NEW DELHI: On Friday, the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, stated that the Central government is aiming to roll out e-Passports to make overseas travel simpler, offer protection against identity theft, and enable enhanced data security.
On the occasion of the Passport Seva Divas, Jaishankar gave a message in which he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improve the experience of its citizens and the delivery of public services.
Together with the Central Passport Organization, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been commemorating this occasion and reiterating our dedication to providing passports and services related to passports to Indian citizens in a manner that is prompt, dependable, easily accessible, transparent, and effective.
On the occasion of the Passport Seva Divas 2022, he stated, “It gives me great joy to join all of our Passport Issuing Authorities in India and overseas.” “It gives me great pleasure to join all of our Passport Issuing Authorities in India and abroad.” Even during the most difficult days of the Covid-19 outbreak, passport services continued to be provided, as was acknowledged by the minister of external affairs.
“I am happy to note that passport services were rendered with the same vigour and enthusiasm even during the testing times of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Ministry rose to the occasion to meet the increased demand for passport services built up due to two and a half years of the pandemic, and dealt it swiftly with an impressive monthly average of 9.0 lakhs, with 4.50 lakhs additional applications granted in the last one month, thus setting a record,” he said. “I am pleased to note that passport services
“We maintain our commitment to providing the next level of citizen experience as we mark the Passport Seva Divas on June 24 of this year,” he said. “This year’s Passport Seva Divas will be observed.”
In retrospect, Jaishankar remarked that the government had achieved a great deal of success in its efforts to streamline the passport laws and procedures for the country’s inhabitants. “To further smooth out the passport delivery ecosystem, the Ministry is continuously working with States’ and UTs’ police to reduce the time taken for police verification. The mPassport Police App is now used in 22 States’ and UTs’ covering 8275 Police Stations,” said the Ministry. “To further smooth out the passport delivery ecosystem.”
In addition to that, he said that the Passport Seva Technology has been combined with the DigiLocker system in order to make the process of paperless paperwork more accessible.
“In order to provide assistance to residents right at their homes, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts worked together to make 428 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) fully operational. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has successfully integrated the systems used to issue passports in all 178 of our embassies and consulates located around the world “The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, while adding that as a result, the government is now able to provide passport-related services to members of the Diaspora in an effective manner through a centralised and safe application.
Passport Seva Programme (PSP), which recognises the need to continuously improve the quality of passport services, will soon begin Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0, which is an improved and upgraded version of Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 1.0. This version will ensure a digital ecosystem among all stakeholders and offer improved passport services to citizens.
“It would provide seamless governance from beginning to finish by standardising and liberalising procedures and making use of the most recent and developing technology, such as artificial intelligence, chatbots, the utilisation of big data, and advanced analytics, among other things. E-passports for Indian nationals are another project that the Ministry of External Affairs is working on. These electronic passports will make travelling internationally more simpler, will safeguard individuals from identity theft, and would provide increased data security “In closing, he stated that.