Tag: Pakistan Post

  • New postal rates: Pakistan Post customers to pay up to 150% more from next month

    New postal rates: Pakistan Post customers to pay up to 150% more from next month

    Pakistan Post has announced a substantial increase in domestic postal rates, set to take effect from August 1. The Ministry of Communication released an official notification outlining the revised rates, which will impact various types of mail and parcel services.

    For non-registered ordinary letters, envelops, the new rates will be as follows:

    – 20 grammes: Increased from Rs20 to Rs30

    – 50 grammes: Increased from Rs38 to Rs60

    – 100 grammes: Increased from Rs50 to Rs75

    – 250 grammes: Increased from Rs75 to Rs120

    – 500 grammes: Increased from Rs100 to Rs150

    – Per kilogramme: Increased from Rs200 to Rs300

    – 2 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs250 to Rs380

    However, for certain printed materials, including textbooks, pamphlets, journals, periodicals, music sheets, maps, circulars, invitations, bills, greeting cards, and other books apart from textbooks, the rates will experience a more modest increase from Rs2 to Rs5 per 100 grammes.

    The parcel rates have also been significantly adjusted, with the following changes:

    – 1 kilogramme: Increased from Rs100 to Rs150

    – 3 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs175 to Rs270

    – 5 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs250 to Rs380

    – 10 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs375 to Rs570

    – 15 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs500 to Rs750

    – 20 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs625 to Rs940

    – 25 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs750 to Rs1,130

    – 30 kilogrammes: Increased from Rs875 to Rs1,320

    Furthermore, urgent mail service rates have also experienced a hike.

    For deliveries within cities or between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, inclusive of all taxes and charges, the new rates will be as follows:

    – Up to 250 grammes: Rs59 to Rs90

    – 500 grammes: Rs110, with an additional Rs45 for every subsequent half kilogramme.

    Deliveries between other cities will follow the following rates:

    – Up to 250 grammes: Rs230

    – Each additional half kilogramme: Rs75

    Cash-on-delivery charges for deliveries within the city are as follows:

    – Up to 250 grammes: Rs55

    – Up to 500 grammes: Rs80

    – Each additional half kilogramme: Rs18

    For cash-on-delivery outside the city, the charges are:

    – Up to 250 grammes: Rs87

    – 500 grammes: Rs122

    – Each additional 500 grammes: Rs35

    These rate adjustments are expected to impact both individuals and businesses utilising Pakistan Post’s services for their communication and delivery needs.

  • HEC reportedly revises policy for PhD admissions

    HEC reportedly revises policy for PhD admissions

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has reportedly revised its policy for PhD admissions on January 1, 2021.

    According to reports, under the revised policy, students can also apply for PhD directly after four-year BS programs. The policy states that the minimum duration of a PhD degree will be three years while the maximum duration of the degree will be eight years.

    It has also abolished the requirement of having a previous qualification in the same discipline in order to apply for a specific PhD program.

    In case of non-implementation or violation of the policy, HEC would take action against universities ranging from warnings, suspension or revocation of NOC for admissions, and non-verification of credentials.

    Meanwhile, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has expressed serious concerns and rejected the revised policy by the HEC.

    It is pertinent to add that the HEC has not yet officially announced the new policy.

  • Murad Saeed’s Pakistan Post to serve over Rs100 million blow to exchequer: report

    Murad Saeed’s Pakistan Post to serve over Rs100 million blow to exchequer: report

    The state-owned postal service, Pakistan Post, has awarded the contract for running its Centralised Software System at a high cost of Rs130 million per annum — almost double than the actual cost — to a single bidder, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to reports, the postal service has rejected offers of several other IT firms, including that of an old service provider that ran a similar project at a cost of Rs70 million per annum for seven years till 2018.

    The move, reports said, will result in a loss of around Rs100-120 million to the national exchequer over the next two years.

    IT experts, familiar with the services provided by Pakistan Post, have said that the competitive bid should not exceed Rs80 million in any case and it was higher by Rs50 million per year.

    According to reports, the rest of the technical bids were deliberately rejected to avoid price comparison and allow the remaining one technically qualified bidder to demand the amount as it liked.

    Furthermore, established IT players with more experience of running similar projects have complained that the contract was awarded to a new and unknown entrant called AIMS without any proper comparison of experience.

    The rest of the IT firms were of the view that if the tender was floated again and was fairly evaluated, a maximum cost of close to Rs80 million would have to be borne, and it would have saved the national exchequer around Rs100 million over the two-year validity period of the contract.

  • ‘Pakistan Post entering $34.2bn logistics market, expecting investment up to $1.5bn’

    ‘Pakistan Post entering $34.2bn logistics market, expecting investment up to $1.5bn’

    Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed has said that Pakistan Post was entering the country’s logistics market, which at present is worth $34.2 billion and is growing at a rate of more than 18 per cent per year.

    “Pakistan Post is expecting up to $1.5 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on public-private partnership model for its capacity building in the logistic sector,” Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted the minister as saying.

    FDI is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country.

    Within past one year, Pakistan Post has introduced revolutionary initiatives, including Electronic Money Order (EMO) at doorstep, Mobile App, E-Commerce and Same Day Delivery services, to improve efficiency and expand its network across the globe.

    According to Pakistan Post Director General (DG) Dr Naseer Ahmed Khan, the national postal operator is adopting new communication and information technologies to move further.

    He said that on the special directives of the federal minister, Pakistan Post has initiated inclusive measures to develop a better perception of its services among the public by ensuring timely delivery of mail, money and other articles.