Chapter IV:- Payment of Postage, Stamps and Stationary Details With MCQ II PO Guide Part I II

Payment of Postage, Stamps and Stationary 

Clause No 09 to Clause No 14

9. Desirability of prepayment of postage – It is the endeavor of the Post Office to forward by the earliest possible mail and effect delivery as expeditiously as possible of all fully prepaid postal articles. Unpaid articles or articles on which the postage is not fully prepaid are not afforded any greater security in transmission over other unregistered mail. On the other hand, suc h articles are liable to detention for the purpose of taxing the postage due on them. The are, also, not issued along with the special deliveries intended only for unregistered mails but held over for the general deliveries for all classes of mail.
10. Postage Stamps and Stationery. – (i) Payment of postage is normally to be effected by means of postage stamps issued by the Indian Post Office under the authority of the Govt. of India. The Post Office issues, also, certain items of stationery like envelopes, inland letter cards, postcards with the value of the requisite stamps embossed on them. If the postage required on such embossed postal stationery is more than the value of the stamp printed on the article, the difference can be made good by affixing additional postage stamps of the requisite value.

(ii) The denominations of postage stamps and the varieties of postal stationery issued by the Indian Post Office have been indicated in the Appendix to this Part. NOTE:- Post Offices also, sell Revenue stamps issued by the Central Government. These stamps cannot be used for payment of postage.

(iii) Postage charges can, also, be paid by means of a proper impression or impressions of a franking machine or in certain cases in cash as indicated in Clauses 11 and 12 respectively.

(iv) Philatelic Bureaux – In order to cater to the needs of philatelists and stamp collectors, the department has set up Philatelic Bureaux at the principal Post Offices at allahabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bombay, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Cuttack, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kurnool, Lucknow, Madras, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Shillong, Simla, Trivandrum, 1 CBPO C/o 50 APO and 2 CBPO C/o 99 APO. Overseas orders are executed at the Indian Philatelic Bureau, Bombay G.P.O. Bombay.  N.B. :- For details refer to Section VII of this Guide.

11. Franking Machine.-

A postal franking machine is a stamping machine intended to stamp impressions of dies of approved design on private and official postal articles in payment of postage and postal fees.

There are two types of franking machines.

1. Electronic Franking Machine (EFM) (Only for Departmental Use)
2. Remotely Managed Franking Machine (RMFM – Digifrank Plus Machine)

 

Electronic Franking Machine	RMFM
Impressions are in red colour.	Impressions are in blue colour.
Impressions are of two dies viz. Value Die & License Die (Optional – Slogan Die)	Impressions have Combined single / 2D barcode.
Manual credit process	Automatic credit process

Franking System 

A customer may obtain license from Divisional Superintendent for using a franking machine and purchase Franking Machine from authorized vendor.

➢  He has to pay advance money for the amount of postage required by him.

➢  He franks postal articles in lieu of postage stamps.

➢  Amount of license fee is Rs.375 for the period of five years.

➢  when the amount at credit falls below Rs.100/-, further credits should be made by the user.

➢ Rebate of 3% given, on the previous consumption, if the amount exceeds Rs.5,000/-.

➢ The machine has two meters-Ascending and descending (credit).

➢  Every licensee will be issued “Window Delivery Ticket” for Identification of licensee’s agent.

➢  Franked articles can be posted at one or two offices specified in the license.

➢  It must be handed over at the counter.

➢ The impressions of ‘frank’ should consist of the following dies: (a) Value Die and (b) License Die.

➢ Any person wishing to use a franking machine shall apply to the Head of the Postal Division concerned in the prescribed form through the authorized dealer. A license is necessary for each franking machine used.

➢ Machine franked articles can be posted at not more than two offices specified by SPO in the license.

➢ The franked articles will be tendered at the counter bundled in separate bundles according to the value of the franks and each consignment must be accompanied by a Window Delivery Ticket for identification of the licensee’s representative.

➢ Impression should be of bright Blue colour, clear and distinct and should not overlap.

➢ As far as possible, they should be on the right top corner on the address side of the article itself or an address wrapper or an address label firmly attached to it.

➢ Franking will be allowed up-to any amount.

➢ There may be more than one impression of the value die but only one of the license die on each article.

➢ Machine franked articles posted in letter boxes shall be treated as unpaid articles. Unregistered articles bearing impressions of the previous date shall also not be accepted. In places where the authorized dealers have their own servicing centers with qualified and experienced staff, the repairs and servicing will be carried out at those centers in the presence of the postal official deputed there for the purpose.

➢ In other places, the machines will be sent to the post office where the Daily Docket Register is maintained. The post office will remove the license die from the machine before it is sent for repairs.

➢ The re-setting of franking machine may be done at the premises of the holders of the machines and the machine need not be brought to the post office for this purpose.

➢The Franking Machine must be obtained by the licensee only from the firm authorized by the Director-General of Posts.

➢ The licensee will pay in advance a sum representing the amount of postage for which he wishes the machine to be set at the time of the purchase. This sum must not be less than Rs. 2000 initially and Rs 1000 subsequently. A rebate @ 3 per cent will be allowed, whenever the meter is reset with Rs 5000 or more, on the value of impressions used.

➢ Allowance will be made for any impression made in error (less deduction of 5 per cent on face value) on surrender of the envelopes or wrappers, provided that the impression is legible and that the entire envelope or wrapper is produced and that the claim is preferred within three months of the date of the first impression.

➢ An advertisement device may also appear alongside the date stamp impression provided if it relates solely to the business or professions of the licensee.

➢ The licensee can get approved from the Head of the Division as many slogans and advertisements as he desires provided not more than one slogan or advertisement is used on one article

With every dispatch following documents must be presented :

• Franking Machine Record book.
• Franking Machine Dispatch slip.
• Window Delivery Ticket.

Remotely Managed Franking System (RMFS)

India Post has launched Remotely Managed Franking System (RMFS) from 16.8.2010. From 01.07.2013, only the articles franked through digifrank plus machines (RMFS) are accepted from private Franking Machine Users (FMU). i.e. articles with franked impression in red ink should not be accepted from private FMUs. Till replacement of the old franking machines with digifrank plus machines, our department will continue to use the existing machines.

Salient features of RMFS

• Elimination of human intervention in credit on franking machines; credits updated electronically
•      No requirement of mechanical seals on franking machines
• Generates secure 2D barcodes with frank impression; The bar codecan be scanned to check genuineness of frank Impression
• Frank impression will be in blue colorand indicate the following

✅  Class of article and Pin code 

✅  Authentication code

✅  Date of frank 

✅  Mail item number

✅ License identifier number  

✅ Frank value and 2D bar code

• Only approved models are to be used
• Each manufacturer has to maintain its own centrally located ‘Remotely Managed Franking Server’ in India
• RMFS server of each manufacturer will call DOP server thrice a day to exchange data regarding

✅ Funds deposited      

✅  Funds downloaded    

✅  Uploading of reports

• The credit will be automatically uploaded when the franking machine calls concerned RMF server and meters will be reset automatically
• Each machine has to call server at least once in 30 days, otherwise machine will be blocked; Will start functioning only after dialing server

Posting of franked articles:

• Franked articles will be accepted only across the counter at the designated PO/Mail office. If franked articles are found posted in the Letter Box, they will be treated as unpaid articles and taxed accordingly.

Some other conditions

• Franking is allowed up to any amount
• Frank impression has to be made on the right hand top corner of the address side of article or on a label pasted
• The PA accepting the articles will sign the Statement of mailing (SOM) pasted on the User’s copy of record book and paste another copy in the record book maintained for the user at the office
• The franking machine user generates frank on articles by placing the article on the weighing scale and selecting the class of article
• On completion of franking of all the mail, the FMU prints 2 copies of Statement of Mailing
• FMU pastes one copy of mailing list to customer record book
• FMU presents his copy of record book, another copy of SOM and articles at the counter of PO
• PA at the counter can conduct random impression of franks
• PA can also scan the 2D barcode of some franked articles to check genuineness before accepting the articles
• Discrepancies, if any are reported to the supervisor

Some other conditions

• Customer has to pay a minimum of Rs. 2000/- as first credit
• Machine needs to be reset when the credit falls below Rs. 100/-
• License is for a period of 5 years
• Renewal of the license has to be done one month before the expiry of license; Failure to do so will incur additional charge of Rs. 100/-

Franking Machine license for Government Offices

A license for the use of Franking Machine on hire from Department of Posts by the Government Offices will be granted by the Postmaster General.

➢ The hiring scheme of Franking Machines for Govt. Offices will be available at the places where postal machines repair organizations are available.

➢ The licensing authority shall specify in the license the two offices where the mails of the licensee will be accepted. One of the two specified offices shall be the main office and the status of that office should be Lower Selection Grade or above.

➢ Word ‘Service’ will be used in the license die to facilitate identification of such letters as official dak.

➢ Gazetted officer incharge of the dispatch section having the Franking Machine on the last working day of every week to see that they are being properly maintained. He will furnish a certificate about meter reading as on the last working day of each month.The Post Office shall grant a receipt for any money paid by licensee in form ACG 67.

➢ Franking will be allowed up to any amount.

➢ Impressions must be of a bright Blue colour, clear and distinct otherwise the article is liable to be refused by the Post Office.

➢ The franked articles bearing previous or later dates or posted in the letter box will be treated as un-paid, while those tendered at any other PO will not be accepted. Articles bearing the frank of a date immediately preceding the date of presentation of the articles will, however, be accepted provided they bear also the impression of the licensed die of the date of presentation.Articles should be given for acceptance in separate bundles of fixed no. like 50 for each value of frank.

➢ The register repairs and the job card are to be preserved for 2 years and will be open to check by the authorized official of the Dept. of Posts at any time.

➢ Refund will be made for any impression made in error (less a deduction of 5 per cent on face value) on surrendering the envelopes or wrappers provided that impression is legible and that the entire envelope or wrapper is produced and that the claim is preferred within one month of the date of first impression.

12. Prepayment of postage in cash - (1) Certain important post offices are authorized by the Head of the Circle to realize the postage charges in cash from firms or other persos who post a very large number of unregistered packets subject to a minimum of 500 packets at a time in big cities and 250 in small towns. Certain post offices in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Nagpur and Delhi are also authorized by the Heads of the circle to realize the postage and registration fee on ordinary registered articles of letter mail in cash provided the sender uses special registered journals for bookingof registered articles and the total number of articles of the same type and weight to be registered at one time is not less than 50. Particulars of this facility can be ascertained from the nearest principal post office. The facility of pre-payment of postage in cash is also available at selected Gazetted and H.s.G. Post Offices to Firms or business establishments who post not less than 500 articles at a time in respect of letters (closed covers). Inland Letter Cards, Post Cards and un-registered parcels.

(2) A similar procedure is extended in the case of registered newspapers, details of which will be found in clause 143.

(3) The facility of prepayment of postage charges in cash is not available for any other classes of postal articles.

13. Spoilor defaced stamps. – (1) Postage stamps (whether adhesive, embossed, or impressed) which have been obliterated, defaced, torn, cut or otherwise rendered imperfect, or which have any work, letter, figure, or design written printed or impressed upon them otherwise than by the authority of the Central Government or which have been cut or otherwise separated from embossed envelopes, postcards, or wrapper, cannot be recognized in payment of postage. The special registration envelopes provided by the Post Office, cannot be used for the transmission of unregistered postal articles.

NOTE – The perforation of postage stamps with initials, or other identifying marks traced in minute holes is not prohibited, provided they do not render the indications regarding the country of origin and value of stamps illegible.

(2) The using for the payment of postage or postal fees, with intent to cause loss to the Central Government, of a stamp that has already been used for that or any other purpose, is an offence under the Indian Penal Code.

14. Fictitious Stamps. – The manufacture and use of fictitious postage stamps for any purpose whatsoever is prohibited, and is an offence punishable under Section 263-A of the Indian Penal Code. Reproduction of stamps is, however, allowed for illustration purposes in a philatelic publication or in an article or section relating wholly to postage stamps which may appear in a publication or a general character. Such productions, however, must only be in black.