More than 53,000 messages sent through e-post in Karnataka

More than 53,000 messages have been sent from Karnataka to different parts of the country through e-post, a unique facility introduced by Department of Posts to help people send and receive e-mails even without access to computer and Internet.

Since e-post service was introduced in Karnataka on January 30, 2004, a total of 53,009 messages have been handled by Karnataka postal circle till April 30, 2007, bringing in revenues to the tune of Rs 534,440.

Post Master General of Karnataka Postal Circle Meera Datta said e-post helps people without access to computer and Internet to send and receive e-mails. “Neither the sender nor the receiver needs to have access to computer and Internet to send e-mails by e-post”, she said.

Under e-post, printed or even hand-written messages of customers are scanned and sent to the destination post office, where the message is printed and delivered to the addressee, enclosed in an e-post cover.

Meera Datta has described the response to e-post as “encouraging”. “It bridges the digital divide”, she said.

There are a total of 27 designated e-post centers in Karnataka, which are equipped with computers, Internet and scanners to receive and e-posts. The customers are charged Rs 10 per page of A-4 size. E-post messages can be sent to any postal address in India or e-mail address anywhere in the world.

E-post service is not limited to the designated e-post centers. All post offices accept the message and send it to the nearest e-post center for onward transmission. Messages that are received at e-post centers for areas beyond their delivery jurisdiction are printed and sent to the concerned post offices for delivery.

With a view to further popularize e-post service among the rural populace, Karnataka Postal Circle has printed pamphlets detailing the products in Kannada for distribution among people in rural parts of the State, Ms Datta said.