Over 14 lakh visa applications submitted monthly in 2023: EAM Jaishankar on Passport Seva Divas

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the occasion of the 12th Passport Seva Divas emphasised that the ministry has rendered 1.65 crore passport-related services to Indian citizens in 2023 and over 14 lakh visa applications were submitted monthly.

Extending his greetings to all passport authorities in India and abroad, Jaishankar said that the Ministry of External Affairs, along with the Central Passport Organisation, has been marking this occasion and renewing our commitment to provide passport and related services to citizens of India in a timely, reliable, accessible, transparent and efficient manner.

“It gives me great pleasure to join all our passport-issuing authorities in India and abroad on the occasion of the 12th Passport Seva Divas,” he said in a post on X.

EAM further noted that the year 2023 witnessed a commendable annual growth of nearly 15 per cent in passports and other related services.

“I am happy to note that in 2023, the Ministry rendered 1.65 Crore passport-related services to our citizens. The year 2023 noticed a commendable annual growth of nearly 15 per cent in passport and other related services. The monthly submission of applications crossed 14 Lakh mark in 2023,” he said.

He also committed to delivering the next level of citizen experience by leveraging the power of the latest technologies.

“As we commemorate the Passport Seva Divas today, we continue our commitment to deliver the next level of citizen experience by leveraging the power of the latest technologies combined with a dynamic and motivated workforce,” he said in his post.

Jaishankar added that the ministry has so far operationalized 440 Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSKs) to reach out to our citizens at their doorsteps.

Together with the existing 93 Passport Seva Kendras, there are now a total of 533 Passport Processing Kendras and 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) in India, Jaishankar mentioned.

“For providing a similar service delivery experience to our citizens abroad, the Ministry has successfully integrated the passport issuance systems in 187 of our Missions/Posts abroad,” he added.

Moreover, the ministry is continuously working with States/UTS police to reduce the time taken for police verification to further improve the passport delivery ecosystem.

The mPassport Police App has been initiated at 25 states and UTs, covering 9000 Police Stations. The Passport Seva System has also been successfully integrated with the DigiLocker system to facilitate paperless documentation process.

“Our Government is committed in ensuring that Passports serve as crucial travel documents that significantly impact a country’s development by way of facilitating international trade and investment, boosting tourism, enhancing global mobility, education and skills development, diplomatic relations, security and regulation, legal identity and for crisis management such as evacuation and assistance,” Jaishankar stated.

Emphasising that today, there is widespread recognition in the country and abroad that the passport delivery program is one of the services of the government, he said that it has improved significantly, and is very much appreciated by the average citizen as a model of efficient service delivery.

“I congratulate today both Team MEA and Team CPO in this regard. I am sure they will continue to meet the expectations of the citizens. I wish success to all stakeholders in this Project. Happy Passport Seva Divas!,” Jaishankar stated.