India Post launches online services

India Post on Wednesday announced the launch of online portal 'e-post office' to provide postal transaction and tracking service online.

This portal will provide electronic money order (eMO), instant money order (iMO), sale of philatelic stamps, postal information, tracking of express and international shipments, PIN code search and registeration of feedback and complaints online.

"A user can use his debit or credit card to send eMO or iMO online. This will enable one to send money to person at home anywhere in the country," said Radhika Doraiswamy, secretary, Department of Post during the launch.

Through this portal, DoP will also sell products, handicrafts and other products made by small-scale industries.

"Earlier consumers used to go to service providers but now services providers are going to consumers. This is the future of the 21st century. We have now taken post offices to every citizen of the country through internet," Kapil Sibal, the union minister for communications and information technology (MoCIT) said at the event.

"This portal will also be e-commerce portal for the Department of Post. Products of small-scale sector and handicrafts will also be sold through this portal," Sibal added.

The content of the portal is in English. Sachin Pilot, state MoCIT asked DoP to develop this content in other local languages to expand reach of the portal.

"This initiative will make every netbook, computer a post office. I will urge Department of Post to make this site accessible in various languages," Pilot said.

The next version of the portal is expected to be launched in Bangla and Kannada language. This is the first phase of services that have been launched.

DoP has plans to bring other services also online in next phase of e-post office project, informed Doraiswamy.