Dear Comrades,
It may not ring a bell for a generation fed on emails and SMSes, but those who grew up sending and receiving letters and greetings will take note: paper stamps will be replaced by an electronic version in another two years.
Licking and sticking will be a thing of the past with India Post deciding to use e-stamps for all its commercial services, including post cards, inland letters and registered post across the country, 156 years after British East India Company introduced the country’s first stamp featuring Queen Victoria.
“The electronic form of postal stamps will fully substitute paper stamps in two years,” said an official with the ministry of communications and Information Technology. India Post currently has electronic stamping facility in select urban postal circles.
The postal department is working with USbased consulting firm Accenture to prepare a detailed modernisation plan that includes shifting to the e-stamp system, which is already in place in several developed countries. India Post, employing 5 lakh people in more than 1.5 lakh post offices, is the largest postal service in the world.
