Lok Sabha Question No. 1917 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-06
Subject: Passport Seva Kendras in West Bengal
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Saumitra Khan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 1917

## ANSWERED ON- 06/12/2024

PASSPORT SEVA KENDRAS IN WEST BENGAL

## 1917. SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

- (a)   the   number   of   officers   and   employees   working   in   the   Passport   Seva Kendras across the country at present, State-wise;
- (b) the total number of Passport Seva Kendras in the State of West Bengal;
- (c) the overall percentage increase witnessed in the number of passport applications in West Bengal during the last five years, year-wise; and
- (d) whether the number of officers and employees in passport centres has been increased in proportion to the increase in the number of the said applications and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) Number of Officers and employees working in the Passport Seva Kendras across the country State-wise is attached at Annexure-I.

(b)   All   the   Lok   Sabha   Constituencies   of   West   Bengal   either   have   a Passport   Seva   Kendra   (PSK)   or   a   Post   Office   Passport   Seva Kendra (POPSK). There are 3 PSKs and 40 POPSKs in West Bengal.  This is placed at Annexure-II. (c)   Percentage increase in the number of  passport applications in West Bengal during last five years is placed at Annexure-III. (d) Number of passport applications is dynamic and changes every year. The recruitment of the number of officers and officials belonging to the Central Passport Organization (CPO) is however, decided as per the Recruitment Rules approved by the Central Government. Revision of sanctioned strength and deployment of CPO personnel at Passport Offices is a regular exercise and the Ministry takes appropriate measures to cater to the increased demand for passports in the country including in West Bengal. ******

## Officers/Employees of CPO working in PSKs (State-wise)

| Sl. No.          | State      | No. of Officers/Employees   |
|------------------|------------|-----------------------------|
| (a) Andhra       | Pradesh 19 |                             |
| Assam            | 15         | (b)                         |
| Bihar            | 19         | (c)                         |
| Chhattisgarh     | 3          | (d)                         |
| Goa              | 3          | (e)                         |
| Gujarat          | 47         | (f)                         |
| Himachal Pradesh | 3          | (g)                         |
| Jammu & Kashmir  | 10         | (h)                         |
| Jharkhand        | 4          | (i)                         |
| Karnataka        | 38         | (j)                         |
| Kerala           | 83         | (k)                         |
| Madhya Pradesh   | 10         | (l)                         |
| Maharashtra      | 79         | (m)                         |
| Odisha           | 6          | (n)                         |
| (o) Punjab       | 29         |                             |
| Rajasthan        | 18         | (p)                         |

| (q)   | Tamil Nadu    | 63   |
|-------|---------------|------|
| (r)   | Telangana 43  |      |
| (s)   | Chandigarh    | 36   |
| (t)   | Delhi         | 50   |
| (u)   | Uttar Pradesh | 72   |
| (v)   | Uttarakhand   | 6    |
| (w)   | West Bengal   | 29   |
| Total | Total         | 685  |

## Annexure-II

| List of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs)/Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in West Bengal   | List of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs)/Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in West Bengal   | List of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs)/Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in West Bengal   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                          | PSK                                                                                              | POPSK                                                                                            |
| 1                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Alipurduar                                                                                       |
| 2                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Arambagh                                                                                         |
| 3                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Asansol                                                                                          |
| 4                                                                                                | Baharampur                                                                                       |                                                                                                  |
| 5                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Balurghat                                                                                        |
| 6                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Bangaon                                                                                          |
| 7                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Bankura                                                                                          |
| 8                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Ashoknagar                                                                                       |
| 9                                                                                                |                                                                                                  | Katwa                                                                                            |
| 10                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Bardhman                                                                                         |
| 11                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Barrackpur                                                                                       |
| 12                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Basirhat                                                                                         |
| 13                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Rampurhat                                                                                        |
| 14                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Bishnupur                                                                                        |
| 15                                                                                               |                                                                                                  | Bolpur                                                                                           |

| 16       | Coochbehar            |    |
|----------|-----------------------|----|
| Siliguri | Darjeeling            | 17 |
|          | Diamond Harbour       | 18 |
|          | Dum Dum               | 19 |
|          | Ghatal                | 20 |
|          | Chinsurah             | 21 |
|          | Howrah                | 22 |
|          | Jadavpur              | 23 |
|          | Jalpaiguri            | 24 |
|          | Raghunathganj         | 25 |
|          | Canny Town Ferry Ghat | 26 |
|          | JHARGRAM              | 27 |
|          | Kanthi                | 28 |
| Kolkata  |                       | 29 |
|          | Beadon Street         | 30 |
|          | Krishnanagar          | 31 |
|          | Makdumpur             | 32 |
|          | Samsi                 | 33 |
| 34       | Kakdweep              |    |

| 35   |    | Kharagpur   |
|------|----|-------------|
| 36   |    | Jiyaganj    |
| 37   |    | Purulia     |
| 38   |    | Raiganj     |
| 39   |    | Ranaghat    |
| 40   |    | Serampore   |
| 41   |    | Tamluk      |
| 42   |    | Amta        |
|      | 3  | 40          |

## Annexure-III

| Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   | Passport Applications Received in West Bengal - District-wise   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                 | 2019                                                            | 2020                                                            | 2020                                                            | 2021                                                            | 2021                                                            | 2022                                                            | 2022                                                            | 2023                                                            | 2023                                                            | 2024 (upto 31 Oct)                                              | 2024 (upto 31 Oct)                                              |
| District Name                                                   | Applicati ons Received                                          | Percent age Increas e / Decreas e                               | Applic ations Receiv ed                                         | enta ge Incre ase / Decr ease                                   | Applica tions Receiv ed                                         | Perce ntage Increa se / Decre ase                               | Applic ations Receiv ed                                         | Perce ntage Increa se / Decre ase                               | Applicati ons Received                                          | Perce ntage Increa se / Decre ase                               | Applicat ions Receive d                                         |
| Alipurduar                                                      | 5013                                                            | -58%                                                            | 2083                                                            | 58%                                                             | 3290                                                            | 56%                                                             | 5134                                                            | 3%                                                              | 5295                                                            | -29%                                                            | 3746                                                            |
| Bankura                                                         | 4508                                                            | -60%                                                            | 1820                                                            | 59%                                                             | 2885                                                            | 56%                                                             | 4514                                                            | 11%                                                             | 5032                                                            | -15%                                                            | 4268                                                            |
| Barrackpore                                                     | 44678                                                           | -55%                                                            | 20135                                                           | 30%                                                             | 26104                                                           | 58%                                                             | 41191                                                           | 16%                                                             | 47600                                                           | -29%                                                            | 33934                                                           |

| Baruipur        |   17326 | -53%   |   8076 | 19%   |   9632 | 85%   |   17774 | 7%   |   18950 | -27%   |   13927 |
|-----------------|---------|--------|--------|-------|--------|-------|---------|------|---------|--------|---------|
| Basirhat        |    6964 | -20%   |   5581 | 6%    |   5922 | 122%  |   13157 | 14%  |   14947 | -39%   |    9164 |
| Bidhannaga r    |   28477 | -50%   |  14110 | 36%   |  19216 | 56%   |   29975 | 7%   |   31997 | -24%   |   24477 |
| Birbhum         |    7335 | -52%   |   3521 | 29%   |   4527 | 88%   |    8508 | 4%   |    8887 | -26%   |    6545 |
| Bongaon         |       7 | 11186% |    790 | 978%  |   8515 | 69%   |   14384 | 9%   |   15672 | -34%   |   10319 |
| Chandannag ar   |   16796 | -57%   |   7193 | 43%   |  10266 | 50%   |   15404 | 7%   |   16550 | -20%   |   13269 |
| Cooch Behar     |    6939 | -66%   |   2348 | 23%   |   2877 | 124%  |    6434 | 13%  |    7292 | -35%   |    4738 |
| Darjeeling      |   15021 | -60%   |   6001 | 42%   |   8544 | 47%   |   12579 | 7%   |   13426 | -28%   |    9704 |
| Diamond Harbour |   13216 | -48%   |   6922 | 34%   |   9300 | 53%   |   14200 | -1%  |   14081 | -23%   |   10807 |
| East            |   15547 | -53%   |   7286 | 34%   |   9781 | 50%   |   14673 | 10%  |   16211 | -20%   |   13040 |

| Medinipur                |        |        |       |     |       |       |        |       |        |      |       |
|--------------------------|--------|--------|-------|-----|-------|-------|--------|-------|--------|------|-------|
| Hooghly Rural            |  14533 | -55%   |  6495 | 38% |  8944 | 80%   |  16063 | 7%    |  17182 | -25% | 12845 |
| Howrah                   |  20749 | -48%   | 10853 | 27% | 13816 | 65%   |  22797 | 13%   |  25806 | -23% | 19863 |
| Howrah Rural             |   9996 | -69%   |  3130 | 31% |  4101 | 79%   |   7321 | 3%    |   7525 | -25% |  5609 |
| Islampur Police District |     12 | 13608% |  1645 | 40% |  2306 | 107%  |   4762 | 2%    |   4844 | -17% |  4007 |
| Jalpaiguri               |  11244 | -61%   |  4378 | 26% |  5510 | 108%  |  11471 | 6%    |  12176 | -37% |  7648 |
| Jangipur                 |      0 | 0%     |     0 | 0%  |     4 | 2000% |     84 | 6564% |   5598 | -26% |  4135 |
| Jhargram                 |      0 | 0%     |     0 | 0%  |     1 | 900%  |     10 | 8980% |    908 | -9%  |   828 |
| Kalimpong                |      0 | 0%     |     0 | 0%  |  1714 | 122%  |   3807 | 16%   |   4422 | -18% |  3609 |
| Kolkata                  | 114346 | -50%   | 56924 | 28% | 72932 | 50%   | 109708 | 5%    | 114742 | -23% | 88006 |

| Malda             |   11970 | -49%   |   6091 | 40%   |   8508 | 74%   |   14822 | 2%   |   15126 | -28%   |   10869 |
|-------------------|---------|--------|--------|-------|--------|-------|---------|------|---------|--------|---------|
| Murshidaba d      |   41317 | -51%   |  20044 | 48%   |  29757 | 92%   |   57063 | -28% |   41149 | -32%   |   27789 |
| Nadia             |   36345 | -74%   |   9574 | 51%   |  14430 | 78%   |   25642 | -6%  |   23980 | -29%   |   17018 |
| North 24 Parganas |   42831 | -60%   |  17021 | -17%  |  14184 | 86%   |   26330 | 6%   |   27807 | -30%   |   19429 |
| Paschim Bardhaman |   17611 | -51%   |   8593 | 28%   |  10981 | 53%   |   16790 | 16%  |   19521 | -24%   |   14797 |
| Purba Bardhaman   |   14689 | -51%   |   7258 | 37%   |   9961 | 68%   |   16777 | 7%   |   17884 | -27%   |   13050 |
| Purulia           |    2884 | -61%   |   1136 | 75%   |   1988 | 49%   |    2957 | 11%  |    3280 | -13%   |    2839 |
| RANAGHAT          |    5079 | 78%    |   9052 | 67%   |  15081 | 58%   |   23805 | 4%   |   24698 | -30%   |   17209 |

| Raiganj                                                         |   8983 | -79%   |   1924 | 35%   |   2596 | 99%   |   5162 | 12%   |   5768 | -33%   |   3884 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|-------|--------|-------|--------|-------|--------|--------|--------|
| SUNDARBA N                                                      |   4323 | -45%   |   2386 | 41%   |   3363 | 54%   |   5178 | -6%   |   4851 | -23%   |   3732 |
| Siliguri                                                        |  12708 | -57%   |   5484 | 24%   |   6785 | 45%   |   9813 | 10%   |  10788 | -26%   |   7998 |
| South Dinajpur                                                  |   7392 | -70%   |   2181 | 36%   |   2966 | 143%  |   7221 | 23%   |   8873 | -48%   |   4642 |
| West Medinipur                                                  |  12146 | -58%   |   5161 | 37%   |   7071 | 68%   |  11875 | 3%    |  12202 | -15%   |  10430 |
| Total Applications Received with Precentage Increase / Decrease | 570985 | -54%   | 265196 | 35%   | 357858 | 67%   | 597385 | 5%    | 625070 | -27%   | 458174 |

*****