Swift, Safe and Sure: “Project Arrow” of The India Post

by K. Parameswaran, Assistant Director, Press Information Bureau, Madurai

An arrow, well aimed, will reach its intended destination straight, safe and sure! Similarly, the “Project Arrow”, being conceptualized and implemented by the Department of Posts, under the Ministry of Telecommunications, aims to make postal services sharp, straight and sure. The project will see to it that the customers will directly feel the difference in the quality of postal services.

Ariyaloor was the first post office in Tamilnadu to have implemented “Project Arrow”. It was inaugurated in August 2008 by Shri D Raja, Minister of State for Telecommunications.

Project Arrow is an attempt at the integrated modernization of postal services. It aims at modernizing the look, feel and efficiency of the services rendered by the post office. The project also aims at making the services of the postal department as straight, safe and sure as that of a well aimed arrow!

For this purpose, the project has been divided into two sections. Under one section branding of services, use of modern information technology devices, integration of human resources and development of infrastructure is being achieved. This section basically is an attempt at improving the look and feel of the service.

The second aspect of Project arrow is aimed at improving all the core areas of the postal services. Thus, the aim is to modernize and make more effective services like mail, savings bank operations, improving quantum and quality of remittances and developing a better quality of counter services and customer services.

As a part of the project, most post offices including Ariyaloor, which have been included in the first phase of the project, are in the process of completing basic documentation about the post office, its service area, customers, banking particulars etc. Development of new and better infrastructures like buildings, furniture etc also comes under this section. Training of staff and development of adequate hardware are the other principal components of Project Arrow.

In the initial, pilot phase of Project Arrow, fifty post offices have been selected. In the second phase 450 post offices will be covered. The final phase is intended to modernize 4500 post offices, covering all the parts of the country. The aim is to cover 4500 post offices under the project within the next two years. In the Southern Region, 33 post offices have been covered so far. Nineteen more post offices have been identified for inclusion in the project.

It is also to be noted that the Project Arrow is a green initiative. The project aims to minimize the use of paper, thus help in preserving trees and green cover, by making all internal correspondence based on email alone.

Another important aspect of Project Arrow is that it allows for independent assessment of the quality of the program. For this purpose, an independent rating agency is being authorized to rate the services of the Project Arrow using a five star rating formula. Best achievers under the program will be rewarded suitably and their services will be recognized.

The final aim of Project arrow is to become a working model for integration of services of the post office. The project will see to it that the customer will feel the difference! (PIB Features)