Andhra Pradesh gets own postal circle

Vijayawada: Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the AP Postal Circle and AP Telecom Circle here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Union minister of state for communications Manoj Sinha said that postal department played a key role in Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme in the country.

He said the department has been adopting technology and innovative schemes and expressed happiness that the AP telecom sector was making profits.

Stating that Digital India was the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Sinha said that by March 2017, one lakh villages will be connected digitally. He hoped that BSNL will compete with other private players and get No. 1 position soon.

He assured the AP government to implement the assurances made in the AP Reorganisation Act in letter and spirit and also fulfil the demands of pending railway projects. He released a special AP postal cover with photos of eminent personalities.

Mr Chandrababu Naidu said that the state government was ready to work with BSNL in implementing optical fibre grid project in the state. He assured to allot five acres of land to the postal department in Amaravati for setting up its southern headquarters.

The CM said that the government would consider the plea of postal department to provide space for postal department in village panchayat offices.

Mr Venkaiah Naidu said was a special state for the Central government and it would extend total cooperation for the development of the state.

Reminding that there were 1,54,939 post offices in the country, he said 16,150 of these were in AP. He said post offices are playing a key role in transferring the benefits of welfare schemes direct into the accounts of beneficiaries.

Union minister Sujana Chowdary, MPs Kesineni Srinivas and K. Haribabu, ministers Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao and Kamineni Srinivas, and postal and telecom officials were present.