Scientists discover ‘The Eye’, a new mysterious rotating island in Argentina

Initially, the scientists had suspected that the Island may not be a natural formation due to the seemingly perfect shape of its inner and outer circles. (Image: Google Earth)

Scientists have discovered a mysterious island located in swampy marshes of ‘Parana Delta’ in the northern region of Argentina. As per the scientists, ‘The Eye’ has existed since at least 2003. Press TV reports that the island is  118 meters in diameter, and sits on a pond of water. What’s much interesting about this tiny piece of land is that it not only rotates on its own axis but is also leaning in various sectors on the wall of the outer circle that contains it. Initially, the scientists had suspected that the Island may not be a natural formation due to the seemingly perfect shape of its inner and outer circles. However, when the group of scientist reached the ground zero, they found unusually clear water, firm terrain, and a floating land mass, which further increased their curiosity to know more. The wonder island can be seen through Google Earth imagery. A video shared on an individual YouTube account claims to show how the island moves over time:

Now, a group of scientists and filmmakers, hoping to explore the island further, have started a ‘Kickstarter’ campaign seeking fund for the project. The campaign will end on October 10.

Source: The Financial Express 

Issue of notification for LDC Exam for promotion to the cadre of Inspector Posts for the year 2015-16

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It has now been decided by the Competent Authority to conduct the Limited Departmental Competitive Examination for promotion to Inspector Posts cadre for the vacancies for the period 01.01.2015 to 31.03.2016 i.e. for the year 2015-16 in-house on the old pattern using OMR method for evaluation. The said Examination is scheduled to be held on 15th and 16th October, 2016.

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Achievements of India Post in Last Two Years - Rajya Sabha Reply

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Achievements of India Post in Last Two Years - Rajya Sabha Reply Posted: 15 Aug 2016 03:39 AM PDT The Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha replied in Rajya Sabha regarding the details of the achievements of Ministry of Telecommunications. As per reply following are the achievement of Department of Post during the last two years  A.   REVENUE GROWTH 2013-14 (Rs. in crore) 2014-15 (Rs. in crore) 2015-16 (Rs. in crore) Speed Post revenue 1372 1495 1600.45 Parcel revenue 77.63 112 149.94 B.   E-COMMERCE Tie-up with e-commerce agencies 900 e-commerce merchants 2013-14 (Rs. in crore) 2014-15 (Rs. in crore) 2015-16 (Rs. in crore) Collection through Cash on Delivery (COD) 100 400 800 Parcel delivery per day 40,000 parcels Rural (in Rs.) Urban (in Rs.) Average value of e-commerce parcel 3000 5000 Overall premium products and services Revenue (Rs. in crore) 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17(up to June) 2827.95 3097.24 691.60 Post Shoppes No of Post Shoppes opened 50 Total revenue generated Rs 60 lakh Distribution of Gangajal The Department since 10th July 2016 has made arrangement for distribution of Gangajal, sourced from Rishikesh and Gangotri in 200 ml and 500 ml bottles, from post offices. The same are available through Head Post Offices across the country and can also be ordered online at www. epostoffice.gov.in. The packaging and handling charges of delivery of Gangajal are as follows: Size Source Post Office counters (in Rs.) *Online (in Rs.) Doorstep Delivery (in Rs.) 200 ml Rishikesh 15 101 28 500 ml Rishikesh 22 151 38 200 ml Gangotri 25 101 38 500 ml Gangotri 35 151 51 *Online cost includes Speed Post charges. Doorstep delivery means a customer can place an order in the nearest post office and the Gangajal is delivered at his doorstep. The cost excludes Speed Post charges.    C.   PARCEL INFRASTRUCTURE Road Transport network established for fast, secure, and reliable transmission of parcels 34 (major routes) Mail vans fitted with GPS devices for online monitoring of mail movement 950 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 Parcel Centre established 20 28 9     D.   IT MODERNIZATION CBS roll out 22,722 Post Offices Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) Accounts migrated to CBS 31.61 Crore ATM Installed 946 Hand held devices supplied to rural branch Post Office 4,782    E.    FINANCIAL INCLUSION                  i.        Post Office Savings Bank Account 2014-15 2015-16 33,03,35,249 34,53,21,639             ii.        Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) No. of Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA) upto March 2016 85,31,482 Amount invested upto March 2016 (INR) 5151,33,40,173   iii.        Kisan Vikash Patra (KVP) No. of KVP sold upto March 2016 2,79,76,490 Amount invested upto March 2016 (INR) 27853,19,91,700   iv.        Jan Suraksha Yojana (JSY) No. of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) 98,802 No. of Pradhan Mantri Jeewan Jyoti Yojana(PMJJBY) 25,852 No. of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana(PMSBY) 3,73,173 Total Number 4,97,827  H.  MONEY ORDERS Disbursement through Money Orders under National Pension Schemes SI No National Pension Schemes 2014-2015 2015-2016 No. of MO Booked (in Crore) Amount (in Crore) No. of MO Booked (in Crore) Amount (in Crore) 1 Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) 4.32 3201.82 3.13 2256.83 2 Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) 1.40  1029.24 1.76 937.23 3 Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme (IGNDPS) .55 414.22 .57 445.78 Total 6.27 4645.28 5.46 3639.84

PostalEmployeesPortal WISHs YOU ALL A HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

India Post to Increase the Parcel Transportation Channels

After collecting Rs.1,500 crore at the end of March 2016 in cash for delivering parcels for various e-commerce portals, including Amazon and Flipkart, the postal department now plans to have dedicated road routes for short distances and dedicated trains for longer routes to deliver parcels.

A senior department of posts (DoP) official, requesting anonymity, said B.V. Sudhakar, secretary of DoP, met officials from the ministry of railways earlier this month to explore areas to increase parcel delivery capacity, especially from e-commerce firms, through the railways.

“We are exploring various modes to deliver e-commerce parcels. We plan to buy our own vehicles for delivery through roads. Currently, we outsource and have few vehicles. Besides, we are looking towards increasing association with the railways and are in discussion with them for dedicated trains for parcels,” the official said.

The boom in the e-commerce sector has come as a lifeline for the postal department. The cash collected from e-commerce deliveries by DoP was Rs.500 crore in 2014-15, and a meagre Rs100 crore in 2013-14.

The e-commerce sector in India is expected to grow to $119 billion by 2020 with a total of 320 million shoppers, according to a report released in February by Morgan Stanley.

To be sure, India Post already has tie-up with the railways for transporting parcels and the plan is to increase the capacity in the trains to manage the load which is increasing day by day.

The postal department plans to buy 250-300 new vehicles this year and have a fleet of around 1,300 vehicles for inter-city transport and short distances outside cities.

A senior official at the ministry of railways, who also did not want to be named, said, “We have made extra parcel vans and we plan to have full parcel trains. It is under consideration but it is at an exploratory stage. We have an old association with the DoP and have a railway mail service as well. The DoP and the railways are together exploring the possibility.”

The cash-crunched Indian Railways is exploring all possible ways to increase its fare and non-fare revenues, and is also exploring external financing options to execute various projects.

In the budget of 2016, railway minister Suresh Prabhu had said that the ministry will look at liberalising parcel policies to increase non-fare revenue and it will expand its service offerings especially to cater to sectors such as e-commerce. Prabhu also had said that soon time-tabled parcel trains will be introduced.

As per the Indian Railways Statistical Publications 2014-15, the revenue from parcels and other coaching in financial year 2014-15 was Rs.3,997.89 crore.

Queries emailed to the spokespersons of the ministry of railways and the DoP on 11 August remained unanswered.

According to experts, the coming together of Indian Railways and India Post has the potential of creating a formidable logistics ecosystem.

“The big picture is that we are living in a digital age and once we have a digital platform, you can do a lot of things. It could be e-commerce, education, healthcare, etc. So in India, this is an amazing combination—the post office has last mile connectivity right to the villages and the Indian Railways has a wonderful network,” said Hemant Joshi, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP.

Both are government departments and it is an absolutely fantastic combination as it can only create value for the people of India, added Joshi.

The postal department has set up 48 processing centres to handle parcels for handling the e-commerce load. Besides, it is also setting up automatic parcel centres at Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The department already has such centres in New Delhi and Kolkata.

Source: Post Bank of India