Dear Comrades,
KVS, General Secretary has written the following editorial in the Bharatiya Post and the same is reproduced hereunder for information to all concerned. Please read it thoroughly and any suggestions/ queries related to this article may be sent to aipeukoraputdivision@gmail.com.
Business venture – An
Introspection
Are the India Post is really
doing business? Will there be any profit and loss accounts to analyze the
business activities? Whether the so called marketing activities really reveal
the skills of marketing? A Thousand million Dollar Question?
With no conceptualism, one
business product or the other is being introduced with profit orientation.
Every sale of product is clamored with nice presentation of designed table of
statistics in the absence of Profit and loss account and balance sheet for each
product. Men and materials involved in such business activities are not at all
taken in to account.
The RPLI was introduced 12
years back. But still, a token amount was allotted to Salary head. Cost of
stationary, Policy, Printing forms etc are even met from the general allotment
only. Then how can it be a separate business product? Is there any Profit &
loss account separately for RPLI or PLI?
The trust of general public
with post offices is now being used for sale of promotion of M/s RML gold
coins. Without any efforts, the RML is having 75% of the profit of sale of Gold
coin at PO. If the Department would have imported the same from World Gold
Council and marketing it through post offices, it will be the real business.
When we are having our own
products like PLI, RPLI, we are marketing the ICICI Prudential, UTI etc through
Post office. The Postmasters and staff are also fixed with unrealistic targets.
The goodwill of Post office was spoiled due to the marketing of UTI Mutual
funds after the fall down of share market and gullible public who are relying
the Post office curse the officials still for such adventure because they made
the investment on trust with the post office and the staff.
While we are marketing our
Speed Post (EMS) for international mails, we are also allowing Fedex to open a
counter in the Post office for their business offering at lower price and we
are saying that it is business tie up. Is it good business to allow our
competitors inside our premises and swallow our own mails in the name of
business tie up? Whether such tie up is available in any other sector?
Unfortunately, the officials are also harassed with targets to market their
products.
The Departmental of Post is
having a tie up with western Union Money transfer and more business is being
brought under this tie up. Well? But what is the Commission? Whether the
Commissions are fully paid? Will it resemblance to the working expenditure? If
anybody knows, Please explain. However we are having more business. But now we
are having tie up with another international money transfer organization which
is rival to western union money transfer. Will it be advisable to have two
horses run at one time?
In Maharashtra Circle,
unrealistic target have been fixed to sale the books on yoga published by Baba
Ram Dev at the cost of Rs. 250/- per book. Is it our duty? One Calendar called
as’ Mahalaxmi Dindarsika’ is being marketed across counter and targets fixed to
staff for the cost of Rs. 18/- whereas the same is available for Rs. 15/- in
the open market. Mahalakshmi lottery tickets are being marketed in Punjab
circle.
Railway department allotted
3000 Sq ft portion to India Post for their activities in Manmad R.S in
Maharashtra Circle in which the department is utilizing for the Patanjali
Herbal Products of Baba Ramdev. Herbal Products & medicines are marketed in
the PO. Whether are we having any licence to sell medicines in POs? If any
mishap happens who will be held responsible?
Chotukool, the small
refrigerator of Godrej company is marketed by the post office for the Price of
Rs. 3490/-. But it is available in the market for the MRP of Rs. 3250/-. In
Maharashtra circle, all GDS & departmental officials are being compelled to
purchase chotukool due to the unrealistic target fixed for its sale. The SSPOs,
Aurangabad division provided pay recovery for GDS in case of loans obtained
from Postal Co-op society for purchase of chotukool. Where is the provision?
Whether the recovery from Salary to GDS can be extended for their personal
loans from the same cooperative societies? Then why it was rejected by
Directorate several times on the plea that they are not regular employees? How
it can be extended for their personal loans for this chotukool purchase from
the same cooperative societies?
Many big parcels are being
booked under BNPL but there is no mention about the weight. There is no stamp.
How it can be checked? Will it not lead to the leakage of revenue? Whether the
entire amount charged under BNPL have been realized? Is there no dues? If there
is dues who will be held responsible? Where is the security for big parcels
sold by BNPL under the present threat of Bomb blast by anti-social elements?
How can we forget the victim of letter bomb held at Suryanagar, Bhubaneswar?
What is the need for
marketing ‘Bhagwan ka Prasad’. If the Prasad sent by post perished and become
food poisons, who will be held responsible? Why should we propagate such
superstition through post office?
The business corporate and
industrialists are using the Postal department for their profits and gains by
misusing the creditability of postal department earned over centuries. We need
not budge to such corporates and industrialists and we can develop our own
business.
Some of the Circle/regional
heads are very fancy in appearing before the press frequently with various
announcements of tie ups but forgetting their main job of strengthening the
postal delivery. One PMG is extending the MPCP counter hours of HOs up to 2100
hours forgetting the concept of Night Post office. Entire Treasury, all
branches remain open for closure of accounts and office. What is the cost
involved? What are the electricity charges for the extended hours? When the
central Govt. shifted to five days’ work to reduce the expenditure on
Electricity, up keep etc and extended one hour work daily, what is the need to
open the counters for 11 hours by bringing the staff on OTA/off? Whether any
work performs through MPCM will run to any other service if it closes at 1800
hours. The same regional head has indirectly contributed the loss of MO service
to the tune of 116 crores every year. These are all only the tips of ice bergs.
Many more are still there.
Let us have more targets to
expand our PLI, RPLI Services. Let us tie up with business of marketing
activities with State Govt. Public Sector and Central Govt. organizations. Let
us do all the business pertaining to collection of Taxes, electricity bills,
water bill etc across the counter. There is no need for fixing any unrealistic
targets other than our own products. Let us do the census work, UDAI work,
NREGIS and all other socially committed jobs with the existing staff. Let us
strengthen our own S. B. and the proposed Post Bank. Above all, we shall
concentrate our prime work (i.e) collection, transmission and delivery of mails
in effective manner by taking the Staff Side into confidence at the time of
making changes and defeat the real challenge now posed before the Postal
Department.
Other business tie ups will
not earn any benefits to the department but mar the image of the postal
department which was earned by hard work, trust worthy over centuries among the
public. Otherwise it is nothing but an ostrich look of way that earth becomes
dark.
(K. V. Sridharan) General Secretary
Source: AIPEUP3CHQ.COM
