COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Governance)
Context: Recently, the department of Posts released a set of commemorative postage stamps to celebrate the Paris Olympics.
Commemorative Stamps
- About: It honor important events, prominent personalities, aspects of nature, rare flora and fauna, environmental issues, agricultural activities, and national or international topics.
- Issuing Authority: Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications.
- Availability: These stamps can only be obtained from Philatelic Bureaux, counters, or through the Philatelic Deposit Account Scheme.
- Rules for Issuing Commemorative Postage Stamps:
o Proposal Submission: Any citizen of India may submit a proposal for the issuance of commemorative postage stamps.
o Institutional Milestones: Stamps are issued only for apex institutions or organizations celebrating significant anniversaries, such as the 100th, 125th, or 150th, and not for their branches.
o Significance: The institution or organization honored must have national or international stature with notable contributions in their field.
o No Living Personalities: Commemorative stamps cannot feature living individuals. Only personalities of national or international importance who are deceased can be commemorated.
o Heritage Sites: Stamps can be issued for buildings or monuments on significant anniversaries (centenary, 125th, 150th) if they are recognized as Heritage sites of national or international importance.
