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Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

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Topic: Five Star Villages Scheme

Why in News?

• The Department of Posts has launched a scheme called ‘Five Star Villages’, to ensure universal coverage of flagship postal schemes in rural areas of the country.

About Scheme

• The scheme seeks to bridge the gaps in public awareness and reach of postal products and services, especially in interior villages.
• All postal products and services will be made available and marketed and publicized at village level, under the ‘Five Star Villages’ scheme.
• Branch offices will function as one-stop shop to cater all post office - related needs of villagers.
• The schemes covered under the ‘Five Star’ scheme include

• Savings Bank accounts, Recurrent Deposit Accounts, NSC / KVP certificates;
• Sukanya Samridhi Accounts/ PPF Accounts;
• Funded Post Office Savings Account linked India Post Payments Bank Accounts;
• Postal Life Insurance Policy/Rural Postal Life Insurance Policy; and
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana Account / Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana Account.

• If a village attains universal coverage for four schemes from the above list, then that village gets four-star status; if a village completes three schemes, then that village get three-star status and so on.

Scheme Implementation Team

• 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. Mail overseer will keep personal watch on progress of team on daily basis.
• The teams will be led and monitored by concerned Divisional Head, Assistant Superintendents Posts and Inspector Posts.
• Required training and infrastructure, covering all schemes, would be provided to all branch offices in identified villages. The scheme progress and target achievement will be closely monitored at Circle, Regional and Divisional levels. Monthly progress will be reviewed by the Chief Post Master General.

Campaign

• The team of Gramin Dak Sevaks will conduct door-to-door awareness campaign on all schemes, covering all eligible villagers. Wide publicity will be given by displaying the information on notice board of Branch Office.
• Prominent places of targeted villages like Panchayat Offices, schools, village dispensaries, bus depots, and markets will also be used for advertising and pamphlets will be distributed. Small melas will be organized, considering COVID-19 safety guidelines.
• The scheme progress and target achievement will be closely monitored at Circle, Regional and Divisional levels.
• Monthly progress will be reviewed by the Chief Post Master General.