The Internet revolution has allowed rapid exchange of communication through email. However, the Internet has not yet reached most of the rural India and other remote areas. To bridge this digital divide and to bring the benefit of the revolutionary Internet technology to people living in these areas, Department of Posts (DOP) has introduced epost. The NIC Cell at DOP has designed and developed the web based software and the service was recently inaugurated at a national level by Sh. Vijay Bhushan , Secretary (Posts) in a special function. Dr. N. Vijayaditya, DG(NIC) also graced the occasion. The entire infrastructure setup for the hosting of this application has been done at the Internet Data Centre at NIC HQ. ‘epost’ is a service under which printed or even handwritten messages of customers are scanned and transmitted as email through Internet. At the destination offices, these messages are printed, enveloped and delivered through postmen like other letters at the concerned postal addresses. For this purpose, epost centres have been set up in the Post Offices, covering all the revenue districts and major towns. These epost centres are equipped with Internet connection, computers, printers and other necessary equipment. However, epost service is not limited to the epost centres. It can be availed of from any Post Office. Irrespective of whether a customer is in a metropolis or in a remote village, he can send and receive epost messages. The messages booked at Post Offices which are not designated epost centres, are sent to epost centres for scanning and dispatch. Similarly, messages received at epost centres for areas beyond their delivery jurisdiction are printed and sent to concerned Post Offices for delivery. Besides availing epost service through Post Offices, it can also be accessed from customer’s home or office if he has a computer and Internet access. The customer can make payment through a prepaid card that is available from head post offices. The customer has to register as a user, and can access the service at the epost portal http://indiapost.nic.in . At present, only text messages can be sent in this mode. The epost messages can also be sent to email ID(s) anywhere in the world. Booking can be done from both a Post Office or from customer’s computer at home or office. Booking from a Post Office ™ Customer to bring a hand written or printed message to any Post Office. It does not matter in which language it is written. ™ The message may be in text format, or may contain pictures or both. ™ Any number of pages can be booked. However, no page should be more than A4 in size (8.27” x 11.69”). ™ The name and address, with PIN code, of the addressee(s) and sender should be clearly and legibly written on top of the message. Messages can be sent to Postal addresses in India only. ™ The message (only text for the time being) can also be handed over in a floppy, along with clearly written addresses and email Ids of the recipients, if any. Customer must ensure that the floppy is virus free. The size should be such as can be printed on a A4 size paper. ™ The Post Office, if it is an epost Centre, would scan the message and issue a receipt for the tariff. ™ In case the Post Office is not an epost Centre, it would retain the message. The payment would be in the form of postage stamps affixed on the top right of the message sheet. The Post Office will deface the postage stamps with the date stamp and issue a receipt for tariff to the customer. The receipt meant for registered articles may be used for this purpose, after cutting out the word ‘registered’ from the receipt. The Post office would put the message in a closed service envelope and send it to designated epost Centre for further transmission electronically. ™ The tariff, at present, is Rs. 10 per A4 size page, per addressee. Payment can be made only in cash. Booking from Customer’s Home/Office ™ Customer has to buy an epost prepaid cash card. These cards can be bought from select Post Offices and other outlets in denominations of Rs. 500 and 1000. ™ Customer can access the epost portal indiapost.nic.in and register as a user. Once registered, messages can be easily sent by following the online instructions. ™ epost messages can be sent to any postal addressee(s) in India and email ID(s), anywhere in the World. ™ Payment can be made online using the prepaid cash card only. Transmission & Delivery ™ The epost Centre would scan the message and send it as an email through the Internet to the nearest epost Centre of the addressee. ™ The destination epost Centre would print the message, put it in an envelope and would send it out for delivery through the postmen. The printing would be in Black & White only. ™ If the addressee is not within the delivery jurisdiction of the epost Centre, it would send the envelope to the Post Office in whose jurisdiction the addressee resides, for delivery to the addressee. In case the addressee is not found or the epost is refused, it shall be returned to the sender like an ordinary letter. epost messages are treated on par with the unregistered letters under the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, and no compensation for time taken, wrong delivery or loss of article etc is admissible. Besides making the benefits of Internet available even to Indians living in remote areas, epost enables businessmen and professionals to advertise their products and services to select customers. They can send their publicity material even from their or home or office from their computers, without having to spend for printing of advertisements and then on posting or hand delivering them. For further details, log on to http:// indiapost.nic.in