End of legacy: Money order goes telegram way

New Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata, April 4: A 135-year-old legacy comes to an end! Like in the case of the telegram, India Post has quietly discontinued the traditional money order service, which was an integral part of the department since 1880, facilitating pan-India door-delivery of funds to a payee from over 155,000 post offices. In an era of instant communications, the traditional money transfer facility has made way for an electronic version, which was introduced in October 2008, thanks to the proliferation of mobile telephony and data communications in the country through the internet - 18 months after they led to the demise of the telegram. "Yes, the traditional money order as we know it has been discontinued," said Shikha Mathur Kumar, deputy director general for finance with India Post based in the national capital. "What we have now are electronic money orders, or eMO, and instant money orders, or iMO, systems," Kumar told IANS. "Both these are much faster and simpler means to remit money." According to information provided by India Post, the money order system was transferred from the official treasury department to the Posts and Telegraph Department in 1880 to save people the ardour of long journeys they had to often undertake to pay revenues and rent. This was when Rai Saligram Bahadur, the second guru of the Radhasoami faith, was the postmaster-general of the North-Western Provinces, based out of Allahabad. He was the first Indian to hold that post and money order was one of the many firsts he brought to the table.