Union Information and Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad inaugurates first postal ATM in Bihar

Union Information and Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad inaugurates India’s first postal ATM in Bihar,as being part of the Digital India Initiative. Bihar Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and senior state BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav were present at the function.

• He inaugurated the first postal ATM in Bihar at the GPO (General Post Office) in Patna,
• The facility was part of efforts to increase the point of presence for customers, particularly in the rural areas.
• Hand-held devices would soon be used by the postal network and the devices to be used by the postmen would ensure last-mile connectivity for banking transactions of India Post across its over 1.5 lakh branches.
• This facility to be made available at all 8,000 post offices in rural areas in Bihar within a year.
• Bihar has 9,000 post offices
• Out of which 1,048 were fully computerised.
• In Bihar, installation of ATM rooms have been done at 38 locations out of which three in Patna were ready for transactions.

Government Policy on Postal Department :

 The Centre is planning to open 1,000 ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) all over the country to provide facility of cash withdrawal round the clock.

• Expanding utilities of Post offices.
• Efforts were on to link post offices with the digital India Mission.
• There are around 98 crore mobile phones in the country at present and 30 crore masses availing Internet facility .
• Government wants 1.54 lakh post offices in the country to be part of the government’s digital India mission,
• Has to change with times by adopting latest technology.
• Postal department employees need to catch up with the latest technology to expand its utility.

India Post :

• Indian Postal Service had 154,866 post offices.
• Rural : 139,040
• Urban : 15826
• Founded :  1774

The postal service is under the Department of Posts, which is part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Government of India.

• Headquaters :  Sansad Marg, New Delhi
• Director – General :  Padmini Gopinath
• Slogan : Dak Seva Jan Seva

The post office offers a number of savings plans, including

1. National Savings Certificates,
2. The Public Provident Fund,
3. Savings-bank accounts,
4. Monthly-income plans,
5. Senior-citizens’ savings plans and
6. Time-deposit accounts.