A UPI-only payment rule for registered post at post offices in Rohtas is leaving rural residents, senior citizens and other customers without access to a basic postal service, according to a report by the Times of India. The rule requires customers to pay registration charges digitally and no longer permits cash payments at counters.
Sasaram head post office postmaster Anil Kumar Singh confirmed that registration fees can be paid only through UPI and that cash payments are no longer accepted at the counter. The change has affected customers who do not own smartphones, lack internet access or do not have a UPI-enabled bank account.
An employee at the head post office told the newspaper that several customers visit daily to send articles through registered post but are forced to return when they cannot complete the digital payment. The problem is reported to be more acute in rural areas, where cash remains important for many transactions and older residents may have limited familiarity with digital payment systems.
The issue came to public attention when Utkarsh Paswan, a senior citizen, visited the post office on Saturday to send an article by registered post. He was told that the Rs 80 registration fee could not be paid in cash and had to be settled through UPI. Paswan did not have access to the facility and sought help from other customers, but was ultimately unable to make the payment and returned without sending the article.
The reported disruption illustrates how a digital payment requirement can become a service-access barrier when it is applied to a public-facing institution serving customers with different levels of financial and technological access. Residents cited elderly people, daily-wage workers and economically weaker sections among those who may be unable to complete a UPI transaction even when they can pay the required amount in cash.
Customers also said that alternatives were limited. They claimed that sending an article by speed post could cost around Rs 55, making it a relatively expensive option for people who simply want to send a routine postal article. The difference in service options means that customers unable to use UPI may either pay more or abandon the transaction altogether.
Residents said digital payment facilities should be available without removing a cash option for customers who depend on it. Their concern is not opposition to UPI, which is widely used, but the risk that a mandatory digital process can exclude people who lack the device, connectivity, banking access or confidence required to use it.
The report did not indicate whether the Department of Posts has issued a broader directive covering all Rohtas post offices or whether a cash-payment alternative will be restored. The immediate issue remains whether customers unable to use UPI can access registered-post services at the counter without being turned away.
