MGNREGA, Sukanya Samriddhi payments through post offices soon

Payments under MGNREGA and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana will soon be made through post offices to ensure that welfare funds reach beneficiaries directly without any pilferage, the Centre today said.

Noting that the postal system symbolised the country's unity and played a major role in shaping modern India, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said post offices would never become 'past offices', as being dubbed by some, but would soon assume multifarious roles.

"In the near future, payments under MGNREGA and Sukanya Samruddha Yojana will be made through post offices," he said, adding the Centre's objective is to ensure welfare funds reach the beneficiaries directly without any pilferage.

Postal payment banks will soon be opened to make these payments as there are not many (commercial) bank branches," Venkaiah Naidu said after inaugurating the Andhra Pradesh Postal and Telecom circles here along with Union Communications Minister Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Post offices would also be in greater demand as many new financial products like credit, savings and current accounts, mutual funds, insurance and pensions would be operated through them, he said.

According to him, the communications department has an "onerous task to play a vital role in the making of a Digital India that will change the face of the country".

"BSNL has a brand name. It has got credibility. It has got a bright future. It is for you to work hard and the Centre will support you," Venkaiah Naidu told the telecom employees.

BSNL might face problems if it did not expand its cable network, install more towers, prevent call drops and render good services (to customers), he warned.

"BSNL was making profits in 2004 when Vajpayee left the government. By the time Modi took over in 2014, it was steeped in losses to the tune of thousands of crores. I don't want to criticise anybody for this. It has now started making profit again as there is a lot of transparency," the Union minister pointed out.

Chandrababu Naidu announced that BSNL would be allotted five acres of land in the capital city Amaravati for its state headquarters.

"We will also like to work with BSNL for implementing our Fibre Grid project. Its the first time in history that we are soon going to offer telephone, television channels and Internet through a single service at just Rs 149 a month," he said.