AP Posts scouts for franchisee partners

The Department of Posts, Andhra Pradesh Circle, is scouting for franchisee partners to provide postal services in the state.

The department had already identified few cities including Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Guntur for providing services via the franchisee route, according to Yesodhara Menon, chief post master general, AP Circle.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of 'World Post Day' here on Sunday, Menon said that the department was planning to set up seven franchisee offices in the first phase, and extend it to other parts of the state in due course.

Besides, the department is gearing up to provide e-payment services to service providers like telecom operators, electricity boards and other public utility services soon.

"We are planning to establish common service centres for this purpose under public-private partnerships. This will enable the e-governance initiatives taken up by the central and state governments to become a reality by taking the services to the most remote parts of the country through the vast network of the post offices," she said.

Menon said that the department was currently implementing a project called 'Sevottam' in select post offices in the state with a focus on customers interface based on the Bureau of Indian Standard's IS 15700:2005 for managing quality of public service delivery.

"We are currently evaluating customer satisfaction as stipulated by the Bureau of Indian Standard. Based on the results, the bureau would award us the hallmark certificate," she said.

On the revenue front, she said that the AP Circle had earned a revenue of Rs 113.12 crore under business development activities during 2005-06.

"During the current fiscal, an amount of Rs 50.86 crore has been earned, compared with Rs 35.73 crore during the corresponding period last fiscal," Menon said.

The department is also slated to come out with fragrant postage stamps, and the first such stamp in sandal wood fragrance would be released soon.