Lok Sabha Question No. 472 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Simplifying Issuance of Passports
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Arun Sao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.472 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## SIMPLIFYING ISSUANCE OF PASSPORTS

†472. SHRI ARUN SAO:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether   the   Government   has   formulated   any   plan   to   simplify   the procedure of issuing passports and establishing new passport offices;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Ministry  has   given   any   directive   to   open   'Passport   Seva Kendras' in head post office of the districts;
- (d) if so, the State-wise and district-wise details of 'Passport Seva Kendras' established in the country including Chhattisgarh so far; and
- (e) the   other   steps   being   taken   by   the   Government   to   improve   existing procedure of issuing passports which is time consuming and complicated?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) & (b) Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) are being set up in association with the Department of Posts in order to bring passport services closer to people residing in villages/remote/rural areas of the country. The POPSK are functioning like the other existing 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSK). The process of issuing passports has not changed after the opening of the POPSK. Applicants, who apply for their passports online through the passport portal, can schedule an appointment and then visit the designated POPSK to complete the formalities, similar to those at the PSK, prior to the issue of the passport. The photographs, biometrics and the supporting documents would be electronically captured at the POPSK prior to the issue of the Passport.

(c) Before 2014, 77 Passport Seva Kendras were operational in the country. After 2014, 16 new Passport Seva Kendras were established by this Government. Thereafter, in the year 2017, a decision was taken in co-operation with the Department of Posts to open 'Post Office Passport Seva Kendras' (POPSK), under which as on 30 January, 2020, 424 POPSK have been established.

(d) The details of the 517 Passport Seva Kendras established in the country, including in Chhattisgarh, is enclosed at Annexure I.

(e) 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. It also provides passport related information including location of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), 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 has taken a number of steps to simplify passport policy which is expected to benefit the citizens of India in applying for and getting a passport. This is at Annexure-II.

***

2

|       | List of functional Passport Seva Kendras ( Annexure-I)   | List of functional Passport Seva Kendras ( Annexure-I)   | List of functional Passport Seva Kendras ( Annexure-I)   |
|-------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| S.No. | Locations                                                | State/UT                                                 | Passport Office                                          |
| 1     | Anantapur                                                | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 2     | Bapatla                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 3     | Chittoor                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 4     | Gudivada                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 5     | Guntur                                                   | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 6     | Hindupur                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 7     | Kadappa                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 8     | Kodur                                                    | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 9     | Kurnool                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 10    | Nandyal                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 11    | Narasaraopet                                             | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 12    | Nellore                                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 13    | Ongole                                                   | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 14    | Tirupathi                                                | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 15    | Vijaywada                                                | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Vijayawada                                               |
| 16    | Amalapuram                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 17    | Bhimavaram                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 18    | Eluru                                                    | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 19    | Kakinada                                                 | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 20    | Rajamundry                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 21    | Srikakulam                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 22    | Visakhapatnam                                            | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 23    | Vizianagaram                                             | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 24    | Yelamanchili                                             | Andhra Pradesh                                           | Visakhapatnam                                            |
| 25 26 | Changlang Itanagar                                       | Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh                      | Guwahati Guwahati                                        |
| 27    | Khonsa                                                   | Arunachal Pradesh                                        | Guwahati                                                 |
| 28    | Barpeta                                                  | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 29    | Dhubri                                                   | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 30    | Dibrugarh                                                | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 31    | Goalpara                                                 | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 32    | Golaghat                                                 | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 33    | Guwahati                                                 | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 34    | Jorhat                                                   | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 35    | Karbi Anglong                                            | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 36    | Karimganj                                                | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 37    | Kokrajhar                                                | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 38    | Mangaldoi                                                | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 39    | Nawgong                                                  | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 40    | North Lakhimpur                                          | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 41    | Silchar                                                  | Assam                                                    | Guwahati                                                 |
| 42    | Tezpur                                                   | Assam                                                    | Guwahati Guwahati                                        |
| 43    | Tinsukia                                                 | Assam                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 44    | Arrah                                                    | Bihar                                                    |                                                          |
| 45    | Aurangabad                                               | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 46    | Banka                                                    | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 47    | Begusarai                                                | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 48 49 | Bettiah                                                  | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
|       | Bhagalpur                                                | Bihar                                                    | Patna Patna                                              |
| 50 51 | Buxar                                                    | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
|       | Chhapra                                                  | Bihar                                                    |                                                          |
| 52    | Dalmia Nagar                                             | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 53 54 | Dalsingh Sarai                                           | Bihar Bihar                                              | Patna Patna                                              |
|       | Darbhanga                                                |                                                          | Patna                                                    |
| 55    | Forbesganj                                               | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 56    | Gaya                                                     | Bihar                                                    |                                                          |
| 57    | Gopalganj                                                | Bihar                                                    | Patna Patna                                              |
| 58    | Hajipur                                                  | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 59    | Jahanabad                                                | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 60    | Jamui                                                    | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 61    | Katihar                                                  | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 62    | Khagaria                                                 | Bihar                                                    |                                                          |
| 63    | Kishanganj Madhubani                                     | Bihar                                                    | Patna                                                    |
| 64    |                                                          |                                                          | Patna                                                    |
|       |                                                          | Bihar                                                    |                                                          |

| 65      | Maner                   | Bihar                | Patna                 |
|---------|-------------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
| 66      | Motihari                | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 67      | Munger                  | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 68      | Muzaffarpur             | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 69      | Nalanda                 | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 70      | Navada                  | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 71      | Patna                   | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 72      | Purnea                  | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 73      | Saharsa                 | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 74      | Samastipur              | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 75      | Sasaram                 | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 76      | Sheohar                 | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 77      | Sitamarhi               | Bihar                | Patna                 |
| 78      | Siwan                   | Bihar                |                       |
|         |                         |                      | Patna                 |
| 79      | Bilaspur                | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 80      | Durg                    | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 81      | Janjgir-Champa          | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 82      | Korba                   | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 83      | Raigarh                 | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 84      | Raipur                  | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 85      | Rajnandgaon             | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 86      | Surguja                 | Chhattisgarh         | Raipur                |
| 87      | Silvasa                 | Dadar & Nagar Haveli | Mumbai                |
| 88      | Daman                   | Daman                | Mumbai                |
| 89      | Herald House - ITO      | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 90      | Janak Puri              | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 91      | Mehrauli                | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 92      | Nehru Place             | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 93 94   | Patparganj R.K. Puram   | Delhi                | Delhi Delhi           |
|         |                         | Delhi                |                       |
| 95      | Shalimar Place          | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 96      | Yamuna Vihar            | Delhi                | Delhi                 |
| 97      | Margao                  | Goa                  | Panaji                |
| 98      | Panaji                  | Goa                  | Panaji                |
| 99      | Amreli                  | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 100 101 | Anand Bharuch           | Gujarat Gujarat      | Ahmedabad Ahmedabad   |
| 102     | Bhavnagar               | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 103     | Bhuj                    | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad Ahmedabad   |
| 104     | Chhota Udaipur Dahod    | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 105 106 | Gandhinagar             | Gujarat Gujarat      | Ahmedabad             |
| 107     | Godhra                  | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 108     |                         | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
|         | Jamnagar                |                      |                       |
| 109     | Junagadh                | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 110     | Kheda                   | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 111     | Mehsana                 | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 112     | Mithakali Ahmedabad     | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 113     | Palanpur                | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 114     | Patan                   | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 115     | Porbandar               | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 116     | Rajkot                  | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 117     | Sabarkantha             | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 118     | Surendranagar           | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 119     | Vadodara                | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 120     | Veraval                 | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
| 121     | Vijay Cross Road Ahmed- | Gujarat              | Ahmedabad             |
|         | abad                    |                      |                       |
| 122     | Bardoli                 | Gujarat              | Surat                 |
| 123     | Navsari                 | Gujarat              | Surat                 |
| 124 125 | Rajpipla Surat          | Gujarat Gujarat      | Surat Surat           |
| 126     | Valsad                  | Gujarat              | Surat                 |
| 127     |                         | Haryana              |                       |
| 128     | Ludhiana Ambala         | Haryana              | Chandigarh Chandigarh |
| 129     | Bhiwani Mahendragarh    | Haryana              | Chandigarh            |
| 130     | Chandigarh              | Haryana              | Chandigarh            |
|         |                         | Haryana              | Chandigarh            |
| 131     | Hisar                   |                      |                       |

| 132     | Kaithal            | Haryana                  | Chandigarh          |
|---------|--------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|
| 133     | Karnal             | Haryana                  | Chandigarh          |
| 134     | Panipat            | Haryana                  | Chandigarh          |
| 135     | Sirsa              | Haryana                  | Chandigarh          |
| 136     | Yamunanagar        | Haryana                  | Chandigarh          |
| 137     | Faridabad          | Haryana                  | Delhi               |
| 138     | Gurgaon            | Haryana                  | Delhi               |
| 139     | Narnaul            | Haryana                  | Delhi               |
| 140     | Rohtak             | Haryana                  | Delhi               |
| 141     | Sonipat            | Haryana                  | Delhi               |
| 142     | Hamirpur           | Himachal Pradesh         | Shimla              |
| 143     | Kangra             | Himachal Pradesh         | Shimla              |
| 144     | Kullu              | Himachal Pradesh         | Shimla              |
| 145     | Mandi              | Himachal Pradesh         | Shimla              |
| 146     | Palampur           | Himachal                 | Shimla              |
| 147     | Shimla             | Pradesh Himachal Pradesh | Shimla              |
| 148     | Una                | Himachal Pradesh         | Shimla              |
| 149     | Jammu              | Jammu & Kashmir          | Jammu               |
| 150     | Kathua             | Jammu & Kashmir          | Jammu               |
| 151     | Rajouri            | Jammu & Kashmir          | Jammu               |
| 152     | Udhampur           | Jammu & Kashmir          | Jammu               |
| 153     | Anantnag           | Jammu & Kashmir          | Srinagar            |
| 154     | Baramulla          | Jammu & Kashmir          | Srinagar            |
| 155     | Srinagar           | Jammu & Kashmir          | Srinagar            |
| 156     | Bokaro             | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 157     | Chaibasha          | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 158     | Deoghar            | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 159     | Dhanbad            | Jharkhand                | Ranchi Ranchi       |
| 160 161 | Dumka Giridih      | Jharkhand Jharkhand      | Ranchi              |
|         |                    | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 162 163 | Gumla Hazaribagh   | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 164     | Jamshedpur         | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 165     | Jumri Tilaiya      | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 166     | Khunti             | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 167     | Medininagar        | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 168     | Ranchi             | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 169     | Sahibganj          | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
|         |                    | Jharkhand                | Ranchi              |
| 170 171 | Simaria Kalaburagi | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
|         |                    | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 172 173 | Ankola Bagalkot    | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 174     | Belagavi           | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 175     | Bellary            | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 176     | Bidar              | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
|         |                    |                          | Bengaluru           |
| 177     | Chamrajanagar      | Karnataka                |                     |
| 178     | Channapatna        | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 179     | Chikkballapur      | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 180     | Chikkodi           | Karnataka                | Bengaluru Bengaluru |
| 181 182 | Chitradurga        | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 183     | Davangere          | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 184     | Gadag              | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
|         | Hassan             | Karnataka                |                     |
| 185     | Hubballi-Dharwad   | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 186     | Jalahalli          | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 187     | Koppal             | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 188 189 | Lalbagh            | Karnataka                | Bengaluru Bengaluru |
| 190     | Maddur Mangaluru   | Karnataka Karnataka      | Bengaluru           |
|         |                    |                          | Bengaluru           |
| 191     | Mysuru             | Karnataka                |                     |
| 192     | Raichur            | Karnataka                | Bengaluru Bengaluru |
| 193     | Robertsonpet       | Karnataka                |                     |
| 194     | Sai Arcade         | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 195     | Shivamogga         | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 196     | Tumakuru           | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 197     |                    |                          | Bengaluru           |
|         | Udupi              | Karnataka                |                     |
| 198     | Vijayapura         | Karnataka                | Bengaluru           |
| 199     | Alappuzha          | Kerala                   | Cochin              |

| 200     | Aluva               | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
|---------|---------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|
| 201     | Chengannur          | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 202     | Kattappana          | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 203     | Kottayam            | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 204     | Nenmara             | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 205     | Palakkad            | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 206     | Thrissur            | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 207     | Tripunithura        | Kerala                  | Cochin             |
| 208     | Kannur              | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 209     | Kasargod            | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 210     | Kozhikode           | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 211     | Malappuram          | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 212     | Payyanur            | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 213     | Vadakara            | Kerala                  | Kozhikode          |
| 214     |                     |                         | Thiruvananthapuram |
|         | Attingal            | Kerala                  |                    |
| 215     | Kollam              | Kerala                  | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 216     | Neyyattinkara       | Kerala                  | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 217     | Pathanamthitta      | Kerala                  | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 218     | Vazhuthacaud        | Kerala                  | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 219     | Leh                 | Laddakh                 | Srinagar           |
| 220     | Kavaratti           | Lakshadweep             | Cochin             |
| 221     | Balaghat            | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 222     | Betul               | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 223     | Bhopal              | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 224     | Chhatarpur          | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 225     | Chhindwara          | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 226     | Damoh               | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 227     | Dewas               | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 228     | Dhar                | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal Bhopal      |
| 229     | Gwalior             | Madhya Pradesh          |                    |
| 230     | Hoshangabad         | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 231     | Indore              | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 232     | Jabalpur            | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 233     | Ratlam              | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 234     | Rewa                | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 235     | Sagar               | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 236     | Satna               | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 237     | Tikamgarh           | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal Bhopal      |
| 238     | Ujjain              | Madhya Pradesh          |                    |
| 239     | Vidisha             | Madhya Pradesh          | Bhopal             |
| 240     | Andheri Aurangabad  | Maharashtra Maharashtra | Mumbai Mumbai      |
| 241 242 | Bhiwandi            | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 243     | Bhusawal            | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
|         | Dhule               | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 244     |                     |                         |                    |
| 245     | Jalgaon             | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 246     | Lower Parel         | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 247     | Malad               | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 248     | Nashik              | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 249     | Rajapur             | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 250     | Santa Cruz          | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 251     | Sion                | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 252     | Thane               | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 253     | Vashi               | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 254     | Vikroli             | Maharashtra             | Mumbai             |
| 255     | Ahmednagar          | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 256     |                     | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 257     | Baramati Beed       | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 258     | Ichalkaranji        | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 259     | Jalna               | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 260     | Kolhapur            | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 261     | Latur               | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 262     | Madha               | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 263     | Nanded              | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 264     |                     | Maharashtra             | Pune Pune          |
| 265     | Osmanabad           | Maharashtra             |                    |
| 266     | Pandharpur Parbhani | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
|         | Pimpri              | Maharashtra             | Pune               |
| 267     |                     |                         |                    |
|         | Chinchwad           |                         |                    |

| 268     | Pune                | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
|---------|---------------------|---------------|-----------------------|
| 269     | Sangli              | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
| 270     | Satara              | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
| 271     | Shirur              | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
| 272     | Solapur             | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
| 273     | Srirampur           | Maharashtra   | Pune                  |
| 274     | Akola               | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 275     | Amravati            | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 276     | Bhandara            | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 277     | Buldhana            | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 278     | Chandrapur          | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 279     | Gadchiroli          | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 280     | Hingoli             | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 281     | Katoal              | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 282     | Nagpur              | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 283     | Wardha              | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 284     | Yavatmal            | Maharashtra   | Nagpur                |
| 285     | Imphal              | Manipur       | Guwahati              |
| 286     | Kakching            | Manipur       | Guwahati              |
| 287     | Shillong            | Meghalaya     | Guwahati              |
| 288     | Tura                | Meghalaya     | Guwahati              |
| 289     | Aizawl              | Mizoram       | Guwahati              |
| 290     | Dimapur             | Nagaland      | Guwahati              |
| 291     | Aska                | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 292     | Balasore            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 293     | Bargarh             | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 294     | Baripada            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 295     | Berhampur           | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 296     | Bhadrak             | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 297     | Bhawanipatna        | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 298     | Bhubaneshwar        | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 299     | Bolangir            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 300     | Cuttack             | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 301     | Dhenkanal           | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 302     | Jagatsinghpur       | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 303     | Jajpur              | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 304     | Kendrapara          | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 305     | Keonjhar            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 306     | Koraput             | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 307     | Nabarangpur         | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 308     | Phulbani            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 309     | Puri                | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 310     | Rourkela            | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 311     | Sambalpur           | Odisha        | Bhubaneswar           |
| 312     | Karaikal            | Puducherry    | Tiruchirapalli        |
| 313     | Puducherry          | Puducherry    | Tiruchirapalli        |
|         |                     |               | Amritsar              |
| 314     | Firozpur            | Punjab        | Amritsar              |
| 315 316 | Amritsar Pattana    | Punjab        |                       |
|         | Basi                | Punjab        | Chandigarh Chandigarh |
| 317 318 | Bathinda Malerkotla | Punjab Punjab | Chandigarh            |
|         |                     |               | Chandigarh            |
| 319 320 | Patiala Ropar       | Punjab Punjab | Chandigarh            |
| 321     | Hoshiarpur          | Punjab        | Jalandhar             |
| 322 323 | Jalandhar-1         | Punjab Punjab | Jalandhar             |
|         | Jalandhar-2         |               | Jalandhar             |
| 324     | Moga                | Punjab        | Jalandhar             |
| 325     | Pathankot           | Punjab        | Jalandhar Jalandhar   |
| 326     | Phagwara            | Punjab        |                       |
| 327     | Ajmer               | Rajasthan     | Jaipur                |
| 328     | Alwar               | Rajasthan     | Jaipur Jaipur         |
| 329     | Banswara            | Rajasthan     |                       |
| 330     | Barmer              | Rajasthan     | Jaipur                |
| 331     | Bharatpur           | Rajasthan     | Jaipur Jaipur         |
| 332 333 | Bhilwara            | Rajasthan     | Jaipur                |
|         | Bikaner             | Rajasthan     |                       |
| 334     | Chittorgarh         | Rajasthan     | Jaipur                |
| 335     | Churu               | Rajasthan     |                       |
|         |                     |               | Jaipur                |

7

| 336     | Dausa                   | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
|---------|-------------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
| 337     | Hanumangarh             | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 338     | Jaipur                  | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 339     | Jaisalmer               | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 340     | Jhalawar                | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 341     | Jhunjhunu               | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 342     | Jodhpur                 | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 343     | Kankroli                | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 344     | Karauli-Dhaulpur        | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 345     | Kota                    | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 346     | Kotputli                | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 347     | Nagaur                  | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 348     | Pali                    | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 349     |                         |                       |                     |
|         | Pratapgarh              | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 350     | Sawai Madhopur          | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 351     | Sikar                   | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 352     | Sirohi                  | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 353     | Sriganganagar           | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 354     | Udaipur                 | Rajasthan             | Jaipur              |
| 355     | Aminjikarai             | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 356     | Arani                   | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 357     | Chennai GPO             | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 358     | Chidambaram             | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 359     | Cuddalore               | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 360     | Dharmapuri              | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 361     | Kallakurichi            | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 362     | Kancheepuram            | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 363     | Krishnagiri             | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai Chennai     |
| 364     | Ranipet Saligramam      | Tamil Nadu            |                     |
| 365     |                         | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 366     | Tambaram                | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 367     | Tiruvallur              | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 368     | Tiruvannamalai          | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 369     | Vellore                 | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 370     | Viluppuram              | Tamil Nadu            | Chennai             |
| 371     | Coimbatore              | Tamil Nadu            | Coimbatore          |
| 372     | Coonoor                 | Tamil Nadu            | Coimbatore          |
| 373     | Erode                   | Tamil Nadu            | Coimbatore          |
| 374     | Rasipuram               | Tamil Nadu            | Coimbatore          |
| 375     | Salem                   | Tamil Nadu            | Coimbatore Madurai  |
| 376     | Bodineyaknur Devakottai | Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu | Madurai             |
| 377 378 | Kodairoad               | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 379     | Madurai                 | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 380     | Nagercoil               | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 381     | Rajpalyam               | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 382     | Ramathapuram            | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 383     | Thoothukkudi            | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 384     | Tirunelveli City        | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 385     | Virudhunagar            | Tamil Nadu            | Madurai             |
| 386     | Karur                   | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirappalli     |
|         |                         | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirapalli      |
| 387 388 | Perambalur Sirkali      | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirappalli     |
| 389     | Thanjavur               | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirappalli     |
| 390     | Thiruthuraipoondi       | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirappalli     |
| 391     | Tiruchirappalli         | Tamil Nadu            | Tiruchirappalli     |
| 392     | Ameerpet                | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 393 394 | Adilabad                | Telangana             | Hyderabad Hyderabad |
|         | Begumpet                | Telangana             |                     |
|         |                         | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 395 396 | Bhongir Kamareddy       | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
|         | Karimnagar              | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 397 398 | Khammam                 | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
|         |                         |                       | Hyderabad           |
| 399     | Mahabubabad             | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 400     | Mancherial              | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 401     | Medak                   | Telangana             |                     |
|         | Medchal                 |                       | Hyderabad           |
| 402     |                         | Telangana             | Hyderabad           |
| 403     | Mehbubnagar             | Telangana             |                     |

8

| 404     | Nalgonda              | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
|---------|-----------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|
| 405     | Nizamabad             | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 406     | Siddipet              | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 407     | Toli Chowki           | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 408     | Vikarabad             | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 409     | Wanaparthy            | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 410     | Warangal              | Telangana                   | Hyderabad         |
| 411     | Agartala              | Tripura                     | Kolkata           |
| 412     | Dhramanagar           | Tripura                     | Kolkata           |
| 413     | Amroha                | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 414     | Badaun                | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 415     | Bijnaur               | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 416     | Moradabad             | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 417     | Pilibhit              | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 418     | Rampur                | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 419     | Shahjahanpur          | Uttar Pradesh               | Bareilly          |
| 420     | Bareilly              | Uttar Pradesh               | Uttar Pradesh     |
| 421     | Achnera               | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 422     | Agra                  | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 423     | Aligarh               | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 424     | Baghpat               | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 425     | Bulandshahr           | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 426     | Ghaziabad             | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 427     | Hathras               | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 428     | Meerut                | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 429     | Muzaffarnagar         | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 430     | Noida                 | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 431     | Saharanpur            | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 432     | Vrindawan             | Uttar Pradesh               | Ghaziabad         |
| 433     | Allahabad             | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 434     | Ambedkar Nagar        | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 435     | Amethi                | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 436     | Ayodhya               | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 437     | Azamgarh              | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 438     | Bahraich              | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 439     | Ballia                | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 440     | Balrampur             | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 441     | Banda                 | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow Lucknow   |
| 442     | Bhadohi               | Uttar Pradesh               |                   |
| 443     | Chunar                | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 444     | Deoria                | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 445     | Farrukhabad           | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 446     | Fatehpur              | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 447     | Ghazipur              | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 448     | Gonda                 | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 449     | Gorakhpur             | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
|         |                       |                             | Lucknow           |
| 450     | Goshi (Mau)           | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 451 452 | Hamirpur              | Uttar Pradesh               |                   |
| 453     | Hardoi Jaunpur        | Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow Lucknow   |
| 454     | Jhansi                | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 455     |                       |                             | Lucknow           |
| 456     | Kanpur Kheri          | Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow           |
| 457     | Lucknow               |                             | Lucknow           |
|         |                       | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 458 459 | Maharajganj Misrikh   | Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow           |
| 460     |                       |                             | Lucknow           |
| 461     | Pratapgarh Rae Bareli | Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow           |
| 462     | Siddharth             | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
|         | Nagar                 | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 463 464 | Sitapur               | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
|         | Sultanpur             | Uttar Pradesh               | Lucknow           |
| 465     | Unnao                 |                             | Lucknow           |
| 466     | Varanasi              | Uttar Pradesh               |                   |
| 467     | Almora                | Uttarakhand                 |                   |
| 468     | Dehradun              | Uttarakhand                 | Dehradun Dehradun |
| 469     | Kathgodam             | Uttarakhand                 | Dehradun          |
|         |                       |                             | Dehradun          |
| 470     | Nainital              | Uttarakhand                 |                   |
| 471     | Roorkee               | Uttarakhand                 | Dehradun          |

9

|   472 | Rudrapur                | Uttarakhand   | Dehradun   |
|-------|-------------------------|---------------|------------|
|   473 | Srinagar                | Uttarakhand   | Dehradun   |
|   474 | Alipurduar              | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   475 | Amta                    | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   476 | Arambagh                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   477 | Asansol                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   478 | Ashok Nagar             | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   479 | Balurghat               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   480 | Bangaon                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   481 | Bankura                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   482 | Bardhaman               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   483 | Barrackpore             | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   484 | Basirhat                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   485 | Beadon Street           | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   486 | Berhampore              | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   487 | Bishnupur               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   488 | Bolpur                  | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   489 | Canning Road Ferry Ghat | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   490 | Chinsurah               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   491 | Coochbehar              | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   492 | Darjeeling              | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   493 | Diamond Harbour         | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   494 | Dum Dum                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   495 | Gangtok                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   496 | Ghatal                  | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   497 | Howrah                  | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   498 | Jadavpur                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   499 | Jalpaiguri              | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   500 | Jhargram                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   501 | Jiyaganj                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   502 | Kakdweep                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   503 | Kanthi                  | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   504 | Katwa                   | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   505 | Kharagpur               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   506 | Kolkata                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   507 | Krishnanagar            | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   508 | Makdumpur               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   509 | North Dinajpur          | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   510 | Purulia                 | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   511 | Raghunathganj           | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   512 | Rampurhat               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   513 | Ranaghat                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   514 | Samsi                   | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   515 | Serampore               | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   516 | Siliguri                | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |
|   517 | Tamluk                  | West Bengal   | Kolkata    |

***

10

## SIMPLIFICATION OF PASSPORT RULES

In order to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue  of passport, the Ministry of External Affairs has taken a number of steps in the realm of passport policy to ease the process of issue of passports. The details of these steps are given below:-

## A. Documents in support of proof of Date of Birth

As per the extant statutory provisions of the Passport Rules, 1980, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989, in order to get a passport, had to, hitherto, mandatorily submit the Birth Certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB). It has now been decided that all applicants  of passports can submit any one of the following documents as the proof of DOB while submitting the passport application:

- (i) Birth Certificate (BC) issued by the Registrar of Births & Deaths or the   Municipal   Corporation   or   any   other   prescribed   authority whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India;
- (i) Transfer/School   leaving/Matriculation   Certificate   issued   by   the school last attended/recognized educational board containing the DOB of the applicant;
- (ii) PAN  Card  issued  by  the  Income  T ax  Department  with  the  DOB  of applicant;
- (iii) Aadhaar Card/E-Aadhaar having the DOB of applicant;
- (iv) Copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect   of   Government   servants)   or   the   Pay   Pension   Order   (in respect of retired Government Servants), duly attested/certified by the   officer/in-charge   of   the   Administration   of   the   concerned Ministry/Department of the applicant, having his DOB;
- (v) Driving license issued by the Transport Department of  concerned State Government, having the DOB of applicant;
- (vi) Election   Photo   Identity   Card   (EPIC)   issued   by   the   Election Commission of India having the DOB of applicant;
- (vii) Policy Bond issued by the Public Life Insurance Corporations/Companies   having   the   DOB   of   the   holder   of   the insurance policy.

## B. Other Changes

- (i) The online passport application form now requires the applicant to provide  the  name of father  or  mother  or  legal  guardian,  i.e.,  only one parent and not both. This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and to also issue passports where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant.
- (ii) The total number of Annexes prescribed in the Passport Rule, 1980, has been reduced to 9 from the past 15.

## ANNEXURE-II

- (iii) All the annexes that are required to be given by the applicants would   be   in   the   form   of   a   self   declaration   on   a   plain  paper. Attestation/swearing  by/  before  any  Notary/  Executive  Magistrate/ First Class Judicial Magistrate would be henceforth not required.
- (iv) Married  applicants  would  not  be  required  to  provide  the  erstwhile Annexure K or any marriage certificate.
- (v) The passport application form does not require the applicant to provide the name of her/his spouse in case of separated or divorced persons. Such applicants for passports would not be required to provide even the Divorce Decree.
- (vi) In case of children not born out of wedlock, the applicant for the passport of such children should submit only extant Annexure C while submitting the passport application.
- (vii) In   case   of   issue   of   passport   to   in-country   domestically   adopted children,   submission   of   the   registered   adoption   deed   would   no longer be required. In the absence of any deed to this effect, the passport   applicant   may   give   a   declaration   on   a   plain   paper confirming  the adoption.
- (viii) Government servants,   who   are   not   able   to   obtain   the   Identity Certificate   (extant   Annexure-A)/   No-Objection   Certificate   (extant Annexure-G) from their concerned employer and intend to get the passport on urgent basis can now get the passport by submitting a self-declaration in extant Annexure-'H' that he/she has given  prior Intimation Letter to his/her employer informing that he/she was applying for an ordinary passport to a Passport Issuing Authority.
- (ix) Sadhus/ Sanyasis can apply for a passport with the name of their spiritual Guru mentioned in the passport application in lieu of their biological parent(s) name(s) subject to their providing of at least one public document such as Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued  by  the  Election  Commission  of  India,  PAN  card,  Aadhaar Card, etc wherein the name of the Guru has been recorded against the column(s) for parent(s) name(s).
- (x) Orphaned children who do not have any proof of DOB such as Birth Certificate or the Matriculation Certificate or the declaratory Court order, may now submit a declaration given by the Head of the Orphanage/Child Care Home on their official letter head of the organization confirming the DOB of the applicant.
- (xi) An applicant for a passport has to submit any one of the documents as mentioned in (A) above as proof of Date of Birth (DOB) while submitting the passport application. The DOB mentioned in the document would be recorded in the passport. In case there is a discrepancy between the DOB previously recorded in the passport and the new proof of DOB submitted by the applicant, the Passport Issuing   Authorities   (PIA)   have   been   authorized   to   consider   the explanation   of   each   applicant   seeking   change   in   the   DOB (irrespective of the period that would have lapsed after the issue of the passport) to find the genuineness of the claim and if the PIA is satisfied with the claim and with the document(s) submitted by the applicant in support of the claim, the PIA shall accept all such

requests made by the applicant to issue the passport with revised DOB.

- (xii) The educational certificates of recognized International Education Organizations   such   as   International   Baccalaureate   Certificate   or Middle   Year   Programme,   International   Baccalaureate   Diploma, IGCSE/GCSE Certificate, Cambridge International Systems (O & A Level) are accepted for issue of Non-ECR (Emigration Check Not Required) passport.
- (xiii) In case of issue of passport to surrogate children, submission of registered surrogacy agreement would no longer be required. The passport applicant may submit notarized surrogate agreement in addition to other required documents.
- (xiv) Exemption has been provided to the children below the age of 5 years and physically disabled persons without forelimbs from giving biometric details (10 fingerprints) to the Passport Authority which otherwise is mandatory in every case.
- (xv) To obviate the hardships being faced by the applicants due to nonpossession   of   registered   rent   agreement,   unregistered   rent agreement has been prescribed as valid address proof for issue of passports.
- (xvi) Passports can be now obtained under the 'Tatkaal' Scheme without providing the Verification Certificate from a Gazetted Officer, which was required earlier. Applicants may submit any 3 of the following documents for obtaining passport:
- (a) Aadhaar Card or e-Aadhaar containing the 12 digit Aadhaar number or 28-digit Aadhaar enrolment ID printed on the Aadhaar enrolment slip issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI);
- (a) Electors Photo Identify Card (EPIC);
- (b) Permanent Account Number (PAN);
- (c) driving   licence   (valid   and   within   the   jurisdiction   of   State   of submission of applicant);
- (d) bank passbook or kisan passbook or post office passbook;
- (e) student   photo   identity   card   issued   by   a   recognised   educational institution;
- (f) birth certificate issued under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (18 of 1969);
- (g) service photo identity card issued by State Government or Central Government,   public   sector   undertakings,   local   bodies   or   public limited companies;
- (h) pension   document   such   as   ex-servicemen's   pension   book   or pension payment order issued to retired Government employees, ex-servicemen's widow or dependent certificate, old age pension order;

- (i) scheduled   caste   or   scheduled   tribe   or   other   backward   class certificate;
- (j) arms licence issued under the Arms Act, 1959 (54 of 1959);
- (k) ration card; and
- (l) last passport issued (in case of reissue only)

***