KOLKATA: India Post is playing a pivotal role in fulfilling its social responsibilities in the lockdown period be it delivery of essential medicines, PPE, COVID-19 test kits and other medical equipment or disbursement of pensionary benefits, social security benefits etc or reaching out to the door-step of needy people, people suffering from incurable diseases and the pensioners, elderly or divyang people of the country.
In West Bengal, during the last fortnight, India Post delivered large number of parcels containing medicines, test kits and other medical equipment to hospitals and individuals, at different locations like, Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts by mail motor vehicles.
The East Kolkata Division at New Town, Bidhannagar and Salt Lake areas has taken a massive initiative since April 20 and tied up with New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) to deliver essential medicines at the door-steps of senior citizens and physically ill citizens entirely free of cost, a PIB release here said.
The East Kolkata Division of India Post has also opened an online facility for receiving medical supply requisition for the senior citizens and physically ill people over Whatsapp (+916292132450) for the mentioned areas.
Thus, India Post has reached to more than 1,000 elderly pensioners and made pension payments of an amount of more than Rs 90 lakh at their door-steps in the mentioned areas during the last fortnight.
Former Professor of Education department, Sheth Anandram Jaipuria College, North Kolkata, Gitasree Ray (more than 80 years old), residing at AH Block of Salt Lake, is one of the recipients of such a magnanimity shown by India Post.
She received the family pension from India Post. Equipped with RICT devices of DoP and micro ATM devices of India Post Payment Banks (IPPB), postmen and GDS employees have disbursed DBT payments from DoP/IPBB accounts and also accessing accounts of any other banks through Aadhar enabled payment system (AePs) at the door-step of beneficiaries.
In this process, more than 10 thousand beneficiaries have been disbursed with DBT payments during the last fortnight in Kolkata and predominantly in the rural areas of North and South Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts.
Few days back, India Post delivered medicines to an 8-year old girl residing at Una, Himachal Pradesh. She is a Cancer patient and many of her medicines are difficult to be purchased from Una. Hence, her family contacted one of their friends at Delhi and requested him for help in getting the medicines from Delhi to Una.
Given the constraints of logistics due to present lockdown situation, their family friend requested the Union Minister for Communications, Law and Justice and Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad for help.
The Minister promptly directed India Post to provide all possible assistance to the family of this 8-year old girl for getting the medicines before April 19, 2020.
The different circles of India Post at Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in a very well-coordinated effort delivered the required medicines at proper time.
The minister when informed about the delivery of the medicine expressed his delight at the performance of India Post and tweeted for living up to the expectation of the people in a time of hardship.
India Post has also taken initiatives to involve a helping hand of IPPB, in cases of disbursing the cash assistance to the beneficiaries of the PM Ujjwala Yojana.
The employees of this department are trying to put enormous efforts in avoiding direct cash transaction trying to provide the online banking service to a majority of the BPL and female beneficiaries who come directly under this yojana.
As the Postmaster General, Kolkata region, Niraj Kumar points out, the endeavour is to help the citizens of this State to remain away from Corona and hence they need not come out of their residences. Instead India Post will act as a voice of succour and reach their houses to provide financial benefits at their door-steps. (AGENCIES)
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