1. In the Pin Code, the PIN stands for Postal Index Number.
2. Shriram Bhikaji Velankar introduced the PinCode system in India to make mail delivery easier.
3. He was a Sanskrit scholar and an additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Communications.
4. The Postal Service introduced the PIN code in India on August 15, 1972.
5. In the 75th year of independence, the Indian PIN code system also celebrated its silver jubilee.
6. The six-digit code is used to send mail and packages across the country.
7. India has one of the largest postal networks in the world with around 1.5 lakh post offices.
8. The pin code system was introduced to make mail sorting and delivery easier because similar names in different cities or language barriers caused confusion.
9. The country was divided into 9 geographical areas and pin codes were assigned accordingly. One zone was reserved for the Army Postal Service. The first digit of a pin code represents the postal region, such as East, West, North or South. The second digit represents the sub-region and the third represents the sorting district. The remaining digits provide information about the location of the post office.
10. The Postal department has assigned a total of 19101 pins in the country.
11. Parcels, letters and goods are delivered to post offices or courier agencies based on pin code segregation. From there, they are delivered to the recipient’s address.