India Post gears up to begin Ganga jal delivery service

The postal service is going to begin Ganga jal (water from the Ganga) delivery service before the end of the month. The announcement was made by Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad last month.

“The plan has almost been finalised. The deliveries will be starting in the next 10 days. In the first phase the Ganga jal will be sent to the India Post Circle headquarters, from where it will be distributed further. People will also be able to place online orders,” an official from the Department of Post (DoP) said.

Since the water will not be sold for drinking purposes, India Post will not filter it. Asked how much it would cost, the DoP official said the final price was being worked out. “It has been decided that selling of Ganga jal will be carried out on no profit, no loss basis. Hence, the pricing would be done in a manner to cover the costs.”

Some e-commerce sites sell it now for about Rs 250 a litre. Mr Prasad had earlier directed India Post to use e-commerce platforms to make Ganga jal from cities such as Rishikesh available across the country in order to “address the cultural underpinnings of India.”