Misplaced Pages

#551448

68-615: Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to convey messages or proclamations —in this sense being the predecessors of modern diplomats . In the Hundred Years' War , French heralds challenged King Henry V to fight. During the Battle of Agincourt , the English herald and the French herald, Montjoie, watched the battle together from a nearby hill; both agreed that the English were

136-425: A hub and spoke model. Couriers services utilizing courier software provide electronic proof of delivery and electronic tracking details. In ancient history, messages were hand-delivered using a variety of methods, including runners , homing pigeons and riders on horseback. Before the introduction of mechanized courier services, foot messengers physically ran miles to their destinations. Xenophon attributed

204-562: A 2019 quarterly earnings call, the CEO of FedEx named Amazon as a direct competitor, cementing the e- commerce company's growth into the field of logistics. India Post The Department of Posts , d/b/a India Post , is an Indian public sector postal system statutory body headquartered in New Delhi , India . It is an organisation under the Ministry of Communications . Generally known as

272-600: A country-wide service is Australia Post. Australian Post operates quite differently to government departments, as it is government-owned enterprise focused on service delivery in a competitive market. It operates in a fully competitive market against other delivery services such as Fastway , UPS , and Transdirect . International courier services in China include TNT , EMS International , DHL , FedEx and UPS. These companies provide nominal worldwide service for both inbound and outbound shipments, connecting China to countries such as

340-461: A courier has changed; it is no longer a lengthy task of making numerous calls to different courier companies to request a quote. Booking a courier is predominantly carried out online. The courier industry has been quick to adapt to an ever-changing digital landscape, meeting the needs of mobile and desktop consumers as well as e-commerce and online retailers, offering end users access to instant online payments, parcel tracking, delivery notifications, and

408-461: A delivery deadline, loss of life from a delayed organ transplant). The courier business in Australia is a very competitive industry and is mainly concentrated in the high population areas in and around the capital cities. With such a vast mass of land to cover the courier companies tend to transport either by air or by the main transport routes and national highways. The only large company that provides

476-433: A moment's notice anywhere in the world, usually via commercial airlines. While this type of service is the second costliest— general aviation charters are far more expensive—companies analyze the cost of service to engage an on-board courier versus the "cost" the company will realize should the product not arrive by a specified time (an assembly line stopping, untimely court filing, lost sales from product or components missing

544-524: A premium service, couriers are usually more expensive than standard mail services, and their use is normally limited to packages where one or more of these features are considered important enough to warrant the cost. Courier services operate on all scales, from within specific towns or cities, to regional, national and global services. Large courier companies include DHL , DTDC , FedEx , EMS International , TNT , UPS , India Post , J&T Express and Aramex . These offer services worldwide, typically via

612-838: A service under the Crown in 1854 by Lord Dalhousie . Dalhousie introduced uniform postage rates ( universal service ) and helped to pass the India Post Office Act 1854 which significantly improved upon 1837 Post Office act which had introduced regular post offices in India. It created the position Director General of Post for the whole country. The DoP also acts as an agent for the Indian government in discharging other services for citizens such as old age pension payments and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) wage disbursement. With 164,972 post offices (as of 2024), India Post

680-669: A specific major state occasions, such as a coronation . The Canadian Heraldic Authority has created the position of "Herald of Arms Emeritus" with which to honor long-serving or distinguished heraldists. In Scotland, some Scottish clan chiefs , the heads of great noble houses, still appoint private officers of arms to handle cases of heraldic or genealogical importance of clan members, although these are usually pursuivants. In addition, many orders of chivalry have heralds attached to them. These heralds may have some heraldic duties but are more often merely ceremonial in nature. Heralds which were primarily ceremonial in nature, especially after

748-485: A theme of science and technology, began in 1986. Between independence and 1983, 770 stamps were issued. The postal department has always been the biggest loss-making entity in India, surpassing others like the Air India and BSNL , with an annual loss to the exchequer to the tune of ₹15,000 crore in the fiscal year 2019, and amounting to ₹15,541 crore in the calendar year 2020. The following table shows losses incurred by

SECTION 10

#1733094436552

816-582: A vibrant and responsive organization and to make a visible and positive difference. The project aims to create an effective, friendly environment for staff and customers, providing secure IT services and improving mail delivery, remittances (electronic and manual) and postal-savings plans. Core areas for improvement are branding, information technology, human resources and infrastructure. The project to improve service has been implemented in more than 23,500 post offices, and 'look and feel' improvements have been made in 2,940 post offices. The Department of Posts received

884-520: A week (former USSR countries). Large couriers often require an account to be held (and this can include daily scheduled collections). Senders are therefore primarily in the commercial/industrial sector (and not the general public); some couriers such as DHL do however allow public sending (at higher cost than regular senders). In recent years, the increased popularity of Black Friday in the UK has placed some firms under operational stress. The process of booking

952-415: Is a $ 59 billion industry, with 90% of the business shared by DHL, FedEx, UPS and USA Couriers. On the other hand, regional and/or local courier and delivery services were highly diversified and tended to be smaller operations; the top 50 firms accounted for just a third of the sector's revenues. USPS is mail or packages delivered by the government and are the only ones who can legally ship to mailboxes. In

1020-567: Is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are government or state agency employees (for example: a diplomatic courier ). Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for most everyday mail services. As

1088-459: Is also proud custodian of a rich heritage of postal buildings that echo the historical evolution and architectural grandeur of bygone eras. India Post has declared 44 heritage buildings so far. Warren Hastings had taken initiative under East India Company to start the Postal Service in the country in 1766. It was initially established under the name "Company Mail". It was later modified into

1156-648: Is reserved for the Army Postal Service (APS905898). The PIN system is organised in the following way: The PIN for an address may be found on the Postal Service website. There are total of 19,101 PINs covering 154,725 post offices in India, with the exception of the Army Postal Service, as of 2014. Indian post proposed a 10 digit unique identification number to each and every address in India based on geo coordinates called DIGIPIN . Digital Address Code (DAC) will be assigned to all types of addresses in

1224-470: Is rolled out in 808 head post offices and corresponding 24,000+ sub post offices. In September 2017, it was announced that by 2018 all of the 1.55 lakh post offices, every postman and grameen dak sevak (postmaster) will accept all payment options that the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) plans to provide. No of Pincodes and branches in india On 1 September 2018, the India Post Payments Bank

1292-459: Is that normally they are subsidized to ensure that military mail posted between duty stations abroad and the home country (or vice versa) does not cost the sender any more than normal domestic mail traffic. In some cases, Indian military personnel in a combat zone may post letters and/or packages to the home country for free, while in others, senders located in a specific overseas area may send military mail to another military recipient, also located in

1360-628: Is the oldest life insurer in this country. There was over 6.4 million policies active as on 31 March 2015 with a sum assured of ₹ 130,745 crore (US$ 16 billion). Premium income of PLI for the year 2014-15 was ₹ 6,053.2 crore (US$ 730 million). It was extended to all rural residents on 24 March 1995. Policies for government employees include Santhosh (endowment assurance), Suraksha (whole-life assurance), Suvidha (convertible whole-life assurance), Sumangal (anticipated endowment policy) and Yugal Suraksha (joint life endowment assurance). India Post started Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) for

1428-789: Is the special product of a co-operative arrangement between China Post and Alipay , which is the online payment unit of Alibaba Group . It is only available for the delivery of online purchases made using Alipay. Within the Municipality of Beijing, TongCheng KuaiDi (同城快递), also a unit of China Post, provides intra-city service using cargo bicycles . International courier services in India include DHL , FedEx , Blue Dart Express , Spicexpress and Logistics Pvt Ltd , Ekart , DTDC , VRL Courier Services , Delhivery , TNT , Amazon.com , OCS and Gati Ltd . Apart from these, several local couriers also operate across India. Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. India Post , an undertaking by

SECTION 20

#1733094436552

1496-404: Is the widest postal network in the world. The country has been divided into 23 postal circles, each circle headed by a Chief Postmaster General . Each circle is divided into regions, headed by a Postmaster General and comprising field units known as Divisions. These divisions are further divided into subdivisions. In addition to the 23 circles, there is a base circle to provide postal services to

1564-671: The Armed Forces of India headed by a Director General. One of the highest post offices in the world is in Hikkim , At 4,400m above sea level in northern India's remote Spiti Valley, the Hikkim post office is a vital connection to the outside world. The British Raj was instituted in 1858, when the rule of the East India Company was transferred to the Crown. A number of acts were enacted during

1632-509: The British Raj to expand and regulate posts and telegraphs service: The world's first official airmail flight took place in India on 18 February 1911, a journey of 18 kilometres (11 mi) lasting 27 minutes. Henri Pequet , a French pilot, carried about 15 kilograms (33 lb) of mail (approximately 6,000 letters and cards) across the Ganges from Allahabad to Naini ; included in the airmail

1700-539: The Middle Ages , royal courts maintained their own messengers who were paid little more than common labourers. In cities, there are often bicycle couriers or motorcycle couriers but for consignments requiring delivery over greater distance networks, this may often include trucks , railroads and aircraft . Many companies which operate under a just-in-time or "JIT" inventory method often use on-board couriers (OBCs). On-board couriers are individuals who can travel at

1768-666: The Penny Post . The Scinde stamps became known as " Scinde Dawks "; "Dawk" is the Anglicised spelling of the Hindustani word Dak or ("post"). These stamps, with a value of 1 ⁄ 2 -anna, were in use until June 1866. The first all-India stamps were issued on 1 October 1854. The volume of mail moved by the postal system increased significantly, doubling between 1854 and 1866 and doubling again by 1871. The Indian Post Office Act, 1866 (XIV) introduced reforms by 1 May 1866 to correct some of

1836-605: The Post Office , it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world, and India is the country that has the largest number of post offices in the world . It is involved in delivering mail (post) , remitting money by money orders , accepting deposits under Small Savings Schemes, providing life insurance coverage under Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) and providing retail services like bill collection, sale of forms, etc. Apart from delivering services to general public and corporates, India Post

1904-636: The Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration during 2008–09 for "Project Arrow – Transforming India Post" on 21 April 2010. Multipurpose counter machines with computers were introduced in post offices in 1991 to improve customer service and increase staff productivity. 25,000 departmental post offices out of 25,464 were computerized between as of 2011–2012. In 2012, a plan costing ₹ 1,877.2 crore (equivalent to ₹ 35 billion or US$ 420 million in 2023)

1972-744: The Public Provident Fund , savings-bank accounts, monthly-income plans, senior-citizens' savings plans and time-deposit accounts. In 2013, it was revealed that the Indian postal service had formulated plans to enter the banking industry after RBI guidelines for the issuance of new banking licenses were released. Eventually they are planning to open a Post Bank of India, an independent banking service. As of 29 February 2016, 18,231 post offices are utilizing Core Banking Solutions (CBS). ATMs are installed at 576 Post Office locations and debit cards issued to Post Office Savings Bank customers. Core Insurance Solution (CIS) for Postal Life Insurance (PLI)

2040-638: The US , Australia , United Kingdom , and New Zealand . Of the international courier services, the Dutch company TNT is considered to have the most capable local fluency and efficacy for third- and fourth- tiered cities. EMS International is a unit of China Post, and as such is not available for shipments originating outside China. Domestic courier services include SF Express , STO Express (申通), ZTO Express (中通), YTO Express (圆通), E- EMS (E邮宝), Cainiao Express (菜鸟) and many other operators of sometimes microscopic scales. E-EMS,

2108-571: The royal coat of arms . There are active official heralds today in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, and the Republic of South Africa. In England and Scotland most heralds are full-time employees of the sovereign and are called "Heralds of Arms in Ordinary". Temporary appointments can be made of "Heralds of Arms Extraordinary". These are often appointed for

Herald - Misplaced Pages Continue

2176-572: The Indian government, is the largest courier service with around 155 thousand branches (comprising 139 thousand (90%) in rural areas and 16 thousand (10%) in urban areas). All couriers use the PIN code or postal index number introduced by India Post to locate delivery address. Additionally, the contact number of the recipient and sender are voluntarily added on the courier for ease of locating the address. The history of courier services in Bangladesh dates back to

2244-403: The UK every day. In fact, from 1988 to 2016, UK couriers were considered universally self employed, though the number of salaried couriers employed by firms has grown substantially since then. However, since the dawn of the electronic age the way in which businesses use couriers has changed dramatically. Prior to email and the ability to create PDFs, documents represented a significant proportion of

2312-504: The UK same-day courier market stems from the London Taxi companies but soon expanded into dedicated motorcycle despatch riders with the taxi companies setting up separate arms to their companies to cover the courier work. During the late 1970s small provincial and regional companies were popping up throughout the country. Today, there are many large companies offering next-day courier services. There are many 'specialist' couriers usually for

2380-645: The West, making a Wells Fargo office in every camp and settlement a necessity for commerce and connections to home. Shortly afterward, the Pony Express was established to move packages more quickly than the traditional stagecoach . It illustrated the demand for timely deliveries across the nation, a concept that continued to evolve with the railroads , automobiles and interstate highways and which has emerged into today's courier industry. The courier industry in United States

2448-467: The beginning of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950. Definitives included a technology-and-development theme in 1955, a series depicting a map of India in 1957 (denominated in naya paisa —decimal currency) and a 1965 series with a wide variety of images. The old inscription "India Postage" was replaced in 1962 with "भारत INDIA" , although three stamps (issued from December 1962 to January 1963) carried

2516-712: The business. However, over the past five years, documentation revenues have decreased by 50 percent. Customers are also demanding more from their courier partners. Therefore, more organisations prefer to use the services of larger organisations who are able to provide more flexibility and levels of service, which has led to another level of courier company, regional couriers. This is usually a local company which has expanded to more than one office to cover an area. Some UK couriers offer next-day services to other European countries. FedEx offers next-day air delivery to many EU countries. Cheaper 'by-road' options are also available, varying from two days' delivery time (such as France), to up to

2584-518: The convenience of door to door collection and delivery to almost any destination in the world. The courier industry has long held an important place in United States commerce and has been involved in pivotal moments in the nation's history such as westward migration and the gold rush . Wells Fargo was founded in 1852 and rapidly became the preeminent package delivery company. The company specialised in shipping gold, packages and newspapers throughout

2652-477: The country ranging from independent houses, individual building, every flat in the given apartment, every shop in a commercial building and every individual unit in an office complex. Draft approach paper on Digital Address Code was issued by Indian Post for public comments. Project Arrow was launched in April 2008. The project plans to upgrade post offices in urban and rural areas, improving service and appearance into

2720-1056: The country's logistics and trade networks. Couriers that operate across Bangladesh include Sundarban Courier Service (40% market share), SA Paribahan , Pathao Courier , e-dak Courier , RedX , Sheba Delivery , Janani Express Parcel Service , Delivery Tiger , eCourier , Karatoa Courier Service , Sonar Courier . Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. Also international courier services in Bangladesh include DHL , FedEx , United Express , Royale International Bangladesh , DSL Worldwide Courier Service , Aramex , Pos Laju , J&T Express , and Amazon.com . International courier services in Malaysia include DHL , FedEx , Pgeon , Skynet Express , ABX Express , GDex , Pos Laju , J&T Express , and Amazon.com . Apart from these, several local couriers also operate across Malaysia. Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. The main courier services available in Ireland as alternatives to

2788-471: The country. The boom in e-commerce and the surging number of cash-on-delivery consignments has led India Post to partner with major e-commerce portals for delivering pre-paid as well as cash on delivery (COD) parcels. According to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology , Ravi Shankar Prasad , revenue of India Post from such deliveries would go up to ₹ 15 billion (US$ 180 million) in

Herald - Misplaced Pages Continue

2856-580: The decline of chivalry, were also appointed in various nations for specific events such as a coronation as additions to the pageantry of these occasions. In the Netherlands, heralds are appointed for the Dutch monarch's inauguration where they wore their tabards until 1948; these heralds proclaim the inauguration ceremony to have been completed to those inside and outside the Nieuwe Kerk. Courier A courier

2924-443: The earlier inscription. India has printed stamps and postal stationery for other countries, mostly neighbours. Countries which have had stamps printed in India include Burma (before independence), Nepal , Bangladesh , Bhutan , Portugal and Ethiopia . The country has issued definitive and commemorative stamps. Six definitive series on India's heritage and progress in a number of fields have been issued. The seventh series, with

2992-510: The express approval of the Secretary of State (for India) to Her Majesty, the Queen Empress of India. It was essentially a welfare scheme for the benefit of Postal employees in 1884 and later extended to the employees of Telegraph Department in 1888. In 1894, PLI extended insurance cover to female employees of P & T Department at a time when no other insurance company covered female lives. It

3060-680: The first use of couriers to the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger . Famously, the Ancient Greek courier Pheidippides is said to have run 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to bring the news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 BCE. The long-distance race known as a marathon is named for this run. Judah's king, Hezekiah, dates between 200 and 400 BCE, where several couriers brought letters throughout

3128-644: The issuance of stamps. On 21 November 1947 the first new stamp was issued by independent India. It depicts the Indian flag with the patriots' slogan, Jai Hind ("long live India"), at the top right-hand corner. The stamp was valued at three and one-half annas . A memorial to Mahatma Gandhi was issued 15 August 1948 on the first anniversary of independence. One year later a definitive series appeared, depicting India's broad cultural heritage (primarily Hindu , Buddhist , Muslim , Sikh and Jain temples, sculptures, monuments and fortresses). A subsequent issue commemorated

3196-533: The knights' coats of arms . Heralds have been employed by kings and large landowners, principally as messengers and ambassadors. Heralds were required to organise, announce and referee the contestants at a tournament. This practice of heraldry became increasingly important and further regulated over the years, and in several countries around the world it is still overseen by heralds. In the United Kingdom heralds are still called upon at times to read proclamations publicly; for which they still wear tabards emblazoned with

3264-895: The land of Judah and Israel (cf. 2 Chron 30 ESV). Starting at the time of Augustus , the ancient Greeks and Romans made use of a class of horse and chariot -mounted couriers called anabasii to quickly bring messages and commands from long distances. The word anabasii comes from the Greek ἀνάβασις ( anábasis , "ascent, mounting"). They were contemporary with the Greek hemeredromi , who carried their messages by foot. In Roman Britain , Rufinus made use of anabasii, as documented in Saint Jerome 's memoirs ( adv. Ruffinum , l. 3. c. 1.): "Idcircone Cereales et Anabasii tui per diversas provincias cucurrerunt, ut laudes meas legerent?" ("Is it on that account that your Cereales and Anabasii circulated through many provinces, so that they might read my praises?") In

3332-463: The late 1970s when private companies started offering delivery and parcel services. These companies played a crucial role in facilitating the movement of documents and goods within the country. Over the years, the courier industry in Bangladesh has grown significantly, adapting to changes in technology and expanding its services to include international shipments. Today, various local and international courier companies operate in Bangladesh, contributing to

3400-627: The more obvious postal-system deficiencies and abuses. Postal-service efficiencies were also introduced. In 1863, lower rates were set for "steamer" mail to Europe at (six annas, eight pies for a 1 ⁄ 2 -ounce letter). Lower rates were also introduced for inland mail. New regulations removed special postal privileges enjoyed by officials of the East India Company. Stamps for official use were prepared and carefully accounted for, to combat abuses by officials. In 1854 Spain had printed special stamps for official communications, but in 1866 India

3468-489: The national An Post system are Parcel Direct Ireland , DHL , UPS, TNT , DPD and FedEx. There are several international courier companies in Singapore including TNT, DHL and FedEx. Despite being a small country, the demand for courier services is high. Many local courier companies have sprung up to meet this demand. Most courier companies in Singapore focus on local deliveries instead of international freight. The genus of

SECTION 50

#1733094436552

3536-452: The postal department over the years. The Postal Index Number (PIN, or sometimes redundantly PIN code) is a six-digit postal code . The PIN system was made by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar when he was at service in Kolkata. It was introduced on 15 August 1972 by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There are nine postal zones in the country; the first eight are geographical regions, and the ninth

3604-569: The postal service continues to function on a nationwide basis, providing a variety of services. The structure of the organization has the directorate at its apex; below it are circle offices, regional offices, the superintendent's offices, head post offices, sub-post offices and branch offices. In April 1959, the Indian Postal Department adopted the motto "Service before help"; it revised its logo in September 2008. The number of post offices

3672-485: The rural public in 1995. RPLI plans include Gram Santosh (endowment assurance), Gram Suraksha (whole-life assurance), Gram Suvidha (convertible whole-life assurance), Gram Sumangal (anticipated endowment assurance) and Gram Priya . The post office offers a number of savings plans, including recurring deposit accounts, Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA) is also known as Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY), National Savings Certificates ( NSC ), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP),

3740-483: The same overseas area, without charge. The Electronic Indian Postal Order (e-IPO) was introduced on 22 March 2013, initially only for citizens living abroad. The postal orders can be used for online payment of fees for access to information under the Right to Information Act, 2005 . The service was expanded to include all Indian citizens on 14 February 2014. Postal Life Insurance (PLI) was introduced on 1 February 1884 with

3808-503: The state, regional and district levels and maintenance of the National Philatelic Museum. Philatelic bureaus were established in head post offices located at circle headquarters and at district-capital head post offices (as necessary). There are 68 philately bureaus and 1111 philatelic counters, including all head post offices ( Mukhya Dak Ghars ) in the country as of 31 March 2011. A domestic philatelic deposit-account system

3876-433: The transportation of items such as freight/pallets, sensitive documents and liquids. The 'Man & Van'/Freelance courier business model, is highly popular in the United Kingdom, with thousands upon thousands of independent couriers and localised companies, offering next-day and same day services. This is likely to be so popular because of the low business requirements (a vehicle) and the lucrative number of items sent within

3944-470: The victors, and Montjoie provided King Henry V, who thus earned the right to name the battle, with the name of the nearby castle. Like other officers of arms, a herald would often wear a surcoat, called a tabard , decorated with the coat of arms of his master. It was possibly due to their role in managing the tournaments of the Late Middle Ages that heralds came to be associated with the regulation of

4012-510: Was 23,344 when India became independent in 1947 and these were primarily in urban areas. The number increased to 155,015 in 2016 and 90% of these were in rural areas. The first adhesive postage stamps in Asia were issued in the Indian district of Scinde in July 1852 by Bartle Frere , chief commissioner of the region. Frere was an admirer of Rowland Hill , the English postal reformer who had introduced

4080-706: Was a letter to King George V of the United Kingdom . India Post inaugurated a floating post office in August 2011 at Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Telegraphy and telephony made their appearance as part of the postal service before becoming separate departments. One unique telegraph office was established and operated in the capital of Lhasa until the People's Republic of China's annexation of Tibet . The Posts and Telegraphs departments merged in 1914, later separated again on 1 January 1985. Since India became independent in 1947,

4148-518: Was a shortage of stamps to meet the new rates. Provisional six-anna stamps were improvised by cutting the top and bottom from a current foreign-bill revenue stamp and overprinting "Postage". India was the first country in the Commonwealth to issue airmail stamps. India attained independence on 15 August 1947. Thereafter, the Indian Posts and Telegraph Department embarked on a broad-based policy for

SECTION 60

#1733094436552

4216-527: Was formulated to computerize rural post offices. The first philatelic Society in India was founded in Calcutta on 6 March 1897 to service postage-stamp collections. Function include design, printing and distribution of special or commemorative postage stamps, definitive postage stamps and items of postal stationery, promotion of philately, conduct of philatelic examinations at the national level, participation in international exhibitions and monitoring exhibitions at

4284-697: Was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . A collaboration between the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and the Department of Posts has enabled the computation of consumer-price indices for rural areas. These statistics were previously unobtainable, due to problems of remoteness and scale. The agreement authorises the postal service to collect data on prices paid for selected consumer goods. In February 2011, MoSPI published its first Consumer Price Index (CPI) and All-India Consumer Price Index. The information has since been published monthly, based on data available from 1,181 villages across

4352-577: Was inaugurated on 6 July 1968 in New Delhi. It had its beginnings at a meeting of the Philatelic Advisory Committee on 18 September 1962. Besides a large collection of India Postage stamps designed, printed and issued, it has a large collection of Indian states (confederate and feudatory), early essays, proofs and colour trials, a collection of Indian stamps used abroad, early Indian postcards, postal stationery and thematic collections. The museum

4420-628: Was introduced on 1 August 1965 at all philatelic bureaus. Customers are given priority in purchasing commemorative or special-issue stamps, first-day covers and information sheets soon after their issue by opening a deposit account at any philatelic bureau. The number of philately deposit-accountholders grew from 23,905 in 1999–2000 to 168,282 in 2006–2007 and 183,202 in 2008–2009. Four philatelic bureaux—the Bombay , Madras , Calcutta and Parliament Street, New Delhi GPOs are authorized to sell United Nations stamps . A quarterly philatelic magazine, Philapost ,

4488-498: Was launched in 2008. The Department of Post has also developed software for philatelic inventory management, known as "Philsim". It is used for all activities relating to philately, including forecasting, indenting, invoicing, monitoring supply and demand and recording sales and revenue for commemorative stamps and other philatelic products at philately bureaus and counters (and definitive stamps and stationery at circle stamp depots and head post offices). The National Philatelic Museum

4556-535: Was renovated in 2009 with more exhibits, a philatelic bureau and postal objects (such as Victorian post boxes). The Department of Posts inaugurated the National Philatelic Museum on 11 July 2011. It exhibits rare postage stamps from around the world and provides a venue for philatelists to exhibit their collections. The Army Postal Service (APS) functions as a government-operated military mail system in India. A primary feature of Army Postal Service systems

4624-452: Was the first country to adopt the expedient of overprinting "Service" on postage stamps and "Service Postage" on revenue stamps. This innovation was later widely adopted by other countries. Shortages developed, so stamps also had to be improvised. Some "Service Postage" overprinted rarities resulted from abrupt changes in postal regulations. New designs for the four-anna and six-anna-eight- pie stamps were issued in 1866. Nevertheless, there

#551448