New Delhi: India Post is set to introduce a new express service, '24 Speed Post', offering guaranteed next-day delivery for parcels, consignments, and other time-sensitive articles, the government announced on Monday.
The Department of Posts (DoP) will officially launch the service on Tuesday, March 17, aimed at ensuring urgent consignments reach their destinations within 24 hours, the Ministry of Communications said.
The launch event will be held at the Rang Bhawan Auditorium in Akashvani Bhawan at 12:30 pm, with Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia and Minister of State for Communications Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani officiating, in the presence of senior DoP officials.
The '24 Speed Post' service is designed to strengthen express logistics and provide assured next-day delivery across major metropolitan cities. In its first phase, the service will be available in six metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
In addition, the DoP will offer '24 Speed Post' and '48 Speed Post' services with guaranteed delivery timelines of D+1 and D+2 days, supported by dedicated processing windows and priority air transmission.
Customers will benefit from OTP-based secure delivery and end-to-end tracking with SMS alerts, ensuring real-time updates on the status of consignments.
For business clients, the department will provide facilities including ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL), free pickup for bulk bookings, API integration, and centralised billing. The services will also feature a money-back guarantee in case of delays, reinforcing India Post’s premium express delivery offerings.
Earlier this month, Dr Pemmasani, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, highlighted that the DoP has undertaken multiple initiatives in the parcel and e-commerce segment to evolve into a major public logistics organisation. These initiatives aim to modernise the parcel processing and delivery ecosystem, enhancing speed, reliability, and customer experience through standardised systems nationwide.
The minister also noted efforts to strengthen last-mile delivery via Nodal Delivery Centres for mechanised and dedicated parcel handling. Under the Advanced Postal Technology (APT) 2.0 project, India Post has introduced real-time delivery updates, OTP-based delivery, and API integration with e-commerce partners.
With IANS inputs