The District Philatelic Exhibition – WokhaPex 2023, organised by the Department of Post, Nagaland Division was inaugurated on Friday at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Wokha. The exhibition, showcasing varied collectible postal stamps, is being held for two days.
The inaugural programme was graced by Som Kamei, IPoS, Postmaster General, Northeast-II as the Chief Guest, SDO (Civil) Wokha Nuhuta Tunyi as the Special Guest and Fr. C. T. Varghese, Rector, DBHSS, Wokha as Guest of Honour.
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Addressing the function, Som Kamei, IPoS said that the Department of Post in order to promote philately, organises philatelic exhibitions at various levels that is the district, state, regional and circle levels. He also highlighted the history of postal stamps and their benefits and stated that through stamps one can learn and have an idea about what the country is famous for.
The Postmaster General said that India is one of the first country to issue postal stamps and that the first stamp that was put on for sale was in October 1854. Kamei asserted that with communication systems been developed through coming of internet, mobile phones, “writing letters has lost its importance but it does not mean that this can be forgotten”.
Highlighting the various works and activities of the department in Nagaland, the chief guest mentioned that the department will be opening 70 new branch offices in Nagaland whereby some will be established at Wokha as well. The department aims not just to provide postal services but also provide financial services like opening accounts in areas where banking facilities are not available, Kamei added.
He also said that the department is going to be setting up Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra at Wokha where parcels can be sent abroad in simpler ways.
It was informed during the event that the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications has launched a Scholarship Scheme called “Deen Dayal Sparch Yojana” Scholarship where students of class 6 to 9 from schools enrolled at the Philatelic Club can avail for the scholarship by appearing for exams. The candidate must have a good academic record and must score 60% marks in the recent final examination while there will be a 5% relaxation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories, the department said.
Earlier, Special Guest Nuhuta Tunyi, during his speech stated that the Postal Department plays a very important role in providing services to the people and is also a backbone of the government. He expressed his satisfaction that the Post Office in Wokha is functioning very well.
Six schools namely Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Regimental School, Isaiah Ability School, Fernbrook School, Little Angel School and Government Higher Secondary School in Wokha District were awarded certificates for setting up Philatelic Clubs in the schools.