World Post Day 2020: Little Known Facts About Postal Services

On World Post Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted people linked with the postal department. "We are extremely proud" of them...," PM Modi said in a tweet. World Post Day is observed every year on October 9. World Post Day is marked to spread awareness about the significant role people engaged in postal services play. World Post Day is a great opportunity to pay tribute to the postal operators, postal workers and everyone involved in delivering mails and essential items. Historically postal services have a big contribution to the development of businesses and economic activities globally. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) paved the way for efficient postal services and it became an agency of the United Nations in 1948.    

We are extremely proud of the @IndiaPostOffice Team for their efforts to connect India. They bring happiness to countless lives. On #WorldPostDay, greetings to them and their families. Best wishes for all future endeavours. https://t.co/HS6pXzYwNo

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 9, 2020

Before the digital communication came into our lives, sending letters by post was the only option and if it was an urgent message - it was the telegraph, which revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. 

World Post Day Image: The first post office in India was established by the East India Company in 1774 in Kolkata

"We all need to recognize the incredible sacrifices made by postal operators and their staff during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Deemed essential staff as the pandemic raged furiously across the world, these postal workers labored hard to deliver the mail. Some workers tragically lost their lives; others confronted life-changing damage to their health. Many more suffered in numerous other ways...," Director General of the Universal Postal Union, Bishar Hussein said in his message on World Post Day.  

World Post Day 2020: Interesting facts 

• The first World Post Day was celebrated in 1969
• The proposal was submitted by Anand Mohan Narula, a member of Indian delegation
• The Universal Postal Union founded in 1874
• The headquarters of the UPU is at Bern in Switzerland
• The highest post office in world is at Hikkim in Himachal Pradesh
• The first post office in India was established by the East India Company in 1774 in Kolkata 
• The post office charged two annas per 100 miles 
• The landmark General Post Office in Kolkata was built in 1864 

World Post Day 2020: Greetings and messages

In the year of pandemic a big 'thank you' to all personnel associated with the postal services. Postal workers have braved natural disasters, risked their lived in conflict zones to deliver not only letters but also essential items, medicines, food and protective gear for 'corona warriors' battling the Covid-19 pandemic in the frontlines. This year the postal industry "showed the world its resilience, its determination, and the invaluable role it plays in every society. We showed we are more than mail," UPU Director General said.    

#COVID19 has significantly impacted global postal supply chains, hampering the delivery of essential public services.

On Friday's #WorldPostDay, @UPU_UN is calling for efforts to ensure the recovery of the postal sector amid the pandemic. https://t.co/OTTKNVl9N5 pic.twitter.com/oBsNtA5slb

— United Nations (@UN) October 8, 2020         

Apart from connecting people, postal services have an important contribution to socio-economic development. Happy World Post Day. #WorldPostDay pic.twitter.com/nUMewtXjC8

— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) October 9, 2020     

Happy World Post Day 2020!