New Delhi, Dec 10 : India Post currently operates 1.64 lakh post offices across the country, supported by a dedicated workforce of 2.78 lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS), Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia told the Parliament on Wednesday.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session, the minister said the Gramin Dak Sevaks toil day and night not only to do business, but to convey emotion from one human being to the other-- acknowledging their invaluable service.

Highlighting the transformation achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Scindia said the government has placed strong emphasis on strengthening India Post over the past 11 years.

He noted that 4,903 new post offices have been built in Left Wing Extremism-affected states in the last three and a half years, significantly improving last-mile connectivity.

Additionally, 5,746 post offices were sanctioned in unbanked villages, of which 5,657, about 97 per cent, are already operational.

In total, the national network has expanded by 10,170 post offices during this period. The minister also pointed out that Rs 405 crore has been invested in constructing and renovating post office buildings, including 49 heritage post offices considered institutional treasures of India Post.

Scindia emphasised that while substantial progress has been achieved, additional funding will be required for renovating the remaining 25,000 post offices owned by India Post.

Moving towards the future, he announced that India Post is undertaking a comprehensive Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) initiative to modernise and streamline operations.

This will enhance the first-mile, middle-mile, and last-mile delivery systems, making them faster, more service-oriented, and digitally enabled for crores of citizens.

He further added that India Post is bringing in automation and studying global best practices to emerge as one of the worldâ??s leading logistics carriers. The government remains committed to strengthening the postal network, enhancing service delivery, and transforming India Post into a modern, technology-driven logistics powerhouse for the nation.

/IANS