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You will no longer need to stand for hours in serpentine queues to apply for your passport. An initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is all set to make it possible for people in some cities to apply for the same at select post offices.
The plan, which is scheduled to roll out next month, aims to make the cumbersome process of issuing passports smoother, while also reducing the burden of passport offices across India.
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To begin with, the service will be made available in some post offices in Tamil Nadu (Salem and Vellore), Rajasthan (Kota, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jhunjhunu and Jhalawar), Jharkhand (Deoghar, Jamshedpur and Dhandbad), West Bengal (Asansol, Nadia, North Dinajpur North Kolkata), among a few other states.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a tweet on February 16 said: “It is our effort that Post Office Passport Sewa Kendras announced in the first phase should start functioning before 31.3.2017.”
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According to the MEA, currently, 89 Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) with best-in-class amenities are operating across the country as extended arms of the 38 Passport Offices, thus providing extended reach to passport applicants.
The government rendered 1.15 crore passport and other related services during 2016.
The initiative will prove beneficial to many citizens, especially those who live far away from passport offices.