Amid the rise in cases of coronavirus, India's postal service has stepped in to help deliver lifesaving medicines during a nationwide lockdown.
On Monday, the Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad directed the Department of Posts to prioritise delivery of medicines during the lockdown. The post offices have been kept open under essential services to support the movement of important documents and parcels during the lockdown.
Taking to Twitter, Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote: "I have instructed Secretary, Dept.of Posts to ensure that delivery of medicines through Speed Post is given the highest priority during the lockdown. All employees of @IndiaPostOffice should be sensitized so that no one should face any difficulty in receiving or sending medicines."
The minister also shared that the postal department has been able to achieve record financial transaction during the lockdown either by paying people at their doorstep or from nearby post offices. "Delighted to announce that @IndiaPostOffice today (Monday) hit an all-time high, crossing 1 lakh mark, to record 1.09 lakh transactions a day in disbursing cash through Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS)," the minister said in his tweet.
He has further directed that all employees of the Department of Posts are sensitised so that no one should face difficulty in receiving or sending medicines during the lockdown. The entire postal network across the country has been galvanised for the purpose.
