"Do's and Don'ts" and Guidelines for Post Masters and Staff

ANNEXURE-I

Important do’s and don’ts to educate the depositors with regard to Small Savings Schemes for safeguard of their interest.

1. Never accept the receipt on blank piece of paper even if it is date stamped by the Post Office and always insist for prescribed receipt at the time of opening new account at Branch Offices/GDS Sub Offices.

2. Examine your passbook carefully after every transaction to see that the entries are correctly made therein and the last balance shown is correct

3. If there are any suspicious corrections in your passbook, please report the matter immediately to the Head Post Postmaster maintaining your ledger account. The name of the Head Post Office is stamped on the inside of the cover of your passbook. 

4. Hand over your passbook for entry of interest and verification of balance immediately after 31st March every year. 

5. Whenever you hand over your passbook to the Post Office for any purpose please insist for printed receipt in form of SB-28.Please also ensure that correct balance as given in the passbook has been entered in the receipt 

6. Always obtain counterfoil of the Pay –in –Slip duly stamped and signed by the counter assistant/Postmaster for a deposit made in the account by cash or by cheque. 

7. Never keep your specimen signature or a signed withdrawal form in the passbook. 

8. Always keep your passbook under proper custody. 

9. Do not allow your passbook to remain in the unauthorized possession of Postal Official / Authorised Agents 

10. Do not forget to report the loss of your passbook to the Post Office immediately. 

11. Do not forget to intimate your change of present address to the Post Office. 

12. Do not leave the passbook with the post office for indefinite period 

13. Always give receipt of the amount of withdrawal on the withdrawal form only after actual payment is made. 

14. Do not get the withdrawal form filled in by the Post Office staff or Authorized agent 

15. Do not keep the certificate and identity slip together. 

16. Always take a receipt for the money/cheque given to the agent for opening of accounts or purchase of certificates and also write the name and authority number of the agent on the application form for opening of account and purchase of certificates. 

17. While making deposit/Investment in Small Saving Schemes through cheque please ensure proper endorsement for credit of amount under dated signature on the back side of the cheque and not leave it to the authorized agent. 

18. Do not give the blank signed cheque to the authorized agent for any kind of deposit in the Small Saving Schemes. It should be filled up properly. 

19. Before entering into the business with India Post through agent or directly customers are required to know about the features, conditions applicable for deposit/investment proposed to be made and after being satisfied transaction should be made. 

20. Avoid implicit trust in SPM/BPM/Counter PA/Authorized Agent as sometimes they misuse the trust and deceive. 

21. Ask the agent to show her Certificate of Authority issued by the competent authority and ensure that her agency is valid. 

22. Fill up account opening form in your own handwriting as far as possible or check it carefully if filled in by the agent before signing it. Always make nomination. 

23. Issue account payee cheque in favour of the Postmaster as far as possible and particularly for higher deposits. 

24. Do not issue cheque in favour of agent. 

25. Write to the appointing authority of the agent/Regional Director, National Savings Institute of your area if the agent commits some irregularities or indulge in malpractices. 

ANNEXURE- II

Guidelines for Post Masters and Staff with regard to Small Savings Schemes-Common lapses noticed against the Departmental Officials contributing the commission of frauds. 

1. The passbooks in which transactions have taken place after 31st March are not called for entry of interest by the Head Post Office. 

2. The list of savings Accounts in which interest was not posted is not furnished to the Inspector of Post for verification of balances. 

3. Non verification of the list when sent to the Head Office by the Inspector Post/Inspecting Officers. 

4. Failure on the part of Head Post Offices to compare signature on the warrants of payments where necessary. 

5. Non obtaining the passbooks by the Inspecting officer from the depositors personally for verification of balance in the passbook 

6. Non verification of withdrawal of Rs.10000/- and above made at branch office and single hand sub post offices by the Inspector and other field staff authorized to perform the inspection work. 

7. Failure to watch the continuity of the serial number of receipts in formSB-26 and SB-28 in account office/Head office. 

8. Allowing the work of verification of ledger balances into arrear in SBCO. 

9. Failure to check the annual statement of unsold certificates by the Head office and Postal accounts Office. 

10. Not carrying out the proper check of the unsold certificate with reference to the Invoices received from CSD/HO by the Inspecting authority at the time of Inspection of the Office. 

11. Allowing extension of tenure to the single hand postmaster by the Divisional head. 

12. Non observance of Rules and instructions of the Department issued time to time to avoid occurrence of fraud. 

13. Restrictions on SAS/NS/MPKBY agents and not giving access of unauthorized persons/agents into the working area of the Post offices and security of Stamps and Seals. 

14. Security of computerized operations be ensured by the concerned APM/PM/SPM. 

15. Access of Sanchay Post Programme to the inspecting authority to see that if any attempt has been made to encash lost/stolen cash certificates. 

16. The payment of commission at source to the authorized agents be made only after he produced the copy of receipt taken from the depositor/Investor in token of having received the Passbook / certificate. 

17. Access to the Post Office records/ledger/guard files containing purchase applications/computer monitor with password to the authorized agents should be strictly prohibited. 

18. Cheque proceeds for deposit/ investment tendered by the depositor/Investor should not be credited into the accounts of authorized agents in any circumstances. 

19. Without proper endorsement on the back side of the cheque by the depositor/Investor cheque should not be accepted. 

20. Each and every transaction made at the counter should be verified by the concerned APM/SPM personally and they need not share the password with the counter assistant in any circumstances.