VALUE ADDED SERVICES (Post Office Regulations 2024)

CHAPTER IX

VALUE ADDED SERVICES  

A. DOMESTIC ITEMS

 

132. Registration of domestic items. - (1) The items, as may be specified by administrative instructions, may be tendered for registration, on payment of a fee as mentioned in Table I of Schedule IV:    

     Provided that no fee shall be charged for the registration of blind literature item.  

2. The item, which is registered under this regulation, shall be addressee specific, and booked against a receipt, which shall be delivered to the addressee or an authorised person against a signed receipt.  
3. No such item shall be accepted for registration, where the item is insured or is intended to be insured for any specific sum.

133. Insurance of domestic items. - (1) Any accountable item, shall be insured for the value not exceeding one lakh rupees at identified booking centres or post offices and on payment of such fee as mentioned in Table II of Schedule IV.    

2. Where currency or bank notes are dispatched by insured post, the value shall not exceed twenty thousand rupees.  

     Provided that in no case such value shall exceed the real value of the contents of the item insured:  

     Provided further that items containing precious metals (including gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals), precious stones (including diamond or other precious stones), jewellery or any combination of these in conformity with the definitions in the applicable law of the land for the time being in force or other valuable contents, shall be insured and for the actual value of the contents.  

3. Insurance service may also be provided by the Post Office through a third-party insurance provider as may be specified by administrative instructions.

 

4. The sender shall declare on the item, the actual value of the contents at the time of booking of the item.  
5. Items to which the insurance system is applicable shall be those which contain bank notes, currency notes, bonds, coupons, securities, parcels containing valuables, and other documents of the kind.  
6. Documents of value such as deeds, plans, contracts, autographs, rare manuscripts, may also be sent by insured post, provided that where documents have value by reason of the cost of their preparation, the insured value may not exceed the cost of replacing them in case of loss limited to the maximum limit of Post Office.  
7. Insurance shall cover all risks, except acts of God, or occurrences such as war, riots, civil commotions, arrest or restrained or seizure under legal process, order, restriction or any prohibition imposed by the Central Government, in the course of transmission by post.

 

8. The sender of an insured item under this regulation shall be entitled to obtain free of charge a proof of delivery of its delivery signed by the addressee or authorised person:

Provided further that in case, if the proof of delivery does not reach the sender of the registered item, then a certificate of delivery shall be issued by Post Master or officer-in-charge of the delivery post office, on demand of the customer and shall be given to the sender in electronic form.  

9. Items containing any of the following items may not be insured against damage, but they may be insured against loss only, on payment of fees on the same scale as those for insurance of other items against loss or damage, that is to say, liquids and substances which easily liquefy, perishable items and fragile items, such as, china glassware, millinery, gramophone records, etc.
10. The sender of an item may waive his claim to compensation in favour of the addressee.
11. The detailed conditions of packaging for insured items shall be as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.  
12. Compensation in respect of insured items shall be payable as mentioned in regulation 74.  

134. Airmail service. - Items intended to be posted for transmission by air, shall be charged an airmail fee, in addition to the postage and other fee payable under the regulations, as mentioned in Table II of Schedule I.    
135. Cash on delivery (COD) items. - (1) Cash on delivery shall be made available by the Post Office for a fee as mentioned in Table III of Schedule IV, where an amount is to be recovered from addressee on delivery of such item and shall be remitted to the sender in the manner as may be specified by administrative instructions.

(2) Cash on delivery may be availed for items, subject to the following conditions, namely: -  

1. retail customers and customers shall sign an agreement with the concerned authority of the Post Office;
2. the amount specified for recovery from addressee shall be as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time;
3. such items do not contain any prohibited items; and
4. insurance of Cash on Delivery items may be availed by sender.

136. Proof of delivery. - (1) The sender of any domestic accountable item may request for a proof of delivery, which shall be provided to him or her on delivery of the item on payment of fees as mentioned in Table IV of Schedule IV in addition to the postage or fees for any other value-added service.

2. The proof of delivery, shall be signed in ink by the addressee or an authorised person, or if the addressee refuses to so sign, shall be accompanied by statement to the effect that the addressee or his duly authorised person has refused to so sign:  

     Provided that the Director General may specify by administrative instructions other means of recording proof of delivery and sharing the same with the sender.

3. In case of a physical proof of delivery, the same shall be processed as an accountable item.
4. The sender may obtain an attested copy of the original receipt on payment of prescribed fee, in a manner as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time:

     Provided that no such fee shall be charged on blind literature item.  

137. Services relating to pre-mailing activities. - Every post office shall provide premailing activities, which may include printing, collection, addressing and franking on various items as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time and at the rates mentioned in Table V of Schedule IV.  

B. INTERNATIONAL ITEMS

138. Registration of international items. - (1) Letters, post cards, small packets, printed papers, aerogrammes, literature for the blind and M-Bag may be registered at any post office for transmission to countries or territories and places served by the Post Office, subject to such exceptions as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time.  

2. Provisions relating to the registration of domestic items, shall be equally applicable to registered items sent or received by the foreign post.  
3. In addition to the postage, a fee shall be charged for the registration of the international items as mentioned in Table VI of Schedule IV:    

     Provided that no fees shall be payable for the registration of a blind literature packet.

139. Insurance of International items. - (1) International letter post, parcel post and express mail service items may be insured at any post office:  

         Provided that letter post item tendered for insurance, not required to be registered.

2. The fee for insurance shall be as mentioned in Table VII of Schedule IV.  
3. Insurance service may also be provided by the Post Office through a third-party insurance provider as may be specified by administrative instructions.

 

140. International items with precious metals.- (1) An item containing precious metals (including gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals), precious stones (including diamond or other precious stones), jewellery or any combination of these, whether manufactured or not, coins, bank notes, currency notes, securities of any kind payable to bearer, travellers’ cheques, except as otherwise specified by administrative instructions, shall not be accepted for transmission by post, unless the sender also agrees to insure it at the actual value of the content, as specified by administrative instructions.

2. Where an international insured letter post, parcel post, or express mail service item containing objects as mentioned in sub-regulation (1), is addressed to a country or territory where insurance is not available, such items shall be insured for its domestic transit within the limits of India for the actual value of the content.
3. If an uninsured international item, declared to contain or manifestly containing any of the objects of the value specified in sub-regulation (1), is received from a foreign country or territory, the parcel shall be forwarded to the destination and delivered to the addressee subject to the payment of a fee for insurance on the declared value of the contents, or on the value assessed by the customs authorities, whichever is higher:

         Provided that such item is refused by the addressee, it shall be returned to the country or territory of origin.

141. Redirected or returned international item. -Where an insured international parcel, which has been redirected or returned as undeliverable, is received in India subject to a fresh insurance fee by reason of its having been so redirected or returned, such fee shall be recoverable on delivery, as if it were postage due.
142. Compensation payable.- (1) When an international letter post or parcel post, has been posted in and insured by  the post office and when such letter or parcel has been lost, or the contents thereof have abstracted or damaged in the course of transmission by post,  compensation not exceeding the amount for which such letter or parcel has been insured, shall be payable to the sender except in the case of a parcel in respect of which the administration of the country or territory of destination decides to pay compensation to the addressee under the same:  

 Provided that no compensation shall be paid in respect of letter post, parcel post or express mail service item sent by or addressed to -  

1. a prisoner of war, either directly or through a National Information Bureau or Central Information Agency referred to in Geneva Convention of the 12th August, 1949, relating to the treatment of prisoners of war;
2. a belligerent, received and interned in a neutral country;
3. a civilian internee, as defined in the Geneva Convention of the 12th August, 1949, relating to the protection of civilian persons in time of war, either directly or through a National Information Bureau or in Central Information Agency referred to in that Convention; and
4. a National Information Bureau or a Central Information Agency regarding prisoners of war.

2. Whenever an addressee has made reservations at the time of  taking delivery of letter post, parcel post or express mail service items , the contents of which have been abstracted or damaged, or has, after taking delivery thereof, immediately made a complaint of abstraction or damage to the administration of the office of delivery and proved that the abstraction or damage did not take place after the delivery, the compensation payable shall be payable to the sender and no claim for the payment of compensation to the addressee shall be entertained.
3. When a letter post, parcel post or an express mail service item insured by a foreign administration is lost, or the contents thereof are abstracted or damaged, compensation shall be payable by the Indian Post Office to the addressee up to an amount not exceeding that for which it has been insured, if he claims such compensation after having made reservation in taking delivery and if he furnished proof that the sender has waived his rights to such compensation in  favour of the addressee.
4. The compensation payable, in no case, exceeds actual value of the item, insured value, or amount of loss occasioned by the abstraction of, or damage to, the contents of the item, whichever is lower and any resultant loss of profits or other indirect loss shall not be taken into consideration in the assessment of such compensation.  

143. Surface airlift and air surcharge. – (1) Letters, small packets, printed paper, literature for the blind, post card, and M-bag may be accepted at any post office for transmission-  

1. by surface airlifted, subject to such exceptions as may be specified by administrative instructions, on payment of fee for surface airlift as mentioned in Table III of Schedule III;
2. by air, subject to such exceptions as may be specified by administrative instructions, on payment of fee for air surcharge as mentioned in Table IV of Schedule III.    

(2)  The fee specified in sub-regulation (1) shall be chargeable in addition to the postage and other applicable fee or charges.  

144. Advice of delivery. - (1) The sender of a registered letter-post item, international air parcel, insured item, or express mail service item posted in India and addressed to any country or territory shall be entitled to apply for advice of delivery in the form CN 07 at the time of posting by paying a fee, in addition to the postage and other fee, at the rates as mentioned in Table VIII of Schedule IV.   Explanation. - For the purposes of this sub-regulation, “Form CN07” means the relevant forms specified in this behalf by the Universal Postal Union.

2. When the sender enquires about an advice of delivery of an item which is not received within the normal period, as may be specified by administrative instructions from time to time, no fee shall be collected for inquiries and requests for information.
3. When the sender of such item posted in India and addressed to any country or territory who is a member of Universal Postal Union, has not paid the fee for advice of delivery and desires to have an enquiry made by the Post Office regarding the disposal of item, he shall be entitled to this service without any charge.
4. The advice of delivery of the items referred to in this regulation shall be returned to the sender by the quickest means which includes electronic exchange of advices of delivery.