The Department of Posts has started a pilot project, christened ”Arrow,” in which about 200 post offices would be e-enabled so that these can act as the ‘Window to the World’ for the people in the rural areas.

This project, initiated by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, would be started in 10 post offices in the Northeast namely Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya and Mokukchung in Nagaland from August 15 and in Jowai (Meghalaya), Sabroom and Panisagar (Tripura), Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Champhai and Lunglei (Mizoram), Wokha (Nagaland) and Senapati (Manipur) in later stages.

Talking to reporters here, Chief Postmaster General, North East Circle, S K Chakrabarti said at a press conference here today that besides the e-enabled postoffices, the Department of Posts has a proposal for opening more branch offices in the NE Region during the 11th Plan Period.

A scheme has been launched to enable educated unemployed youths to serve as postal insurance agents. There are also steps taken for speedy delivery of mail, he said.

E-enabled services like e-post, Western Union Money Transfer, Instant Money Order Service which were till now confined to post offices in urban areas, will now be extended to post offices in the rural areas also where broadband services will be provided by BSNL.

He said the department has also taken up with the Ministry of Finance to raise the interest payable under various deposit schemes offered by the Centre through the post offices such as monthly income scheme, time deposit, recurring deposit and various kinds of saving certificates for the benefit of the rural people.

The department has also taken up with the Finance Ministry the matter of authorizing the post offices to sanction loans against deposits made under various small saving schemes to help small investors in rural areas at reasonable rates.

Out of 1.55 lakhs post offices in the country, 1.38 lakhs are located in the rural areas which serve 80 per cent of the rural population.

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