Hola Aloha, Since India Post is fully owned by the GoI I assume the decision to abolish the book post rate was taken by the government, since it is the government which subsidizes it. To India Post, allowing for reduced rates for certain sendings makes no difference at all. This because just as with the reductions granted on Indian Railways fares to certain categories of passengers, the government makes up the difference between the full rate and the reduced one. Same with postal rates. To answer Gilbert Lawrence slightly purportive question: heavily subsidized postal rates for sending books exist in two of my countries of reference, France and Italy. Save that France subsidizes only the sending of books outside France, 'to promote French Language & Culture' , while Italy subsidizes only domestic rates, to promote reading books in itself, in Italy. In both cases the rates are, of course, 'ridiculously low'. My third country of reference - and of passport, the Netherlands, being far more pragmatic, and espousing the principle of 'who benefits, pays' dear to both former EU Commissar, and right wing politician Frits Bolkenstein, and apparently also, Gilbert Lawrence, abolished such reduced rates long ago - and they were anyway not specifically for books, but, as per sound business practice, for printed matter in general. Needless to add, that, as everyone knows, reading books is very much part of the 'leftist hobby' that is culture in general. At least that was the opinion of the before former Dutch minister of ... Culture. Like, I assume, Narendra Modi, both Frits Bolkenstein and current French president Emmanuel Macron were not enamoured with the welfare state, and subsidizing book post is a small part of it. As Macron said "it only helps the worthless, and costs truckloads of dough". Like poor students in some far way corner of India for instance ... Cheers to All, and Happy New Year! p+2D!
