Soon, neighbourhood postman to deliver 'Gangajal' at your doorstep

NEW DELHI: The Modi government will soon deliver holy ' Gangajal' at your doorstep, using the neighbourhood postman.

The idea is to "address the cultural under-pinnings of India", as cabinet minster Ravi Shankar Prasad put it, and aims at using the vast postal network to transport the holy water across the length and breadth of the country.

"We do have the wherewithal to undertake this kind of an initiative. Work on this will begin soon and we intend to provide Ganga water from Haridwar and Rishikesh," Prasad said, as he spoke about the new initiatives being planned by the Modi government.
Apart from being the minister for telecom and IT, Prasad also holds charge for the postal department. "There is a huge market in the country for Gangajal."

Officials said that the postal department, which is already on an overdrive as it rides the boom in the e-commerce space, has started groundwork for rolling out the holy water facility. "We will launch the services very soon. The details are being finalised," postal secretary SK Sinha told TOI.

He said that apart from its vast network, the postal department may also tie-up with some of the popular e-commerce websites to reach out to the masses. "Also, we will be selling it through the internet portal of the postal department."

There also plans to have kiosks within post offices that will be selling the Gangajal. "There are talks being held with companies in the packaging industry who would help in bottling the water," official sources said.

Sources said that the prices for the bottled Ganga water are being finalized. "The government intends to provide it at a low cost, considering the religious underpinnings that Ganga water has with people from the Hindu religion," an official source said.

T he idea to provide the holy water has already been implemented by some of the e-commerce websites. Amazon, for example, sells Ganga water on its portal, though it charges quite a hefty premium for it.

For a 1-litre bottle sourced from Gomukh, the place from where the river originates, the e-commerce company charges Rs 299. "This is world's best known most sanctified for pooja. It is packaged near the origin of river Ganges at celestial height in deep himalayas where its natural sanctity and herbal richness are maintained," Amazon says in its description of the product.

Prasad said that the move to provide Ganga water will be yet another measure through which the postal department will increase its relevance and revenues. Led by the surge in e-commerce business, the department of posts has seen increased revenues at a time when it prepares to start a postal bank.