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Task force on leveraging the post offices network of the country among
others had suggested setting up of three subsidiaries as a part of a
holding company under the Postal Department under the Ministry of
Communication and Information Technology for extending services in the
fields of banking, insurance and e-commerce. The Report of the Task
Force headed by former Cabinet Secretary Shri T.S.R. Subramanian was
submitted to the Minister for Communications and Information
Technology Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi today.
In all five subsidiary companies will be called Strategic Business
Units (SBU)..Two other subsidiaries are for distribution of 3rd party
products and services like providing e-services for general public for
bill collections and providing of application forms, documents and
certificates on commercial basis. Another subsidiary is for .delivery of
government services like Aadhaar ration cards, Vikas patras, etc. on
agency basis. It was also proposed that each SBU will have a separate
independent board to operate commercially as a profit centre. Each
one of the SBU over the time may go for public participation through
public issue. It was proposed that a new postal law may be enacted to
give statutory basis for these operations.
After receiving the Report, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that there
will be a structured response to the recommendations of the Task Force
on priority basis. He said after having felt the need to rediscover
the potential of the postal department in the country, he had made a
request to the Prime Minister to which Shri Narendra Modi had readily
responded by constituting this Task Force. He hoped that the vast
connectivity of the Postal Department would be fully exploited to be a
part of the e-commerce boom in the country. The Minister said that not a
single employee of the postal department will be removed as a part of
any reformation of the Department. He also said that there will not be
undue increase in the price of the post card and other postal services
that are mostly used by the poor.
Earlier the Chairman of the Task Force Mr. Subramanian said that as
banking and financial services are not available in most of over six
lakh villages of the country, it was felt that a ‘Post Bank of India’
which is professionally organized should contribute for a financial
inclusion of the rural poor. He also hoped that there could be a
creation of over five lakh new jobs over next 3-5 years. He pointed out
that State Governments are also keen on the prospects of implementation
of the recommendations of this Task Force.
The Task Force was constituted on 21st August this year had the following members:-
1. Shri T.S.R. Subramanian, Retd. Cabinet Secretary - Chairman
2. Shri T.V. Mohandas Pai, Bangalore - Member
3. Dhri G.N. Bajpai, Mumbai Former Chairman, SEBI - Member
4. Dr. Ravindra H.Dholakia, IIM, Ahmedabad - Member
5. Shri R S. Sharma, Secretary (E&IT),Govt.of India - Member
6. Shri L.C. Goyal, Secretary, Deptt. of Rural - Member
Development, Govt. of India
7. Shri Rakesh Garg, Secy. Deptt. of Telecom,G.O.I - Member
8. Ms. Kavery Banerjee, Secretary, Deptt. of Posts - Member
9. Shri Kamleshwar Prasad,Member (O),Deptt.of Posts- Member
10. Shri Vasumitra, CPMG,Delhi Circle,Deptt.of Posts -Member Secretary
