POST OFFICE GUIDE – PART I
SECTION I – GENERAL
ORGANISATION
Postal Services Board and Structure:
The Department of Posts operates under the Ministry of Communications.
The Postal Services Board is the apex management body of the Department, consisting
of:
o Chairman (Secretary of Posts)/Director General
o Six Members, responsible for:
1. Personnel
2. Operations
3. Technology
4. Postal Life Insurance
5. Banking & DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer)
6. Planning
Organizational Structure
The Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor is a permanent invitee to the Board.
A Senior Staff Officer serves as the Secretary to the Board, providing administrative
support.
The Board is further supported by:
o Deputy Directors General
o Directors
o Assistant Directors General
These officials provide functional support at the Headquarters for the Board's
operations.
Control:
The Postal Department is under the administrative control of the Director General
(DG) of Posts, located in New Delhi.
The DG of Posts also serves as the Chairman of the Postal Board and Secretary of the
Department of Posts.
Postal Circles of India
India’s postal services are divided into 23 Postal Circles, each led by a Chief Postmaster General
(CPMG). These postal circles manage operations in their respective regions, ensuring smooth
delivery, management of postal services, and implementation of policies. Below is a table of postal
circles:
Circle Jurisdiction Headquarters
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh and Yanam Hyderabad-500001
Circle
Assam Circle Assam Guwahati-781001
Bihar Circle Bihar State Patna-800001
Chhattisgarh Circle Chhattisgarh Raipur-492001
Delhi Circle Delhi Union Territory New Delhi-110001
Gujarat Circle Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli Ahmedabad-380020
Haryana Circle Haryana Ambala-133001
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh Shimla-171001
Circle
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar-190001
Circle
Jharkhand Circle Jharkhand Ranchi-834002
Circle Jurisdiction Headquarters
Karnataka Circle Karnataka Bengaluru-560001
Thiruvananthapuram-
Kerala Circle Kerala and Lakshadweep
695001
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal-462001
Circle
Maharashtra Circle Maharashtra and Goa Mumbai-400001
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,
North East Circle Shillong-793001
Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura
Odisha Circle Odisha Bhubaneswar-751001
Punjab Circle Punjab and Chandigarh Chandigarh-160017
Rajasthan Circle Rajasthan Jaipur-302007
Tamil Nadu Circle Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Chennai-600002
Telangana Circle Telangana Hyderabad-500001
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow-226001
Circle
Uttarakhand Circle Uttarakhand Dehradun-248001
West Bengal, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar
West Bengal Circle Kolkata-700001
Islands
Postal Regions, Postal Divisions, Sub Divisions and RMS
1. Postal Circles:
o The highest administrative unit in the postal system.
o Circles are headed by a Chief Postmaster General.
2. Postal Regions:
o Each Postal Circle is subdivided into Postal Regions.
o Regions are headed by a Postmaster General.
3. Postal Divisions:
o Each Postal Region is subdivided into Divisions.
o Divisions are headed by a Senior Superintendent or Superintendent of Post
Offices.
4. Sub Divisions:
o Each Division is subdivided into Sub Division.
o Sub Divisions are managed by an Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices
(ASP) or an Inspector of Post Offices (IP).
Railway Mail Service (RMS):
RMS handles the transportation and processing of mail during transit via rail and road
networks. Each division of RMS is headed by Senior Superintendents/Superintendents RMS.
Each RMS Division is sub divided into Head Record Office or Sub Division. Each HRO or RMS
Sub Divisions headed by Assistant Superintendent of RMS or an Inspector of RMS (IRM).
Army Postal Services
The Army Postal Services (APS) manages the postal needs of the armed forces. The Director of
Army Postal Services, based at Army Headquarters, Q.M.G.’s Branch, New Delhi-110011,
oversees these operations.
Department Of Posts-Functional Units
Hierarchy:
1. Director General (DG) of Posts:
o Highest authority, responsible for overall management, policy, and decision-
making in the postal services.
2. Chief Postmaster General (CPMG):
o Manages one of 23 Postal Circles, responsible for all postal operations within the
circle.
3. Postmaster General (PMG):
o Supervises regions within a Postal Circle, ensuring smooth daily operations and
policy implementation.
4. Senior Superintendent/Superintendent of Post Offices:
o Manages postal divisions, overseeing mail delivery, customer service, and
operations.
5. Assistant Superintendent (ASP) / Inspector of Post Offices (IP):
o The allocation of Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices (ASP) or Inspector
of Post Offices (IP) depends on the workload and complexity of the sub-
division
6. Postmasters:
o Manage individual post offices, overseeing local operations, mail handling, and
staff management.
Note: Director of Postal Services (DPS) - Assists PMG in managing divisions, ensuring
coordination and administrative efficiency.
TYPES OF POST OFFICES
India's postal network is divided into several types of post offices, each serving different
purposes:
1. Head Post Office (HPO):
o Central post office in a district.
o Administers all subordinate post offices (SOs and BOs).
o Handles major services like parcels, insurance, savings accounts, and regional
records.
2. Sub Post Office (SO):
o Branch of the HPO.
o Offers essential postal and financial services.
o Independent in day-to-day functions but reports to the HPO.
3. Branch Post Office (BO):
o Located in rural or remote areas.
o Offers basic postal services like mail, savings accounts, and money orders.
o Operates under the SO.
4. Transit Office:
o Routes, sorts, and transfers mail between post offices.
o Key logistics hub without direct public services.
5. Night Post Office:
(i) Working Hours: Set by the Head of the Circle as per Clause 5 of the Post Office
Guide. The Director-General can extend hours up to 8:30 P.M. and keep them open on
Sundays, termed as Night Post Offices.
(ii) Services During Extended Hours:
o Booking of registered articles (including V.P. articles).
o Sale of Indian Postal Orders (I.P.O.s) and postage stamps.
o Savings Bank deposits and sale of cash certificates until 7:00 P.M.
(weekdays).
(iii) Sundays and Holidays:
Night Post Offices operate from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. with restricted services.
Delivery functions, Money Orders, and Savings Bank services are suspended.
6. Army Post Office (APO) & Field Post Office (FPO):
o Serve the Indian Armed Forces.
o Facilitate communication and logistics for military personnel.
7. Mobile Post Office:
(i) Locations:
Mobile Post Offices are operational in several cities, including Bombay (Mumbai),
Calcutta (Kolkata), Delhi, Madras (Chennai), Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Hyderabad,
Bangalore, Kanpur, Poona (Pune), Jaipur, and Bhilai Industrial Township.
(ii) Purpose:
These post offices provide late posting facilities in different areas of the cities,
following a fixed schedule. Insured and Value Payable (V.P.) articles are not accepted.
(iii) Working Days:
Mobile Post Offices remain closed on Sundays and Postal Holidays.
(iv) Services Offered:
o Sale of stamps and postal stationery.
o Certificates of posting.
o Booking of surface and air mail registered articles (excluding insured and V.P.
articles).
o Air parcels.
o Acceptance of unregistered letter mail for dispatch.
(v) Special Services (Chennai and Nagpur):
Mobile Post Offices in Chennai and Nagpur are also authorized to book money orders, in
addition to their regular services.
8. General Post Office (GPO):
o Central hub in major cities.
o Manages large volumes of mail, including international mail.
o Offers a broad range of postal and financial services
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