Gramin Dak Sevak (India Post)

Three posts: Branch Postmaster (BPM), Assistant Branch Postmaster (ABPM) and Dak Sevak. The BPM runs the village branch post office. The ABPM delivers mail and does counter work. Dak Sevaks help in bigger departmental post offices. Work includes selling stamps, delivering letters and parcels at the doorstep, savings and India Post Payments Bank transactions, keeping records, and telling villagers about postal schemes.

A day in the work
A Branch Postmaster opens the village post office in the morning. They receive the mail bag, then serve people at the counter with a handheld device. Villagers come to post letters, buy stamps, deposit savings or take out money. An ABPM often walks or cycles to nearby hamlets to deliver letters and parcels, and does small deposits and payments at the doorstep. By afternoon the team updates records, balances the cash, and sends the day's mail back towards the head office. Many also spend time telling people about postal savings schemes and India Post Payments Bank.

1. Step 1 · Class 8–10Study Maths, English and your local language seriously. Selection is by Class 10 marks, so every mark counts (reported). Pass Class 10 from a recognised board. (reported — check with the official body)
2. Step 2 · Class 10 and afterGet ready for the job basics. Learn to use a computer and smartphone. Be able to ride a bicycle or two-wheeler, because the application includes a declaration that you can ride one for duty. Keep your Class 10 certificate, date-of-birth proof and any caste or disability certificate ready.
3. Step 3 · Online applicationApply on India Post's GDS Online Engagement portal. First do One-Time Registration, then fill the application and pay any fee. In the July 2026 (Schedule-II) cycle, registration ran 31 Aug to 19 Sep 2026 and applications ran 2 to 21 Sep 2026. A short correction window followed. You choose the circles, divisions and posts you want.
4. Step 4 · Merit listThere is no written test. India Post publishes shortlisted candidates on the portal, in several merit lists if seats stay vacant. The lists are ranked by Class 10 marks within each category (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Document verificationShortlisted candidates take their original documents to the divisional office. Class 10 documents can also be checked through DigiLocker or the board's website. Other pre-engagement checks, such as police verification, follow (reported). (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · Engagement and trainingYou are engaged, not given a regular government appointment. New GDS usually get short induction training on postal work and the handheld device (reported). A BPM must also arrange a room for the branch post office at their own cost. (reported — check with the official body)
7. Optional · LaterSome GDS later try limited departmental exams to move into the regular postal cadre, such as Postman or Postal Assistant. Check the current rules before planning on this (reported). (reported — check with the official body)

Fees from: India Post: GDS Online Engagement Notification, Schedule-II, July 2026 · India Post: Model Notification for GDS engagement, 2025. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Pay starts modest and is paid as an allowance linked to working hours. It grows with a yearly increment, and Branch Postmasters are paid in a higher slab than ABPMs and Dak Sevaks. The official notice itself expects Sevaks to have another source of income, such as family farming or a small shop.

The July 2026 notice reserves posts for persons with disabilities. It lists low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, and locomotor conditions such as one arm, one leg or spinal deformity, at about 1% each. Candidates must declare they can ride a bicycle or two-wheeler for duty, so read that rule carefully against your own situation. Earlier notices also exempted women and some categories from the application fee (reported).

• Class 7–9Visit your local post office and watch how the counter, mail sorting and delivery work. Then write a short note about the services you saw.Open link ↗
• Class 10–12Read the latest official GDS notification once, and note the subjects, age and documents it asks for. Check that your Class 10 marksheet and certificates are in order.Open link ↗
• College or afterPractise basic computer and smartphone skills, such as typing, UPI and filling online forms. Teach someone at home too. Practise riding a bicycle or two-wheeler safely.Open link ↗

• GDS is an 'extra-departmental' job. It is not in the regular 7th Pay Commission pay matrix. The official notice says a Sevak should have another source of income besides the allowance, and the work is up to about five hours a day. Sevaks cannot continue beyond 65 years of age.
• India Post advertises GDS vacancies in rounds. In 2026 there was a January round (Schedule-I) and a July round (Schedule-II, notice dated 20 August 2026). The engagement process for Schedule-II closes after 31 December 2026. Watch the portal for the next round.
• The July 2026 round was widely reported to carry about 23,757 vacancies (reported). The official notice gives circle-wise and division-wise tentative vacancies in its annexure, and the numbers change each round.
• Where you are posted depends on the vacancy in the division you chose. You are usually placed in or near villages, so you may not get your home village.