Lok Sabha Question No. 686 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-07-20
Subject: Passport Seva Project
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: AJAY NISHAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.686 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2016

## PASSPORT SEVA PROJECT

## † 686.      SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has assessed the functioning of the pilot stage of Passport Seva Project;
- (b)
- (c)
- if so, the details thereof;
- the funds allocated for the project during the current year;
- (d) whether the Government is aware of the deplorable condition of the existing regional passport offices in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  various  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to ensure satisfactory service by the Passport Seva Kendras to customers?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

(a) & (b)   Yes.  The Pilot for the Passport Seva Project (PSP) was launched  in  May,  2010  and  the  Government  had  assessed  the functioning of the Project.  The Third Party Audit Agency (3PAA) Standardization, Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), an attached  office  of  the  Department  of  Electronics  and  Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India had carried out a detailed technical appraisal of the Project and given a go-ahead before the Project was fully rolled out on 12th June, 2012.   The PSP is being successfully run in Public-Private-Partnership mode  with Tata Consultancy  Services  (TCS)  as  the  Service  Provider.  After  the nation-wide  rollout,  the  Project  is  currently  in  the  Operations  and

Maintenance Phase.   Since the launch of the Pilot in May 2010, 3.69 Crore passport services have been rendered till 30th June, 2016,

- (c)    There  is  no  separate  budget  allocation  for  Passport  Seva Project.    However,  Rs.  730.04  Crore  has  been  allocated  for  the Central Passport Organisation for FY 2016-17 which includes expenditure to be incurred for the operation and maintenance of the PSP.
- (d)      With  the  implementation  of  Passport  Seva  Project,  Seventy Seven  Passport  Seva  Kendras  (PSKs)  with  best-in-class  amenities were set up across the country as extended arms of the 37 Passport Offices (PO), thus providing extended reach to passport applicants in various States/Union Territories initially.  Subsequently, to provide more access points for passport services, the Ministry had decided to set up 19 additional Passport Seva Laghu Kendras (PSLK). Out of these  19  PSLKs,  12  have  already  started  functioning  in  various States and Union Territories till June 2016. The Regional Passport Offices are now rendering passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible manner and in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes.
- (e)    The Government has taken various steps to ensure satisfactory service  to  the  citizens  by  PSKs.    The  entire  passport  issuance process is online. The Passport Portal (www.passportindia.gov.in) is accessible to anyone, anywhere and anytime.  The applicants apply for passport service online, pay Passport Fee also through the Portal and  visit  the  PSK  at  the  appointed  date  and  time.  Applicants' presence  in  person  at  the  PSK  enables  the  Passport  Issuing Authority to capture their photographs and biometrics to avoid the chances of impersonation. The applicants also get full opportunity to  see  and  affirm  their  personal  particulars  to  be  entered  in  the passport  to  avoid  unnecessary  hassels.    The  objective  behind receiving  applicants  with  prior  appointment  is  to  reduce  waiting time to the minimum.  Status of applications can be tracked by the applicants through the passport website or through mPassport Seva mobile  application.  An  e-mail  based  helpdesk  facility  and  a  24x7 National Call Centre have been set up to provide requisite information to citizens in 17 languages. Periodic SMS messages are sent  to  the  citizen  intimating  the  various  stages  of  process  of passport application including date of police verification and dispatch  of  passport.  The  number  of  public  dealing  counters  has been increased from the erstwhile 350 to 1610 in the new system and public dealing hours have gone up from 4 hours to 7 hours a day.

In  order  to  bridge  the  digital  divide,  more  than    one  lakh  internet enabled Common Services Centres (CSCs) in rural areas have been authorized to facilitate online passport application service to citizens at a nominal charge not exceeding Rs. 100/-. The  Government has recently simplified the process of issuance of passport in order to provide satisfactory services from PSKs and make it more expedient and convenient.  The Ministry of External  Affairs  has  made  two  major  changes  recently  that  have expedited the process for first time passport applicants as well as made  it  more  convenient  to  secure  an  online  appointment  at  the local Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs). As per these changes, the first time passport applicants who furnish Aadhaar Card, Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC), PAN Card and an affidavit of non-criminality in the prescribed format,  will get faster service, without payment of additional  fees,  subject  to  successful  online  validation  of  Aadhaar and  other  databases,  if  required.  The  passports  under  this  liberal dispensation are issued on Post-Police Verification basis. The second measure pertains to securing online Appointments for submission of passport applications at PSKs. The new 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. These measures  have  simplified  the  process  of  passport  issuance and reduced the difficulties faced by the citizens. In  order  to  meet  the  growing  demands  and  provide  the Appointments smoothly, Passport Melas are being organised at the PSKs and to secure greater reach in order to provide service at the door,  Passport  Seva  Camps  are  also  being  held  in  the  remote  and distant areas by PSKs under the supervision of respective POs.

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