Parliament Question: Criteria for Upgradation of Post Offices to Head Post Office

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3175 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11TH MARCH, 2026 CRITERIA FOR UPGRADATION OF POST OFFICES TO HEAD POST OFFICE 3175. SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT: SHRI SANJAY UTTAMRAO DESHMUKH: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether there are any rules/criteria for upgrading any post office in the country to a Head Post Office and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether any proposal is under consideration of the Government to upgrade any post offices in various districts particularly Washim-Yavatmal Lok Sabha Constituency of Maharashtra to Head Post Offices; (c) if so, the present status of such proposals; (d) the reasons that despite Washim district being a new district no Head Post Office is available there; (e) whether the Government is aware that due to the absence of Head Post Offices, citizens are being deprived of various postal services and other facilities; and (f) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard and the time by when new Head Post Offices are expected to be established in various districts of Maharashtra? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) Yes, Sir. The criteria for upgradation of a Post Office to a Head Post Office are given at Annexure. (b) & (c) Establishment/upgradation of a Post office to Head Post office is a dynamic process. The proposals in this regard are examined in terms of extant Establishment Norms. Further, no such proposal for upgradation of Post Office to Head Post Office in Washim-Yavatmal Lok Sabha Constituency is under consideration in the Department. (d) As per the extant norms, there is no justification for head post office in the Washim District. (e) & (f) The Department of Posts provides postal services through its extensive network of Head Post Offices, Sub Post Offices and Branch Post Offices. All of the postal services available at Head Post Offices are also provided through Sub Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, ensuring that citizens continue to receive postal services without inconvenience. 1Annexure STANDARDS FOR CONVERSION OF LSG SUB POST OFFICE INTO HEAD POST OFFICE AND BIFURCATION OF HEAD POST OFFICE: 1. Each district should have a head post office provided a minimum of 20 sub post offices can be attached to it. In the case of backward areas or places where there will be a definite improvement in financing sub post offices/branch post offices, a lower standard may be adopted, subject to the approval of the Directorate. 2. If there is no HO in a district, opening of HO can be considered, if at least 20 SOs in the same district can be attached with advantage, to the proposed HO irrespective of the fact whether parent HO has 6O SOs or not. It has, however, to be ensured that such up gradation does not bring the number of SOs in account with residuary HO below 20. 3. An existing HO should be bifurcated, if the number of sub offices attached to it exceeds 60. It should, however, be ensured that as a result of the change neither the new nor old HO has less than 20 sub offices attached to it. Note: Sub-Offices include Departmental Sub - Offices justified purely on the workload basis. ***** 2