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.