Current Affairs Date: 04 July 2023

⇒ The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated AMRITPEX 2023 – National Philatelic Exhibition on 11 February 2023.

Organized by:

AMRITPEX 2023, National Philatelic Exhibition was organised by the Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications to showcase India’s rich culture, heritage and history through stamps.

Department of Posts after a period of more than a decade organized, AMRITPEX 2023 was organized in consultation with the Ministry of Culture and Philatelic Congress of India and designed and crafted as a visual and interactive treat for children and youth.

» This five-day Mahakumbh of Stamps was held from 11th to 15th February, 2023 in Hall 05, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. It was organized as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations.

» An Exhibition on the Transformative Journey of India Post was also inaugurated on this occasion.

• • The Exhibition on the Transformative Journey of India Post showcased the emerging role of post offices in enriching citizens’ lives at the last mile and digitization of the postal system.

Key Highlights:

During the exhibition, a number of workshops, seminars, panel discussions and cultural events and activities for children, release of commemorative postage stamps, release of special covers and picture postcards were organized.

• • The exhibition saw participation of more than 25,000 children, Stamp lovers, and tourists. Children from more than 125 schools of Delhi NCR visited the exhibition and participated in activities like Letter Writing, Art & Painting, Calligraphy, Mandala art, stamp design etc.

Opening ceremony:

» The opening ceremony of the event was graced by the Minister for Communications, Electronics & IT and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Minister of State for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan.

• • Speaking on the occasion, Shri Devusinh Chauhan said that AMRITPEX is the national platform to highlight and display the 5000 years old rich history and culture of this great nation.

» The opening ceremony of AMRITPEX 2023 was attended by a large number of school students and philatelists from all parts of the country.

• • The exhibition displayed more than 20,000 exhibits under 13 competitive categories and invitees. A special section on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was also included with encouraging participation by youth and budding philatelists.

Commemorative Postage Stamp on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav:

During the opening ceremony the Minister released a commemorative postage stamp on “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”. The Department of Posts released a Commemorative Postage Stamp on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• • This stamp has been designed from the best entries of the national wide design competition in which more than 4 lakh students participated.
  • This competition was organized at Pan India level in partnership with the Department of School Education and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
  • The national winners of this competition were also felicitated during the event.

» The minister also dedicated to the nation the record of “Securing the future of more than 10 lakh girl child through opening of Sukanya Samriddhi accounts in various post offices in a short span of two days”.

• • Emboldening the dominant role of Department of Posts in securing the future of girl child, the department opened more than 10 lakh Sukanya Samriddhi Accounts on 9th & 10th Feb 2023, as a tribute to Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

» During the exhibition the department released a series of special covers on Nari Shakti, Yuva Shakti, International Year of Millets 2023, Nature & Wildlife of India and Unsung Heroes. A set of picture postcards “Flavours of Delhi” were also released during the event.

• • The exhibition brought to the front the rich culture, heritage, history, nature, wildlife and achievements of India through stamps, letter writing and virtual displays.
  • The exhibition was also an opportunity for the winners to participate in various International Philatelic Exhibitions and showcase their collections.

On the 2nd day of the exhibition, a set of 8 sets were issued on “Bridal Costumes of India” in the august presence of Shovana Narayan, renowned kathak dancer.

On the 3rd day of the exhibition, Enhancing its role in popularizing GI products in the country, a set of 12 commemorative stamps in souvenir sheet “Geographical Indications: Agricultural Goods” were also released.

» AMRITPEX 2023 was Divyang enabled exhibition with a sensorial zone for visually impaired visitors. A special letter writing competition was organized in braille. A sign language expert was placed on stage to make all stage happening accessible for the hearing impaired.

» A brilliant show on youth parliament was the centre of attraction on the 4th day of AMRITPEX 2023. The youth parliament had an active discussion on the subject such as National Youth Policy, Foreign Policy, etc.

On the last day of the 5-day event, an international round table and panel discussion on “Postal Services: A tool for global socio-economic development and connect” was conducted. It came out during the discussion that the postal network has an important role in financial inclusion and logistics and supply chain management.

More than 250 participants of AMRITPEX received awards under various categories.

• • Champions Trophy was awarded to Mr. Piyush Khaitan.
  • The gold medal was awarded to Ms Damyanti Pittie, Mr Santhosh M S, Mr Rajesh Jhunjhunwala, Mr. Narendra Saboo, Ms Ananya Kasaravalli, Mr. K S Mohan.
  • Mr E.P James was awarded the Secretary’s trophy and Ms Poorva Bansal was awarded DG’s trophy.