Indian Postal System and Importance of Pin Codes

The need and importance of a Post Office in our lives originate from its unique services provided to the citizens of India. There is a post office located in almost every town and city. It is a very important building as it is the base of all the postal activities that take place in our country.The need and importance of a Post Office in our lives originate from its unique services provided to the citizens of India. There is a post office located in almost every town and city. It is a very important building as it is the base of all the postal activities that take place in our country.

 

Indian Postal System

The Department of Posts or the Indian Postal System is a Government based system in India. It was founded on 1st of April 1854. The headquarters are located in Sansad Marg, New Delhi. There are about 154, 939 number of Post Offices out of which 82. 86% of the Post Offices are located in the rural areas and 10.14% in the rural areas. 

A Post Office is headed by a Post Master who looks after the working of the postal department of the area. Several Postal Assistants work under him and perform different functions such as:

  1. Selling stamps and envelopes
  2. Sending and receiving telegrams
  3. Sending and receiving the Money Orders
  4. Administrative duties in the efficient running of the Post Office

The Postmen collect the letters from the Post Box of the Post Office and deliver them to the address mentioned in the Postcards and envelopes.

The letters delivered to the addresses are categorized through a specific batch of numbers which are called as the PIN Codes. The PIN Codes are the backbone of the Postal Industry. 

 

PIN Codes and its Importance:

PIN stands for the Postal Index Number. It is a six-digit code which is used for numbering the Post Offices. The PIN Code was first introduced on 15th Aug 1972. There are total 9 PIN Regions in the country. The first eight denotes the geographical regions and the digit 9 is reserved for the Army Postal Service. 

The first digit indicates one of the regions. The second digit indicates the sub-region, the third digit denotes the sorting/revenue district and the last three digits denote the delivery Post-Office. 

Importance of the PIN Codes:
  • Each PIN Code defines one single and unique delivery Post Office. Mentioning the PIN Code in any address helps you to locate down the address very easily.
  • The PIN Code increases the efficiency of the Postal Distribution system by ensuring speedy sorting and delivery.
  • It also reduces the confusion and errors created by the similar place names, incomplete and incorrect address etc. 

Thus, the Indian Postal System and the PIN Codes play a vital role in India’s Socio-Economic development.