S Lalitha By Express News Service BENGALURU: Due to the 21-day lockdown, the state postal department now has small sums in its possession, which are to be handed over to nearly 12 lakh beneficiaries under various schemes o f the social we l fare department. With just a skeletal staff functioning due to the lockdown, door-to-door delivery services have been stopped. However, the postal department on Monday worked out a strategy to tackle the issue and the services are likely to resume shortly. Postmaster General, Bengaluru region, S Rajendra Kumar, said that the cash has to be distributed under the categories of old age pension, widow pension and disabled pension. “These sums start from Rs 500. Currently, only four offices are open in each of our 32 divisions. Even they are functioning only with skeletal staff as many have chosen to apply for leave on account of the outbreak. Booking of letters or parcels isn’t happening and we are permitting only deposit or withdrawal of cash for Personal Savings Bank account holders,” he said. “People should visit the nearest post offices to collect these sums. Most of the beneficiaries are spread across rural areas and do not use ATMs to withdraw money,” he added. On the safety measures being put in place for visitors, Kumar said that markings have been drawn outside counters to ensure social distancing and sanitiser is available everywhere.

Stay updated with all the Bangalore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.