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Having had an in-depth look into the
functioning of the world's largest postal
service network, when we introspect on our findings, the question that troubles us is:
can this legacy of national communication
structure survive the fresh winds of competition that
have come riding on the waves of liberalization
and globalization? We cannot let it smash the system
to the ground. Change is unavoidable and now this inevitability is knocking hard at the doors of
the Indian postal department. This might force you
to think on the possibilities and probabilities of
its success, but we are hopeful and this optimism about the future is all the more strengthened
when we see similar changes happening all around. Looking at the turnaround saga of the
Indian Railways, we see no obstructions for the department of posts to repeat the
achievement with its deficit of Rs. 12,495.25 mn. The
race towards a new future has already started with
the Rs. 9,000 cr Project Arrow initiative.
Organized postal services in India date back to 1854 when the Postal Department was set
up. Later, the British government enacted the
Indian Post Office Act in 1898, building a solid base for
a historic network. The epitome of British legacy has existed in the nation long enough to be
rightly called the "Nerve center of communication" in
the public life. The reference to the department
draws upon the mind a picture of an intrinsic network
of modest post offices across the length and
breadth of the country. The largest arrangement of
postal services in the world boasts of an array of
about 1.55 lakh postal structures, dwarfing all
other postal systems in terms of numbers.
Besides these, there are 5,926 Panchayat Sanchar Sewa Kendras to provide basic
postal services in the rural areas. Not only in sheer
size and numbers, historically too, India Post has
the distinction of being the oldest organization in
the world. The year 2005 marked the
Sesquicentenary Celebrations of India Post. In retrospect, since
its inception, the department now faces a
completely different environment. The post-1991 era has
been harder than ever, owing to the tough
competition from the more competent and
technology-savvy private postal service providers (both national
and international). The newer means of communication have changed the meaning of
how one defines the word `connectivity'. Even in
the face of rough winds, the social commitment continues unabated. |
