THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]
(a) There are 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) in the country functioning as extended arms of the 36 Passport Offices in the country. The list of these PSK is at Annexure-I.
(b) With the implementation of the Passport Seva Project, the Ministry has been providing quality service to the people from the Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) established with good amenities across the country in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Under this system, the applicants are required to apply for their passports online, upload relevant documents, make the payment online through debit/credit card or State Bank of India (SBI) net banking/ SBI Challan, schedule an appointment and then visit the designated PSK. A user friendly portal has been made available. When an applicant visits the PSK, an Electronic Queue Management System (EQMS) working on the principle of First-in First-out is available at all PSKs to monitor the flow of applicants. The applicants can track the status of their applications themselves through portal and also SMS services. In the current system of passport issuance, there is no manual intervention at any stage, and the complete process is digitally flown with re-engineered process through a single visit clearance.
The number of passports made at each PO during 2017, 2018 and 2019 (January – September) and the average number of days taken to make passport in the respective POs governing concerned PSK/POPSK are given at Annexure II and Annexure III respectively.
(c) The Ministry in association with the Department of Posts decided in January 2017 to open Passport Kendras at the Head Post Offices (HPO)/ Post Offices (PO) in the country called ‘Post Office Passport Seva Kendra’ (POPSK). Under this initiative, there are 424 POPSK operational in the country as on 28 November, 2019. The list is at Annexure-IV. Together with the 93 PSK, there are 517 Passport Kendras operational in the country as on 28 November, 2019. The opening of new Passport Kendras in the country is an on-going activity and depends on various factors, including distance from the existing Passport Kendras and volume of applications from a particular region.
(d) The Ministry has eased the passport issuing process and has made it an online procedure including getting appointments for submission of documents for passports. Effective technical infrastructure is in place to ensure that the Passport Seva system is available for access at all times from any location. The Passport Portal (www.passportindia.gov.in) is accessible to anyone, anywhere and anytime. With a view to address the challenge of digital divide, especially in the rural hinterland, the Ministry in association with CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd. (which is promoted by the Department of Electronics and IT), has facilitated online filing of passport applications, through the vast network of Common Service Centres (CSCs) across rural hinterland.
An applicant can now apply for a passport from anywhere in India. But Police verification would be conducted by the Police Station in whose jurisdiction the address mentioned in the form falls and the passport will also be dispatched at the same address.
The mPassport Seva mobile app enables to apply, pay and schedule appointments for passport services. This App is available in Android and iOS platforms. It also provides passport related information including PSK and POPSK location, applicable fees, mode of submission, and tracking of passport application status on smart phones. Citizens would not require access to a computer and printer to apply for passport services.
Securing online appointment for submission of passport applications at PSK/ POPSK has been simplified. The current provision is allowing applicants to choose any appointment date from the earliest five available dates (working days) for scheduling/ rescheduling an appointment for passport related services. Earlier, the System used to offer only one available date to the applicant for seeking appointment for passport related services.
In order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport, the Ministry of External Affairs has announced a number of steps in the realm of passport policy which is expected to benefit the citizens of India applying for a passport. The details of these steps can be seen at Annexure-V.
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