What is the full form of PO?

What is PO?

PO can be expanded as a Post Office and Probationary Officer. In this article, we will discuss about Post Office. The post office is also known as the Department of Posts and has been the backbone of India as it helps in the growth of social and economic development. It performs many tasks like mail delivery, small savings deposits, life insurance under postal life cover, and a lot more services. Currently, there are more than 155,000 post offices all over India.

History of PO

Post Office was established in 1854 but it was started as Company Mail by East India Company. Later it was changed to post office by passing the Post Office Act of 1854. The services of the post office continued after the independence of India in 1947.

Types of PO

There are three types of post offices and they are listed below −

• Head Post Office

• Sub Post Office

• Branch Post Office

Let us discuss all of them in detail.

Head Post Office

The head post office is the main office which consists of small offices called sub post office and branch post office. The main office is responsible for its own functioning along with the functioning of sub post offices and branch post offices. The head postmaster is the in charge of the head office. The head post office also has the authority for posting, receiving, handling, sorting, transmitting, and delivering mail. It also looks after the services like postage stamps, philately, postbag, franking, etc. It also provides non-postal services like banking, money refunds, and retail, services.

Sub Post Office

Sub post office comes under the head post office. All the monetary transactions of the sub post office are directed to the accounts of the head post office. The sub postmaster is the in charge of the sub post office. Sub post offices are operational in rural and urban areas and provide different services like banking postal, mail booking, insurance, and remittance. All accounts of branch offices are incorporated in the sub post office. Sub post offices can be categorized as follows −

• HSG SO

• LSG SO

• A class So

• B class SO

• C class SO

Branch Office

A branch post office can either be directly in connection with the head post office or a sub post office. Its monetary transactions are also incorporated in the accounts of the head or sub post office. Branch Postmaster is the head of branch post offices. Branch offices can be found in suburbs and small towns where there is also a town branch office.

Services Provided by the Post Office

A post office provides different types of services which are discussed here in detail.

Mail services

One of the major services provided by post offices is mail services. Mails can be sent in the form of postcards, inland letters, etc. You just need to write the message and the address of the recipient and the post office will deliver the post to the recipient. In the case of the wrong address, the mail is returned.

You can also send parcels to your near and dear ones. You just have to pack the goods and mention the address. The letters and parcels are collected at the post office and delivered to the post offices of the particular town to which the mail and parcels belong. You can also avail the services of sending international mail.

Post Card

Postcards are used to write messages and send them to the recipient. People can write the messages on both sides of the card along with the address of the recipient. This is the cheapest of sending written messages anywhere. Postcards are of two types which include normal and competition. Normal postcards are used to send simple messages while coopetition postcards are used to answer the questions asked on radio, magazines, and television.

Inland Letter

Inland letters are similar to postcards but you can use them to write long letters. It also has a place where you can add the address of the recipient. You can seal the written part in the inland letter. No enclosures are allowed with the inland letter.

Envelope

Sometimes you may have to send confidential messages. In such a case, you can write the message on a piece of paper and put it inside an envelope. Mention the address on the envelope so that it can be sent to the recipient. Envelopes of small and large sizes are available which can be purchased the one that is required for your post. Besides letters, pictures, greetings, and other lightweight attachments can be easily sent.

Parcel

Parcel is a service where you can send different types of physical goods like books. Indian post offices provide the service of delivering the parcel at affordable cost. You can send parcels to domestic as well as international destinations.

Book Post

Book post is a service which can be used to send printed articles, magazines, books, and other such materials. The sender is not allowed to seal the envelope of the book. You need to mention the book post on the envelope's front side.

Remittance Services

Remittance services allow you to transfer money to your family and friends. You can transfer money to domestic and international destinations through the postal service. One such service is a money order in which you have to fill out the form and submit it to the post office. You also need to deposit the amount of money you need to transfer. You can transfer a maximum of ₹5,000. The form is sent to the destination post office and the required payment is made.

Postal Order

Postal order is another service to transfer money. The postal order is available in the following denominations in all the post offices −

• 1

• 2

• 5

• 7

• 10

• 20

• 50

• 100

You can purchase these postal orders and send them to the destination by mentioning the address of the recipient.

Banking services

A post office also provides some of the banking services like depositing money, withdrawing, giving loans, etc. People can save money with different types of schemes provided by the post office. Some of these schemes are

• Kisan Vikas Patra Scheme

• Post Office Monthly Income Scheme

• Post Office Recurring Deposit Scheme

Sale of Postage Stamps

Postage stamps are a piece of paper and each of them have a specified value. These stamps have to be attached to the letters, and envelopes. Postcards etc. which indicate the amount that has been paid for them. Different values of postage stamps can be purchased from the post office.

Post Box

A post box is a box which can be locked and people can put the mail inside the box which is later collected by the agents of the office to be sent to the destination. There is a time mentioned on each post box when the agents collect the mail. Currently, there are 579,595 post boxes in India.

MO Videsh

MO Videsh is a service which you can use to send money to people living outside India. When you send the money through this service, it is deposited to the bank account of the recipient. A maximum of $5,000 can be sent. You can send money outside India 12 times in a year.

Registered Post

Registered post is a secure mail service in which the mail is delivered only to the person whose name is mentioned on the envelope. In order to receive the registered post, the recipient has to show his identity proof. He also has to sign the acknowledgment. Registered posts can be tracked with the help of an online system.

Speed Post

A special service called speed post is offered by post offices in India. This is a service which can be used to deliver gifts, letters, etc. Through speed post, recipients can receive their parcel or mail within 2 to 3 days while other services can take a week or more.

Difference between Courier Services and PO

Courier services are also used to send important mail, parcels, gifts, etc. There are a few differences between courier service and post office.

Post Office	Courier Service
Affordable service	Comparatively expensive
Delivery time is long	Delivery time is comparatively short
Less reliable as packages to be sent can be misplaced or lost	Reliable service
Cannot handle multi-package service	Can handle multi-package service
Speed posts can be sent all over the world	Network coverage of couriers depends on the company
Services are available on business days	Services are available 24/7/365

Advantages of PO

• Post office has many advantages and some of them are listed below:

• Mails can be sent quickly through speed post

• The post office provides the services of delivering parcels in a secure manner

• Parcels can be sent and received easily

• Your parcel will be delivered to your home

Disadvantages of PO

Post offices have some disadvantages also and they are listed below −

• Sending large quantities of items through parcel will affect your pocket as it is expensive

• Heavy goods and goods in bulk cannot be sent through parcel

• Speed post service is expensive and available in few places

Conclusion

The post office provides different types of services which can be used to communicate with people living at a distance or in another country. You can send letters, parcels, gifts, etc. through different services like mail, speed post registered post, money order, etc. It is affordable in comparison to the courier service

FAQs

FAQ 1: In which city in the world, the first post office was established?

Ans: The first post office was established in 1712 on High Street in Sanquhar Scotland.

FAQ 2: What is the importance of post office

Ans: The post office is important as it provides many services like speed post, mail delivery, parcel delivery, savings account, and many more. People can easily connect with each other for sharing their ideas and other things.

FAQ 3: What are the main products of the post office?

Ans: The mail products include, inland letters, postcards, parcels, registered post, etc.

FAQ 4: Which services of the post office are less popular?

Ans: The less popular services of a post office are e-post, greeting post, and bill mail service.

FAQ 5: What is retail post?

Ans: Retail post is a service provided by a post office in which different products of a company can be distributed at given addresses. Companies can also send their documents to different addresses.