Shillong GPO renovated, virtually inaugurated by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia as India Post launches new digital services

The renovated Shillong General Post Office (GPO) was virtually inaugurated on August 24 by Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, along with 13 other renovated post offices across the country.

The inauguration was held as part of a national-level programme at Rang Bhavan in New Delhi, where Scindia also launched the Dak Seva App and Dak MITRA App, aimed at making postal services faster, more accessible and citizen-centric.

At the Shillong programme, Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh, MLA, Chief Postmaster General of the North Eastern Circle Joseph Lalrinsailova, Executive Engineer Monjurlang Dkhar and Deputy Director Yow Peter Raiphea, along with officials and staff of the Department of Posts, were present.

Scindia said the Department of Posts has undertaken several initiatives to modernise postal infrastructure and strengthen technology-enabled service delivery, with a focus on improving efficiency and ensuring services reach citizens, including at the last mile.

The Dak Seva App brings multiple postal services onto a single digital platform, allowing users to locate post offices, book and track parcels, request pickups, make digital payments and access selected Postal Life Insurance, Rural Postal Life Insurance and Post Office Savings Bank services. The app is available in 23 Indian languages.

The Dak MITRA App, deployed across around 1.3 lakh Branch Post Offices, enables postal employees and Gramin Dak Sevaks to manage savings bank, insurance, mail and parcel services through a secure digital interface featuring OTP-based services and two-factor authentication.

Minister of State for Communications Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the Department of Posts has undergone significant transformation through technology upgrades, policy reforms, organisational improvements and modern infrastructure.

According to the department, more than 110 post offices have been remodelled within universities, while around 40 post offices have been established in major cities. The department also highlighted the use of ABT 2.0 for real-time logistics monitoring and last-mile tracking.

The modernisation drive comes as India Post continues to play a major role in financial inclusion and last-mile service delivery, with around 40 crore Post Office Savings Bank accounts and 4 crore Sukanya Samriddhi accounts, besides handling approximately 7.5 crore parcels and 90 crore registered and Speed Post articles annually.

The renovation of the Shillong GPO is expected to strengthen postal infrastructure in Meghalaya and the wider Northeast, while the newly launched digital platforms are aimed at providing citizens with a more convenient and technology-enabled postal service experience.