World Post Day

• World post day is celebrated on the 9th of October every year. World post office day is celebrated as a commemoration of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in Bern, Switzerland in 1874. While India celebrates the  Indian National Post Day on October 10th every year to commemorate the role played by the Indian postal sector.

• The UPU ( Universal Postal Union) Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969 declared this day World Post Day. The UPU is focused on the global communications revolution and its goal is to enable people to write letters to others around the world. 

• World Post Office Day or as a matter of fact the Indian National Postal Day aims to make people aware of the role of the postal sector in our daily lives and its contribution to the social and economic development of the world.

• This article is focused on developing an understanding of the importance of the Indian postal services, it also deals with the history of the Indian postal services. The celebration and the general history behind the celebration of the national post day and world post day are also described in the article.

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What are Indian Postal Services and its History?

• India Post, formerly known as the Post Office, is a postal system operated by the Indian government and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Communication. It is often referred to as the "post office" in India and is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. In 1766, Warren Hastings, under the leadership of the East India Company, took the initiative to open postal services in the country.

• Initially established under the name "Company Mail". Later, Lord Dalhousie modified and renamed it as service under Crown in 1854. Dalhousie introduced the universal service and helped pass the Indian Post Act of 1854, which greatly improved the Indian Post Act of 1837. An official post office was opened in India and the first post of Director of the National Post Office was established.

• The world's first official airmail flight took place in India on February 18, 1911, with a range of 18 kilometres (11 miles) and a duration of 27 minutes. French pilot Henri Pequet carried about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) of mail (about 6,000 letters and cards) across the Ganges from Allahabad to Naini; the airmail included a letter addressed to King George V of the United Kingdom.

During the British Government, Many Bills Were Enacted to Expand and Regulate Postal and Telecommunications Services: 

• The Government Savings Banks Act of 1873 was passed by the legislature on 28 December January 1873 and promulgated in 1881. In April 1882, the Post Office Savings Bank was opened in various parts of India (with the exception of the Mumbai presidency). During the Madras presidency, it was limited; during the presidency of Bangladesh, Kolkata or Howrah did not establish a POSB. 

•  Postal Life Insurance began as a welfare measure for employees of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on February 1, 1884, as a dispatch number. Document No. 299 was issued to the Secretary of State by the Government of India on October 18, 1882. 

• The Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 

• The Indian Post Office Act of 1898 was passed by the legislature on March 22, 1898 and entered into force on July 1, 1898, and regulates postal services. Law No. III of 1882 and Law No. XVI of 1896 preceded this.

•  The Wireless Telegraphy Act of India 1933

• Since India's independence in 1947, the postal service has continued to operate throughout the country, providing various services. The structure of the organization has a board of directors at the top; below it is circular offices, regional offices, supervisory offices, general post offices, branches and branches. In April 1959, the Indian Post Office adopted the motto "service first, help later"; revised its logo in September 2008. When India became independent in 1947, there were 23,344 post offices, located mainly in urban areas. Increased to 155,015 in 2016, 90% of which are in rural areas.

The National Post day or Indian Postal day is celebrated to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the department towards the smooth administration of the country. 

The Bureaucratic Organisation of the Indian Postal Services:

• Like every other institution in the country, the Indian post offices also follow a predefined structural organisation that ensures smooth functioning of every department, the structural organisation of the Indian Postal department is briefly described below. 

• The country has been divided into 23 postal circles, each headed by a postmaster. Each circle is divided into several areas, led by the postmaster, and includes field units called departments. These departments are subdivided into subdivisions. In addition to the 23 circles, there is also a base circle that provides postal services to the Indian Armed Forces led by the Director-General. One of the highest post offices in the world is located in Himachal Pradesh, operated by India Post at an altitude of 14,567 feet (4,440 meters).

Functions of Indian Postal Services:

• As already discussed in the article the postal department of India works under the Ministry of Communications, the primary function of this department was to ensure easy communication between different parts of India for the smooth administration of the country but over time the responsibilities of the postal services have increased. Some of the other aspects of the responsibilities of the department are briefly discussed below. 

• It involves the delivery of mail (postal), money transfer by money order, acceptance of deposits under the small savings plan, provision of life insurance under Post Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Post Life Insurance (RPLI), and provision of retail services such as acquisition and sale of forms, etc. 

• The department of the post also acts as an agent of the Government of India to provide citizens with other services, such as the payment of pensions and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the payment of salaries for 154,965 post offices. India Post has the world's most distributed postal network.

History of International Post Day:

• International post day is celebrated on the 9 th October, whereas the national post office day in India is celebrated on 10h October to commemorate the hard work of the department and its employees. Since we have developed an understanding of the history and function of the Indian Postal Service, we must now understand the history behind the celebration of International post day, also known as the world post day.

• The history of the postal services in the world dates back to ancient times. The first known postal document was discovered in Egypt in 255 BC. In the 17th and 18th centuries, bilateral postal agreements were used to regulate the exchange of mail between countries. By the 19th century, the network of bilateral agreements had become so complicated that it had a negative impact on the trade and commercial development of several countries. This process needs to be streamlined and simplified at the international level.

• To solve this problem a method was developed in 1840, in England, Sir Roland Hill introduced a system where the postage of letters must be paid in advance. Similarly, for all letters with a certain weight range in domestic service, the same rate will be charged regardless of the travel distance. It also features the world's first postage stamp.

• In 1863, the United States Postmaster Montgomery Blair organized a conference in Paris. Representatives from 15 European and American countries established many general principles for mutual agreement through cooperation and interaction. The only setback of this meeting was that nothing was established for the international postal agreement.

• In Bern (1874), Heinrich von Stephen, the chief postal official of the Federation of North Germany, drew up plans for the International Postal Union. At his suggestion, the Swiss government convened an international conference in Bern on September 15, 1874. Representatives from 22 countries attended the conference. On October 9th of the same year, with the establishment of the General Postal Union, World Mail Day began. In 1878, it was titled as the Universal Postal Union.

• The Bern Treaty signed in 1874 successfully simplified the international postal services and regulations in a single postal territory for transactions and correspondence. From this time the world post day is celebrated as a remembrance of this day. 

World Post Day Celebrations:

• The celebration of this day varies from country to country. The national post office day in India is celebrated by conducting conferences, seminars and workshops along with cultural and recreational programs to motivate the employees. 

• The celebration of world post day includes the participation of member countries in the organization of a series of programs and activities to raise awareness about the important role of the position at the national level. Every year, more than 150 countries celebrate World Post Day in various ways. In some countries, this day is considered a business holiday. In some countries/regions, new postal products and services were launched on this day. Some positions even reward and praise the excellent service provided by the employees.

• In conclusion, world post office day is the day that is celebrated to acknowledge the hard work and importance of the employees of this department. Various countries celebrate this in different ways but the aim of the celebration is to create awareness and acknowledge the achievements.