Views from our General Secretary

Are the India Post is really doing business? Will there be any profit and loss accounts to analyze the business activities? Whether the so called marketing activities really reveal the skills of marketing? A Thousand million Dollar Question?

With no conceptualism, one business product or the other is being introduced with profit orientation. Every sale of product is clamored with nice presentation of designed table of statistics in the absence of Profit and loss account and balance sheet for each product. Men and materials involved in such business activities are not at all taken in to account.

The RPLI was introduced 12 years back. But still, a token amount was allotted to Salary head. Cost of stationary, Policy, Printing forms etc are even met from the general allotment only. Then how can it be a separate business product? Is there any Profit & loss account separately for RPLI or PLI?

The trust of general public with post offices is now being used for sale of promotion of M/s RML gold coins. Without any efforts, the RML is having 75% of the profit of sale of Gold coin at PO. If the Department would have imported the same from World Gold Council and marketing it through post offices, it will be the real business.

When we are having our own products like PLI, RPLI, we are marketing the ICICI Prudential, UTI etc through Post office. The Postmasters and staff are also fixed with unrealistic targets. The goodwill of Post office was spoiled due to the marketing of UTI Mutual funds after the fall down of share market and gullible public who are relying the Post office curse the officials still for such adventure because they made the investment on trust with the post office and the staff.

While we are marketing our Speed Post (EMS) for international mails, we are also allowing Fedex to open a counter in the Post office for their business offering at lower price and we are saying that it is business tie up. Is it good business to allow our competitors inside our premises and swallow our own mails in the name of business tie up? Whether such tie up is available in any other sector? Unfortunately, the officials are also harassed with targets to market their products.

The Departmental of Post is having a tie up with western Union Money transfer and more business is being brought under this tie up. Well? But what is the Commission? Whether the Commissions are fully paid? Will it resemblance to the working expenditure? If anybody knows, Please explain. However we are having more business. But now we are having tie up with another international money transfer organization which is rival to western union money transfer. Will it be advisable to have two horses run at one time?

In Maharashtra Circle, unrealistic target have been fixed to sale the books on yoga published by Baba Ram Dev at the cost of Rs. 250/- per book. Is it our duty? One Calendar called as’ Mahalaxmi Dindarsika’ is being marketed across counter and targets fixed to staff for the cost of Rs. 18/- whereas the same is available for Rs. 15/- in the open market. Mahalakshmi lottery tickets are being marketed in Punjab circle.

Railway department allotted 3000 Sq ft portion to India Post for their activities in Manmad R.S in Maharashtra Circle in which the department is utilizing for the Patanjali Herbal Products of Baba Ramdev. Herbal Products & medicines are marketed in the PO. Whether are we having any licence to sell medicines in POs? If any mishap happens who will be held responsible?

Chotukool, the small refrigerator of Godrej company is marketed by the post office for the Price of Rs. 3490/-. But it is available in the market for the MRP of Rs. 3250/-. In Maharashtra circle, all GDS & departmental officials are being compelled to purchase chotukool due to the unrealistic target fixed for its sale. The SSPOs, Aurangabad division provided pay recovery for GDS in case of loans obtained from Postal Co-op society for purchase of chotukool. Where is the provision? Whether the recovery from Salary to GDS can be extended for their personal loans from the same cooperative societies? Then why it was rejected by Directorate several times on the plea that they are not regular employees? How it can be extended for their personal loans for this chotukool purchase from the same cooperative societies?

Many big parcels are being booked under BNPL but there is no mention about the weight. There is no stamp. How it can be checked? Will it not lead to the leakage of revenue? Whether the entire amount charged under BNPL have been realized? Is there no dues? If there is dues who will be held responsible? Where is the security for big parcels sold by BNPL under the present threat of Bomb blast by anti-social elements? How can we forget the victim of letter bomb held at Suryanagar, Bhubaneswar?

What is the need for marketing ‘Bhagwan ka Prasad’. If the Prasad sent by post perished and become food poisons, who will be held responsible? Why should we propagate such superstition through post office?

The business corporate and industrialists are using the Postal department for their profits and gains by misusing the creditability of postal department earned over centuries. We need not budge to such corporates and industrialists and we can develop our own business.

Some of the Circle/regional heads are very fancy in appearing before the press frequently with various announcements of tie ups but forgetting their main job of strengthening the postal delivery. One PMG is extending the MPCP counter hours of HOs up to 2100 hours forgetting the concept of Night Post office. Entire Treasury, all branches remain open for closure of accounts and office. What is the cost involved? What are the electricity charges for the extended hours? When the central Govt. shifted to five days’ work to reduce the expenditure on Electricity, up keep etc and extended one hour work daily, what is the need to open the counters for 11 hours by bringing the staff on OTA/off? Whether any work performs through MPCM will run to any other service if it closes at 1800 hours. The same regional head has indirectly contributed the loss of MO service to the tune of 116 crores every year. These are all only the tips of ice bergs. Many more are still there.

Let us have more targets to expand our PLI, RPLI Services. Let us tie up with business of marketing activities with State Govt. Public Sector and Central Govt. organizations. Let us do all the business pertaining to collection of Taxes, electricity bills, water bill etc across the counter. There is no need for fixing any unrealistic targets other than our own products. Let us do the census work, UDAI work, NREGIS and all other socially committed jobs with the existing staff. Let us strengthen our own S. B. and the proposed Post Bank. Above all, we shall concentrate our prime work (i.e) collection, transmission and delivery of mails in effective manner by taking the Staff Side into confidence at the time of making changes and defeat the real challenge now posed before the Postal Department.

Other business tie ups will not earn any benefits to the department but mar the image of the postal department which was earned by hard work, trust worthy over centuries among the public. Otherwise it is nothing but an ostrich look of way that earth becomes dark.

(K. V. Sridharan)

General Secretary

Thanks
NFPE GPO