(a)     Mail Services:-

Providing high quality Mail and SDS Service is the primary objective of APS and Department of Posts.

Various types of mail services are available through FPOs viz. Letter mail, Parcel mail, Registered post and Insured post.

Postal articles are classified into two broad categories as First Class Mails and Second Class Mails.

First Class Mails are given air transmission within India, wherever such air conveyance is available. The delivery of First Class Mails is expedited thus, without collection of any extra charges from the public.

Second Class Mails are air-lifted, only if they are marked for air transmission on collection of the requisite air surcharges from the sender.

(i)     Post Cards :-

Post Card is an open communication on a card of prescribed size.

Post Card is available in two varieties: Single & reply Post Card. Post Cards are used for transmission within India only.?

Dimensions: 14 cm × 9 cm (length and breadth).

"Folded paper type", post-cards of private manufacture made by folding and, or pasting together two or more layers of paper cannot be transmitted by post as a post-card.

Prohibitions

A Postcard cannot have anything attached to it.  It should not be folded, cut or otherwise altered except that the impressed postage stamp may be perforated with initials, nor should it be enclosed in cover of any kind. 

A single post-card has a stamp of the prescribed value impressed on it. A reply postcard has a stamp of the prescribed value impressed on each card. One part of the reply postcard is intended to contain the sender's communication.

(ii)    Letters:-

Any communication on a piece of paper for transmission is called letter. Letters may be transmitted by post with or without pre-payment of postage. A letter should not weigh more than 2 Kg.    

Tariffs

For every 20 gms or part thereof Rs 5.00.

(iii)   Inland letters Card:-

Letter Card means a sheet of paper of the kind ordinarily used for letter writing suitably folded and gummed. Communication is contained on a sheet of paper with prescribed size & folding. Inland letter card is used for transmission within India only.

Letter Cards, closely resembling in size and shape of the aerogramme form used in the foreign service, are issued for the use of the tps. Letter Card has a stamp of the prescribed value of postage impressed on it.

Maximum weight – 5 gms

(iv)    Book packets :-

C\Book packet may contain anything printed or manuscript other than any personal communication, paper, money, postage or other stamps and cheques etc.

There shall be no personal communication enclosed or written up on a book packet. It shall not contain any paper money, postage or other stamps, Cheque? etc Exception: It may contain stamped self addressed post card or letter or wrapper.

Maximum weight–5 Kgs

Tariff

For first 50 gmsRs4.00 and for every additional 50 gms or part thereof Rs 3.00

 (v)    Parcels :-

Contents: Anything can be sent in a parcel except articles whose transmission is prohibited. It can contain single communication to the addressee of the parcel. If the parcel is suspected to contain other than the permitted communication, it will be opened in the presence of the addressee or his authorized agent, and each written communication will be charged on delivery with double the letter postage. If the addressee refuses to pay the charges, the parcel will be returned to the sender from whom the charge will not be recovered.

Weight and Size

(1)     The weight of an un-registered parcel should not exceed 4 kilograms (4000 grams). The weight of a registered parcel should not exceed??

(a)     10 kilograms if posted at or addressed to, a branch post office

(b)     20 kilograms in other cases?

(2)     The length of a parcel should not exceed 1 meter and the length and girth combined should not exceed 1.80 meters.

(3)     No parcel shall be such that, by reason of its shape, manner of packing or any other feature, it cannot be carried by post without serious inconvenience or risk.

Tariff :-

For 500 gms or fraction      -         Rs.19/-

thereof

For additional 500 gms       -         Rs. 16/-

Redirection fee                  -         50% of the original postage.

(vi)   Registered letters :-

A registered letter is a first class article which means it will be given airlift facilities wherever possible and advantageous without additional air surcharge. Registration on any booked article makes it accountable.

The customer is provided with a 13-digit tracking identification number through which he/she may track the course of the article from booking office to the destination address. For domestic transmission, the registration fee is Rs. 17.

The tariff for a letter is Rs. 5 for the first 20 g and additional Rs. 5 each for subsequent 20 g or part.

(vii)   Registered Parcels :-

Registration on any booked article makes it accountable. The customer is provided with a 13-digit tracking identification number through which he/she may track the course of the article from booking office to the destination address.

A parcel is a second class ordinary article which would require additional surcharge to be airlifted.

The maximum allowable weight for a parcel is 20 kg.

(viii)  Insured letter/ Parcel :-

Articles may be insured at all post offices. Insurance covers all risks in course of transmission by post. The prepayment of all charges on insured articles namely postage, registration and insurance fee is compulsory. Postage stamps affixed to an insured article must be placed apart from one another so that they may not serve to conceal injuries to the cover of the letter.

Cases in which Insurance is compulsory

Insurance is also compulsory for at least the amount specified for recovery from the addressee in the case of all value payable articles on which the amount specified for recovery exceeds ? ?100. (Other than value payable letters containing Railway receipt, bills invoices, documents etc.? of no intrinsic value and value payable packets containing printed papers, books etc. sent under book packet rates.)

Coin, bullion, platinum, precious stones, Jewellery, government currency notes or bank notes and articles of gold or silver may be sent by post only in insured letters, insured parcels.

(b)    Premium Mail Services :-

With the changing needs of environment, good number of premium mail services have been introduced by Dept of Posts. These services include Speed Post, Express Parcel post, ePost etc. APS has extended these services to Army environment on behalf of DoP. These services take advantage of internet connectivity for providing track and trace facility on real time basis. Similarly, incase of ePost/ debit army ePost, Speed of internet has been linked for prompt transmission of messages to destination Post Offices/ Field Post Offices.

(i)     Speed Post :-

Speed post is the premium express mail service from India Post. It offers a time bound and assured delivery service for letters, documents and parcels upto 35 Kgs in weight.

Internet-based Track and Trace system

Speed Post provides online Track & Trace facility. For this, log onto www.indiapost.gov.in and enter the 13 digit Speed post article number and click on Tracking. The complete end-to-end status from booking to delivery of the article will be displayed instantly.

Delivery information on SMS

Receive SMS on your registered mobile number when your consignment is received at the delivery post office and a confirmation SMS upon delivery.

(ii)     Debit Army Post Logistics:-

‘Debit Army Post Logistics’ has been re-introduced in 2018 inselected 13 x FPOs. With the re-introduction of this service, all Army Units/Fmns will now be able to book consignments/stores to their dependent and other Army Units/Fmns. Under this service, official consignment weighing upto 35 kg can be booked. Units are not required to make payment for booking. It will be taken care centrally on Book debit basis.

(c)      SDS :-

Official mail (incl cl docu) addressed to security form of address will be dispatched through “Scheduled Despatch Service” (SDS) being operated exclusively by Army Postal Service Corps. Army Post Offices handling official mail are called “Scheduled Despatch Office” (SDO).

Security of mail is an important aspect of Comd function and adequate precautionary measures need to be initiated to ensure that there is no leakage of information during handling of “official mail” (SDS).

Entitlement of SDS Service

a.    All Fmn/ Units of Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy)

b.    Border Road organization

c.    Para Military Forces under the op control of Army.

Articles acceptable for despatch by SDS

Scheduled Despatch Service is not a parcel service and is primarily meant for despatch of official correspondence only.

Dentures can be sent by SDS. Such dentures will be securely packed in wooden packages wrapped with hessian cloth (tin box will not be used) of size not exceeding 15 cms X 10 cms and weight not exceeding 500 gms. These packages will be marked 'REGISTERED SDS DENTURES'.

There is however no objection to the despatch of 'crossed cheques', crossed Postal Orders officially issued to Formations, Units or officers. This particularly applies to despatch of Army Officers' Contributory Education Fund Cheques to Officers.

Non-inflammable X-ray films will be accepted for despatch if marked 'SAFETY FILM'.

Articles not to be sent as SDS

Under no circumstances will explosives, arms, ammunition, inflammable material, liquids, clothing, equipment, postal orders, cash valuables, private mail or personal kit, books and other publications unless classified 'Confidential' an above, souvenirs, diaries, engagement pads, greeting cards, medicines, blank pay books, medals, railway warrants and private cheques are to be despatched by SDS. Despatches suspected of containing any of the above items will be queried with the originators.

(i)      Local SDS Mail :-

Previously official mail addressed to local fmns/ units were delivered directly by the originators through unit Post Orderlies without the intervention of the SDO so as to save delay and reduce documentation.

However, in many cases the unit Post Orderly were not be able to deliver the mail due to long distance involved since some of the units were scattered across different places a proposal came up for delivering the local SDS mail through FPOs/ SDOs in order to save the time of unit Post Orderlies and mileage of vehs in delivering local SDS articles.

Thus FPOs/ SDOs act as a facilitator of mail i.e. a Mail Exchange point only without executing extra tasks like booking, assigning Regn No and preparation of delivery slips.

(ii)     Priority SDS Mail :-

Para 10 of “Scheduled Despatch Service Procedure, Characteristics and Training Instructions – 2014” pamphlet envisages that originators will ensure that Regd SDS packages, which contain classified docus of sensitive nature  are invariably marked with the precedence “PRIORITY” so as to avail the facility of air transmission. The words “REGISTERED/ PRIORITY”, “REGISTERED/OP IMMEDIATE” as the case may be, should be noted in bold eye catching letters to segregate articles at different stages of transmission.

The Fmns/ Units are required to mark Priority and above Regd SDS articles with rubber stamp indicating the precedence at the top RIGHTon the front side of the envelope.

On receipt of Regd SDS articles the counter clerk will segregate the Regd SDS articles bearing Precedence PRIORITY and above. Separate list for Regd SDS articles bearing PRIORITY and above, and that of the ROUTINEarticles will be prepared.

‘PRIORITY SDS Mail’ bundle received at the CBPOs will be immediately segregated, marked and sorted without any delay and disposed off the very next avl dispatch on the same day of receipt.