Army Postal Service (India)

Army Postal Service Corps
Senā ḍāk sevā
Agency overview
Formed1856; 170 years ago (1856)
TypeMilitary
Postal Service
Headquarters
  • Sena Dak Bhawan
MottoHindi : Mel-milāp
English : Reconciliation (Restoration of friendly relations)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Major General Shipra Sharma, Additional Director General

Army Postal Service

    Parent department
    		Dept. of Post, Government of India
    Parent agency
    		Indian Armed Forces
    WebsiteAPS Indian Army
    Postal stamps issued in 2006 on 150 Years of the Field Post Office

    The Army Postal Service Corps (APS) functions as a government-operated military mail system in India. A primary role of Army Postal Service systems is to ensure security form of address in respect of Formations/Units/Troops deployed in Armed Forces and to ensure military mail posted between duty stations at India & Abroad are delivered by adopting security form of address (or vice versa). In some cases, Indian military personnel in a combat zone may post letters to the home country/ home town for free. Officers and men are deputed primarily from the Department of Posts on Field Service. Army Postal Service is the only service that enables civil service officers to work in the Armed forces as combatants.

    Activities

    Army Postal Service provides Postal facilities, Schedule Despatch Services, Remittance services, Debit Army Post Logistics, Sainik Samachar Patra Seva, Permanent Aadhaar Enrolment Centre facility to Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Paramilitary forces personnel through 358 Field Post Offices established across the country. It also provides postal cover to Indian troops deployed with United Nations Peace Keeping Forces abroad.

    Organizational set-up

    The head of Army Postal Service is the Additional Director General, Army Postal Service at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) in the rank of Major General He is assisted by Brigadier Army Postal Service at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) .

    The two Central Base Post Offices at Delhi and Kolkata and Army Postal Service Center at Kamptee, Nagpur are commanded by Commandants in the rank of Colonel. The Postal Officers at Command HQs in the rank of Brigadier / Colonel and Corps HQ in the rank of Lt Col/ Major/Captain monitor the functioning of Field Post Offices (FPOs) under their control and discharge the functions of the Postal Advisor to the General-Officers-Commanding. Two Central Base Post Offices and Mail Halls serve as the nodal points for mail processing. The Central Base Post Offices are 56 and 99 APO operating out of New Delhi (1 CBPO) and Kolkata (2 CBPO), respectively. 99 APO covers all formations in the eight north-eastern states, West Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands through its network of nearly 96 FPOs. 56 APO covers the rest of the country through its network of 262 FPOs.

    Badge

    The current badge of the Army Postal Service was approved on 07 Mar 2023. The badge consists of the State Emblem (Ashoka Lions) at the top with words ‘Mail- Milap’, a flying ascending Rajhans encased by a wheat stalk wreath in a semi- oval shape with upward crossed lighting flashes. The wheat stalk signifies growth and prosperity. The ‘Rajhans’ is a mythical bird messenger, representing the function of mail handling by the Corps. The words ‘Mail-Milap’ means ‘union through mail’.

    Head of Army Postal Service

    List of Heads of APS
    NameFromTo
    Brigadier DS Virk, AVSM1 March 197210 March 1972
    Brigadier OP Raghava, AVSM13 March 197230 December 1978
    Major General SK Anand, AVSM1 January 197931 May 1989
    Major General SP Chopra, VSM1 June 198931 March 1993
    Major General BP Das, AVSM25 May 19931 November 1996
    Major General KK Srivastava, VSM14 December 199629 March 2001
    Major General RS Kareer30 March 200130 September 2002
    Major General SK Sen, VSM1 October 200231 May 2004
    Major General V Sadasivam, VSM1 June 200424 February 2010
    Major General ARA Sah18 June 201015 September 2011
    Major General AK Shori10 October 201131 March 2015
    Major General Meena Datta 21 October 201521 December 2018
    Major General PS Negi22 December 201822 December 2019
    Major General DV Mahesh, VSM24 December 201919 January 2022
    Major General MK Khan, VSM17 February 202231 January 2025
    Major General Shipra Sharma14 June 2025present

    References

    1. ↑ "HISTORY APS". Indian Army. Government of India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
    2. ↑ "Organisation". Indian Army. Govt. of India. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
    3. ↑ "Heads of Service APS". Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.