Three more post offices to migrate to core banking solutions

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 15

Three more post offices in Amritsar will migrate to core banking solutions (CBS) thus enabling its account holders to access various online services. At present only two head post offices under Amritsar Postal Division – General Post Office (GPO), Amritsar, and Tarn Taran head office – are CBS enabled. Besides two more ATMs are being installed in Amritsar postal division, including the post office at the Golden Temple and Tarn Taran head office.

This was stated by Achla Bhatnagar, chief post master general, Punjab Circle, Chandigarh, while inaugurating a ‘Post Shoppe’ and ‘Parcel packaging facility’ at the GPO here today. This is the third Post Shoppe in Punjab after the one opened at head office in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

Bhatnagar said three more post offices, which would migrate to CBS, include post offices at Khalsa College, Gandhi Bazaar and the Golden Temple. She said all the pre-migration formalities had been completed in this regard. Besides, she added, two more ATMs would being installed in the Amritsar postal division, including the post office at the Golden Temple and Tarn Taran head office. “Currently only two ATMs are operational, one at the Amritsar GPO and second at the Chandigarh GPO,” she added.

While speaking on the occasion, Manisha Bansal Badal, director, postal services, Punjab circle, Chandigarh, said, “The Indian post is likely to get the ‘Payment Bank License’ from the Reserve Bank of India within next couple of days. This will enable post offices to start working as nationalised banks.” According an official, “While payment banks can offer payments and remittance services, these banks will neither issue any credit cards nor can accept deposits more than Rs 1 lakh. But they will be able to issue ATM and debit cards. They can also distribute simple financial products like mutual funds and insurance products.”

While giving details about the Post Shoppee, superintendent, Post Office, Amritsar, Jarnail Singh Bhullar said, “Post Shoppee are being opened to facilitate customers by providing materials like stationery including envelopes, stamps, sports good, products of Pitanjali Yog Peeth, gift items such as photo frames, mugs, flower vases, parcel boxes etc.”

He said the Postal Department in Amritsar was also contributing in Sukanya Samridhi Yojana. Till July 13, a total of 13,963 accounts under the scheme had been opened in Amritsar postal division alone, he added.