That the Indian postal department is going all hog for modernization is probably old news now. What is new is the fresh vigor with which it is progressing. When the department of post (DoP) embarked on its modernization journey last year, in April, it was done with a two-pronged strategy. To give the post offices a brand new look, and secondly, to revisit outdated processes that pulled back the growth of the Indian Post. It was obvious that technology had an important role to play in this project worth Rs 600 crore.

The modernization project, called Arrow, has indeed given the postal department a new direction. And the department is marching on, rather swiftly. Thanks to its enhanced decision-making capabilities, which has resulted in streamlining of processes and improved response time.

Amongst several initiatives that are helping the department achieve the target, videoconferencing solution, which went live six months back under the project Arrow, deserves a special mention as it has played a significant role as the eyes and ears of the department.

Whys and Hows
There is little doubt that the network and reach of the postal department would probably be next to that of the Indian railways. The inherent challenge for the department was covering the length and breadth of the country. The departments strength could well become its weakness, if the strategy wasnt well thought off.

At present there are twenty-two circles that cover in total 1.55 lakh post offices (PO) in India. The postal department usually maps these post offices using the key performance indicators, which are based on verifiable parameters. Under the modernization drive, till date, 10,000 POs have been computerized and the progress of others too has to be closely checked on a regular basis, every 10 days, to be specific.

This obviously wasnt going to be an easy task, if the department had to make senior officials from the center flown down separately to all the circles, in every 10 days. It wouldnt have just meant a whopping cost on the exchequers but also huge investment of time. Besides, going for a closer monitoring in order to bring all the POs on a level playing field, the department had to surely avoid these.

A videoconferencing, covering all twenty-two post office circles, in progress

Ever since modernization became a priority for us, we realized that monitoring the progress of various post offices was necessary. Making people travel all the time would have cost us dearly, says AP Singh, deputy general manager, Department of Post. Thats when we decided to go for videoconferencing.

The good news is that the initiative has already taken off, and videoconferencing is being extensively used in 500 POs covering all the twenty-two circles. What sounds even better is the fact that the two phases of videoconferencing solution implementation did finish off on a time bound deadline.

Though the entire project Arrow has been the key focus area, the department admits that videoconferencing has single handedly helped in building the much required tempo and accountability around the modernization drive, which did seem to be a difficult task to achieve. Says Singh, Videoconferencing has ensured penetration till the deep down layers. And the going has been great so far, as finest details emerge which otherwise wouldnt have been possible if done through written communication.

We have seen many positives ever since we went live with videoconferencing. Of course, closer monitoring and easier logistics are some points that have convinced us, but the sharp accountability is a major factor, especially since both the minister and DoP secretary are present at the videoconferencing. It has also expedited the decision making process to a great extent, points out Roy.

The issues raised during the videoconferencing ranged from hardware assessments to PO building rentals to bigger issues relating to financial problems, recruitment of grameen dak sevaksin the form of temporary pool staff. These are resolved then and there, claims Roy. The decisions on these issues, in other circumstances, would take anywhere between 3-6 months, if addressed at all. And of course, other instructions do follow after the conference.

Making people travel all the time would have cost us dearly. Videoconferencing has been great for us AP Singh, deputy general manager, Department of Post

Videoconferencing has worked two ways for the department; it has not only helped them pull up post offices that havent performed up to the desired mark, but also provided state circles, a channel to vent their demands and issues.

They cant repeat same excuses for not performing time and again, as a whole bunch of senior people are sitting with facts and data during the conference. They stand high chances of being exposed in front of the minister and the secretary, says Singh. Interestingly, on the flip side, for a good job done, state circles get a pat from the highest level of authoritythe minister and the secretary and this acts as a morale booster.

The peer pressure too acts as a great way to check the performance of circles that lag behind. As the ones that have performed well get highlighted, it does help in adding pressure on the non-performers.

Certainly, the department seems to be enjoying its run with videoconferencing, but at the same time, it is also of concern that the facility the state circles are currently using belongs to NIC.

What we now target is to have our own facility independent of NIC. We have about 1,200 dedicated leased lines from BSNL, so I dont think it would be a problem. Hopefully in a months time, it will be up and running, says Singh.

The costing too has been worked out at approximately Rs 7.7 lakh per circle. With the department already boasting of two important data centers, one in Delhi and the other in Mysore, which is also the software development center and 5,000 plus post offices having broadband, things seem all set to further improve.

While the successful culmination of the first two phases has given a push to the modernization drive, one only hopes that the third phase helps create further momentum to keep going.

Urvashi Kaul
urvashik@cybermedia.co.in