Another blow to the #PostalService in India. After axeing low-cost #book delivery services in favour of one that only transports government-prescribed textbooks (read: boring stuff and pre-approved propaganda) they're planning to merge #RegisteredPost with #SpeedPost. For those who don't know the difference:

📦 Registered Post basically adds registration onto ordinary letters and parcels, making them trackable for a small fixed charge. You can choose to pay the registration fee, or leave it out and send things untracked (the default)

🚚 Speed Post is meant for express deliveries and things you want to send across fast. The cost increases with distance travelled, so while it starts with similar rates they suddenly rise dramatically. Postal workers are already incentivised to push Speed Post over registration for those who don't know better

If they're merging them, they'll most probably just get rid of registration which will mean sending things by express delivery whether you want it or not, and charging ₹30.00 or more to send even a registered inland instead of ₹19.50

This is a far cry from the original #PrintedBooks service which let me sent a decent sized *book* across for ₹3.00 (not a typo) or ₹20.50 with registration.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/postal-department-to-merge-speed-and-registered-posts-from-september-1/article69874307.ece

#IndiaPost