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NEW DELHI, INDIA: Communications Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday launched the 'e-Post Office' – the e-commerce portal of India Post which will provide postal transaction and tracking facilities to customers online, a statement said.

The portal will enable the customers to transact postal business any time and from anywhere using debit or credit cards.

"In the changing word, the ways we live are changing. Launch of e-Post is a step in this direction offering a bouquet of services to the consumers. This is in line with shift in marketing trend of service provider reaching the consumers," Sibal said.

The services offered by e-Post are electronic money order, instant money order, sale of philatelic stamps, postal information, and tracking of express and international shipments.NEW DELHI, INDIA: Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday he and other government officials met with industry officials to discuss various 2G-spectrum related issues.

During the meeting Sibal urged telecom operators to sort out their differences on the issue of spectrum allocation. He discussed the issues ranging from spectrum sharing, merger and acquisition, annual spectrum usage charge and rising disputes among the telecom firms.

"A range of issues were discussed. There were about 15 points that were on the table," Sibal told reporters. "Our effort is to take the stakeholders on board."

India is overhauling its decade-old telecoms policy in a bid to make the world's fastest-growing mobile market more transparent, after the sector was hit by scandal involving below-market price grant of licences and radio airwaves that a state auditor said caused revenue loss of up to $39 billion.

India's telecoms regulator, TRAI, had proposed steep rises in the price of second-generation (2G) mobile radio waves, drawing criticism from carriers Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar who could pay hundreds of millions of dollars more.
©Reuters A statement of intent was signed in this regard between the Department of Posts and the UIDAI in the presence of Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani.

“This is not a tactical, but a strategic partnership, where UIDAI will leverage the existing infrastructure of the DoP to reach out to the masses for providing UID,” a PTI report quoted UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani as saying while signing the agreement.

The Department of Post has offered to include one-and-a-half-lakh post offices for this purpose initially. The UIDAI has floated a request for quotation to finalise the agency that will set up and manage infrastructure for registration and distribution of UID cards at these post offices.

UIDAI Director General and Mission Director R S Sharma said that the RFQ will be opened in the next couple of days.

On the occasion, Sibal said the tie up was a step in the direction of the Government's resolve to bring about inclusive development in the country. He said this is a great moment in the history of India as the empowerment of villagers will take place through post offices. Post Office is the centre of activity for village community.

Sibal said India Post has geared itself to undertake this huge responsibility with due care and diligence. Delivery of AADHAAR to each resident will be available for tracking and confirmation.

“Empowerment of the man on the street is part of the agenda of any government committed to inclusive development. This is a step that will ensure the implementation of the agenda of inclusive development,” said Sibal.