The Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha today called upon the Department of Posts to explore ways to generate revenue through philately as is the practice in many countries of the world. He was speaking after an award ceremony here to felicitate the students selected in the first edition of DeenDayal SPARSH (Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby) Yojana 2017-18. Shri Sinha gave awards to 40 students who had qualified for the Scholarship from Delhi Circle. 880 students selected in 22 different Circles all across India were also linked to the event through Video Conferencing facility and had an interaction with Shri Manoj Sinha.The Minister said that more than 20,000 students participated in the competition and urged the department to target one lakh students in the next round of competition.A Commemorative Postage Stamp on Solar System and Special Cover and Special Cancellation on renowned scientist Stephen Hawking were also released on the occasion. Two MoUs were exchanged between Department of Posts and CCIC& Department of Posts and WWF regarding development of Philatelic Ancillary products.Philately is the hobby of collection and study of Postage stamps. It includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloguing, displaying, storing, and maintaining the stamps or related products on thematic areas.
Philately is called the king of hobbies because Stamp collection as a hobby has lot of educational benefits - it teaches a lot about the socio economic political reality of the period in which the stamp is issued or the theme on which it is issued.In order to increase the reach of Philately, Department of Posts had launched scholarship program for school children called DeenDayal SPARSH (i.e. Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby) on 3rd November 2017. Under the scheme it was proposed to award annual scholarships to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby through a competitive selection process in all postal circles. Selections under the DeenDayal SPARSH Yojana were made based on the evaluation of Project work on Philately & performance in Philately Quiz conducted by the Circles. Under the DeenDayal SPARSHYojana conducted for the year 2017-2018 almost 20,000 students across the country participated and out of these 880 students have been selected for the award of Scholarship of Rs. 6000/- per annum @ Rs. 500/- per month. 40 scholarships representing 10 students each from Standard VI, VII, VIII & IX are being given for each Postal Circle.
Stephen Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history. His work on the origins and structure of the universe, from the Big Bang to the black holes, the theoretical prediction called Hawking Radiation, revolutionized the understanding of the subject. Department of Posts is pleased to honour his legacy by releasing of a Special Cover and Special Cancellation on Stephen Hawking. Set of eight Commemorative Postage Stamps on Solar System is also being released. The set contains stamps on eight planets of the Solar System, a First Day Cover, Brochure and a First Day Cancellation.Department of Posts have entered into a MoU with Central Cottage Industries Emporium (CCIC) to design and develop Philatelic Ancillary products based on the rich and varied themes of Postage Stamps. It is expected this partnership will on the one hand provide opportunities for skilled Indian artisans and master Indian Craftsmen to develop Philatelic products and on the other hand would be able to leverage vast intellectual property and rich cultural heritage of more than 150 years available through Indian Postage stamps in propagating Philately as a hobby amongst the masses.Department of Posts have also entered into a MoU with World Wide Fund, India (WWF) regarding development of Philately products based on the theme of conservation and preservation of our natural heritage. The partnership would help in promoting the causes of Environment protection, Wildlife conservation and the fight against Global Climate Change through the exciting world of Philately and Philatelic products.