nearly Rs. 17 crores invested in the name of girl children in Kolhapur Division.

The success of Yunus Mohammed in opening a large number of Atal Pension Yojana subscriptions, thereby ensuring security to people from disadvantaged sections in their old age, was also the result of effectively utilising the rural postal network. He personally visited the villages in the Division, met Gram Sarpanchs and explained the details of scheme.  A separate team with high representation of Gramin Dak Sewaks was formed to work on the scheme, which visited villages and companies in the Division for explaining the details of scheme to villagers, especially workers in the unorganized sector.  Nearly 6,000 APY subscriptions were enlisted during the short period of 4 months, making Thane West the best performing Postal Division in the country in this matter. 

Mumbai East Postal Division Celebrates an Year of Exceptional Achievements

Some of the award winners whose committed efforts saw the Division exceeding its targets in many 

areas of performance

Financial Year 2015-16 was seen off with a grand farewell at Mumbai City East Postal Division, and why not? After all, the year had brought in unprecedented outcomes for the Division in key performance areas like revenue realisation, CBS roll out and Atal Pension Yojana enrolments.

In true Mumbai style, the staff of the Division led by Simran Kaur, the Senior Superintendent, gave a happy and innovative twist to the occasion by organising a theme based event titled RETROS 1970, on 7th April 2016. This was befitting, because the mood of the frolicky seventies was alive at the gathering, with most of the performance targets for the previous year safely behind, having been surpassed through persistent efforts. Kaur welcomed all the staff members warmly to the function. “Work hard and party harder”, she said with a smiling face, indicating that the hard work put in by her team through the year called for a bit of unwinding at the end of it.

Suddenly, it is the seventies once again!

The evening was going to be long, as it was about recognising the efforts of all those who brought laurels to the Division, and since FY 2015- 16 saw a large number of super achievers coming to the fore in the Division. But the organisers were determined not to allow the function to become too formal. In-house talents took centre stage one after the other as the evening unfolded, with entertainment slots thrown in between handing out the awards. There were nostalgic songs, poems, romantic duets, mimicry, and at the end of it all, a captivating team game.

Just being together is fun!

Surpassing most of the performance targets was a matter of pride for each and every one of the staff, said Shirsat, Marketing Executive, who was an enthusiastic participant in the activities. “Since there was no formal seating arrangement at the event, the staff members were free to move freely and mingle with old friends and make new friends”, he shared his experience of the evening. “Melodious songs of 1970s being played in the background set the mood of the party. Glass after glass of watermelon juice, which was the official drink of the evening, was being served in the middle of all the excitement. Dishes of tasty wafers were being gulped in amidst the chatter, and flashes from selfies were being burst in an unending series”. 

Words of appreciation from the Senior Superintendent motivated the award winners to resolve to out-do themselves in the coming year. The presence of guests like EV Rao, Director Postal Services, Kaiya Arora, Assistant Postmaster General and VT Lenin, Senior Superintendent of the neighbouring West Division made the event even more memorable.

Reflections from the DPS

The talents on display through songs, dances and other performances impressed EV Rao. “My only regret for the evening is that some pressing work held me back in my office, and I could join RETROS 1970 only towards the end”, he said. “Mumbai East Division has done extremely well during 2015-16”, he added, shifting quickly to a serious note, “and expectations shall be much higher in the current financial year, which I am confident that the Division shall definitely achieve”.

The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks from Nylapelli Yadgiri, Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices (Tour).

“This was a first of its kind celebration”, said Shirsat, feeling nostalgic even before the event formally ended. “All members of the East Postal Division came together for the celebration as one family, united by the thread of duty and love”.

Special Cover Captures the BRICS Cities Conclave for Posterity

Dignitaries at the photo-op following the release of the Special Cover.  An image of the cover is displayed on the electronic screen in the backdrop.

A Special Cover capturing the bonding of the five BRICS countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, in pictures was one of the highlights of the inaugural function of the BRICS Friendship Cities Conclave 2016, held at Mumbai on 14 April 2016.

The three-day event is hosted by Mumbai First, a Mumbai based think tank with the support of the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra. It isbeing attended by more than 75 high profile delegates from the BRICS countries, including Governors, City Leaders, Urban Planners, Ministers and experts. The event is expected to be a definitive platform that will create an atmosphere of dialogue and engagement among states, cities and local bodies of the five BRICS nations. Such events, ultimately, will promote people to people contacts and lasting friendship.

The Special Cover was released by Shri CH Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra. In his key note speech, he highlighted the historic importance of five countries which together are home to more than 50% of the world’s population coming together to address their common problems and shape their common future. He also mentioned that the Special Cover released on the occasion will ensure that the event is captured for posterity.

Shri AK Dash, Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle 

addressing  the Conclave

The other dignitaries present included Union Urban Development Minister Shri Venkaiah Naidu and Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis. The speakers highlighted the growing significance of the BRICS group in the global economy and spoke about the inevitability of the process of urbanisation. It is important to evolve a positive correlation between urbanization and development, in spite of the challenges of urbanisation.

Shri AK Dash, Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle told the gathering that among all the duties and responsibilities assigned to the Postal Department, commemoration of important events through philatelic releases was the most pleasant. He expressed happiness for the Department having received an opportunity to be associated with the BRICS Cities Conclave that aimed to forge a sisterhood among the cities of these five nations. 

Media lauds Post Office's Contribution to Atal Pension Scheme

The role of the post offices in Mumbai in popularising the Central Government’s ambitious social security scheme Atal Pension Yojana (APY), has come up for praise from the media repeatedly. The latest commendations came from  Navbharat, who on 1st April 2016 reported on the outstanding success of Dadar Head Post Office in taking this pension scheme to large number of its intended beneficiaries.

APY attempts to prepare the country to face the growing challenge of population ageing. As birth rates drop and life expectancy increases an ever-increasing proportion of the population is elderly. This leaves fewer workers for each retired person, impacting the growth and development of the economy. It also means that a large section of the population enters the stage of life where they cannot support themselves financially. In India, where only about 10% of the population has the protection of some pension scheme or other, population ageing can become a national challenge, unless addressed early.

APY aims to bring security to ageing Indians while at the same time promote a culture of savings and investment among the lower and lower middle class sections of society. The scheme has been carefully designed, keeping the weaker sections of society and their requirements in view. In the words of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the Atal Pension scheme will create “a universal social security system for all Indians that will ensure that no Indian citizen will have to worry about illness, accidents or penury in old age”

Post offices in Mumbai have played a notable role in creating awareness about this new scheme. A total of 22,000 enrolments have been secured by the different post offices in Mumbai Region, which is more than the contribution of most of the commercial banks.   The efforts of the post offices have been appreciated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the nodal agency for the APY scheme.

The report in Navbharat (please see image) mentions the special drive launched by the Government of India for popularizing Atal Pension Yojana, in which the Dadar Head Post Office of Mumbai East Postal Division secured the first position across India by opening 713 new APY accounts. This two-day event was organized by PFRDA during 9th and 10th March 2016. The news report also carries a picture of the highly motivated Mumbai East Division team led by the Senior Superintendent Of Post Offices, Simran Kaur, and supported Assistant Superintendents of Post Offices, Yadgiri Nyaylapalli  and Lata Kodwani.

Visitors Wowed by India Post's Range of Services at DICCI Trade Expo in Mumbai

The Post Office may be a much-loved neighbourhood landmark, but the extent of diversity in the products and services offered by this nation-wide network is still largely unknown to the public. It is no surprise then that when India Post introduced itself through a sales counter and a series of information panels at the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI)’s Trade Expo in Mumbai, the visitors were pleasantly surprised to see what was on display.

The 5th Industrial and Trade Expo of DICCI was held at Goregaon Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, from 25-27 March 2016. The Department of Posts (India Post) participated in the fair, by putting up a stall at the event. The stall had two counters – the first one dedicated to the MY STAMP product, and the other to the promotion of premium products and sale of philatelic items.

The first counter garnered quite a bit of attention and excitement from the visitors. The instant print outs of MY STAMP sheets, where one could get oneself pictured on a sheet of postage stamp, delighted them and raised their curiosity. Many of them were unaware about this unique personalisation venture of India Post. The helpful postal staff were ready with explanations and clarifications on the procedure of acquiring MY STAMP. The initial reaction of the visitors was typically surprise, which soon gave way to appreciation, and even pride in such an endeavour from the Post Office, which was an institution they all had faith in. For the India Post team led by Abhishek Jain, the Senior Superintendent of Mumbai North-West Postal Division, it was a gratifying experience that dozens of successful transactions were made on the spot for MY STAMP.

The second counter was a philatelist’s paradise. It displayed albums of philatelic stamps, stock books, white and black cardboards – everything required by a stamp collector. The twin objectives were to draw the attention of existing philatelists, and also to attract the Gen Y into the fascinating world of stamp collection.

The display boards at the stall showcased the ongoing transformation of the Post Office, wherein Information Technology is being inducted on an unprecedented scale to modernise the postal services. It also elaborated upon the wide spectrum of services offered by the  Post Office, ranging from the post card to Postal Life Insurance.

In the 3 days of the Trade Fair, around 1500 guests visited the India Post stall. A team of Marketing Executives were present from the start to the finish, approaching the guests individually, explaining to and educating them about the role and services of the Department of Posts. This team made it a point to use the opportunity offered by the Trade Expo to spread awareness about the various services on offer at the post offices. Pamphlets and books of various premium products (especially Speed Post), Retail Post, Savings schemes, Atal Pension Yojana, Postal Life Insurance and Sukanya Samridhi Yojana were distributed to the guests at the India Post stall, and also to the general visitors to the Trade Expo. In addition to this, cards were distributed to create awareness about the importance of writing correct pin code for prompt delivery of parcels.

The participation of the Department of Posts in the 5th Industrial and Trade Expo turned out to be hugely successful and productive. It brought forth the extent of trust reposed by the people of the country in this 160-year old institution, and gave an opportunity to the postal staff to reach out to their valued customers in a relaxed context different from the normally busy environs of the post office.