Postal services is the latest entrant to the world of smartphones.

KOCHI: Today, nearly everything is done with the help of the apps installed in smartphones. Postal services is the latest entrant to the world of smartphones.

The first phase of post delivery system digitisation under Ernakulam Postal Division was implemented from Monday.

From now on the post delivering officials will track down the addresses with the help of digital technology. N R Giri, Senior Superintendent with the Postal Department, said as part of digitisation, postmen and women have been provided with smartphones.

“Registered and speed posts will be delivered using digital delivery system. The address and name of the person, to whom the mail is addressed, will be entered in the computer at the post office.

These details will be later transferred to the smartphones of the postmen and women. Using the smartphone the address where the mail has to be delivered will be tracked,” he said.

Once the mail is delivered, details of the delivery will be made available on the online tracking system in the Indiapost website. 

While delivering the mail, the postman or woman will record the name, date and address of the person on their smartphone.

These details including the signature of the post delivering official and the addressee will be displayed on the Online Tracking System. This is to ensure the delivery is made at the right address and person.

Senior Postmaster A Anwarjan at a function held at the Ernakulam Head Post Office, distributed smartphones to post delivering officials. Lissy, Senior Superintendent with Ernakulam Postal Division said, “317 handsets have been given to postmen and women under Ernakulam division. Postmen in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Thrissur were also provided with handsets.”

“By the next phase more postmen and women in the state will be provided with smartphones. Also a project is underway to make postal banking facilities available on the door step for the elderly. The postal officials will help the elderly to complete banking procedures at home using the smartphone. The project is currently in the pipeline,” she said.

The Central government has decided to digitalise around 1.5 lakh post offices across India. Fund was allocated for the project in the budget. The postmen and women were given training in handling the application. In Kerala, the project will expand to all post offices by the end of this fiscal year.