Mass delivery of Merdeka Generation Package welcome folders by mail started yesterday, kicking off the operation to deliver more than 400,000 folders to eligible citizens by the end of next month.

Yesterday's batch of folders will be the first of roughly 30,000 deliveries to homes islandwide daily. This follows the distribution of about 80,000 folders through various community events previously.

To mark the first day, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Sim Ann visited the SingPost Kallang Delivery Base and learnt about the sorting and delivery of the welcome folders.

They also presented folders and SingPost tokens of appreciation to close to 30 postal workers from the Merdeka Generation.

Dr Khor got to meet 66-year-old Abdul Lah Haris who, with 47 years of service, is one of the longest-serving postmen at SingPost.

She said: "I learnt that with the transformation of SingPost and digitalisation of delivery processes, Mr Abdul Lah underwent training to learn how to use the new SmartPost app, which tracks delivery."

When he is not working, he joins his colleagues in badminton sessions and goes for regular jogs.

Dr Khor said: "I think Mr Abdul Lah really embodies the spirit of the Merdeka Generation, in terms of lifelong learning and active ageing."

Having delivered mail since the days when one traversed mud roads to get to a kampung, Mr Abdul Lah has seen first-hand how things have changed.

With a laugh, he said that while dogs were the enemies of postmen 30 years ago, now they help when the doorbell is faulty by alerting their owners to the presence of someone at the door.

The Merdeka Generation Package honours the hard work and contributions of Mr Abdul Lah and others born in the 1950s through various healthcare and other benefits.

In the personalised welcome folder, they will find things like their Merdeka Generation card and a list of Community Health Assist Scheme clinics nearest their homes.