Army Postal Service (India)

The Army Postal Service (APS) functions as a government-operated military mail system in India. A primary feature of Army Postal Service systems is that normally they are subsidized to ensure that military mail posted between duty stations abroad and the home country (or vice versa) does not cost the sender any more than normal domestic mail traffic. In some cases, Indian military personnel in a combat zone may post letters and/or packages to the home country for free, while in others, senders located in a specific overseas area may send military mail to another military recipient, also located in the same overseas area, without charge. Officers are deputed primarily from the Indian Postal Service and from the Army Corps. Army Postal Service is the only service that enables civil service officers to work in the armed forces.

Army Postal Service Corps
Senā ḍāka sevā
Agency overview
Formed1856 (1856) [1]
TypeMilitary
Postal Service
HeadquartersSena Dak Bhawan
MottoHindi : Mela-milāpa
English : Reconciliation (Restoration of friendly relations)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Major General MK Khan, Additional Director General Army Postal Service [2]
Parent departmentDept. of Post , Government of India
Parent agencyIndian Armed Forces
WebsiteAPS Indian Army
Postal stamps issued in 2006 on 150 Years of the Field Post Office

Activities

Army Postal Service provides Postal, Remittance, Savings & Insurance services to Army, Indian Navy, Air Force and Paramilitary forces personnel through 500 Field Post Offices established across the country. It also provides cover to Indian troops deployed with United Nations Peace Keeping Forces abroad.[3][2]

Organisational set-up

The head of Army Postal Service is the Additional Director General, Army Postal Service at Army Headquarters in the rank of Major General. He is assisted by Deputy Director General, Army Postal Service in the rank of Brigadier at Army Headquarters.[4]

The two Command Based Post Offices at Delhi and Kolkata and Army Postal Service Centre at Kamptee, Nagpur are commanded by commandants in the rank of colonel. The Officers Commanding Corps/Divisional/Area/Border Roads/Assam Rifles/Air Force Postal Units in the rank of Lt Col/ Major/Captain monitor the functioning of Field Post Offices (FPOs) under their control and discharge the functions of the Postal Advisor to the General-Officer-Commanding. Two Central Base Post Offices and Section Base Post Offices serve as the nodal points for mail processing. The Central Base Post Offices are 56 and 99 APO operating out of New Delhi (No. 1 CBPO) and Kolkata (No. 2 CBPO), respectively. 99 APO covers all formations in the eight north-eastern states, West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands through its network of nearly 130 FPOs. 56 APO covers the rest of the country through its network of 50 FPOs.[5]

Badge

The current badge of the Army Postal Service was approved in February 1978. The badge consists of a flying swan (Raj Hans) encased by a wheat stalk wreath in a semi-oval shape. The wheat stalk signifies growth and prosperity. The 'Raj Hans' is a mythical bird messenger, representing the function of mail handling by the Corps. The words 'Mail-Milap' (which means 'union through mail') and 'Sena Dak Seva' in Hindi are embodied on scrolls in the badge.[6][5]

Head of Army Postal Service
List of Heads of APS [7]
NameFromTo
Brigadier DS Virk, AVSM1 March 197210 March 1972
Brigadier OP Raghava, AVSM13 March 197230 December 1978
Major General SK Anand, AVSM1 January 197931 May 1989
Major General SP Chopra, VSM1 June 198931 March 1993
Major General BP Das, AVSM25 May 19931 November 1996
Major General KK Srivastava, VSM14 December 199629 March 2001
Major General RS Kareer30 March 200130 September 2002
Major General SK Sen, VSM1 October 200231 May 2004
Major General V Sadasivam, VSM1 June 200424 February 2010
Major General ARA Sah18 June 201015 September 2011
Major General AK Shori10 October 201131 March 2015
Major General Meena Datta 21 October 201521 December 2018
Major General PS Negi22 December 201822 December 2019
Major General DV Mahesh24 December 201919 January 2022
Major General MK Khan17 February 2022Till date

References
  1. "HISTORY APS". Indian Army. Government of India. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. "Organisation". Indian Army. Govt. of India. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. "Activities APS". Indian Army. Government of India. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  4. "How does the Army Post Office System Work?". Pitara. 26 December 2000. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  5. "Care of the Flying Swan". 13 March 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  6. "President approves new postal badge" (PDF). 28 February 1978. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  7. "Heads of Service APS". Retrieved 2 April 2021.
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