New Delhi: A centralised system of issuing passports called the Passport Seva Project (PSP) is being successfully run in the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode with M/s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the Service Provider.
There are 92 Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and 56 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) functioning as on 29 July, 2017 as extended arms of the 38 Passport Offices (PO) across the country thus providing extended reach to passport applicants in various States/ Union Territories. The Government has decided to open another 180 POPSK and thereafter intends to open POPSK in the Head Post Offices (HPO) in the country in such a manner that there is a PSK available within a radius of 50 km of every HPO. The PSK and the POPSK are rendering passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible manner and in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes.
The entire passport issuance process is online. The Passport Portal (www.passportindia.gov.in) is accessible to anyone, anywhere and anytime. The applicants apply for passport service online, pay the passport fee also through the Portal and visit the PSK/ POPSK at the appointed date and time. The presence of the applicant in person at the PSK/ POPSK enables the Passport Issuing Authority to capture their photographs and biometrics. The applicants also get full opportunity to see and affirm their personal particulars to be entered in the passport. Status of applications can be tracked by the applicants through the passport website or through the mPassport Seva mobile application. Periodic SMS messages are sent to the citizens intimating the various stages of the process of passport application including date of police verification and dispatch of passport. 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.
This information was given by GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD), the Minister of State for External Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
