West Bengal has launched five Next Gen post offices with free Wi-Fi, printing facilities, contemporary seating and refreshments in an effort to make postal services more accessible to younger, digitally connected users. The facilities have opened at IIT Kharagpur, Kolkata University, Jadavpur University, Haldia Institute of Technology and Kalyani.
The new post offices will include modern chairs and tables, sofas, tea and coffee facilities, and access to newspapers and magazines, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. The initiative is designed to bring a new generation into the postal network while retaining the post office as a place for communication and public services.
Ashok Kumar, chief postmaster general of the West Bengal Circle, said that each facility costs approximately Rs 20 lakh. He also said that Burdwan University, Rabindra Bharati University and Visva-Bharati University had expressed interest in introducing similar facilities.
Riju Gangopadhyay, the postmaster general responsible for South Bengal and Sikkim, said the department was creating an environment in which post offices could become preferred spaces for younger people. The programme is being positioned as a broader redesign of the postal user experience rather than only an upgrade of counters and equipment.
The department is also considering a digitally enabled locker post office at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur. The report said that similar facilities are available in Mumbai. In Kolkata, plans are being considered to modernise the post offices in Ballygunge and Sarat Bose Road, following the model of the Kankurgachhi sub-post office.
The launch took place alongside the start of National Postal Week and World Post Day observances. The postal department also inaugurated a special cover on Durga Puja as intangible cultural heritage. The final day of the postal week, October 15, will focus on technology and innovation, according to the report.
The modernisation programme is also linked to the department’s plans to expand beyond conventional mail services. Ashok Kumar said e-commerce would be a key priority. The West Bengal postal department has signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government for distributing Ayushman Bharat cards, while another initiative with the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited will use Speed Post to send farmers and landowners information about the benefits and subsidies associated with solar power.
The department is also planning logistics support for seed distribution and will work with the agriculture department, with the stated aim of preventing intermediaries from capturing the benefits. The next steps include assessing interest from additional educational institutions and advancing the proposed digital locker and city post-office modernisation projects.
