Postal Volume – V (DEFINITIONS)
1. PMG (Postmaster General) :-
Expression “Postmaster General” means
Principal chief Postmaster General
Chief Postmaster-General
Regional Postmaster General
Or director of Postal services
Any other officer exercising the powers of above
2. RMS (Railway mail service) : -
Service responsible for carriage of mails by ----rail, road, river, air And for collection
and Distribution of mails received from Post Office or Mail offices and SECTIONS.
3. Deleted RMS= RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
4. SP (Superintendent) :-
Superintendent of Post Offices is Chief officer in-charge of Postal divisions
and Superintendent RMS is chief officer in-charge of RMS divisions
Administrative charge of division – under his control
All officers in division – subordinate to him
Superintendent is immediately subordinate to – HOC & head of region
Expression “superintendent” includes
• Superintendent and Senior Superintendent of postal and RMS divisions
• 1St class postmaster
5. HO (Head Office) :--
Definition :-- A HO is main office of group of POs consisting of itself and number of
small Offices called Sub & branch offices which have been placed under its account
jurisdiction
Main office of account for – Itself (HO) and Sub or branch post offices within group
Monetary transactions of latter offices are incorporated in its account
Officer in charge – Head postmaster
5A. V-SAT stations :--
➢ Important HOs – are identified as very-small aperture terminalstations
➢ From these POs – MOs are transmitted using V-SAT technology
➢ Full from--- Very-small aperture terminal
5-B. ESMO :--
▪ Full from – Extended Satellite Money Order
▪ Working as – extension counters for booking and transmission of MOs through
V-SAT Stations.
5-C. Hybrid Mail Service :--
❖ Electronic transmission of written material from one place to another place using
computer Terminals connected through V-SAT
❖ Delivered to one or more addressee at receiving station
6. GPO (General post offices) :--
• Definition :-- 1st class HO situated at headquarter of head of circle or where there are
more Than one such HO, the one attached to HQ is termed as GPO
[TOTAL No. Of GPO in India 26]
• 1St class HOs are under the control and supervision of Senior Time Scale officer
He is called as – Chief Postmaster. He also same power exercise of SSPO
• 2nd class HOs – under control and supervision of – group ‘B’ officer
He reports to – Senior Superintendent of POs.
7. SO (Sub-Office) :--
Subordinate to and in account with Head office
Its mandatory transaction – Incorporated in the accounts of latter Office
Office in charge—Sub-Postmaster
Town sub office SO situated in a town or it’s suburbs where there is also a HO called
TSO
8. BO (Branch Office) :--
• Lower status than a sub office
• Account office of BO – may be HO or SO with which it is in direct account
• Its monetary Transactions are incorporated in account of latter office
• The officer in charge of a branch post office is called a branch postmaster.
• Town branch office – BO situated in a town or its suburbs where there is also HO
termed As Town BO
9 A. Transit Office :
❖ Definition—PO situated on a line of through mail communication and
receives and sorts Bags intended for offices in advance without opening them.
❖ Forward bags – Bags forwarded onwards unopened
❖ Transit bags addressed to transit office opened there and forward bags
contained in them Sent onwards, either loose or enclosed in other transit Bags.
❖ Use of transit office – reduce the number of loose bags
9 B. TMO (Transit Mail Office) :--
✓ Branch of – RMS
✓ Closed bags are received and dispatched but sorting of letters is not done in this unit
✓ Officer in charge of TMO – Mail agent/Mail guard
✓ This can function in a number of sets depending on requirements
✓ If TMO function in night set
▪ The set works throughout the night
▪ And will not work on next night
▪ And next night – another set will work in night
✓ Both these batches – will alternatively work
9C. CTMO (computerized transit Mail office) :--
In certain cities, computers are provided to handle the work of TMOs, called as
CTMOs
CTMO = computerized transit Mail office
10. Sorting – office :--
➢ Open the sorting Mail bags received by it
➢ And disposing of their contents
➢ Sorting office may receive all kind of articles in sorting
➢ Use of sorting office
• Simplify work of sorting in other offices
• Reduce number of bags exchanged between post offices
• Reduce weight of mails carried in mail lines
10-A. AMPC (Automatic mail processing Centres) :--
➢ In important cities where Mail tariff is high
➢ Sorting work is done with machines having high speed of sorting
➢ Machines types
Letter sorting machine (LSM)– 35,000 mails/hour
Mixed mail sorter – 18,000 mails/hour
10.B. CRC (computerized registration Centre) :--
Registration branch of Mail Office
Registration work done on computers
CRC can be situated in mail office itself or in separate location
11. Sorting Sub – Office
SO which is selected from its position at or near junction of several mail
lines
Serves as sorting office for articles addressed to or receive from offices to
which route lies
Through sorting SO
Authorized to receive articles of all kinds in sorting
11.A. NPO (Nodal post office) :--
➢ In important cities & towns some POs are authorized to receive letters from
neighbouring
POs
➢ Sort the mails as per sorting diagram given by RMS superintendent
➢ Reduce pressure in local sorting offices
11-B. Central Bagging Unit/Kendriya Bagging Unit(CBU/KBU) :--
Branch of RMS
Bundles prepared by POs/mail offices grouped and enclosed in direct bag in
this unit
12. RLO (Returned Letter office) :--
❖ Established at – Headquarters of a postal circle
❖ It deals with – Unclaimed articles
Refused articles
Articles without address
Incomplete address articles
Undecipherable address articles
12-A. Transcription Centre :--
Established in a sorting office, situated normally at headquarter of circle or
at any other
Convenient sorting office in circle
Address in regional language – transcribes into English
13)Office of exchange, office of exchange of transit, foreign PO, sub-foreign POs
13 A. Office of exchange:--
❖ Post office, Sorting office, Section Which exchanges mails with offices in
foreign Countries
❖ Dispatching offices of exchange – in respect of mails it makes up and
addresses to an office Of exchange in another country
❖ Receiving office of exchange – mails addressed to it by an office of exchange
from another Country
❖ Terms “outward office of exchange” and “inward office of exchange” – also
used to Describe them.
13 B. Office of exchange of transit :--
❖ Definition – An office of exchange on the border which only receives and
dispatches Closed bags addressed to or received from other offices of exchange
in India
❖ Not close – bags for foreign countries
❖ Not open – inward foreign bags
❖ Its function – only exchange mails with carrier or with the officials of a
foreign Administration
13 C. Foreign post-office :--
An office of exchange – in which work of assessment of custom duty on
foreign mails is Also carried out
Although mails may be intercepted in many exchange offices but work of
actual assessment Of duty done only in foreign POs
Article receive in office of exchange and suspected to contain dutiable
goods
¶ For delivery from an office nearer another office of exchange – directed to
latter for Actual examination and assessment of Duty
13.D. Sub – foreign PO :--
➢ Not an exchange office
➢ Not close bags for other countries and not receive bags from foreign
countries
➢ Work of custom examination, assessment and accounting of custom duty is
carried out
➢ Opened mainly for – convenience of Senders and addressees
Who required to present documents, etc. For release and dispatch of their
foreign Articles
14) Transit sections :--
Travelling offices of RMS working on railway or river steamer lines
Officer in charge of a set of a transit section – Mail Agent/ Mail Guard
Sections are numbered serially
Designated by – name of RMS Division followed by serial number
15) Mail office :--
Stationery office of RMS
Two types ---
1) Sorting mail offices
2) Transit Mail offices
Transit Mail office – deals with the closed bags only
Sorting mail office – deals with the contents of mail bags addressed to
them as well as with Closed forward bags
Officer in-charge of a set of a sorting Mail office – Head sorting assistance
Officer in-charge of a set of a transit mail office – Mail agent
15. A. CMO/BMO (Corporate mail office or bulk-mail centre):--
▪ Consequent on increase of corporate mail, RMS units, corporate mail
offices/bulk mail Offices are opened in big cities
▪ Bulk mailer: -- Firm posting of 5,000 unregistered or 250 registered articles at
a time
These bulk mailers are supplied with customized sorting list
▪ Bundles are prepared by – bulk mailer as per customized sorting list
▪ Detail of bundles entered in one invoice which is prepared in duplicate and
brought to BM Centre
▪ Officer-in-charge of Centre – verifies bundles received from each bulk Mailer
with Reference to invoice received and group them – destination wise for
dispatch.
15. B. MMC (Mass mailing Centre) :--
🫰 In big cities – in order to help customers who are regularly posting maximum
number of letters – DOP started – MMC
🫰 In MMC – loose letters, circulars and blank envelopes received from
customers
And help them
✓ In writing address
✓ Enclose circulars/letters in envelopes
✓ Affixing postage stamps
✓ Franking the mail
🫰 For this purpose – MMC may engage the College students, House wives,
Pensioners etc On payment of some amount on hourly basis
🫰 Customers will have to pay extra in addition to postage decide by
Department time to time
15. C. PSO (Press-sorting office)
❖ Situated on – premises of the newspaper
❖ The entire expenditure towards wages for the establishment is borne by the
Newspaper Publisher apart from providing required stationery for working the
sorting office.
❖ This office works to suit t he dispatch timing of the newspaper and closes
direct letter bags to the Post Offices/sorting offices concerned which are
dispatched through local regular Sorting offices.
16)Record office :--
➢ Stationary office of RMS
➢ Work papers – of section attached to it are prepared + checked + placed in
record
➢ All forms, Bags, Stationery Required for use of those sections are supplied
➢ Officer in charge of RO – Record officer
17) HRO (Head record office) :--
Stationery office is situated at headquarter of RMS division
Ordinary duties of Record office + salary and contingent bill sent for entire
division + accounts connected therewith are prepared
The official incharge of a Head Record Office is designated a Head Record
Officer.
18) Sub record office: --
❖ Stationary office of RMS
❖ Situated at – same station at mail office
❖ Work-papers of Mail office and sections attached to sub record office are
prepared checked and placed on record
❖ All forms, Bags, Stationery required for use of Mail office and section are
suppliers
❖ Officer in-charge of SRO – Sub record officer
❖ Sub record officer also work as Head sorting assistant, Sub sorting assistant,
Mail agent
18-A. Bag office :--
▪ For avoiding unnecessary movement of bags – system of bag accounting has
been introduced
• PO/RMS offices are classified into bag offices :
1) Unit bag office
2) District bag office
3) Circle bag office
4) Central bag office
• Unit bag office (UBO) :--
Every PO other than BO and EDSOs identified as unit bag office
This office is given a minimum/maximum bag balance once in a year by the SP
of POs on 1st July
Each unit bag office – maintain a day bag book
UBO submit a daily bag balance report – to its district bag office.
• District bag office(DBO)
Every HRO/SRO in RMS are defined as DBO
Maintain bag account for all types of bags category-wise for – bag received,
dispatched by sorting offices and TMOs attached to them and also for UBO attached to
them
In exceptional cases – HO can also function as DBO.
• Circle bag office(CBO)
❖ Postal store depot – situated at the headquarters of postal circle
❖ This office is responsible for the inspection of DBOs and UBOs and the verification of
bag balances. This office is also responsible for the procurement of Bags, distribution of
bags, repair and auction of bags.
• Central bag office
➢ “D” section of Postal directorate
➢ Does not deal with any bag
➢ Only deal with correspondence relating to procurement and distribution of bags.
19. Sorting Assistant.- The term Sorting Assistant is used to designate all officials in the
Railway Mail Service other than Supervising Officers, Mail Guards and Class IV servants.
20. Subsidiary Sorting Assistant.- A Sorting Assistant who works with a Sorting Office over
only a portion of its working hours to assist the set where the work is heavy is called a
Subsidiary Sorting Assistant.
21-B. Set of Mail office :--
RMS sorting assistants – which is on duty at same time in Mail office
Sets of a mail office are numbered in a consecutive series
Each set of Mail-office has
• Different working hours
• Different mail & sorting pattern
• Strength also varies depending upon volume of work.
22) Trip :--
❖ Journey performed by a set of a section travelling on duty from one end of its beat to
the other
❖ Out trip – from headquarter towards its out station
❖ In trip – towards it’s headquarter
23) Station and sorting articles :--
➢ Station articles – intended for delivery from PO to which they are sent
➢ But unpaid and insufficiently paid articles of letter mail intended for delivery
from sub and branch offices
• When send to HO/SO treated as station articles for HO/SO as the case may be
➢ Sorting articles:--
• Articles that are to be sorted by PO or Mail office to which they are sent
• And forwarded thence to office of Final Destination or to other sorting offices
Treated in sorting – as a single article
24) Labelled Bundle :--
Collection of faced unregistered articles of letter mail securely tied with check-Slip at the
top
Treated in sorting – as a single article
Opened by – office or section to which it is addressed
Labelled bundles – two classes
• Station Bundles
• Sorting Bundles
Station bundles – contain station unregistered articles
Paid articles bundles – consisting of only paid articles
Unpaid article bundle – consisting of only unpaid articles
Station bundles are prepared, ordinarily – when number of articles either paid or
unpaid – for any office exceed fourteen.
Sorting bundle – contain both paid and unpaid unregistered articles which are not
included in station bundles it has two types:
1) Express bbundles
2) Deferred bundles
1) Express bundle – contain article which required to be sorted immediately on
receipt by mail office or PO to which they are consigned
2)Deffered bundle – contain articles which can be disposed of later
When a sorting bundle prepared for a state
A clearly defined tract of country or a foreign country is termed as
Territorial Bundle.
Territorial bundles are prepared when – number of articles is 25 or more
Labelled bundles are – not due
Pre-sorted bundles received from customer as well as from POs
If they are station bundles should not be opened
If they are sorting bundles then they can be opened + sorted.
25) Check slip :--
Label tied to the top of labelled bundle
Printed on paper of different colours
• Pink – ordinary paid and unpaid bundles
• White – ordinary sorting bundles
• Blue – with words “air mail” for foreign air bundles
✓ White check slip used for both – Express and deferred bundle
For Express bundle –slip being marked on face with 2 diagonal lines in blue pencil
Local articles – slip being marked on face with two diagonal lines in green colour
Yellow strip in corner – for Rajdhani articles
Blue strip in corner – for Metro bundles
Every check slip bears
• Name + date stamp of office which prepares bundle
• Name of office to which it is addressed
• Signature in full of officer by whom it is made up
In case territorial bundle it also shows
• Name of state, territory etc.
• Office by which it is to be opened
Use of check slip – to fix responsibility for mis-sending of any article wrongly included
in labelled bundle
Thank you
