Lok Sabha Question No. 4036 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: PSKs in the Country
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Prabhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4036 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## PSKS IN THE COUNTRY

## † 4036.   SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) opened in the last  three years and the current year by the Government in the country, Statewise including Gujarat;
- (b) the details of funds sanctioned, allocated and utilized, State-wise including Gujarat;
- (c) whether the demand for passport is rising in the country;
- (d) if so, the current details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government is planning to make some changes in the passports currently being issued;
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (g) the time by which it is likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

- (a) The number of operational Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) in the country during 2016, 2017, 2018 and upto 11 July, 2019, including in Gujarat, is at Annexure-I.

(b) There is no separate budget allocation for Passport Seva Project (PSP). However, for the financial year 2018-19, Rs. 1066.26 crore was allocated for the Central Passport Organisation (CPO) out of which, Rs. 1054.35 crore was utilized.

(c)   &   (d)   Y es,   the   demand   for   passports   is   rising   in   the   country .   The Ministry received more than 1.21 crore passport and passport related applications in India in the year 2018 compared to 1.17 crore in 2017 and 98.4 lakh in 2016.

(e) to (g)  The Ministry has plans to issue chip enabled e-passports to citizens with advanced security features. The personal particulars of the applicants would be digitally signed and stored in the chip which would be embedded in the physical passport booklet. In case, anyone tampers with

the chip, the system shall be able to identify it resulting in the failure of the passport authentication.

The   Government   has   given   its   approval   for   procurement   of electronic   contactless   inlays   for   manufacturing   of   e-passports   to   India Security Press (ISP) Nasik. In this regard, ISP, Nasik, has been authorized to float a Global three-stage tender for procurement of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)-compliant electronic contactless inlays along with   its   operating   system   which   is   required   for   manufacture   of   epassports. Manufacture of e-passport will commence on the successful completion of the tendering and procurement process by ISP, Nasik.

| Annexure-I             | Annexure-I           | Annexure-I              | Annexure-I          | Annexure-I             | Annexure-I          | Annexure-I          | Annexure-I                | Annexure-I                |
|------------------------|----------------------|-------------------------|---------------------|------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
|                        | 2016                 | 2016                    | 2017                | 2017                   | 2018                | 2018                | 2019 (till 11- July-2019) | 2019 (till 11- July-2019) |
| State/UT               | Op- era- tiona l PSK | Op- era- tiona l POP SK | Oper- a- tional PSK | Oper- a- tional POPS K | Oper- a- tional PSK | Opera- tional POPSK | Opera- tional PSK         | Oper- a- tional POPS K    |
| Andhra Pradesh         | 4                    | -                       | 4                   | 3                      | 4                   | 19                  | 4                         | 20                        |
| Arunachal Pradesh      | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | 2                   | 1                         | 2                         |
| Assam                  | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | 1                      | 1                   | 12                  | 1                         | 15                        |
| Bihar                  | 2                    | -                       | 2                   | 5                      | 2                   | 16                  | 2                         | 30                        |
| Chandigarh             | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 1                         | -                         |
| Chhattis- garh         | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | 1                      | 1                   | 5                   | 1                         | 7                         |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | -                    | -                       | -                   | 1                      | -                   | 1                   | -                         | 1                         |
| Daman and Diu          | -                    | -                       | -                   | 1                      | -                   | 1                   | -                         | 1                         |
| Delhi                  | 3                    | -                       | 3                   | -                      | 3                   | 4                   | 3                         | 5                         |
| Goa                    | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | 1                   | 1                         | 1                         |
| Gujarat                | 5                    | -                       | 5                   | 3                      | 5                   | 20                  | 5                         | 22                        |
| Haryana                | 2                    | -                       | 2                   | 3                      | 2                   | 9                   | 2                         | 10                        |
| Himachal Pradesh       | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | 2                      | 1                   | 6                   | 1                         | 6                         |
| Jammu and Kashmir      | 2                    | -                       | 2                   | 2                      | 2                   | 6                   | 2                         | 6                         |
| Jharkhand              | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | 2                      | 1                   | 7                   | 1                         | 14                        |
| Karnataka              | 4                    | -                       | 5                   | 2                      | 5                   | 12                  | 5                         | 22                        |
| Kerala                 | 13                   | -                       | 13                  | 2                      | 13                  | 5                   | 13                        | 6                         |
| Lakshad- weep          | -                    | -                       | -                   | 1                      | -                   | 1                   | -                         | 1                         |
| Madhya Pradesh         | 1                    | -                       | 2                   | 4                      | 2                   | 12                  | 2                         | 17                        |
| Maharash- tra          | 7                    | -                       | 8                   | 3                      | 8                   | 17                  | 8                         | 34                        |
| Manipur                | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 1                         | 1                         |
| Meghalaya              | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | 1                   | 1                         | 1                         |
| Mizoram                | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 1                         | -                         |
| Nagaland               | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 1                         | -                         |
| Odisha                 | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | 3                      | 1                   | 9                   | 1                         | 20                        |
| Puducherry             | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | 2                   | 1                         | 2                         |
| Punjab                 | 5                    | -                       | 5                   | 2                      | 5                   | 5                   | 5                         | 9                         |
|                        | 3                    | -                       | 4                   | 5                      | 4                   | 16                  |                           | 24                        |
| Rajasthan Sikkim       | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 4 1                       | -                         |
| Tamil Nadu             | 8                    | -                       | 8                   | 2                      | 8                   | 14                  | 8                         | 28                        |
| Telangana              | 5                    | -                       | 5                   | 2                      | 5                   | 8                   | 5                         | 14                        |
| Tripura                | 1                    | -                       | 1                   | -                      | 1                   | -                   | 1                         | -                         |

| Uttar Pradesh   |   6 | -   |   6 | 9   |   6 |   31 |   6 |   47 |
|-----------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|------|-----|------|
| Uttarak- hand   |   1 | -   |   1 | -   |   1 |    6 |   1 |    6 |
| West Ben- gal   |   2 | -   |   3 | 4   |   3 |   15 |   3 |   40 |
| Total           |  88 | 0   |  93 | 63  |  93 |  263 |  93 |  412 |

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