Latest news with #13thPassportSevaDivas
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
MEA MoS Pabitra Margherita attends 13th Passport Seva Divas, lauds passport authorities' citizen-centric service
New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, on Tuesday attended the 13th Passport Seva Divas and extended his greetings to all passport authorities in India and abroad. In a social media post on X, Pabitra wrote, 'Delighted to be at the 13th Passport Seva Divas, extended my heartiest compliments to all passport authorities in India and abroad. Commended their efforts in furthering our mission of a citizen-centric policy. Reaffirmed MEA's commitment to make passport services more timely, accessible, transparent, and citizen-friendly, in line with vision of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and guidance of Hon'ble EAM @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia.' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) celebrated Passport Seva Divas today to mark the enactment of the Passports Act on 24 June 1967. A three-day Regional Passport Officers (RPO) Conference is being organized from 23-25 June 2025 coinciding with this event. In his message on the Passport Seva Divas, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, felicitated the Ministry for implementing PSP Version 2.0 along with the e-Passport project. EAM also mentioned that the journey of passport service from 91 lakh passports in the year 2014 to 1.46 crore passports in the year 2024 has been marked by innovations including the m-Police app, Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK), GPSP etc. which has made passport delivery relatively quicker and hassle free even in the remotest parts of the country. MoS MEA Pabitra Margherita presided over the Passport Seva Divas celebration. In his address, he stated that the most striking feature of the passport delivery service today is its inclusive nature and affordability. He also appreciated the innovative efforts of the Passport Offices such as Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) outlets in the passport office which promotes tribal welfare, solar plants and rainwater harvesting plants. The Union MoS appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Posts and other stakeholders for making the passport services more transparent and efficient. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for their inspiration and guidance towards reforms for delivery of the passport services in the country. On this occasion, MoS also presented awards to officers, officials and organizations for their contribution in increasing the outreach as well as efficiency of passport delivery services. The RPO Conference saw the participation of the Passport Officers from 37 Passport Offices across India and officers of the Central Passport Organization led by Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief Passport Officer KJ Srinivasa. Fruitful deliberations were held on several issues including Passport Seva Project Version 2.0, roll out of e-Passports, human resource development, capacity building, public grievance handling mechanism, security related issues, etc. with an aim of imparting faster, secure and hassle free passport services to citizens. (ANI)
India Gazette
18 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Jaishankar announces Passport Seva Program 2.0, e-Passport rollout across India on Passport Seva Divas
New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday lauded the efforts of passport authorities across India and abroad on the occasion of the 13th Passport Seva Divas, while announcing major advancements in the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) and the nationwide rollout of e-Passports. In a post on X, Jaishankar highlighted the transformation in passport services under the pillars of 'Seva, Sushasan and Garib Kalyan', calling them central to achieving Viksit Bharat. 'Seva, Sushasan and Garib Kalyan are three key pillars of governance that would lead us to a Viksit Bharat. They are all reflected with prominence in our Passport Seva Programme,' he said. He noted that passport delivery had seen a dramatic shift over the past decade, with passport issuance rising from 91 lakh in 2014 to 1.46 crore in 2024. The Minister informed that Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0 has already been rolled out across the country, bringing in high-end, emerging technologies to improve efficiency and transparency. 'In line with the Government of India's commitment to deliver the next level of citizen-centric service, I am delighted to inform that we have rolled out PSP V2.0 across the country,' he said. He added that pilot testing of the Global PSP V2.0 is also underway and will be implemented in phases in all Indian embassies and consulates. Jaishankar called the e-Passport initiative a major milestone, easing travel and expediting immigration clearances with its contactless chip-based data reading. He also cited the launch of the mPassport Police App, which has reduced police verification time to 5-7 days in 25 States and Union Territories. He said that in the last year, 10 new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) were opened, including the 450th POPSK in Kushinagar in April 2025. 'We have reached the remotest areas of our country through our mobile van facilities, which have enhanced the ease of passport services for citizens living in far-flung areas,' he added. Jaishankar said these efforts have empowered workers and professionals to access global opportunities, strengthening India's global workforce footprint. Jaishankar congratulated everyone associated with the passport delivery ecosystem in a post on X. 'I take this opportunity to congratulate everyone at Passport Offices (PO), Passport Seva Kendras (PSK), Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) and all partners of Passport Seva Programme, including the Department of Posts, India Security Press at Nashik, State Police authorities, our service providers and others for their dedication,' he said. (ANI)
