What is a Postal Index Number or PIN Code?
Postal Index Number is the number given by the Indian postal system to identify the complete location of the address using a set of numbers. The Pin codes in India are in six-digit codes; soon, it is going to be an eight digits number. But other countries have alphabets, space and punctuations in their postal codes. They use it to easily sort out the postal mails. Each digit in the postal code has a specific meaning.
History of Indian Postal Service
The earlier name of India Post is the Department of Post. The India post was operated by the Government of India under a separate ministry, the Ministry Of Communications. Generally, the post offices are spread over various parts of the country. Postal systems are common in all the English speaking countries. In 1766, The governor-general of East India Company, Warren Hastings, started the postal service in India. They initially established the postal service in the name of “company mail”.
In 1854, the Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, modified the postal service. He introduced a uniform rate for all the postal services and helped to enlarge the Indian post office. In 1854, Lord Dalhousie passed the India Post Office Act and introduced the regular post offices in India in the year 1837. Through this act, he created the Director-General post for the entire country.
Nowadays, the Post offices are mainly delivering the mail. Further, they are earning money through money orders, accepting deposits, rural postal life insurance and providing life insurance coverage under postal life insurance. They are also providing retail services like bill collection, sale of forms, etc. Sometimes, the department of the post also works as an agent for the government of India. They are also taking part in providing settlements for senior citizens through old age pension payments and distributing money to citizens through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. India post also has global networks to connect the entire part of the world.
The whole country was divided into 23 postal circles. Each postal circle was headed by a Chief Postmaster General. Each postal circle was further divided into regions, which was headed by a Postmaster General. The regions contain the field units, which were termed as divisions. Further, the divisions are classified into subdivisions. Also, the government of India created a separate postal circle for the Armed Forces of India, which was headed by a Director-General.
History Behind PIN Codes
On 15th August 1972, the PIN codes system was introduced by the Indian postal system, which was headed by Shriram Bhikaji. Later, Shriram Bhikaji took charge as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Communications.
The introduction of new postal codes is utilised to simplify the process of manual sorting and delivering the mails. The India Post avoided confusion arising from different languages and places with similar names through the PIN codes. So, they introduced a PIN code to identify the cities, districts and states. They will provide unique codes for each place.
How Are Postal Index Number or Pin Codes Generated in India?
An entire part of the country is divided into nine postal zones. Eight postal zones are classified based on their geographical region zones and one zone for the Indian Army. The postal code in India contains 6 digits. The first digit of the PIN code represents the zone; the second digit represents the sub-zone. The third digit represents the district code. The districts are generally sorted within the subzone. The last three digits represent the post office number, which was located within the district.
List Post Office Zones in India and Its Codes
State Wise Classifications Based on PIN Codes
The postal code of the states/union territories is started with the given codes. The below table shows the representation of codes for states.
Pin Codes Generation Process In India
6 represents the states Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and Lakshadeep.
60 represents the sub-office “Chennai” in Tamil Nadu
600 represents the district “Tiruvallur” in Tamil Nadu
The next three-digit represents the post office number in a particular location.
60, 62, 63, 64 shows the location in Tamil Nadu.
67, 69 shows the location of Kerala
68, shows the location of Kochi, Willingdon Island and Lakshadweep Island
(Image to be uploaded soon)
The above image shows Pin Codes Generation Process In India based on their geographical location.
How the Postal System Works Based on Postal Code?
World’s largest postal system is located in India. Each code in the Postal code denoted a particular location. The letter which is sent by people is segregated based on their location, which was identified by the PIN code in the postal card. The PIN code shows the entire delivery address of the delivery post office, like their General Post Office, a head office, or a sub-office. From there, the letters are distributed to the relevant sub-offices. Finally, the letter will reach the people in the receiver end with the help of the postman.
As per the survey, about 1,54,965 post offices were found in India. About 1, 39,182 are located near the urban area. After Indian Independence, the number of post offices around the country increased more than 7 times. India’s largest post office is located in Mumbai, which was constructed for about 21.22 square kilometres. About 8221 people are working in the Mumbai GPO. The world's highest post office is located in the Hikkim village of Himachal Pradesh. The India post operating this post office is at the altitude of 14,567 ft.
Future Process of Postal Code
Government of India planning to include two more digits in the existing PIN Code. India post says that it will help the postmen to identify the exact location of the country. Two more extra digits will be between 02 to 99. Adding this two-digit in the existing postal code will help the India post to switch over to the machines. Still, the postal department is doing their experiments regarding adding additional two digits in particular locations.
FAQs on Postal Index Number in India
1. What is the India PIN Code Number?
Ans: PIN code number is also known as Zipcode or area postal code. PIN stands for Postal Index Number. Pin code is the code given for the post office by the postal service of India, India Post, to denote the exact location. On 15th August 1972, the first PIN code system was introduced in India. Usually, a PIN code number is a 6 digit long code in which each digit have a particular meaning.
2. What is the Home PIN Code?
Ans: The PIN code is the eight-digit code given by the postal code system for the post office. The PIN codes are widely used by India Post to segregate letters and distribute letters. Generally, the PIN code contains six digits, which can vary depending on its location.
3. What is Meant by Postal Code?
Ans: A postal code is common around the world and especially in English speaking countries. They are termed in various names as postcode, PIN, ZIP code. The series may contain alphabets, numbers or both alphabets and numbers. Some countries are also using spaces or punctuation marks in their postal address to simplify the sorting process.
