Indian Postal Service (IPoS), of the Group “A” Civil Services, was formed in 1948. An IPoS Officer is responsible in running the ‘India Post’, which is the largest postal network in the world providing services which range from traditional postal services to banks and e-commerce services.
In the country, the Postal network is divided into 22 Postal Circles for administrative convenience. A Chief Postmaster General heads each circle. These Circles are then further divided into Regions consisting of groups of field units, called Divisions (Postal/ RMS Divisions), and a Postmaster General heads each Region. In addition to these twenty-two Circles, there is also a separate wing called the Army Postal Service (APS) Corps which takes care of the postal needs of the Armed Forces.
The Army Postal Service is appointed as the Base Circle, directed by the Additional Director General. The country has a total of 1.55 lakh Post Offices comprising Head Post Offices, General PO, Sub Post Offices and Branch Post Offices.
It Indian Postal Service (IPoS) also provides some non-commercial services such as old-age pensions and MGNREGA wages. For the post office hierarchy in India, the IPoS cadre officers are the higher grade officers. The cadre is controlled by the authority of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India for this service.
Note- For further details about the UPSC Civil Service Examination, go to the link- https://www.upsc.gov.in/.
Functions of an IPoS Officer
- Management of divisions in different Indian postal services while monitoring the performances.
- Administering the control of Mail and Post offices in the division.
- Making Plans for Optimization and expansion of the postal network inside a division
- Technology management, financial management and materials management including maintenance of post offices, letterboxes, etc.
- Marketing of various Indian Post services and products such as Banking and Insurance
- Handling of Public Grievance Redressal System and customer relations
- Coordinating with government agencies such as Police, District Administration, other public authorities etc.
- Management of personnel, Recruitment, Promotion, and Transfer of employees in the division.
Among the Group ‘A’ Services, IPoS is contemplated to have the best promotional prospects.
Grades and Pay Scales of an IPoS Officer
The pay structure and rank of an IPOS Officer are as follows:
| Rank | Pay Level |
| Director-General of Post Offices | Rs.225000 |
| Member Postal Services Board | Rs.205400 |
| Chief Postmaster General | Rs.144200 |
| Postmaster General | Rs.131100 |
| Director of Postal Services | Rs. 78800 |
| Assistant Director/Assistant Postmaster General | Rs. 67700 |
| SSPO/SSRM | Rs. 56100 |
Designation of an IPoS Officer during field posting
- SSPOs- Senior Superintendent of Post Offices
- SSRM- Senior Superintendent Railway Mail Service
- CPM- Chief Postmaster
- APMG- Assistant Postmaster General
Recruitment of Indian Postal Service (IPoS) is conducted via the UPSC Civil Services Examination. The candidates after selection for the IPoS starts their career as SSPOs or SSRM.
Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officers are also recruited through promotion from ‘Group B’ officers of Indian Post.
Note- To know more about Civil Services Examination, visit the detailed article about UPSC Posts.
Training of Indian Postal Service Probationers
Indian Postal Service (IPoS) training stages:
- Stage 1: Foundation Course(F.C.) training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) Missouri, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, National Academy of Direct Taxes Nagpur etc. based on the recommendations/ identification of the Department of Personnel and Training (DOP&T).
- Stage 2: The Professional training in management and administration of postal services is given by Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy(RAKNPA).
Eligibility Criteria
- The eligibility criteria for Indian Postal Service eligibility criteria is similar to the other civil services posts. After the candidate clears the civil services and gets allotment to the service as per his/her rank, and he/she then have to undergo through specified training.
- Apart from this, an IPoS Officer can also be promoted from Group ‘B’ who are already in service of the Indian Postal Service. Still, the only condition is that the candidates must serve in the service for at least three years.
Tip- To understand UPSC CS exam in depth please refer to the below-mentioned book-
Book Details– Post-Independence India: For Civil Services Examinations.
Note- To know more about the UPSC posts and grade, please click on the link- UPSC Posts and Ranks.
Summary/Overview
This article gives us an overview of the Indian Postal Service, which is one among the Group ‘A’ Central Civil Services. It comes under the department of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Topics covered in this article
- The definition of the service
- Defines the role and responsibilities of an IPos Officer
- Ranks and Salary (Payscale)
- Helps us understand the process of training
- Describes the eligibility criteria to be an IPoS Officer
Note- For the syllabus go to – UPSC CSE 2020 Syllabus