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Time of India
06-08-2025
- Time of India
Mobile van brings passport services closer to applicants
1 2 Pune: Want to get your passport without visiting a Passport Seva Kendra? People across Pune's 12-district jurisdiction can now book an appointment at a mobile passport van — a new service that brings passport application facilities directly to select locations, including universities and remote areas. All they need to do is visit the passport India website, choose "RPO Mobile Van" as the application centre , and arrive at the scheduled location with the necessary documents. The initiative — launched for the first time in the Pune RPO (regional passport office) jurisdiction — aims to reduce travel burdens and improve access to passport services for students, senior citizens, and residents in underserved areas. "The move aims at improving last-mile delivery of passport services via the van, which is a fully equipped unit that will travel across its 12-district jurisdiction to bring essential services closer to citizens," said Arjun Deore, regional passport officer, Pune. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The van does not only have air conditioning, but is also outfitted with biometric scanners, photo capture systems and document verification tools. It will make its second stop at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), catering to students and staff who often face delays or travel burdens while applying for passports. After a pilot run at the RPO Baner office, the van will be scheduled to visit colleges and underserved areas in the coming weeks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like DNA Discovery Reveals Truth About Native Americans Daily Sport X Undo "This initiative is about accessibility. By taking passport services to people's doorsteps — especially students, the elderly and those in remote areas — we aim to reduce travel time, streamline the process and ensure timely issuance," Deore said. He said that the mobile unit is an addition to Pune RPO's existing network of 19 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and post office PSKs, and is part of a broader effort to improve citizen services under the ministry of external affairs' outreach strategy. "The upcoming deployment at SPPU is significant, given the large volume of students who need passports for overseas education, internships, and conferences. We wanted to start with students, many of whom are first-time applicants. When these students later need a passport for higher education or international programmes, they'll already be prepared," Deore said. The van offers full application services, including submission — reducing dependence on fixed centres and cutting down on waiting times. Deore said, "We are committed to making passport services more accessible to every citizen. By bringing the services directly to the community through the mobile passport van, we aim to ease the application process and ensure timely passport issuance with minimal inconvenience. " The schedule and locations for the mobile passport van will be announced regularly, covering major educational institutions and remote areas of various districts. This will help applicants avail passport services without the need to travel long distances, he said. He said that even residents within Pune city can avail of this service and appointments can be booked through the passport India website. People can track its movement on Pune RPO's official handle on X (@rpopune) or visit [ for updates.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Time of India
Regular passports valid, touts spreading fake info: RPO chief
Pune: Passport agents and touts are exploiting the launch of e-passports to spread false information that regular passports are no longer valid, said Arjun Deore, regional passport officer at Pune RPO, on vested interests trying to drum up unnecessary business, there have been instances where citizens were misled into believing they need to replace their existing valid passports immediately with e-passports."There is misinformation circulating among people. Citizens with passports valid for several years are being told that their documents are no longer valid because 'passport' offices are now issuing e-passports. There are vested interests — certain agents who want to generate new applicants — who are spreading this kind of misinformation," said warning comes as Pune RPO (regional passport office) has now transitioned to issuing only e-passports since the first week of May 2025, making it one of the major passport offices in India to implement the new technology under the Passport Seva Programme 2.0. "All passports that we have been issuing since the first week of May are e-passports," Deore Pune RPO chief emphasised that citizens should not fall for these misleading claims. "Unless your passport is damaged or invalid, it remains perfectly acceptable for use. Only those who genuinely need new passports — those with expired passports, exhausted pages or damaged documents — should apply. Citizens should not apply merely for the novelty of having an e-passport," he per the ministry of external affairs, all regular passports issued under the previous Passport Seva Programme 1.0 remain completely valid and can continue to be used for travel purposes, subject to normal validity periods and other provisions under the Passports Act, e-passport rollout at Pune RPO is part of a nationwide expansion of the technology, which was initially piloted in smaller offices in Nagpur and Bhubaneswar last year before being extended to major regional the digital nomenclature, e-passports are still physical booklets identical to regular passports, with one crucial addition — an embedded RFID (radio frequency identification) chip that stores passport data securely."The term e-passport does not mean it can be downloaded to a mobile phone or any digital device. It remains a physical booklet. The only difference is that it contains an embedded chip," explained Deore. The booklet features a distinctive chip logo on the front cover though the actual chip is located on a different page chip technology, similar to that used in debit cards, enables automated identity verification at immigration counters and significantly enhances security by making tampering extremely RPO wins national awardRegional Passport Office, Pune, received the first prize for "innovative steps and citizen-centric initiatives" during the recent Passport Seva Divas celebration. Minister of state for external affairs Pabitra Margherita presented the award to Arjun Deore, regional passport its notable achievements, Pune RPO became the first passport office to install an 80kW rooftop solar plant in Jan 2025 under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, generating 25% of its monthly electricity needs and saving Rs1 lakh per month.
