Activation of Rural SO & BO Transformation Cell (RSBT Cell) at Circle Level

F.No. 10-31/2020-DARPAN

Government of India

Ministry of Communications

Department of Posts

CCS & Rural Business Division

Dak Bhavan, Sansad Marg,
New Delhi - 110001
Dated: 19.11.2025

To:
All CPMsG.

Subject: Activation of Rural SO & BO Transformation Cell (RSBT Cell) at Circle Level – reg.

---

Reference is invited to the minutes of Business Meet 2025-26 held under the chairmanship of H'MoC on 15.07.2025 in New Delhi, in which it has been stated that:

"Each circle must prepare a detailed roadmap to achieve the goal of 100% Branch Offices (BOs) performing all types of postal transactions daily. This includes provisioning of digital devices, assigning micro-targets based on local potential, and monthly capacity-building of Branch Postmasters (BPMs) through peer mentoring and best practice sharing. Marketing kits, brochures, and lead-generation tools should be supplied to empower BPMs to actively promote services. A Circle-level BO Transformation Cell shall monitor progress, identify persistently inactive BOs, and submit monthly reports to the Directorate on steps taken to activate them. This aspect will be reviewed during the monthly Annual Business Plan review meeting with Circles".

2. In this regard, a meeting of the Postal Services Board was held on 08.10.2025 under the chairpersonship of the Secretary (Posts) regarding the establishment of a Transformation Cell for Rural Branch and Sub Post Offices. In pursuance of the discussions held during the meeting, it has been decided that all Circles shall activate a Rural SO & BO Transformation Cell (RSBT Cell) to strengthen and monitor the operational and business performance of rural post offices. The BO Transformation Cell will focus on business procurement, enhancing ease of doing business, capacity building, and monitoring of the performance of rural postal network to change the Rural Post Offices from cost centres to profit centres.

3. In alignment with the above, Circles shall activate the Rural SO & BO Transformation Cell (RSBT Cell) with immediate effect to enhance the operational efficiency and business performance of the rural postal network by implementing the following directions:

The Cell shall serve as a dedicated institutional mechanism to drive reforms and improve the business potential. A Branch Hikes and Rural Sub Post Hikes through structured planning, convergence based business development & performance monitoring.

The Transformation Cell shall cover by branch post Hikes & Rural Sub Post Hikes in small base and low-cost facilities. Contributing:

 

	Circle level	Regional level	Divisional level	Sub-Divisional level
Headed by	Assistant Director	Assistant Director	ASP HOOS	IP ASP concerned
Supported by	ASP IP	Inspector of Posts	Inspector of Posts	Mail Overseers
	Marketing Executive	Marketing Executive	Marketing Executive	Marketing Executive
	Postal Assistant	Postal Assistant	Postal Assistant	Postal Assistant

iii. Key Functions and Directions for Circles for smooth functioning of RSBT Cell:

• Bring Rural Sub Post Offices under the ambit of the Transformation Cell along with Branch Post Offices to comprehensively strengthen rural postal operations.
• Circles shall coordinate with State Government Departments, PSUs, Banks, NBFCs, e-commerce platforms, and other institutions to establish G2G2C and B2C tie-ups for services such as e-KYC, address verification, EMI collection, DBT.social security payments, and beneficiary enrolments.
• A baseline survey shall be conducted at the Divisional level to identify customer segments, service demands, and potential bulk customers including Gram Panchayats, schools, PHCs, rural entrepreneurs, and PM Vishwakarmas.
• Postal outlets shall be positioned as reliable rural e-commerce and logistics hubs for parcel booking, pickup, and delivery, including promotion of One District One Product (ODOP) and Self-Help Group (SHG) products.
• Measurable business targets for rural RDS, SOS, and Marketing Executives under each Sub Division/Division shall be allocated to the respective Sub-Divisional Divisional Hearts, who shall be accountable for both target achievement and loss recovery.
• Sub-Divisional and Divisional Heads shall undertake a detailed assessment of the business potential before finalizing targets for Branch Post Offices (BOs) and Sub Post Offices (SOs), so as to ensure realistic and data-driven goal setting, in consultation with the Regional Office (RO) and Circle Office (CO) RSBT Cells.
• Household survey data already collected shall be utilised to identify business opportunities and shall be supplemented with datasets from the Census and NITI Aayog to enable comprehensive planning and strategy formulation.
• While allocating targets, consider manpower availability, geography, population coverage, and classification as hard-to-reach, border, hilly, tribal, or LWE-affected areas to ensure equitable target distribution.
• Ensure that business generated by each BO and SO is mapped to its respective SOL ID for correct attribution, recognition, and data tracking.
• Duties of Postal Assistants attached to Sub-Divisional Heads shall be reviewed and redefined, and they shall be assigned measurable business responsibilities, including field visits, data collection, and operational support to BOs/SOs.
• Revisit the role, nomenclature, and selection criteria of Mail Overseers to make their functions business-oriented, focusing on marketing, outreach, and revenue generation.
• Branch Post Offices shall be encouraged to eliminate NIL transactions through continuous monitoring and business outreach activities.
• Dedicated funds shall be allocated for GDS participation in trainings, melas, business meetings, and Dak Chauplais to ensure their active engagement. The BO Transformation Cell shall conduct awareness trainings at the BO level on new or updated services, while Divisions and Sub-Divisions shall organize regular workshops and skill-enhancement sessions for GDS. BPMs, ABPMs, MEs, supervisory staff, Mail Overseers and Sub-Divisional Heads shall be trained on effective use of DARPAN/IMA 2.0 functionalities as per training modules developed by Postal Training Centres/RAKNPA to support G2G, G2C, and B2C tie-ups under DARPAN/IMA 2.0.
• Develop and distribute short instructional and procedural videos for field operations.
• Establish a comprehensive monitoring mechanism using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Functional Reports (FRs).
• Employ data mapping and analytics to identify underperforming areas and adopt corrective measures.
• Include achievement of rural business targets as one of the parameters for accessing shared performance to their annual performance Analyzed U. Treasury (APPR) The TracR-Ratalized(FCA) delivers employees shall be reviewed every six months. In case of an earlier increase performance, a grade of discontinuity should be applied before proportionality is disciplinary disciplinary action—shall be applied before proportionality TACA reduction. Further, a revised remuneration structure shall be developed wherein a large share of compensation is incentive-based, with TFCA serving as the minimum assured component.
• Introduce geo-fencing based attendance for Gramin Dai, Sevaks (GDS) to ensure location-based verification and strengthen field discipline.
• Adopt new practices like hyperlocal delivery, local storage of postal products, and handling of product samples to expand market reach and service portfolio.
• Introduce a structured EDD mechanism for all postal products, especially in rural areas, to enhance customer trust and reliability.
• Circles shall streamline operations to reduce delivery turnaround time through mechanisation of beats, optimisation of mail routes, and improved mail handling.
• Audit and inspection of Branch Post Offices shall be transitioned to a system-driven model through IMA 2.0/DREAM platforms, with manual record maintenance being gradually phased out. In cases where data is unavailable for more than three months on the BO device, inspecting officers shall retrieve the required information using their Finacle ID prior to inspection.
• Monthly progress reports as per prescribed format shall be submitted by Circles to the CCS & RB Division by the 3rd day of every month for review and further action (annexed as below).

4. All Circles shall complete the activation of their respective Cells and furnish compliance to the RB Section of CCS & RB Division along with details of nodal officers at Circle level. Progress shall be reviewed periodically through performance indicators and field feedback mechanisms.

5. This may be accorded top priority to ensure systematic and result-oriented transformation of Rural, Sub & Branch Post Offices.

6. This issues with the approval of the Competent Authority.

(Dr. Amanpreet Singh)
AGM (CCS & Rural Business)