The Department of Posts has launched Five Star Villages scheme to ensure coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country.

Significance of the scheme

The scheme seeks to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages. 

Under the scheme, all postal products and services will be made available and marketed and publicised at village level. 

Branch offices will function as one-stop shop to cater all post office related needs of villagers. 

Various schemes under Five Star Villages are:

1) Savings Bank accounts, Recurring Deposit Accounts, National Savings Certificate/Kisan Vikas Patra.

2) Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts / PPF Accounts.

3) Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts. 

4) Postal Life Insurance Policy / Rural Postal Life Insurance Policy.

5) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account / Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.

If a village attains coverage of four schemes from the above list, then that village gets four-star status. If a village completes three schemes, then that village gets three-star status and so on.

How will the scheme be implemented?

Union Minister of State for Communications Sanjay Dhotre said that the scheme is being launched on pilot basis in Maharashtra. Based on the results, it will be implemented nationwide.

The entire state of Maharashtra will be covered under the scheme. To begin with, two rural districts/areas for each region have been identified. They are: 

Akola and Washim in Nagpur Region. 

Parbhani and Hingoli in Aurangabad Region. 

Solapur and Pandharpur in Pune Region. 

Kolhapur and Sangli in Goa Region. 

Malegaon and Palghar in Navi Mumbai Region. 

A total of 50 villages in each district will be covered during the current financial year 2020-2021. Regional offices will identify the villages to be covered.

The scheme will be implemented by a team of five Gramin Dak Sevaks who will be assigned a village for marketing of all products, savings and insurance schemes of the Department of Posts. This team will be headed by the Branch Post Master of the concerned Branch Office. 

The team of Gramin Dak Sevaks will conduct a door-to-door awareness campaign on all schemes, covering all eligible villagers. 

The scheme progress and target achievement will be closely monitored at circle, regional and divisional levels.

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