Rs 111-crore regional postal training centre to come up in MP’s Shivpuri: Scindia

Guna (MP), Jan 11 (PTI) Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Sunday that the country’s seventh Regional Postal Training Centre will be set up in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district at Rs 111 crore, describing post offices as a medium for financial inclusion.

Scindia said the centre, to be established in his parliamentary constituency, will cater to the training needs of postal personnel from MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. He made the announcement after inaugurating a sub-post office and the Shivpuri City Post Office in the Kaththamil area of the district.

If any system continues to serve citizens with complete dedication, it is India Post, he said. The training centre will give Shivpuri a new identity in communication, training and capacity building.

The Union minister said there are currently six training centres under the postal department across the country, which train around 18,000 postal employees every year. These centres are located in Saharanpur, Vadodara, Mysuru, Guwahati, Madurai and Darbhanga.

Once operational, the Shivpuri centre will accommodate nearly 250 trainees at a time, or about 1,800 a year, he said. Scindia said that just as the Gwalior airport was completed in 16 months, the training centre should also be ready within 8-12 months.

Scindia said Shivpuri’s geographical location, road and rail connectivity, and peaceful environment make the centre ideal for a training institution. The foundation stone of the centre will be laid during his next visit to Shivpuri, he said.

The Union minister said modernisation of all 52 post offices in the Shivpuri district has been completed.

Post offices are no longer limited to traditional postal activities, but now provide Aadhaar-based services, India Post Payments Bank facilities, assistance in passport services, mutual fund distribution, insurance schemes, and act as a strong medium for financial inclusion, he said.

Scindia said more than Rs 22 lakh crore is currently deposited in postal accounts across the country, and over 20,000 new accounts have been opened in Shivpuri district alone.

Referring to the 'Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana', he said the scheme is like sowing a seed, which parents nurture together into a “banyan tree”. More than Rs 2 lakh crore has been deposited in the names of girl children across the country, he said.

The scale at which the postal department is contributing to women's empowerment is unmatched by any other system, he claimed.

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, post offices are emerging as strong pillars of rural economy, financial inclusion and self-reliance, and with the same resolve, the government is steadily moving towards achieving the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’, he added. PTI COR LAL NR