Postal department launches premium services with 24-hour, 48-hour delivery guarantee

The Ministry of Posts launched three premium services with 24-hour and 48-hour delivery guarantees for urgent and time-sensitive shipments on Tuesday, March 17, 2026; It is trying to reinvent itself against the growing field of courier services that promise delivery within a few hours.

Launching 24 Speed ​​Post, 24 Speed ​​Post Parcel and 48 Speed ​​Post services, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that India Post’s revenue growth is encouraging, registering a growth of 20% in 11 months of FY26.

Initially, these services are available in six cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with the aim of providing nationwide coverage by March 2027. The department will use special handling and priority air transportation to meet delivery timelines.

Mr. Scindia said the launch was a moment of renewal for India Post and highlighted a huge core opportunity.

He said that the e-commerce market will reach Rs 30 lakh crore by 2030, almost tripling from Rs 11 lakh crore currently.

“Today, parcels constitute only 5 per cent of our business. But it is our common goal that parcels (service) become the growth engine of our business. In 11 months of this year (FY26), the parcel business has grown by over 44 per cent… But we must push this engine further. There is no reason why we cannot become a full-fledged delivery engine,” the Minister said.

According to the official statement, the new offerings will include comprehensive end-to-end tracking features paired with OTP verified deliveries and real-time SMS alerts.

Businesses will have options for ‘Book Now, Pay Later (BNPL)’, centralized billing and API integration. Additionally, free pickup for bulk shipments and a money-back guarantee in case of delivery delays will also be provided.