Painful Reality Behind India Post COD Services
Thousands
of products from e-commerce companies such as Amazon, Snapdeal,
Flipkart, HomeShop18, Shopclues, Naptol and Yepme are reaching the
remotest corners of India everyday, owing to their last-mile partnership
with India Post, the government-operated postal network. On its part,
India Post transacted business worth Rs 500 crore in cash-on-delivery
alone for e-commerce players in 2014-15. Its revenue from this business
rose from Rs 20 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 100 crore in 2013-14. But that’s
just one side of the story.
To
reach as many customers as possible at the fastest pace, even if it
means getting drones to do the job, online retailers are learnt to be
coping with the infrastructure hurdles of India Post. In fact, many
leading companies are said to be directly in touch with Union minister
of communications, Ravi Shankar Prasad, as well as senior bureaucrats in
the ministry, to resolve last-mile issues.
While
e-commerce companies tied up with India Post to reach India’s interiors
and access pin codes that no courier company could, this has helped
them only in a limited manner. On bicycles, India Post delivery men
hardly match courier boys on motorbikes, who are faster and are also
able to carry heavier parcels. Some postmen have to walk on rough
terrains to reach distant addresses with parcels containing anything
from mobile phones and apparel to fancy accessories and kitchenware.
A
senior Snapdeal executive told, “As most of the India Post team uses
bicycles, we have ensured products weighing less than five kg are routed
through them for delivery.” Against that, a courier delivery boy often
carries parcels 10 times the size, according to industry sources. An
Amazon spokesperson said, “We appreciate and understand that the
last-mile delivery methodology of India Post is mostly on bicycles and
we are in discussions with India Post to come up with a
solution/delivery methodology for large-sized Amazon packages.”
Flipkart did not respond to a questionnaire on the issue.
An
official at India Post said the department was gearing up for the
challenges and infrastructure was being upgraded. The department has
already generated substantial revenue from its tie-up with e-commerce
companies. While there’s no word yet on replacing bicycles with
motorbikes and on whether the current India Post delivery staff,
typically much older than those employed by private courier companies,
are ready for the change, the official said logistics could be
outsourced to a third party for delivery of goods, depending on volume.
Currently,
the slow mode of sending parcels via India Post to pin codes unheard of
is upsetting the sales targets of top e-commerce companies, for which
every missed delivery could translate into a lower GMV (gross
merchandise volume) and valuation. Also, it could mean missing the next
round of funding from a marquee investor.
There
are other issues, too. For instance, a Bengaluru-based online
retailer-cum-stylist had partnered India Post in 2013. However,
according to its co-founder, the two-year-old company had to discontinue
the arrangement after it was found postmen were seeking money from
customers for deliveries to remote areas such those in the Northeast.
“Such incidents are serious enough to malign the reputation of a
company,” he said.
Another challenge is the India Post delivery team doesn’t get any volume-based incentive because it’s a government organisation.
On the other hand, private courier companies were often enthused by such offers, an official said.
The
fact that 70-80 per cent of orders for companies such as Flipkart and
Snapdeal are from non-metro areas shows how critical it is for them to
compete in the remotest parts of India. Amazon, for example, took pride
in saying it had delivered a parcel to pin code 790002 — a destination
called Balemu in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district.
The
dark side of the e-commerce revolution is equally real. A recent Wall
Street Journal report had highlighted the plight of courier boys
carrying parcels weighing 23-46 kg in large backpacks day after day, all
for a monthly salary of less than Rs 10,000. “This low-tech army of
urban sherpas hauls bags of online purchases down narrow alleys and up
flights of stairs, lugging everything from laser printers and kitchen
appliances to cans of Coca-Cola for their country’s burgeoning consumer
class,” the report had said.
Source:http://www.closevoice.com
Courtesy:http://potools.blogspot.in/
BSNL Offers Free Missed Call Alert Service (MCA) to All Mobile Customers
India’s National Telecom backbone
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) provides Missed Call Alert (MCA)
service. This service (MCA) is Free to all BSNL Mobile Customers except
those from North Zone. Missed Call Alert Service is a Value Added
Service which allows a BSNL Prepaid or Postpaid Mobile Customer to
retrieve their Missed Call details via SMS, when the customer is in out
of coverage area or when the users mobile runs out of battery.
BSNL Missed Call Alert (MCA) service
will inform the mobile customer about the details of their missed calls
such as the call timings, the number of missed calls and thereby helping
them to call back and get in touch. BSNL provides Missed Call Alert
Sevice Free of cost to all BSNL Mobile Customers except North Zone.
Procedure for Activation of BSNL Missed Call Alert (MCA) Service
To activate Free Missed Call Alert
service,BSNL customers may 'Divert Voice Calls when Out of Coverage
Area' to the number '+9117010'.
How to Divert Voice Calls for BSNL Missed Call Alert Service
- Go to Settings
- Select : Call settings
- Select : Call divert/Call Forward
- Select : 'Divert when Out of Coverage Area' (Options may differ from phone to phone )
- Type the Number +9117010
- Save the settings
Some handsets allows the customers to activate the Missed Call Alert(MCA) Service by dialing the code: **62*+9117010#
Procedure for De-Activation of BSNL Missed Call Alert (MCA)
- Go to Settings
- Select : Call settings
- Select : Call divert / Call Forward
- Select : When Unreachable
- Delete the number +9117010
- Save the settings
Some handsets allows the customers to de-activate the Missed Call Alert(MCA) Service by dialing the code: ##002#
Private operators are currently
charging their customers at the rate of Rs.30 / month for providing
Missed Call Alert Service. BSNL Missed Call Alert Service is available
to North Zone Customers at a nominal cost of Rs.15 / month. The
activation / de-activation procedures are common for all BSNL customers
irrespective of their Telecom Circle / Zone.
Readers, have you activated this Free Missed Call Alert service from BSNL? Just compare similar service, which was offered b
FRIDAY, 15 JANUARY 2016 68th Indian Army Day: Some interesting facts about the Indian Army
Army
Day is celebrated on January 15, every year to commemorate the day when
Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa took over as Commander-in-Chief of
India on January 1949. He took over the position from General Sir
Francis Butcher.
Some interesting facts about the Indian Army:
A great example of selfless service and brotherhood and above all, love for the country is what the Indian Army is all about.
Source : http://indiatoday.intoday.in
Achievements and Success of Department of Posts
Average business provided by major players is as follows:
Amazon: ~3 Lakh articles per month (peak 6 Lakhs)
Snapdeal : 80000 articles per month
Myntra : 50000 articles per month
Flipkart : 30000 articles per month
Yepme : 60000 articles per month
Parcel Revenue : Rs. 92.35 Crores till Nov 2015
Speed Post revenue : Rs. 1023 Cr till Nov 2015 (~10% eCommerce business)
COD remittances : Total >Rs. 1000 Cr till Dec 15 Profile of Revenue Stream
(in Rs Crore)
| |||
Products
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
2015-16(Upto Nov)
|
Speed Post
|
1372.2
|
1495.2
|
1023.5
|
Business Post
|
1029.5
|
962.5
|
553.7
|
Bill Mail Post
|
103.0
|
103.6
|
62.4
|
Express Parcel Post
|
77.6
|
64.3
|
38.0
|
Retail Post
|
70.2
|
84.4
|
51.5
|
Sale of Stamps
|
670.7
|
576.2
|
345.7
|
Logistics Post
|
15.3
|
24.4
|
10.7
|
Money Orders
|
606.9
|
632.3
|
331.9
|
Others
|
869.8
|
1023.0
|
415.3
|
Revenue from P.O.
|
4815.2
|
4966.0
|
2832.6
|
SBCC
|
5915.3
|
6670.0
|
5092.5
|
Total Revenue
|
10730.4
|
11636.0
|
7925.1
|
· Revenue Growth
·
Speed Post revenue growth in the current FY is more than 16%. CAG report
laid in Parliament on 8th May 2015 highlights that Speed Post is far
better than private couriers, in terms of reach, assured delivery and
delivery time.
–
Department has tied-up with more than 400 e-commerce agencies including
Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon, YepMe, Shopclues etc for delivering
e-Commerce pre-paid as well as Cash on Delivery (CoD) orders. Amazon is
the largest business partner in e-Commerce. Rs 1000 Crore COD collection
by Department of Posts so far and this figure this likely to cross Rs
1500 Crores by the end of the current FY.
–
Parcel revenue which registered 2% decline in 2013-14, registered 37%
growth in 2014-15. 117% growth in parcel revenue till 31st October 2015
in the current FY.
· Digital India
–
Core Banking Solution (CBS) rolled out in 12441 Post Offices along with
300 ATMs. CBS shall be rolled-out in all 25,000 Departmental POs along
with 1000 ATMs by 31st March 2016.
–
Core Insurance Solution (CIS) rolled out in 23,792 Post Offices and
shall be rolled out in all 25,000 Departmental POs by 31st March 2016.
–
Supply of solar powered, biometric hand-held devices with connectivity
to about 20,000 rural Branch Post Offices shall be completed by 31st
March 2016. All 130,000 rural post offices would be provided with
hand-held devices by March 2017.
• Promoting Financial Inclusion
– India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)- RBI
has accorded in-principle approval for setting up of Department of
Posts Payments Bank on 7th September 2015. IPPB shall be set up by March
2017 and shall leverage the physical and IT infrastructure of the Post
office, using low-cost, low-risk, technology based solutions to extend
access to formal banking especially in rural, un-banked and under-banked
areas, including MSMEs, small entrepreneurs, Village Panchayats &
SHGs
–
Number of Post Office Savings accounts increased from 30.86 Crore to
33.60 Crore and total deposits of POSB accounts and Cash Certificates to
Rs 6.5 Lakh Crore.
–
More than 80 lakh Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana accounts opened with a
cumulative investment of more than Rs 2900 Crore since launch on 22nd
January 2015.
–
More than 1.84 Crore Kisan Vikas Patras sold, attracting an investment
of more than Rs 16,429 Crore since launch on 18th November 2014.
–
Launch of PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and PM Jeewan Jyoti Yojana for Post
Office Savings Bank account holders in CBS Post Offices. So far, more
than 57,000 policies have been sold to POSB customers.
–
Increase in maximum sum assured in Postal Life Insurance from Rs 20
Lakh to Rs 50 lakh and for Rural PLI from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh in
order to provide more investment opportunities to customers and also
increase claim amount to nominees in case of death.
ClickHere to view details
PPF, NSC rates to be cut; bank FDs may fetch lower interest
The government is set to reduce interest rates on small savings
products such as public provident fund and National Savings Certificate
over the next few days - a move that will impact returns on your bank
fixed deposits but also pave the way for banks to pare lending rates in
the coming months and reduce the EMI burden.
The new formula will see small savings rates linked to returns on
government securities of comparable maturity, with the reduction
expected to be up to 50 basis points (100 basis points equal a
percentage point). The finance ministry is finalizing product-specific
rates and sources said the impact would be higher in case of maturity
period of less than five years. There are indications that senior
citizens and women will be protected with products such as the Sukanya
Samriddhi Yojana spared the the axe, at least for the moment.
The new rates are expected to be notified over the next few days with
the government set to announce quarterly revision instead of an annual
reset, which is the norm currently, sources said.
Banks are expected to follow the small savings rate cut with lower fixed
deposit rates, which over a period of a few months may translate into
lower lending rates. In the past, lenders have been reluctant to pass on
the benefit of lower rates to borrowers.
The Reserve Bank of India and banks have been seeking a reduction in
small savings rates, arguing that PPF and other products offered higher
returns when compared with fixed deposits, resulting in a flight of
funds to the government schemes.
As a result, banks have been forced to maintain higher deposit rates,
making it difficult for them to pass on the benefits of lower policy
rates. Bankers have said higher small savings rates have meant that
lending rates have been cut by a lower extent compared to RBI's policy
rate reduction of 125 basis points last year.
Although the move may trigger a fall in returns on your savings, it is
seen as a reform move by the government, which recently announced a plan
to end subsidies to the high-income segment. The reduction also comes
at a time when the middle class has become more comfortable investing in
debt and equity mutual funds, which over the past decade have emerged
as an attractive savings tool.
Source : The Economic Times
