04/02/2024
Establishment of Post Offices for Implementation of Communication Systems
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF POSTS
RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 4
TO BE ANSWERED ON 2ND FEBRUARY, 2024
ESTABLISHMENT OF POST OFFICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
4 SHRI IRANNA KADADI:
Will the Minister of Communications be pleased to state:
(a) the number of post offices across the country, along with the total number of savings accounts in these post offices and the facilities provided to the account holders;
(b) whether post offices have been established in all the major villages in the country to ensure the smooth implementation of communication systems;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether all post offices in the country have been equipped with modern technology; and
(e) if so, the specifics of these modernisation efforts?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF RAJYA SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS
(a) TO (e) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 4 FOR 2ND FEBRUARY,
2024 REGARDING “ESTABLISHMENT OF POST OFFICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.”
(a) Postal Circle-wise details (including States and Union Territories) of the number of Post offices along with the total number of savings accounts as on 31.03.2023 are given at Annexure-I.
The savings account holders have the facility of availing the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Issuance of Cheque book, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, various types of SMS alerts, e-Passbook for viewing the balance and account statement, Funds transfer from bank accounts to post office accounts and vice versa through National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) facility for crediting the interest and maturity amount in bank accounts, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) facility under Core Banking System (CBS).
(b) & (c) There are 1,49,478 post offices (including Head Post Offices, Sub-Post Offices and Branch Post Offices) in rural areas of the country. These post offices provide access to postal facilities and other services to ensure smooth implementation of communication systems. Postal Circle-wise details (including States and Union Territories) of number of post offices in rural areas in the country as on 31.03.2023 are given in Annexure-II.
(d) & (e) All Departmental Post Offices in the country have been computerized and networked under the Information Technology (IT) Modernization Project. Branch post offices functioning in rural areas of the country have been provided with mobile devices for carrying out online postal, financial and insurance transactions
ANNEXURE-I
Data as on 31.03.2023
| Sl No. | Name of the Postal Circle | Total Number of Post Offices (Head Post Offices, Sub-Post Offices, Branch Post Offices) | Total number of Savings Accounts |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 10668 | 4420563 |
| 2 | Assam | 4062 | 1851107 |
| 3 | Bihar | 9342 | 3356810 |
| 4 | Chhattisgarh | 4468 | 956480 |
| 5 | Delhi | 509 | 1047885 |
| 6 | Gujarat (including Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) | 8887 | 4151730 |
| 7 | Haryana | 2699 | 1647645 |
| 8 | Himachal Pradesh | 2807 | 2262886 |
| 9 | Jammu and Kashmir (including Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh) | 1735 | 555628 |
| 10 | Jharkhand | 4580 | 1233100 |
| 11 | Karnataka | 9658 | 7811891 |
| 12 | Kerala (including Union Territory of Lakshadweep) | 5063 | 2937250 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | 10271 | 2289463 |
| 14 | Maharashtra (including Goa) | 14032 | 5593422 |
| 15 | North-East (including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland) | 4478 | 662152 |
| 16 | Odisha | 8907 | 3272252 |
| 17 | Punjab (including Union Territory of Chandigarh) | 3842 | 1830135 |
| 18 | Rajasthan | 11047 | 2270573 |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu (including Union Territory of Puducherry) | 11866 | 7233125 |
| 20 | Telangana | 6267 | 3801964 |
| 21 | Uttar Pradesh | 17953 | 6498134 |
| 22 | Uttarakhand | 2736 | 1434021 |
| 23 | West Bengal (including Sikkim and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands) | 9095 | 8106264 |
| Total | 164972 | 75224480 |
ANNEXURE-II
Data as on 31.03.2023
| Sl No. | Name of the Postal Circle | Total Number of Rural Post Offices |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 9928 |
| 2 | Assam | 3762 |
| 3 | Bihar | 8889 |
| 4 | Chhattisgarh | 4171 |
| 5 | Delhi | 80 |
| 6 | Gujarat (including Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) | 8141 |
| 7 | Haryana | 2335 |
| 8 | Himachal Pradesh | 2684 |
| 9 | Jammu and Kashmir (including Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh) | 1534 |
| 10 | Jharkhand | 4321 |
| 11 | Karnataka | 8607 |
| 12 | Kerala (including Union Territory of Lakshadweep) | 4163 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | 9466 |
| 14 | Maharashtra (including Goa) | 12731 |
| 15 | North-East (including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland) | 4217 |
| 16 | Odisha | 8309 |
| 17 | Punjab (including Union Territory of Chandigarh) | 3420 |
| 18 | Rajasthan | 10397 |
| 19 | Tamil Nadu (including Union Territory of Puducherry) | 10274 |
| 20 | Telangana | 5724 |
| 21 | Uttar Pradesh | 16055 |
| 22 | Uttarakhand | 2440 |
| 23 | West Bengal (including Sikkim and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands) | 7830 |
| Total | 149478 |
Agitations for Restoration of OPS and Clarification on Railway Privatization पुराने पेंशन योजना (OPS) की स्थापना के लिए आंदोलन और रेलवे निजीकरण पर स्पष्टीकरण.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 142
ANSWERED ON 02.02.2024
AGITATIONS FOR RESTORATION OF OPS
142 SHRI M. SHANMUGAM:
SHRI VAIKO:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether some railway trade unions have recently staged fasting agitations against the reported move to gradually privatise Railways and for restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to its employees;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the details of steps taken by Government to restore OPS to railway employees and to assure them of not privatizing operation of existing railway trains or the trains that would be introduced in due course?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c): In pension matters, Railways are governed by Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoP&PW) guidelines. DoP&PW vide O.Ms. dated 17.02.2020 and 03.03.2023 has given one time option for coverage of employees governed by National Pension System (NPS) under the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) on fulfilment of certain conditions given therein. The said instructions issued by DoP&PW have been adopted by the Ministry of Railways vide Railway Board’s instructions dated 03.03.2020 and 10.03.2023 respectively and coverage under OPS has been extended to those Railway employees covered under NPS who fulfil the required conditions.
At present, no regular passenger carrying trains of Indian Railways network are being operated by private train operators and no such proposal is under consideration.
*****
भारत सरकार
रेल मंत्रालय
राज्य सभा
02.02.2024 के
अतारांकित प्रश्न सं. 142 का उत्तर
ओपीएस की बहाली के लिए आंदोलन
142 श्री एम. शनमुगम:
श्री वाइकोः
क्या रेल मंत्री यह बताने की कृपा करेंगे कि:
(क) क्या कुछ रेलवे ट्रैड यूनियनों ने हाल ही में रेलवे के धीरे-धीरे निजीकरण के कथित कदम के विरुद्ध और अपने कर्मचारियों के लिए पुरानी पेंशन योजना (ओपीएस) की बहाली हेतु अनशन आंदोलन किया है;
(ख) यदि हां, तो तत्संबंधी ब्यौरा क्या है; और
(ग) रेलवे कर्मचारियों के लिए ओपीएस बहाल करने और उन्हें मौजूदा रेलवे ट्रेनों या भविष्य में शुरू की जाने वाली ट्रेनों के परिचालन का निजीकरण न करने का आश्वासन देने के लिए सरकार द्वारा उठाए गए कदमों का ब्यौरा क्या है?
उत्तर
रेल, संचार एवं इलेक्ट्रॉनिकी और सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी मंत्री
(श्री अश्विनी वैष्णव)
(क) से (ग): पेंशन संबंधी मामलों में रेलों को पेंशन और पेंशनभोगी कल्याण विभाग के दिशानिर्देश शासित करते हैं। पेंशन और पेंशनभोगी कल्याण विभाग ने दिनांक 17.02.2020 और 03.03.2023 के कार्यात्रय ज्ापनों द्वारा उनमें अंतर्विष्ट कतिपय शर्तों के पूरा होने के अध्यधीन राष्ट्रीय पेंशन प्रणाली द्वारा शासित कर्मचारियों को पुरानी पेंशन योजना के अंतर्गत शामित्र होने का एकबारगी विकल्प दिया था। पेंशन और पेंशनभोगी कल्याण विभाग द्वारा जारी किए गए उक्त अनुदेशों को रेत्र मंत्रालय द्वारा क्रमशः दिनांक 03.03.2020 और 10.03.2023 के रेलवे बोर्ड के अनुदेशों के अंतर्गत अपनाया गया था और पुरानी पेंशन योजना के अंतर्गत परिधि को राष्ट्रीय पेंशन प्रणाली के अंतर्गत शामिल्र उन रेल कर्मचारियों के लिए बढ़ा दिया गया था जो अपेक्षित शर्तों को पूरा करते हैं।
इस समय भारतीय रेल नेटवर्क की किसी भी नियमित यात्री रेलगाड़ी का परिचालन निजी रेलगाड़ी ऑपरेटर द्वारा नहीं किया जा रहा है और ऐसा कोई प्रस्ताव विचाराधीन नहीं है।