[blackwasp]

Many of us here might have had experiences of Inda Post - thanks to ordering car goodies from Aliexpress. However, for domestic shipments, we rely on FedEx, BlueDart and other couriers. In these times of distress, the ubiquitous red postal vans have become savours for many.

India has the largest postal service in the world - and now it is stepping in to help deliver lifesaving medicines during a countrywide lockdown aimed at tackling the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC's Ayeshea Perera in Delhi reports.

Red postal vans are a familiar sight in India. They make thousands of journeys every day, criss-crossing the country's wide network of post offices in 600,000 villages.

The postal service does much more than deliver letters and packages. It is also a bank, a pension fund and a primary savings instrument for millions of Indians. Now it will also be transporting medical equipment and drugs to where they are needed most, at a time when transport has come to a standstill.

When India went into total lockdown on 24 March in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus, all businesses - apart from essential services - were ordered to shut and people were told to stay home. Given that the announcement was made barely four hours ahead of the lockdown going into effect, many industries were left in the lurch - including hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and labs at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19.

"The Institute of Medical Research told us that we would have to send someone to Delhi to collect the kits because the courier company they usually used was not working, but there was no way we could do it because of the lockdown," she said.

The postal service, she said, made an exception and actually went to the institute to pick up the kits, instead of having them dropped off at a post office. She received them a day after she made the request.

Ever since the lockdown began, the postal service has been used to deliver everything from batches of lifesaving drugs to Covid-19 tests, to N95 masks and ventilators, moving medicine and equipment between major cities and states - mostly via the red postal vans.

For longer or very urgent journeys - such as a consignment of defibrillators that had to be transported from the state of Tamil Nadu in the south to Uttar Pradesh in the north - cargo planes are used. Sometimes, the consignments must be handled with special care - one drug manufacturer who asked for help said his medicines needed cold chain maintenance, which means they need to be frozen while transported. And so far, every request made to the department has been fulfilled.

Source

[Chetan_Rao]

I've had a soft spot for our postal service since I was a kid, as my first savings account was with them. The postmaster used to personally update our little passbooks with interest earned.

Over the last few years, my respect for India Post has gone up several notches.

I use them frequently and find them reliable and dependable, esp. for places most big-brand logistics companies either under-serve or not at all.

They've gradually updated their customer-facing mechanisms, and even their tracking system now sends SMS updates for each step (booking, sorting, in-transit, out for delivery, final status). They're pretty fairly priced too, which is a huge factor for people who can't always afford expensive logictics.

I don't remember ever having lost a package with them. Misplaced sometimes, sure, but the whole bureaucratic obsession with creating a paper trail means it's usually possible to trace things, more often than not.

They're the definition of an essential service, and this article reinforces both the need and importance of a robust public postal system.

Go India Post!

[msdivy]

Are postal services available only for Govt? Is it available for the general public too?

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Are postal services available only for Govt? Is it available for the general public too?

As per the official Covid-19 Telegram group run by the Government of Karnataka, Post Offices are accepting parcels of essential items - primarily medicines and other medical supplies. This is open for private citizens too.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the Commercial Vehicles forum!

[binaiks]

India Post is always special, and I always have a liking for them. IN fact, I send most of my parcels/letters through Post, and they've never let me down. India Post delivers letters at fairly the same pace as most private couriers (including BlueDart) do, especially when we are talking of letters between non-metros.

India Post has also increased its reach to citizens through their Aadhaar ATM service - you can actually withdraw money from your aadhaar linked bank account by calling up the post office! The postman would deliver the money at your address by verifying your Aadhaar number! India Post always rocks, despite all its bureaucratic hurdles!

[dailydriver]

Though they are used to receive more brickbats than bouquets, two grand daddies of our institutional setup - India Post and BSNL have been doing stellar work during the current lockdown. This is true specially in the small towns and hinterlands of the nation.

While the former is handling parcel services and enabling cash withdrawals, the latter has kept the connectivity intact, especially in the government offices. BSNL deserves a pat on the back also because most of its offices are just getting used to working with reduced manpower, as a result of its recent restructuring.

I am seeing two ladies in my immediate circle, employed with the postal department and BSNL going to office everyday without fail. They have been provided with curfew passes for travel and maks-sanitizers arranged at the work place. Their husbands, both my friends, are staying at home and taking care of the children and housework.



A Kannada news clipping showing how India Post is actively helping people get medicines, recharge their phones & DTH, pay utility bills, transfer money etc even during the lockdown.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Though they are used to receive more brickbats than bouquets, two grand daddies of our institutional setup - India Post and BSNL have been doing stellar work during the current lockdown. This is true specially in the small towns and hinterlands of the nation.

BSNL, despite all its flaws and the brickbats it receives, has been doing a good job. Even during the Kerala floods, BSNL network was up and running, and helped a lot of people. Private operators folded up since they were unable to get power for their towers

[dailydriver]

Today's Prajavani (page 5) carries an almost full page report on the postal department's service during pandemic, with special emphasis on delivery of medicines.



Good that the mainstream media has picked up the story and given the warriors their due.

[bejoy]

For folks in Karnataka, the postal department has launched a portal to accept online requests for various services.

https://karnatakapost.gov.in/anchemitra/