The HinduA customer using the country's first post office savings bank ATM in
T.Nagar HPO after the facility was inaugurated by Union Finance Minister
P. Chidambaram on Thursday.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurated the ATM service at Thiyagaraya Nagar Head Post Office
The country’s first Post Office Savings Bank ATM was inaugurated in
Chennai on Thursday by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as part of the
government’s Rs. 4,909 crore IT modernisation scheme for the Department
of Posts specified in the interim budget for 2014-15.
After launching the ATM service at Thiyagaraya Nagar Head Post Office
(HPO), Mr.Chidambaram said, “The IT modernisation scheme is aimed at
making Department of Posts a technology-oriented one and today’s
initiative is a step in that regard.” The IT modernisation scheme would
cover 1.55 lakh post offices and would be implemented by next year, he
added.
Speaking about the newly launched ATM service at the HPO, Mr.Chidambaram
said that while it will initially operate in a closed environment for
about six months, and later change to ‘inter-operability,’ on the lines
of bank ATMs, allowing customers to withdraw money from any ATM.
About
Department of Posts, Mr.Chidambaram said that while questions were being
raised about its future, especially in the wake of dip in use of
letters and postcards, it was adopting new strategies and was therefore
on the path to growth. Still a large number of people believe that the
Department of Posts is the best in courier and parcel delivery areas, he
added.
An official release said the T Nagar HPO ATM is the first in the
country and “four more ATMs are ready for operations” in Delhi and
Mumbai.
“It has been proposed to install 1,000 ATMs across the country in 2014.
Another 1,800 ATMs will be added in 2015,” it said.
The release added
that Rs. 700 crore has been earmarked for implementing Core Banking
Solution (CBS) for Post office Savings Bank. As on date, 51 HPOs and 11
sub-post offices have “migrated” covering 64 lakh accounts.
By March 31, 2014, a total of 700 more post offices will be covered and
all 26,840 post offices will be functional under CBS in another two
years, it said.
Source : The Hindu
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