Post offices may soon become your neighbourhood super markets

Post offices were delivering Ganga jal -- a product concept that was a major hit recently has paved the way for a mega business strategy. In a reply to the delay of states in picking up from the central buffer stock, the Centre has decided to vend chana dal through post offices in India. With a wide network, this would definitely be a boost in the otherwise snoozy postal department.

With postal need having gone down, thanks to technology, the post offices need to find out alternatives. The best part of being available across the country will help it to be utilized.

"We have already talked to the postal department and they are keen to start this. To make a beginning, we will start selling chana dal at subsidised prices at some of the post offices since it's still selling at relatively high price," consumer affairs secretary Hem Pande told TOI.

The inter-ministerial panel while reviewing the availability and prices of essential commodities on Friday had suggested that in the absence of government outlets in states, postal networks should be tapped for distribution, according to the official press release.
In thee next few days they will work out how pulses in packets can be made available at post offices. "We will see whether our entities can do this. Already one agency, NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India), is selling pulses in Delhi through mobile vans," Pande added.

This is a makeshift arrangement by the centre until a professional agency to manage the buffer stock of food is arranged. The government has approved creating 20 lakh tonne buffer stock of pulses.