India Post Launches Home Parcel Pickup: Speed Post, Money Orders

The postal department has launched a new facility. Now, the postman will collect speed post and parcels from your home.

Jodhpur: Until now, the postman's job was to deliver mail to your doorstep. But now, postmen have also started collecting mail from your home. This means they will come to your house to pick up speed posts, parcels, and other articles.

This service was launched this month in Jodhpur and a few other select cities across the country. If your article is worth less than ₹500, the postman will charge only ₹50 as a service charge. Articles worth ₹500 or more will be collected free of charge.

How to Book

You will need to visit the Department of Post's website. On the main page, select "Online Services," then click on "Featured" and then "Self Service Portal." Register by entering your name, mobile number, email, and address on the Self Service Portal. This will generate your customer ID and login password. You can then access the Self Service Portal using your customer ID and login password.

The Department of Post's New Software

The Department of Post has implemented IT 2.0, or Advanced Postal Technology (APT) 2.0 software, to modernise and digitise its services. Through this, customers will now receive real-time SMS updates from booking to delivery. The postman will be tracked via GPS, and parcel delivery will be OTP-based. Digital payment options via UPI and QR codes will also be available.

A 10-digit DigiPIN has also been introduced in the new system, significantly reducing the possibility of incorrect addresses or deliveries. This integrated platform combines older, disparate software systems and was developed by the Centre for Excellence in Postal Technology located in Mysore.

However, in the initial days of implementation, many post offices experienced server slowdowns and hardware issues, causing inconvenience to customers. Long queues and delays in tasks such as receipt printing were reported. The department says it will soon rectify these technical glitches to make the service faster and more efficient.