New Delhi: The Central government is looking to transform India Post into a logistics company and increase the department's revenue by 50-60 per cent in the next 3-4 years, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said at a Public Affairs Forum of India event in New Delhi.
India Post is an Indian public sector postal system statutory body. Commonly known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. It is involved in delivering mail (post), remitting money via money orders, accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance coverage under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI), and offering retail services such as bill collection and the sale of forms.
Scindia promised that approximately 25,000 villages in the country, which currently do not have mobile networks, will be connected by next year.
Scindia revealed that the postal department’s annual revenue currently stands at ₹12,000 crore, and he expressed his goal of significantly increasing this figure by 50-60 per cent over the next few years.
“The postal department has the potential to bring services directly to the doorsteps of people in rural and remote areas,” he said, adding that he will explore all possible services to increase India Post's revenue.
Scindia emphasised the need for India Post to evolve beyond its traditional mail and letter services, advocating for innovations in logistics operations. The strategy will focus on route optimisation and tapping into multiple transport methods to enhance efficiency. This transformation will allow India Post to offer comprehensive logistics solutions, bringing essential services closer to people in remote areas.
Regarding development in the Northeast, the minister said the government is making significant investments in infrastructure, including ₹48,000 crore for the road network.
He acknowledged that 6,000 villages in the Northeast and 25,000 villages across the country still do not have mobile towers.
"Through the USO Fund, we are working to set up mobile networks in all 25,000 villages by the middle of next year. After that, there will not be a single village in the country without mobile connectivity," Scindia added. /BI
