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42-789: The Postal Square Building , formerly the City Post Office , served as the main post office for the city of Washington, D.C. , from the building's completion in 1914 to 1986. It now houses the National Postal Museum , the Bureau of Labor Statistics , and offices of the United States Senate . Architect Daniel Burnham designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style —the same style Burnham used for neighboring Washington Union Station . Construction for

84-731: A chairperson, comprises three to five members, ensuring representation and expertise in their respective domains. Just as the tehsil goes by other names in various parts of India, notably mandal and taluka , there are a number of variations in nomenclature for the block panchayat. For example, it is known as Mandal Praja Parishad in Andhra Pradesh , Taluka Panchayat in Gujarat , Uratchi Onriyam in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka , and Panchayat Samiti in Maharashtra . In general,

126-580: A population of over two million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every five years, to provide seats reserved for scheduled castes , scheduled tribes and women, to appoint a State Finance Commission to make recommendations regarding the financial powers of the Panchayats, and to constitute a District Planning Committee. The 4-tier panchayat system  [ bn ] was inaugurated in West Bengal on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday (2 October) in

168-518: A significant increase in women's participation in local governance. Women are now serving as elected representatives in various positions, including as sarpanch (village head) and panchayat members. Women also demonstrated their positive and enlightened thinking in the panchayat to respond to the government's expectations of women. The supportive actions from their families are encouraging women to attend every PRI (Panchayati Raj in India) meeting. Even though

210-402: Is identified by its PIN. Post offices coming under Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication, Government of India have a history of one hundred fifty years. Private courier and delivery services often have offices as well, although these are usually not called "post offices", except in the case of Germany , which has fully privatised its national postal system . As abbreviation PO

252-464: Is instead known as a sorting office or delivery office, which may have a large central area known as a sorting or postal hall. Integrated facilities combining mail processing with railway stations or airports are known as mail exchanges. In India , post offices are found in almost every village having panchayat (a "village council"), towns, cities, and throughout the geographical area of India. India's postal system changed its name to India Post after

294-454: Is its elected head. The members of the gram panchayat are elected directly by the voting-age village population for a period of five years. The Gram Panchayat President, also known as Sarpanch often presides over the Sabha meetings. Elected standing committees operate in the panchayat, focusing on specific areas like finance, development, education, health, and welfare. Each committee, headed by

336-492: Is the system of local self-government of villages in rural India as opposed to urban and suburban municipalities . It consists of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through which the self-government of villages is realized. They are tasked with "economic development, strengthening social justice and implementation of Central and State Government Schemes including those 29 subjects listed in

378-433: Is used, together with GPO for General Post Office and LPO for Licensed Post Office. There is evidence of corps of royal couriers disseminating the decrees of Egyptian pharaohs as early as 2400   BCE, and it is possible that the service greatly precedes that date. Similarly, there may be ancient organised systems of post houses providing mounted courier service, although sources vary as to precisely who initiated

420-552: The Holy Roman Empire . The British Postal Museum claims that the oldest functioning post office in the world is on High Street in Sanquhar , Scotland . The post office has functioned continuously since 1712, during which horses and stagecoaches were used to carry mail. Rural parts of Canada in the 19th century utilised the way office system. Villagers could leave their letters at the way office which were then taken to

462-635: The Pack-Station for package delivery , including both drop-off and pickup, in 2001. In the 2000s, the United States Postal Service began to install Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in many locations in both post offices, for when they are closed or busy, and retail locations. APCs can print postage and accept mail and small packages. Panchayati raj in India Panchayati raj (council of five officials)

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504-931: The United States , this often led to smaller communities being renamed after their post offices, particularly after the Post Office Department began to require that post office names not be duplicated within a state . The term "post-office" has been in use since the 1650s, shortly after the legalisation of private mail services in England in 1635. In early modern England, post riders — mounted couriers —were placed, or "posted", every few hours along post roads at posting houses (also known as post houses) between major cities, or " post towns ". These stables or inns permitted important correspondence to travel without delay. In early America, post offices were also known as stations. This term, as well as

546-477: The 2000 A.D., post offices would collect fees for radio licenses, recruitment for government jobs, and the operation of public call telephone (PCO) booths. Postmen would deliver letters, money orders, and parcels to places that are within the assigned area of a particular post office. Each Indian post office is assigned a unique six-digit code called the Postal Index Number , or PIN. Each post office

588-572: The Bureau of Labor Statistics had begun transitioning to office space in Suitland, Maryland , while most BLS employees continued to work from home as they had been doing since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Post office Before the advent of postal codes and the post office, postal systems would route items to a specific post office for receipt or delivery. During the 19th century in

630-619: The Eleventh Schedule." Part IX of the Indian Constitution is the section of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats. It stipulates that in states or Union Territories with more than two million inhabitants there are three levels of PRIs: In states or Union Territories with less than two million inhabitants there are only two levels of PRIs. The Gram Panchayat consists of all registered voters living in

672-662: The Panchayat council and infrequent meetings of the Sarpanch have decreased the spread of information to villagers, leading to more state regulation. Many Panchayats have been successful in achieving their goals, through cooperation between different bodies and the political mobilization of previously underrepresented groups in India. There is an obstacle of literacy that many Panchayats face for engagement of villagers, with most development schemes being on paper. However, homes linked to

714-648: The Panchayati Raj System have seen an increase in participation for local matters. The reservation policy for women on the Panchayat councils have also led to a substantial increase in female participation and have shaped the focus of development to include more domestic household issues. In 1992, the 73rd amendment was passed, transforming the role of women in Panchayati raj. The 73rd amendment established reservation of one-third of seats for women in basic village councils. This reservation had led to

756-672: The Postal Square Building began in 1911 on a lot near the Capitol . Planning began with a 1901 proposal by the Senate Parks Commission. The commission called for three buildings to mark the northern end of the Capitol complex. While the first two buildings in the plan, Union Station and the Postal Square Building, were completed early in the 20th century, the 1901 plan would not be fully implemented until

798-528: The advent of private courier companies in the 1990s. It is run by the Indian government's Department of Posts. India Post accepts and delivers inland letters, postcards, parcels, postal stamps, and money orders (money transfers). Few post offices in India offer speed post (fast delivery) and payments or bank savings services. It is also uncommon for Indian post offices to sell insurance policies or accept payment for electricity, landline telephone, or gas bills. Until

840-487: The area of a Gram Panchayat and is the organization through which village inhabitants participate directly in local government. Elections for the members of the Panchayats at all levels take place every five years. By federal law, the Panchayats must include members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the same proportion as in the general population and at least one-third of all seats and chairperson posts must be reserved for women. Some states have increased

882-558: The area, a representative of the cooperative societies and one from marketing services), and some elected members. However, in Kerala , block panchayat members are directly elected, just like gram panchayat and district panchayat members. The Panchayat Samiti is elected for a term of five years and is headed by a chairman and a deputy chairman. The Panchayats, throughout the years, have relied on federal and state grants to sustain themselves economically. The absence of mandatory elections for

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924-499: The basic units of local administration . Currently, the Panchayati Raj system exists in all states except Nagaland , Meghalaya , and Mizoram , and in all Union Territories except Delhi . Panchayati raj has its origins in India since Vedic period (1700 BCE). Since Vedic times, the village (gram) in the country is considered as the basic unit for regional self-administration. Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj as

966-548: The block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level. On 24 April 1993, the Constitutional (73rd amendment) Act of 1992 came into force in India to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions. This amendment was extended to Panchayats in the tribal areas of eight states, namely: Andhra Pradesh , Gujarat , Himachal Pradesh , Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh , Odisha , and Rajasthan beginning on 24 December 1996. This amendment contains provisions for

1008-712: The block panchayat has the same form as the gram panchayat but at a higher level. Membership in the block panchayat is mostly ex-official ; it is composed of: all of the Sarpanchas (gram panchayat chairmen) in the Panchayat Samiti area, the MPs and MLAs of the area, the Sub-District Officer (SDO) of the sub-division, co-opt members (representatives of the SCs, STs and women), associate members (a farmer from

1050-400: The bureaucracy was all male dominated, Gandhi hoped that Panchayati raj could be the framework for a free Indian political order. As a promoter of liberalism, he proposed gram swaraj, or self-contained and autonomous villages, to give women the most rights. The 73rd amendment  was also resisted because reservation of seats meant that high caste people had to accept marginal caste women into

1092-413: The chairpersons/presidents at the intermediate and district levels are elected indirectly from among the elected members. At the village level, the chairperson/president is elected as determined by the state government. Some states use direct elections, while others use indirect elections (elected from among the members) to choose the chairperson of the gram panchayat. For the purpose of representation,

1134-628: The completion of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in 1992. A major renovation from 1929 to 1935 expanded the building for increased mail processing and service capacity. By the 1950s, renovations had removed many of the Beaux-Arts features of the building. The main hall and lobby area only showed traces of their former grandiose design with modernist elements replacing the Beaux-Arts style. The building received another major renovation in

1176-413: The devolution of powers and responsibilities to the panchayats, both for the preparation of economic development plans and social justice, as well as for implementation in relation to 29 subjects listed in the eleventh schedule of the constitution, and the ability to levy and collect appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees. The Act aims to provide a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all states having

1218-577: The early 1990s, during which the original appearance of the lobby and main hall area was restored. The National Postal Museum moved into the building in 1993 following the renovations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Capitol City Brewing Company also moved into the building during the 1990s. Capitol City Brewing Company closed in 2011 to make room for an expansion of the National Postal Museum. As of 2023,

1260-476: The foundation of India's political system, as a decentralized form of government in which each village would be responsible for its own affairs. The term for such a vision was Gram Swaraj ("village self-governance"). Instead, India developed a highly centralized form of government. However, this has been moderated by the delegation of several administrative functions to the local level, empowering elected gram panchayats. There are significant differences between

1302-499: The nearest post office, as well as pick up their mail from the way office. In parts of Europe, special postal censorship offices existed to intercept and censor mail. In France, such offices were known as cabinets noirs . In many jurisdictions, mailboxes and post office boxes have long been in widespread use for drop-off and pickup (respectively) of mail and small packages outside post offices or when offices are closed. Germany's national postage system Deutsche Post introduced

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1344-834: The occasion of Dussehra . The system was gradually established all over India. The system was modified in 1992 with the 73rd constitutional amendment. The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee , headed by the Member of Parliament Balwantrai Mehta , was a committee appointed by the Government of India in January 1957 to examine the work of the Community Development Programme (1952) and the National Extension Service (1953), to suggest measures to improve their work. The committee's recommendation

1386-602: The other providing sturdy oxen for bulk shipments. The Byzantine historian Procopius , though not unbiased, records the Cursus Publicus system remained largely intact until it was dismantled in the Byzantine empire by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis family initiated regular mail service from Brussels in the 16th century , directing the Imperial Post of

1428-1136: The practice. In the Persian Empire , a Chapar Khaneh system existed along the Royal Road . Similar postage systems were established in India and China by the Mauryan and Han dynasties in the 2nd century BCE. The Roman historian Suetonius credited Augustus with regularising the Roman transportation and courier network, the Cursus Publicus . Local officials were obliged to provide couriers who would be responsible for their message's entire course. Locally maintained post houses ( Latin : stationes ) privately owned rest houses ( Latin : mansiones ) and were obliged or honored to care for couriers along their way. The Roman emperor Diocletian later established two parallel systems: one providing fresh horses or mules for urgent correspondence and

1470-429: The required minimum proportion for women to one-half. Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated Panchayat at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. The day was selected on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi 's birthday. Gandhi wanted Gram Swaraj through Panchayati Raj. The system was modified in 1992 with the 73rd constitutional amendment. In India, the Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which gram panchayats are

1512-452: The respective State Election Commission . Reservation of seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions is a mechanism to ensure representation of marginalized and underprivileged sections of society. These reservations typically include seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and women. The percentage of reserved seats varies from state to state based on demographic factors and social considerations. The sarpanch (head of five)

1554-438: The term "post house", fell from use as horse and coach services were replaced by railways , aircraft , and automobiles . The term "post office" usually refers to government postal facilities providing customer service. " General Post Office " is sometimes used for the national headquarters of a postal service, even if the building does not provide customer service. A postal facility that is used exclusively for processing mail

1596-430: The traditional Panchayati Raj system, that was envisioned by Gandhi, and the system formalized in India in 1992. Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated Panchayati at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. The day was selected on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi 's birthday. Gandhi wanted Gram Swaraj through Panchayati Raj. Rajasthan was the first state to implement it. Nehru inaugurated Panchayat Raj in Andhra Pradesh on 11 October 1959 on

1638-430: The village panchayat, block panchayat, and district panchayat are divided into constituencies/wards, each represented by an elected member. These members constitute the panchayat council. In some states, there are ex-officio members at the block or district level who are not elected members, such as MLAs , MPs , etc. The term of Panchayati Raj Institutions at all levels is 5 years, and elections to these are conducted by

1680-408: The village, block , and district levels and similar in nature. Zilla Parishad, Zila Parishad, Zilla Panchayat, District Panchayat, etc. Panchayat Samiti, Panchayat union, Mandal Parishad, Mandal Praja Parishad, Anchalik Panchayat, Janpad Panchayat, Kshetra Panchayat, Taluka Panchayat, etc. Gram Panchayat, Gaon Panchayat, etc. The members at all levels of Panchayati Raj are elected directly, and

1722-633: The year 1964 by the passage of the West Bengal Zilla Parishad Act in 1963. It consisted of The 3 tier panchayat system was inaugurated in June 1973 by the West Bengal Panchayat Act passed that year. It consists of In different parts of India, the levels of panchayati raj institutions might have different names because of the various languages spoken and cultural differences. However, they usually represent

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1764-403: Was implemented by NDC in January 1958, and this set the stage for the launching of Panchayati Raj Institutions throughout the country. The committee recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democratic decentralization’, which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj. This led to the establishment of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system: Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at

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