Different Postal Areas of India

India is divided into 9 major postal areas or “zones”. Of these, eight are for different parts of the country and one special zone is for the Indian Army only. The first number of your PIN code will tell you which region you are in.

Sorting Districts by PIN Codes

In a zip code, the first three numbers together tell you about a particular area called the “sorting district”. It is like a large area of a state where the mail is organized. The main post office of the largest city in the area takes care of all the sorting. It’s like the boss of all post offices out there, and we call it the “Sorting Office.” Most states have at least one sorting district, but large states or places may have many mails. This rule is different only for special zones for the army.

Understanding the Indian Postal System

India's official mail service is called “India Post”, but many people call it just “Post Office”. It is administered by the Government of India and is a part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

India Post Reach and Services

India Post has a huge network of:

• There are more than 1,55,000 post offices in India.
• About 89% of these are in rural areas.
• The post office is a big deal in the village. It connects the villages to each other and to the city. And since many villages do not have banks, the post office also provides banking services there.

A Great Fact: India's mail system is almost 150 years old! In 1854, we got the first postage stamp. After some time, the system was put under a main control. After India's independence, the British improved and expanded the postal service. Today, India Post operates everywhere from the arid Kutch desert of Rajasthan to the snowy regions of Ladakh and Siachen. India Post offers various services, which are listed below:

1. Financial Services
2. Allied Postal Services
3. Mail Facilities

Here's How It's Organized

• Circles: India has 22 major postal areas called “Circles”. Each circle has a boss, the Chief Postmaster General.
• Areas: Within each circle, there are smaller areas called “Areas”. They are managed by a Postmaster General.
• Divisions and Subdivisions: These areas are divided into smaller parts called “divisions”, which are then divided into “subdivisions”.

India Post has undergone many changes over time. Today, it is rapidly reaching even the remotest parts of India. You can send mail really cheaply. And, it's not just about sending letters! India Post also has banking services, which help people save money safely.

Financial Services at India Post Offices

Post offices in India are not just for sending letters. They also offer many financial services to the public:

1. Savings and Investment Options: They have programs like the National Savings Certificate (NSC), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), and the Public Provident Fund (PPF).
2. Bank-like services: The post office also acts somewhat like a bank People can:
   • Deposit money into different types of accounts: savings, recurring deposits, or fixed deposits.
   • Send money using a money order.
   • Choose a monthly income plan.

What's awesome? Post offices generally offer better interest rates on your savings than most banks in India, whether public or private. Recently, post offices have introduced the “Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme” (sometimes called SSS or SSC). This unique program helps families save money for their daughters' future education or marriage This money can be used when the girl is 21 years old.

Allied Postal Services

India Post provides the following ancillary postal services through post offices:

• Greetings Post - This is a type of post that can be given to your loved ones on various occasions like their birthday or anniversary. Greeting cards can be mailed to remote locations.
• Speed Post - By using Speed Post services, you can deliver letters to people faster than regular mail.
• Media Posts - Most businesses can use media posts to promote their brand by sending out postcards, envelopes and other items.
• E-Bill Post - Individuals can use the Department of Posts e-Bill Post service to pay their phone bills from Airtel, BSNL and other businesses.
• Direct Post - Using addressed and addressed direct posts, one can advertise directly.
• International Money Transfer - Individuals can receive remittances from other countries to India since India Post has partnered with Western Union banks.
• Passport Services - Indian people can get passports through India Post, which has a partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. Those interested in obtaining a passport can obtain passport forms, fill them up and submit them to the local post office for further processing.
• Aadhaar Card - Post offices have started providing Aadhaar cards to Indian people. Postal workers are taught to check the information provided by Aadhaar applicants and then the applicant's biometric data such as an iris scan and fingerprint scan. After that, the collected information and the application form will be sent to UIDAI, which will issue Aadhaar cards to people.

Mail Facilities

India Post offers postal services and helps customers send letters from one place to another. These services include mail delivery, mail registration as a security measure and mail insurance to protect against potential threats.

Disclaimer: For every region and postal data from India Post we have obtained their PIN codes. While efforts were taken to gather accurate postal service data such as circles and divisions as well as zip and postal codes we cannot guarantee error-free data. Should there be any discrepancies with what was given please notify us as soon as possible regarding it.