In these high-tech times, lovers no longer write letters, instant banking has replaced money orders, grandparents rely on courier companies whose boys zip on sleek mobikes to deliver parcels of love and almost nobody has a pen pal when social networking sites work just as well or even better, for that matter.Everyone knows for sure that in the new digital show, kids can’t receive the warmth and intimacy that has gone along with the figure of the traditional postman. The postal departments have revamped their images to get a sleek, new age look.A rural postman was not just a mail carrier; he was the social glue that bonded disparate communities.He was a highly resourceful support to the local community. The postman too has got a makeover. Auden’s tribute to the postman will continue to resonate for generations to come:“They continue their dreams,And shall wake soon and long for letters,And none will hear the postman’s knockWithout a quickening of the heart,For who can electric cargo bikes manufacturers bear to feel himself forgotten?”The writer is a member of the Niti Aayog’s National Committee on Financial Literacy and Inclusion for Womenend-ofTags: postman. No one could dare challenge his credentials about knowing so much of the realities of rural social life. It was not mandatory, but usually the giver gave and the postman did not have the heart to refuse.The traditional postman has been slowly consigned to grandma’s folklores and lullaby tales. Once in a while, he carried telegrams, which had good news as well as the bad ones.There is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. In villages, they are data collectors and stock groceries and extend essential healthcare services. Communication is now via e-mail or SMS or mobile phones.When he brought good news, the recipient would reward him with whatever sweets there were in the house.

But it is an image that just won’t get washed away by the driftwood of history. The spear was meant to protect them from robbers and wild animals and the bells just kept up their courage as they jogged along jungle trails. But now, they are making banking easy for even ordinary citizens by going round homes carrying a trendy mobile phone and a hand-held biometric scanner to open savings accounts, transfer money, pay utility bills, accept cash deposits, facilitate withdrawals and what have you. There would be ordinary letters, registered letters, money orders and parcels. During festivities, he would be an important guest and be treated to goodies that the family had prepared.When I write this diary, I feel extremely dismayed with the way the Indian village postman has receded into the far horizons of the rural landscape . In fact, people trust us more than the courier guys,” he would chuckle. Normally, the postman had a set pattern for his visits. “Those who have known us, continue to respect us.The lyrics reflect a reality that all elder Indians are familiar with — the ineffectual man in khaki, his pants clipped firmly at the bottom to keep the well starched dress from getting smudged by the greased cycle chain, pedalling his bicycle and putting letters and postcards into eager hands.”In his Malgudi Days, R. Come rain or sun, he would trudge on foot with his bag full of letters or cover difficult terrain on his bicycle. “There has been many a time when I have picked up letters dropped carelessly by the courierwallah and delivered them to the right address. Gone are the days when he used to deliver picture postcards, letters to lovers and money orders from newly-employed sons and goodies from doting grandparents. Till recently, the ubiquitous men in brown serving in the country’s 155,000 post offices located in every nook and cranny had been only delivering letters and parcels.India’s 3.India’s 350,000 well-trained postmen have turned bankers, offering doorstep financial services to even the last man standing in the remotest parts of the country.

We could clarify from him several complex issues which even a lifetime’s reading of Mead, Metcalfe, Shrinivas, Ghurye, Madan, Mandelbaum, Dumont and Lewis and scores of their celebrated ilk of anthropologists could not enlighten us. He was an informal rural sociologist and demographer for all visiting government officials. They now offer many new services — filling out traffic challans and submitting them and also carry electronic devices that capture and transmit the signatures of the addressees digitally in case of registered letters or speed posts.A village democracy is a microcosm of national democracy.I remember my school lessons where we were told of the time when the mail was delivered by runners who carried a spear with two little bells attached to the shaft near the head. He relieved us of a number of cumbersome tasks that were made simple by him on account of his knowledge of the local geography and the social arcana. Thanappa is not just the postman of Malgudi — he is one of the most loved characters who is a link for so many families.”W. People are gradually forgetting the art of letter writing — in another decade, there will not be any letters on display penned by the celebrities of today.In a village, the postman enjoyed a unique status unrivalled by his urban colleagues. I remember the times when his sight would flood my mind with the excitement of the possibility of getting the news I had been long awaiting. His social perimeter straggled the constellation of villages he covered in his official errands, which could be anywhere between four-five villages depending on the size of each village.In an Indian village, a postman was much more than just a letter deliverer.ith which to view their world.

The drop in GST on EVs to five per cent from 12 per cent plus the tax break might go some way towards incentivising what is an ideal transition from the internal combustion engine to other forms of driving mobility. The sum total of all the initiatives towards switching to electric mobility solutions amount to less than one per cent of vehicles on Indian roads now. While the absolute transition cut-off date of 2030 sounds ambitious even for such a highly evolved industry as the Indian automobile industry, the deadline sought for the less powered three- and two-wheelers appears far too sharp. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker China Wholesale electric mountain bike charging.The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. Electric vehicles (EVs) are clearly gaining traction, but not at a rate that could possibly meet the overambitious conversion target set by Niti Aayog, which said most recently that 2023 and 2025 should be the cut-off dates for three-wheelers and two-wheelers under 150 cc to go electric. India’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle was unveiled last week, so too an electric car by an international manufacturer based in India while a new electric scooter also hit the marketThe hurdles may appear overwhelming currently because we have hardly started towards true enabling of pollution-free transportation.

A total transition in India would take an enormous effort. Proper government-industry coordination and cooperation is essential if the transition is to have some effect on the urban heat island phenomenon that is running out of control in some cities, most notably in the National Capital Region where the problem of pollution is caused by far more than just automobiles. The proposed dates will be thrown open for discussion; even so, it is clear that automobiles are being targeted as major urban polluters. While the operating cost savings for the user of EVs will be a distinct selling point, the salutary effect on urban pollution would be the most desirable outcome provided, of course, that cities are able to do a lot more to tackle other major contributing factors like industrial pollution and thermal power generation. So too the premise that India’s world class two-wheelers, which also contain a $3 billion export component, are not the most major polluters. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker charging.The industry viewpoint of electric powered vehicles being brought in more by traders now rather than manufacturers would have to be factored in by the national planning body. end-of Tags: electric vehicles, gst. The sharper deadline for the industry could prove counterproductive as India grapples with the larger issue of total transition possibly by 2030. Published: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST Updated: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. A lot more is needed to make it all happen in a decade. Pilot initiatives look impressive enough in handling the minuscule numbers thus far.

The drop in GST on EVs to five per cent from 12 per cent plus the tax break might go some way towards incentivising what is an ideal transition from the internal combustion engine to other forms of driving mobility. The sum total of all the initiatives towards switching to electric mobility solutions amount to less than one per cent of vehicles on Indian roads now. While the absolute transition cut-off date of 2030 sounds ambitious even for such a highly evolved industry as the Indian automobile industry, the deadline sought for the less powered three- and two-wheelers appears far too sharp. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker China Wholesale electric mountain bike charging.The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. Electric vehicles (EVs) are clearly gaining traction, but not at a rate that could possibly meet the overambitious conversion target set by Niti Aayog, which said most recently that 2023 and 2025 should be the cut-off dates for three-wheelers and two-wheelers under 150 cc to go electric. India’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle was unveiled last week, so too an electric car by an international manufacturer based in India while a new electric scooter also hit the marketThe hurdles may appear overwhelming currently because we have hardly started towards true enabling of pollution-free transportation.

A total transition in India would take an enormous effort. Proper government-industry coordination and cooperation is essential if the transition is to have some effect on the urban heat island phenomenon that is running out of control in some cities, most notably in the National Capital Region where the problem of pollution is caused by far more than just automobiles. The proposed dates will be thrown open for discussion; even so, it is clear that automobiles are being targeted as major urban polluters. While the operating cost savings for the user of EVs will be a distinct selling point, the salutary effect on urban pollution would be the most desirable outcome provided, of course, that cities are able to do a lot more to tackle other major contributing factors like industrial pollution and thermal power generation. So too the premise that India’s world class two-wheelers, which also contain a $3 billion export component, are not the most major polluters. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker charging.The industry viewpoint of electric powered vehicles being brought in more by traders now rather than manufacturers would have to be factored in by the national planning body. end-of Tags: electric vehicles, gst. The sharper deadline for the industry could prove counterproductive as India grapples with the larger issue of total transition possibly by 2030. Published: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST Updated: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. A lot more is needed to make it all happen in a decade. Pilot initiatives look impressive enough in handling the minuscule numbers thus far.

The drop in GST on EVs to five per cent from 12 per cent plus the tax break might go some way towards incentivising what is an ideal transition from the internal combustion engine to other forms of driving mobility. The sum total of all the initiatives towards switching to electric mobility solutions amount to less than one per cent of vehicles on Indian roads now. While the absolute transition cut-off date of 2030 sounds ambitious even for such a highly evolved industry as the Indian automobile industry, the deadline sought for the less powered three- and two-wheelers appears far too sharp. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker China Wholesale electric mountain bike charging.The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. Electric vehicles (EVs) are clearly gaining traction, but not at a rate that could possibly meet the overambitious conversion target set by Niti Aayog, which said most recently that 2023 and 2025 should be the cut-off dates for three-wheelers and two-wheelers under 150 cc to go electric. India’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle was unveiled last week, so too an electric car by an international manufacturer based in India while a new electric scooter also hit the marketThe hurdles may appear overwhelming currently because we have hardly started towards true enabling of pollution-free transportation.

A total transition in India would take an enormous effort. Proper government-industry coordination and cooperation is essential if the transition is to have some effect on the urban heat island phenomenon that is running out of control in some cities, most notably in the National Capital Region where the problem of pollution is caused by far more than just automobiles. The proposed dates will be thrown open for discussion; even so, it is clear that automobiles are being targeted as major urban polluters. While the operating cost savings for the user of EVs will be a distinct selling point, the salutary effect on urban pollution would be the most desirable outcome provided, of course, that cities are able to do a lot more to tackle other major contributing factors like industrial pollution and thermal power generation. So too the premise that India’s world class two-wheelers, which also contain a $3 billion export component, are not the most major polluters. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker charging.The industry viewpoint of electric powered vehicles being brought in more by traders now rather than manufacturers would have to be factored in by the national planning body. end-of Tags: electric vehicles, gst. The sharper deadline for the industry could prove counterproductive as India grapples with the larger issue of total transition possibly by 2030. Published: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST Updated: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. A lot more is needed to make it all happen in a decade. Pilot initiatives look impressive enough in handling the minuscule numbers thus far.

The drop in GST on EVs to five per cent from 12 per cent plus the tax break might go some way towards incentivising what is an ideal transition from the internal combustion engine to other forms of driving mobility. The sum total of all the initiatives towards switching to electric mobility solutions amount to less than one per cent of vehicles on Indian roads now. While the absolute transition cut-off date of 2030 sounds ambitious even for such a highly evolved industry as the Indian automobile industry, the deadline sought for the less powered three- and two-wheelers appears far too sharp. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker China Wholesale electric mountain bike charging.The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. Electric vehicles (EVs) are clearly gaining traction, but not at a rate that could possibly meet the overambitious conversion target set by Niti Aayog, which said most recently that 2023 and 2025 should be the cut-off dates for three-wheelers and two-wheelers under 150 cc to go electric. India’s first ethanol-powered motorcycle was unveiled last week, so too an electric car by an international manufacturer based in India while a new electric scooter also hit the marketThe hurdles may appear overwhelming currently because we have hardly started towards true enabling of pollution-free transportation.

A total transition in India would take an enormous effort. Proper government-industry coordination and cooperation is essential if the transition is to have some effect on the urban heat island phenomenon that is running out of control in some cities, most notably in the National Capital Region where the problem of pollution is caused by far more than just automobiles. The proposed dates will be thrown open for discussion; even so, it is clear that automobiles are being targeted as major urban polluters. While the operating cost savings for the user of EVs will be a distinct selling point, the salutary effect on urban pollution would be the most desirable outcome provided, of course, that cities are able to do a lot more to tackle other major contributing factors like industrial pollution and thermal power generation. So too the premise that India’s world class two-wheelers, which also contain a $3 billion export component, are not the most major polluters. The country has a long way to go in setting up a nationwide recharging infrastructure, which will make electric mobility practical even as technology develops more compact batteries as well as quicker charging.The industry viewpoint of electric powered vehicles being brought in more by traders now rather than manufacturers would have to be factored in by the national planning body. end-of Tags: electric vehicles, gst. The sharper deadline for the industry could prove counterproductive as India grapples with the larger issue of total transition possibly by 2030. Published: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST Updated: Jul 14, 2019, 12:02 am IST The tax incentive proposals for EVs contained in the Budget were not that substantive as to see customers queue up. A lot more is needed to make it all happen in a decade. Pilot initiatives look impressive enough in handling the minuscule numbers thus far.