BENGALURU: From Sept 1, if you want to send a Registered Post with India Post, simply Speed Post it.
K Prakash, Chief Postmaster General, Bengaluru Circle, says the forthcoming merger of Registered Post with Speed Post will ensure addressee specific delivery with the introduction of One-Time Password (OTP).
The merger will be brought about by the implementation of Advanced Postal Technology (APT) 2.0. “We have incorporated a feature for One-Time Password (OTP) verification. There cannot be a better addressee-specific delivery system than OTP delivery. Earlier, an identity card was required at the time of delivery, which in most cases could not be retrieved. Therefore, the postman had to rely on his local knowledge. It was an arbitrary and fallible system. This is much more rigorous,” says Prakash.
He adds that most civilians prefer Speed Post over Registered Post. Registered Post is mostly used for governmental correspondence due to its addressee-specific nature. “Court notices, police summons, and governmental letters are sent via Registered Post. Due to this limited nature of use, the demand for this is stagnating,” he says.
Prakash adds, “As products, they are almost the same. Speed Post has most of the features of Registered Post [with the added element of speed]. So, the department is merging the two.”
He adds that with the advent of APT 2.0, India Post will be able to capture a lot of information about consumer trends at the booking stage. “This will include about 8-10 different categories of demand, including next day delivery. The possibility of these services being introduced soon remains very open,” he says.