Govt sets eyes on Post Office Banks

The government's plan to tap into India's vast postal system to reach out to the unbanked population by utilising offices across the country as banks is expected to take some shape this year as the proposal has been sent to the Finance Ministry for its nod.

The idea that 1.55 lakh Post Offices could double up as banks is aimed at aiding the government's goal of financial inclusion, especially in rural areas. Once implemented, coverage of the country's banking network will increase three-fold in one stroke.

Around 90 per cent of the Post Office branches are in rural areas. In contrast, out of approximately 87,000 bank branches in the country, around 24,000 are in rural India.

India Post is the biggest postal network in the world, a major portion of which, about 1.4 lakh post offices, are located in rural India.

Although the idea has been around for a while, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal brought it centre-stage in July. However, before it takes shape, the Acts governing the banking and postal sectors will have to go through major amendments.

"Before applying for a banking licence, there are certain procedures that need to be completed. The work is in progress and the proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for its nod to go ahead," a government official privy to the  development said.

The year may witness quite a few amendments to the 113-year-old Post Office Act, which are aimed at opening up the sector.

The proposed amendments in The Indian Post Office Act, 1898, include recognising the services of private courier players and bringing them under the regulatory ambit. This will legalise 'forbidden services' like sending personal letters through private courier companies.

However, a lot needs to be done within the Department of Posts before reforms are implemented in the sector, as the industry is demanding that the services wing of the DoP should be a separate entity. This could be done along the lines of BSNL, which was hived-off from the Department of Telecom, industry players have said.

During 2011, Sibal made efforts to kick-off reforms in the sector, starting with India Post.

"After many years, we have seen government is ready to listen to industry. Minister (Sibal) has said that no policy decision will be made without taking views of industry. It's a highly welcome move, but DoP officials are still not ready to open up," said an industry representative.

Sibal had announced a 100-day agenda for revamping the DoP, especially its services. The agenda was designed around objectives assigned under the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12).

The agenda included provisions to facilitate round-the-clock transactions by customers through web portals, call centres, ATMs and other tools to modernise and enhance the operational and service efficiency of the government-run 'India Post'.

Sibal attempted to create an image of modernisation in India Post by launching an e-post office portal with an e-commerce section. He pushed India Post to build partnerships with private players for utilising its capacity. The effort did show some results.

In June, 2011, India Post partnered with apparel retail chain Fab India to provide its customers with the facility to ship their purchases to destinations they want from the store.

The DoP also partnered with state handloom centres to provide logistics services to craftsmen for both national and international destinations.

Built up over the years, its reach in the hinterland caught the government's attention as a tool to reach out to the masses under public programmes.

The year for the DoP began with a partnership with the UIDAI to deliver Aadhar numbers. In November, the UIDAI roped in TCIL to support India Post, which could not manage the work load in view of inadequate printing facilities at Kolkata and Delhi.

India Post was printing about 1.5 lakh Aadhaar cards a day, whereas the UIDAI enrollment was over 10 lakh residents daily in that month.

The DoP was also seen as good option to disseminate wages to people under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). However, a lack of capacity and lax management posed questions over its service standards.

A parliamentary Standing Committee on the DoP found a huge gap between the wages disseminated by the DoP and the figures recorded by the Department of Rural development.

In 2009-10, the gaps in the data submitted by both departments widened to 13 lakh in terms of total MGNREGA worker accounts and over Rs 1,000 crore vis-a-vis the wages distributed.

During 2010-11, the DRD furnished the data one month later than the DoP. Upon examination, it was found there was a deviation of 29 lakh in respect of the number of accounts and about Rs 1,221 crore in respect of the amount disbursed vis-a-vis the DoP's figures, the Standing Committee said in its report.

Besides these glitches, a fund crunch left the DoP unable to address urgent and important requirements.

During the 11th Five-Year Plan, the DoP was allocated Rs 2,700 crore for technology upgradation of Post Offices. However, the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) restricted this to Rs 2,505.86 crore.

The final amount approved two years after commencement of the Plan was Rs 978 crore.

With immense potential and as possibly many hiccups on the way to realising them, 2012 will be the year to watch which way India's postal system goes.

Source : http://www.indianexpress.com

Year End Review, 2011 Department of Posts

Year End Review of Achievements and Initiatives of Department of Information Technology 
Draft National Policies on Electronics-2011 and Information Technology-2011 Released 
Steps taken to Make India Hub for Electronic Hardware Manufacturing 
Four New Mission mode Projects (MMPs) Added under NeGP 
Electronic Delivery of Services Bill Introduced in Parliament

Draft National Policy on Electronics – 2011

The Draft National Policy on Electronics, 2011 (NPE 2011) was released on 3.10.2011. The draft Policy envisions creating a globally competitive Electronics Systems and Design Manufacturing (ESDM) industry including nano-electronics to meet the country's needs and serve the international market. One of the important objectives of the Policy is to achieve a turnover of about USD 400 Billion by 2020 involving investment of about USD 100 Billion and employment to around 28 million by 2020. This includes achieving a turnover of USD 55 Billion of chip design and embedded software industry and USD 80 Billion of exports in the sector. Another important objective of the Policy is to significantly upscale high-end human resource creation to 2500 PhDs annually by 2020. The Policy also proposes setting up of over 200 Electronic Manufacturing clusters in the country.

Draft National Policy on Information Technology, 2011

Draft National Policy on Information Technology, 2011 (NPIT 2011) wasreleased on 7.10.2011. The Policy aims to maximally leverage the power of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to help address economic and developmental challenges of the country. The focus of the IT policy is on deployment of ICT in all sectors of the economy and on providing IT solutions to the world. The Policy focuses on application of technology-enabled approaches to overcome developmental challenges in education, health, skill development, financial inclusion, employment generation, governance etc., to greatly enhance efficiency across the board in the economy. The Policy seeks to achieve the twin goals of bringing the full power of ICT within the reach of the whole of India and harnessing the capability and human resources of the whole of India to enable India to emerge as the Global Hub and Destination for IT-ITeS Services by 2020. It is rooted in the conviction that ICT has the power to transform India and improve the lives of all Indians.

E-Governance

Mission Mode Projects (MMP)- 4 New MMPs (Education, Health, PDS and Posts) have been added under NeGP taking the total number of MMPs under NeGP to Thirty One (31). Posts has been added as a Central MMP while the remaining three (3) MMPs (Education, Health and PDS) have been added as State MMPs.

A major initiative of the Government for ushering in e-Governance on national scale, called National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was approved on 16^thMay 2006. NeGP consists of Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and program support components which aim at creating the right governance and institutional mechanisms, core infrastructure, policies & standards and the necessary legal framework for adoption of e-Governance in the country. It is implemented at the Central, State and Local Government levels. Significant achievements in this area are as under:

Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS) Bill provisioning mandatory delivery of all public services in e-mode in next five years has been approved by the Union Cabinet on 20.12.2011 and introduced in Lok Sabha on 27.12.2011.

Common Service Centres - As on 30^th November, 2011, a total of 97,439 Common Service Centres (CSCs) have been rolled out in thirty three States and UTs. 100% CSCs have been rolled out in 13 States. A proposal to set up additional 1.5 lakh Bharat Nirman Common Service Centres so as to have one CSC in each Panchayat in whole of rural India has been prepared.

State Wide Area Networks - The State Wide Area Networks (SWANs) are already operational in 29 States.

State Data Centres - The State Data Centres have been made operational in 16 States.

e-District - e-District Pilot project has gone live in 12 States. Scheme for National Rollout of e-District MMP has been approved. Guidelines for National Rollout of e-District MMP has been finalized. 

Capacity Building (CB) - Under the CB Scheme, State e-Mission Teams (SeMTs) have been setup in 32 States and UTs. Over 1000 Government officials have been trained under Specialized Training for e-Governance Programme (STeP). The first Chief Information Officer (CIO) training for officers of Central and State & UT officials has started on 7th November, 2011.

Standards – To ensure sharing of information and seamless interoperability of data and e-Governance applications, Policy on Open Standards, Biometric standards, Metadata and Data Standards, Localization and Language Technology standards, Network and Information Security, Digital Signature, Quality Assurance, Website Design Guidelines have been notified by DIT.

Mobile Governance - A Draft Policy on Mobile Governance has been formulated.

Awareness and Communication - 11 Workshops have been held across the country. The 14^th National Conference was held in  February 2011.

Citizen Engagement and Social Media Framework - For wider and deeper participation and engagement with all stakeholders especially public at large, a Citizen Engagement Framework for e-Governance Projects has been developed.

Electronics Hardware Manufacturing (EHM)

The Government has attached high priority to electronics hardware manufacturing. It is keen to develop an ecosystem, which will make India a global destination for electronics system design and manufacturing. The significant achievements during the course of the year are as follows:

Setting up of Semiconductor Wafer Fabs: An Empowered Committee (EC) for identifying technology and investors for setting up Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication (Fab) Manufacturing facilities in the country was constituted.  The EC after interacting with the potential investors will crystallize the nature and quantum of Government support in physical/financial terms and recommend to the Government the course of action to attract investments in the sector.

Roadmap for promoting growth of semiconductor design and services industry: India Semiconductor Association (ISA) has carried out a “Study on semiconductor design, embedded software and services industry” with the support of Department of Information Technology (DIT). The report covers Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design, Embedded software design and Hardware/board design. A roadmap has been prepared to enable semiconductor design and services industry to move up the value chain and maintain growth rate of revenue of over 17% p.a.

Roadmap for promoting growth of electronic components industry:Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) has carried out a Study entitled “ELCOMOS - Electronic Components, Hardware Market and Manufacturing Output Study including related Assemblies and Value Chain in India” with DIT’s support. A roadmap has been prepared for promoting growth of electronic components industry.

Communications and Brand Building Campaign for promotion of ESDM sector in India: The Campaign has been launched with the objective to build “Made in India” as leading global brand in ESDM and increasing awareness regarding initiatives taken by Government to promote investments in ESDM sector.

Mandatory compliance of safety standards for electronic items: A draft Order in respect of safety standards for 16 selected electronic items has been prepared and consultations are underway with the Department of Consumer Affairs and Bureau of Indian Standards to notify mandatory compliance. 

National Informatics Centre (NIC)

National Informatics Centre (NIC) is the premier S&T organization under the aegis of the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and IT. It is the principal e-Governance solution provider. During last one year, it has implemented several e-Governance applications and services in addition to strengthening the computing and data communication infrastructure in the country. Notable achievements of the year are:

Augmentation of NICNET: During last one year, NIC has established three National Data Centres in the country to support large e-Governance applications.  NIC is also facilitating the hosting of more than 7000 websites/portals of various Government Departments.

e-Procurement: GePNIC is developed as a generic e-Procurement System by which manual tendering activity is carried out in a secure environment. GePNIC has been implemented in 13 State and UTs 35,146 tenders worth over Rs 45,218.10 Crores, have been processed successfully during current financial year till 30th Nov 2011. Department of Commerce has decided adoption of NIC’s e-Procurement System in Government departments of 23 states as a part of MMP on e-Procurement.

e-Court: It is a project of great importance aimed at creating ICT infrastructure for various levels of judiciary from Supreme Courts to sub-district courts, resulting in improved level of disposal of cases at various levels. The ICT infrastructure has been set up in more than 450 court complexes during the current financial year.

e-Counseling for admissions to professional courses: e-Counseling System of NIC has helped crores of students in the admission process for various professional and technical courses of more than 20 State Boards of Technical Education resulting in considerable saving of time and money on the part of admission aspirants as well as the State boards.

e-Office: e-Office enables working in the Government leading to greater transparency and efficiency. This application has been implemented in more than dozen Central Government departments and some of the State Govt. Secretariat ushering into an electronic age of management of Government files.

MGNREGASoft: This application is a centrally hosted service being used by the Department of Rural Development, Government of India and various State Governments in the management of the whole work flow of the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act right from registration to finalization of wages of workers of one of the largest social sector schemes in the world.

National Knowledge Network (NKN)

The Government’s decision to set up National Knowledge Network was announced in the Budget Speech of Union Budget for 2008-09. In March 2010 the Government approved the establishment of the National Knowledge Network (NKN) over a period of 10 years. The objective of the National Knowledge Network is to interconnect institutions of higher learning with a high speed data communication network. Network will consist of an ultra-high speed Core (multiples of 10Gbps and upwards), and over 1500 nodes. It is scalable to higher speed and more nodes also. The Core shall be complemented with a distribution layer at appropriate speeds. The participating institutions can directly or through distribution layer connect to the NKN at speeds of 100 Mbps /1 Gbps. The application areas envisaged under the NKN cover: Agriculture, Education, Health, e-governance, Grid Computing (High Performance Computing). As on 30^th November, 2011, a total of 450 Institutions are connected to NKN, and 43 virtual classrooms have been setup.

Nanotechnology

                Department of Information Technology (DIT) started Nanotechnology Development Programme during the 10^th Plan with the objective to create infrastructure for research in nanoelectronics and nanometrology at the national level and also to fund small and medium level research projects in specific areas such as nanomaterials, nanodevices, Carbon Nano Tubes (CNT), nanosystems etc. Two major nanoelectronics centres  have been set up in the country. These centres have become Centres of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CEN) and are being recognized nationally and internationally and attracting young talent. The facilities of these centres are being made available to all other users in the country as well as abroad through Indian Nanoelectronics Users Programme (INUP) funded by DIT. More than 110 R&D projects from more than 100 external organizations across the country have been taken up so far under INUP. About 1150 manpower from more than 350 organizations across India have been trained through INUP.

****

Source : PIB dtd 28/12/2011

Instant Money Order Service (iMO) - FAQ

1. What is iMO?

IMO is a web based instant money transfer service offered by India Post between two individuals within India.

2. How fast is the money transfer?

Money booked through iMO can be disbursed in the next minute.

3. How much money can be sent through iMO?

A minimum of Rs. 1,000/- and a maximum of Rs. 50,000/- can be sent through iMO.

4. Is the money paid in cash?

Receiver can receive the payment in cash upto Rs.50,000. He can also receive the payment through his post office savings bank account in the same iMO office.

5. How is money sent through iMO?

Money can be sent from any iMO center. A simple “To Remit Payment” (given below) form is to be filled up and submitted along with the remittance amount and commission at the iMO counter. A printed receipt with a sealed computer generated confidential 16-digit iMO number is issued to the remitter. The number has to be conveyed by the remitter to the payee by phone, SMS, e-mail or any other means.

6. How does the payee collect money?

The payee can collect money from any iMO post office other than office of booking on presentation of the 16-digit iMO number and production of photo-identity proof. While receiving money the payee will have to fill a simple “To Make Payment” form (given below).

7. What can be presented as proof of identity?

The payee can prove his /her identity by presenting any of the following photo-identity documents:

(a) Voter’s I-Card

(b) PAN Card

(c) Ration Card

(d) Post Office Identity Card

(e) Driving License

(f) Passport

(g) Approved/Recognized Central Government/ State Government/ PSU/Office/College/University ID Card

8. Is iMO expensive?

Given the instant nature of transmission of money, iMO tariff is very reasonable.

9. Can message be sent along with money through iMO?

Yes, along with money you can also send a message. Choose any one from a list of standardized messages** give below and it will be delivered along with the money at no extra cost.

10. What makes iMO special?

· It is fast money transfer service from the friendly neighborhood post office – Money can be transferred within a minute.

· It is safe – The money is disbursed only on presentation of the confidential 16-digit iMO number and proof of identity – ensuring that the money reaches the right person.

· It is hassle free – iMO does not involve tedious forms or lengthy procedures. A simple form is to be filled and the money is ready to be transferred.

· It is reliable – India Post has been handling Savings Schemes and Money Transfer for the last 150 years. It is a name you can trust your money with.

11. Can the money be received only at one given iMO Centre or any iMO Centre in India?

The payee can take payment from any iMO Centre in India except the post office where the iMO was booked. This can be a great boon for business travelers, traders, tourists, students, patients admitted to outstation hospitals, etc. as they need not carry cash and can encash iMO as per need at whichever location the need arises.


Courtesy : http://nfpealuvadivision.blogspot.com/

Significant Events of Department of Posts for the month of October, 2011 The Postal Staff College of India, Ghaziabad Renamed as “Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy

A report on significant events of department of posts for the month of October, 2011 says that Department of Posts disbursed wages to 5.04crore MGNREGS account holders across the country. Through Post Offices Rs. 878 crores have been disbursed as wages to MGNREGS account holders during September, 2011 excluding Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka Circles.

Two stamps one on ‘Chitrapur Math’ and other on ‘The Punjab Regiment Para (SF)(Punjab)’were issued during the month of October, 2011. 



A Special Cover on “Endangered Grizzled squirrel” and “Maritime Heritage of Tamilnadu” was released in Chennai during SIPEX-11, a State Level Philatelic Exhibition organized at Chennai from 7.10.2011 to 9.10.2011. 

The Postal Staff College of India, C.G.O.Complex, and Ghaziabad has been renamed as “Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy (RAKNPA)” C.G.O.Complex, Ghaziabad-201 002. 

National Postal week was celebrated throughout the country from 09-10-2011 to 14.10.2011. 


Source : PIB dtd 21/12/2011

The History and starting Point of Postal Services in various Countries

Historical references to postal systems in Egypt date from about 2000 BC. The Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great (6th century BC) used a system of mounted relay messengers. The riders would stop at regularly placed posthouses to get a fresh horse or to pass on their packets of dispatches to another messenger for the remainder of the distance. On the other side of the world, in China, a posthouse service had been started early in the Chou Dynasty (ruled 1122-221 BC). It was used mostly to convey official documents. The far-reaching system consisted of relays of couriers who changed horses at relay posts 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) apart. The system was enlarged under the Han Empire (202 BC-AD 220), when the Chinese came in contact with the Romans and their postal system. The Roman Empire built the most advanced postal delivery system known until that time except for the service in China. Its area was the whole Mediterranean world. Reliable communication from Rome to governors and military officials in faraway provinces was a necessity. Rome met the need by developing the cursus publicusliterally, "public course" a state-sponsored series of post roads with relay stations at intervals. The speed with which government dispatches and other mail could be carried about the empire was not equaled again in Europe until the 19th century. Using the relay stations, riders could cover about 170 miles (270 kilometers) in a 24-hour period.

The first postal service in America arose in February  1692

The Indian Postal Services were established  In 1688

Official Canadian postal services began in 1775

The Royal Mail service ( British Postal Service) was first made available to the public on 31st July 1635

History of Australia Post was started  on 1809

The Argentina Postal service was established  in 1854

The Modern postal system of the people ‘s  Republic of China was established   in 1949

The old government-run German postal service, established in 1947, was known as the Deutsche Bundespost

The first use of postal system in China was under the chou  dynasty

Hisoka Maejima  the  Father of  Postal service of Japan  brought idea of Japan Postal service on  1870 and first postal service in Japan was established  on April 20 1871

The postal service in Germany  was established  on  16 June  1801

The Universal Postal  Union  was created   in 1874

The first telegraph station in Hungarian territory was opened in December 1847.

English educator and tax reformer Rowland Hill formulated proposals on reforming the postal system between 1835 and 1837

The use of privately made cards, which was permitted in 1894, opened the way to marketing the picture postcard.

Courtesy :   http://nfpemavelikaradivision.blogspot.com

Draft Postal Training Policy

Source : http://www.indiapost.gov.in/Pdf/No.1-45_2011-Trg.pdf

or

Click here to view Order No. 1-45/2011-Trg Dated 12.12.2011

Conversion of Post Offices into Banks

Shri Sachin Pilot, the Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology informed Rajya Sabha today in a written reply that the Department of Posts has a proposal to look into the feasibility of setting up a post bank to provide full fledged banking facilities to the rural as well as urban masses in the country, which is still at a conceptual state. The reply further informed that 12,202 Department Post Offices have been provided with internet connectivity. 

Source : PIB dtd 09/12/2011

Amendment in Indian Post Office Act

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Shri Sachin Pilot today informed the Rajya Sabha that Government is not proposing to amend the Indian Post Office Act 1898. It is proposed to replace the existing Act and a Draft Post Office Bill is under consideration of the Government.

Replying to a written question the minister said the highlights of changes proposed to be brought through the new legislation are as follows: 

1. Opening of market by reducing the exclusive privilege of Central Government: 

Gradual opening of the market by phase wise removal of the monopoly proposed. Exclusive privilege reduced upto 150 gm. in case of letters and upto 50 gm. in case of express mail. Couriers can carry letters even within 150 gm and 50 gm (the reserve area) subject to them charging twice the postal rates for letters and twice the rates for express service. 

2. Sunset clause: 

A 15 years SUNSET clause for complete removal of exclusive privilege in express service and Parliamentary Review of exclusive privilege in case of letters is proposed. 

3. Universal Service Obligation of the Central Government: 

As proposed, USO is defined as the obligation of the Central Government to provide, through the Department of Posts, basic postal services at reasonable access, affordable price and with specified service parameters throughout the country. Commitment to provide postal service, delivery and access to post office 6 days of the week except holidays. 

4. Definitions: 

Definitions of certain ‘terms’ are proposed keeping in view the definition adopted by different countries, as also the requirement of customers i.e. 
(a)“Postal services” means services provided by the Central Government or on its behalf and includes services related to
(i) handling of addressed letters, 
(ii) handling of addressed parcels and packages, 
(iii) handling of addressed press products, 
(iv) handling of these articles as registered or insured mail, 
(v) express services for these articles, 
(vi) handling of unaddressed articles, 
(vii) Value Payable Post, 
(viii) money remittance 
(ix) Post Office Counter Services 
(x) services on behalf of any Ministry or Department of the Central or State Governments, or services on behalf any other organization 
(xi) other services not specified elsewhere; 

b) “courier services” means services related to the handling of articles of mail i.e. collection, sorting, dispactch, conveyance and delivery including 

(i) handling of addressed letters subject to provisions in Section 4, 
(ii) handling of addressed parcels and packages, 
(iii) handling of addressed press products, 
(iv) express services for these articles subject to provision in Section 4 
(v) handling of unaddressed articles, 

(c) “express services” means postal / courier services related to handling of articles of mail and expedited delivery within a clearly specified and declared time limit with confirmation of receipt and with or without end-to-end integration to ensure track and trace and a record of delivery; 

(d) “Registered Courier” means any person registered as such under Section --- and includes his employee or agent or assignee; 

(e) “Licensee” means a Registered Courier who has been given licence under Section --;

5. Registration and Licensing: 

The Central Government may grant registration to any person undertaking the provision of any courier service in India, who shall be called a Registered Courier. T he Central Government may also grant license to any Registered Courier, who shall be called a licensee, for providing certain specific services. There is no registration fee or licences fee. Licensing conditions involve adherence to quality, guarantee relief to customers in case of any deficiency in service and commitment to ensure confidentiality and security of letter. All operators will require registration for providing any type of courier service in India. But license will be required only for reserve area, USO and letter mail. 

6. Registering Authority: 

It is propose that Central Government shall appoint Registering Authority, in such manner and to perform such functions, as may be prescribed. 

7. Appellate Authority: 

An Appellate Authority is proposed for redressal of grievances of any person aggrieved by an order of Registration Authority. 

8. Setting up Extra Territorial Offices of Exchange (ETOE) and International mail Processing Centers (IMPC) abroad: 

Central Govt. may establish ETOEs/IMPCs in other countries for providing international Mail Services including express and parcel services subject to arrangements with such Postal Administrations regarding terms and conditions. 



Source : PIB dtd 09/12/2011

UPU LETTER WRITING COMPETITION 2011

View Original Order

Chennai Corporation to use Postal staff service (TN)

To verify addresses of property tax assessees

The Chennai Corporation is planning to use the services of the Department of Posts to verify addresses of over 6.41 lakh property tax assessees.

This is part of the measures of the civic body to improve property tax collection.

It has started discussions for making optimum use of the services of the Department of Posts in the days ahead when the challenges pertaining to collection of property tax are likely to mount.

With elections round the corner, the Corporation would have to use tax collectors for election duty. So, the services of the postal employees are likely to be used to create awareness and improve tax collection, said officials of the Corporation.

Address verification by the postal staff would also help the civic body verify the genuineness of the assessees during the city expansion phase.

A few months ago, the Corporation had initiated a process of sending e-post to remind the assessees. Though the property tax collection improved because of the initiative, some of the addresses of assessees were not correct.

The civic body has also planned to ask the assessees to make use of the counters in the zonal and division offices for payment of tax during the period of civic body elections.

After the expansion of the city and local body elections, the Revenue Department would face a challenge in the form of change in zone number of the existing assessees.

The Postal Department's schemes such as e-post would be continued to be used to remind the assessees of the property tax payment even after the elections.

Over 10 per cent of the property tax assessees pay taxes of high value, official said. Even though the civic body focuses more on this segment, the assessees who pay very low value property tax would also be given awareness messages through the postal system.

A major portion of the 5.29 lakh residential property tax assessees in the 10 zones of the city have a property tax demand of low value. Address verification of such assessees may be easier with the help of the extensive network of post offices, according to an official of the civic body.

Collection of property tax from over 1.12 lakh commercial properties in the city is likely to be better with the assistance of the postal network.

Courtesy : Hindu 4.9.2011