Passport Patrika | October - December 2011

October - December 2011

Passport
Patrika

External Affairs Minister Shri. S.M. Krishna Dedicates Seven PSKs to the Nation at Tirupati

Editorial Note
Indian passports are issued by the Ministry of External Affairs through

Passport Patrika
October - December 2011

a network of 37 Passport Offices and the Office of the Chief Secretary of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For Indians living abroad, passport, consular
and other miscellaneous services are rendered by Missions/Posts. This
network is being expanded considerably under the Passport Seva Project.

Passport Patrika is edited and

Under this transformative e-Governance initiative, 77 Passport Seva Kendras

published by Muktesh Pardeshi,

are being established all over India. During the quarter ending on the 30

Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief

September, 18 Kendras were already rendering services to the public. The

Passport Officer on behalf of

rollout of the Project is going at a good pace and we are committed to fully

Central Passport Organisation,

accomplish this dream project by early next year.

Ministry of External Affairs,
New Delhi.

th

This Quarterly newsletter 'Passport Patrika' seeks to create a forum for
all Passport Issuing Authorities (PIAs) for sharing of information and ideas for
betterment of delivery of public services. Passport Offices bring the Ministry
of External Affairs close to the people. In this issue, we have covered a few

Editorial Team:
Muktesh Pardeshi
Sanjiv Aggarwal

developments which re-affirm our citizen-centric approach. Under the
direction of Hon'ble External Affairs Minister, Passport Offices set up special
facilities for grant of passports to Haj pilgrims. We organized a Passport Mela
at Kakinada, where some 10,000 people turned up to file applications. Passport
Offices in Chennai and Visakhapatnam moved to new premises, which offer
better facilities for the public. And arrangements were put in place for issuing

Address: CPV Division, Ministry
of External Affairs, Patiala House
Annexe, Tilak Marg,
New Delhi-110001.
Tel: +91-11-23387013
Fax:+91-11-23071370

Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) to the residents of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. With this, we have become fully ICAO-compliant in issuing MRPs to
all Indian citizens living either in any part of India or abroad.
The Cover Story focuses on Tamil Nadu, which, after Karnataka,
became the second State where PSP has been fully completed. Eight PSKs
have been set up in Tamil Nadu to cater to growing demand for passport
services.

Website:
http://passportindia.gov.in

The last but not the least, the Ministry has offered life long gratis
passport services to employees of the Central Passport Organisation, their
spouses and children, as applicable. This is one of the many staff welfare and

E-mail:

career enhancement measures that the Ministry has taken and will continue to

passportpatrika@gmail.com

take in the coming months.

Muktesh Pardeshi

CONTENT
Editorial Note
•
Snippets .............................................................................................................................
•
-

Passport Offices
Rising Demand for Passports
Right to Information Act (RTI)

Important Events ..............................................................................................................
•
-

Knowledge Sharing ...........................................................................................................
•

11
12

Security Deployment in Passport Seva Project
How to submit an Application at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)
PSK Directory

Status Scan ........................................................................................................................
•
-

6

Complete Rollout of PSP in Gujarat: Five PSKs Launched
Complete Rollout of PSP in Punjab: Four PSKs Launched
Passport Seva Kendra Opens in Kolkata
Passport Officer's Conference Held at Delhi

•
Cover Story - External Affairs Minister Dedicates Seven PSKs to the Nation at Tirupati.....

-

4

15

Numbers Speak…

Voice of the People ............................................................................................................ 15
•
-

Citizen Feedback
Citizens Speak…

Employees Corner ............................................................................................................
•
-

Appointments & Retirements
Interview: RPO Chennai

• the Media ...................................................................................................................................
In
-

17

19

Indian Express: A Passport to Better Governance
Indian Express: EAM Inaugurated the Seven PSKs in the State of Andhra Pradesh
The Hindu: More Passport Seva Kendras by March 2012
The Economic Times: State Gets Five New Passport Centres
RPO Amritsar organized a School Tour to Generate the Awareness

Passport Patrika October-December 2011

3

SNIPPETS

Passport Offices

178 Indian Missions/Posts issued 10.27 lakh
passports. Thus, the Government of India, in
total, rendered 73.65 lakh passport services.
The total revenue generated from all Passport
Offices in 2011 was Rs 728.99 crore,
compared to the total revenue of Rs. 679.11
crore in 2010

Indian passports are issued by the
Ministry of External Affairs through a
network of 37 Passport Offices, CPV
Division (only Diplomatic and Official
passports) and the Office of the Chief
Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
This network is being expanded considerably
under the Passport Seva Project. Under this
transformative e-Governance initiative, 77
Passport Seva Kendras are being established
all over India. For Indians living abroad,
passport, consular and other miscellaneous
services are rendered by 178 Indian
Missions/Posts. All Passport Offices are
computerized and they issue machinereadable passports as per the guidelines laid
down by the International Civil Aviation
Organization. Passport applications are being
scanned and stored electronically.

Right to Information Act (RTI)
A Central Public Information Officer
and Assistant Public Information Officers
have been appointed in every Passport office
to provide information to applicants under the
RTI. A Central Public Information Officer has
also been appointed in the CPV Division.
Joint Secretary (PSP) & CPO is the First
Appellate Authority in respect of all Passport
Offices and also for the CPV Division. A total
of 1127 RTI applications and 731 appeals
were received and disposed off by the
Division during the year 2011.

Rising Demand for Passports
Website
The website of CPV Division
http://passport.gov.in, which was established
in 1999, is being updated from time to time to
make it more user-friendly. It has detailed
information on passports, status enquiry and
links to various Passport Offices and also has
downloadable forms. Under the PSP, a new
online portal http://passportindia.gov.in has
been created to offer passport services.

Over the last five decades, there has been
considerable expansion in number of services
rendered by Passport Offices. The growth in
the number of passports issued is enumerated
in the table below.
In 2011, the 37 Passport Offices,
Headquarters and the Office of the Chief
Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
issued 58.69 lakh passports(inclusive of 2840
Diplomatic passports and 28,067 official
passports) and rendered 4.68 lakh passports
related miscellaneous services.
1979-80

No. of Passports
Issued (in lakhs)

1989-90

8.51

15.58

25.80

58.69

83%

66%

127.48%

% increase over the
Previous period

4


1999-2000

Jan-Dec.2011

Centralized Printing of Passports
Apart from 140 non-computerized
Missions/Posts abroad, Office of Assistant
Secretary (Passport), Andaman & Nicobar
Islands, Port Blair, was also added in the list
(since 19.07.2011) for printing of Machine
readable Passports (MRP) at Central Indian
Passport Printing System (CIPPS) of the CPV
Division, New Delhi.
CIPPS printed
1,05,577 passports
during the period
01.01.2011 to 31.12.2011.
Visas
(a) Visa Issuance by Missions/Posts abroad
The Indian Missions/Posts abroad
issue 5 million visas approximately every
year. The procedure for grant of visas by
Missions/Posts has been further simplified,
which includes computerization of the
issuance system and outsourcing of visa
services, the outsourcing of visa work
commenced in 2006. At present the visa work
has been outsourced in 63 Missions/Posts
abroad.

(b) Visa Issuance by CPV Division
The CPV Division issued 7431 visas
to foreign diplomatic and official passport
holders from 01.01.2011 till 31.12.2011. The
CPV Division also issued 15,732 notes
verbale for visas for Indian Government
officials going to join Indian Missions/Posts
on transfer and official engagements.
(c) Visa-Waiver Agreements
India has visa waiver agreements with
52 countries by which diplomatic/official
passport holders are exempted from the
requirements of visas. In the year 2011, an
agreement with Ukraine on visa free travel for
diplomatic passport holders was signed on
25.11.2011.
Consular
(a) Launch of Apostille Convention Project
2,78,210 personal and educational
documents and 3,83,757 commercial
documents were attested by the Ministry in
the year 2011. In addition, 1,66,886
documents were apostilled for use abroad in
the apostille member countries. The
attestation of consular documents is also done
by Indian Missions/Posts for Indian citizens
living abroad.
st

PSP ROLLOUT STATUS (as on 31 December 2011)

TBD

Bhopal

Mumbai 3

Alappuzha

Bhubhneshwar

Srinagar

Behrampur
Cochin
Delhi

Ranchi
Dehradun
Shimla
Jammu
Raipur

Ernakulam
Goa
Gorakhpur

Kozhikode 2
Lucknow
Mallapuram
Mumbai 1
Mumbai 2
Nagpur

Guwahati

Nashik

Jodhpur

Patna

Kannur 1

Pune

Kannur 2

Sikar

Kanpur

Thane

Kottayam
Kozhikode 1

Thrissur
Varanasi

Bairelly
Jaipur

Bangalore 1
Bangalore 2
Hubli
Mangalore
Chandigarh
Ludhiana
Ambala
Trichy
Thanjavur
Madurai
Tirunelvel City
Vizag
Coimbatore
Delhi 2
Delhi 3
Chennai 1
Chennai 2
Chennai 3
Jalandhar 1

Jalandhar 2
Amritsar
Hoshiarpur
Nizamabad
Tirupati
Vijaywada
Hyderabad 1
Hyderabad 2
Hyderabad 3
Kolkotta
Ghaziabad
Ahmedabad 1
Ahmedabad 2
Baroda
Surat
Trivandrum
Trivandrum
Kollam
Rajkot


5

IMPORTANT EVENTS
Complete Rollout of PSP in Gujarat: Five PSKs Launched
Five Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in Gujarat were launched on 30th December, 2011 by
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr. Varesh Sinha. The event was organised at Ahmedabad, Vijay Char
Rasta PSK. Out of five PSKs in Gujarat, four are running under the jurisdiction of RPO Ahmedabad (2 in
Ahmedabad, 1 each in Vadodara and Rajkot) and one under the jurisdiction of RPO Surat.
Citizens of Ahmedabad, Banas Kantha,
Sabar Kantha, Patan, Mehasana and
Gandhinagar can get their passport applications
processed at the two Ahmedabad PSKs.
Vadodra PSK serves the applicants from
Vadodara, Anand, Kheda, Panch Mahal and
Dahod while the applicants from Amreli,
Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surendranagar,
Porbandar, Katchchh, Junagadh and Diu can
submit their applications in Rajkot. Together,
these four PSKs can process around 1700
applications per day.
Surat PSK, under jurisdiction of RPO
Surat serves applicants from Bharuch,
Narmada, Navsari, Surat, Dangs, Valsad & Tapi.
Approximately 450 applications per day can be
processed at this PSK.

Lighting of Lamp by DGP Gujarat Police Shri Chitranjan Singh, Additional Chief
Secretary (Home), Govt. of Gujarat Dr. Varesh Sinha and RPO Ahmedabad
Smt. Anita Shukla during the launch event at PSK-Ahmedabad

Complete Rollout of PSP in Punjab: Four PSKs Launched
A Passport Seva Kendra at Amritsar
was launched on 24th October, 2011 under
the jurisdiction of Amritsar RPO.
Amritsar PSK has an operational capacity
of around 550 applications per day.
Three Passport Seva Kendras, two in
Jalandhar and one in Hoshiarpur were
launched on same day under the
jurisdiction of Passport Office, Jalandhar.
The three PSKs under RPO Jalandhar
have a combined processing capacity of
approximately 1000 applications per day.

Joint Secretary & Chief Passport Officer Shri Muktesh Pardeshi speaking at the
launch of Amritsar PSK

6


A PSK at Ludhiana was already
operational under jurisdiction of
Chandigarh RPO, since August 2010.
With the successful launch of these four
PSKs under the Passport Seva Project,
there is complete roll out of PSP in
Punjab.

Passport Seva Kendra Opens in Kolkata
Passport Seva Kendra at Kolkata was launched on
23rd November, 2011 by Joint Secretary & Chief Passport
Officer Shri Muktesh Pardeshi. Additional Chief
Secretary, Home Deptt, Govt. of West Bengal Dr. G. D.
Gautam graced the event. This PSK would serve the
citizens from West Bengal, Tripura and Sikkim regions.
Kolkata PSK has a processing capacity of around 1100
applications per day.
RPO Kolkata Dr. R. Sivakumar lighting the lamp during the
launch event at Kolkata PSK

Passport Officers' Conference Held at Delhi
Ministry of External Affairs, CPV division, organized a Passport Officers Conference in New
Delhi on 29-30 November, 2011 at India International Centre. This was attended by 37 Passport officers
from all over India, besides representative from Assistant Secretary (Passports), Andaman & Nicobar
Islands.
The conference was formally inaugurated by External Affairs Minister by lighting of lamp. EAM
in his speech reiterated the fact of Passport offices being the public face of MEA, need to provide services
to the public in transparent, prompt and user friendly manner. He emphasized the need to further improve
the Public Grievance Redressal Mechanism, faster and easier issuance of passports to Haj pilgrims,
reduction in pendency and cooperation of all to make the Passport Seva Project (PSP) a success.
Foreign Secretary, Shri Ranjan Mathai in his speech highlighted steep rise in number of passport
applications, steps taken to reduce pendency in passport offices in pursuance of EAM directives, role of
public grievance redressal mechanism and welfare measures implemented by Ministry for Passport
office staff.
The working session commenced with appraisal of “Pendency clearance drive” chaired by AS
(CPV), who in his brief remarks reiterated the FS and EAM instructions to reduce pendency in Passport
offices. He urged the Passport officers to be
in close contact and have regular
coordination meetings with key police
officials to expedite dispatch of Police
Verification Reports (PVR), a major reason
for pendency. He emphasized on the
pendency in objection cases, which need to
be minimized after following prescribed
guidelines/procedures. He also instructed
the Passport Officers to clear the pendency
at processing stage as well. Thereafter, each
Passport Office gave a brief on clearing
pendencies in their offices and steps/
practices followed by them.
External Affairs Minister Shri. S.M. Krishna, Foreign Secretary
Shri Ranjan Mathai, Additional Secretary (CPV) Shri B.K. Gupta
and Joint Secretary & Chief Passport Officer Shri Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi
along with the Passport Officers from across the
country at the
Regional Passport Officer' Conference held at Delhi

The IInd day of Conference began by update on roll out of Passport Seva Project. Tata
Consultancy Services, the Service Provider and Partner, PSP participated in this session. There was
video presentation titled” Transformation through the eyes of the citizen”, wherein citizens shared their
experiences in Passport Seva Kendra (PSK). AS (CPV) emphasized upon the need to make concerted

7

efforts to have full roll out of PSKs by March 2012 as per EAM directives and instructed TCS and
Passport Officers to work out the modalities and complete formalities to achieve this in their areas. This
was followed by a workshop on “Leadership and Transition management” by depicting a video film,
showing the importance of relationship between management and staff for smooth functioning in any
organization. Importance of transition management interventions and leadership coalition was accented
during the session.
In the afternoon session, another workshop was organized by General Manager, India Security
Press, Nashik(SPMCIL) on “Know your Travel documents” with a film, showing various stages in
printing of Indian Passport there. The Passport officers brought to their notice the deficiencies in the
booklets including stitches, etc. Passport officers have been instructed to regularly update Ministry and
ISP, Nashik on deficiencies in passport booklets. GM also gave a brief on counterfeit/fake passports in
circulation.
The last session of the Conference was more in the nature of an interactive session between
Passport Officers and CPV officers, in which various aspects viz. service conditions of Passport staff,
court cases, reinforcing the Passport offices by engagement of DEOs, steps to clear pendency, need of
sending replies to Ministry on priority basis etc. were discussed. JS (CPV) in his concluding remarks
appreciated the Passport Officers, for the job done to reduce pendency and also related to functioning of
PSKs in their areas. He emphasized the need to expedite the groundwork for establishment of PSKs,
where it is yet to be functional. This needs to be undertaken on priority in pursuance of EAM's directives.
This type of conference gives an opportunity for Passport officers to have interactions with CPV
officials, briefed on latest policy matters, updating Ministry on pendency and problems faced by them in
implementing Ministry directives. At the same time, the conference acts as a forum whereby Passport
officers among themselves have fruitful exchange of ideas to further improve the functioning in their
offices, leading to delivering passport services to the public effectively and positively. We need to have
more of such conferences in future on regular basis and in fact make it an annual 2 day event and on roster
basis as far as venue is concerned.
The conference concluded on the note of stressing upon the importance of Passport Seva Project
in fast-tracking the passport issuance process. Participants unanimously agreed that through innovative
e-technologies, long, serpentine queues in front of the passport offices are going to increasingly become
a thing of the past.

Inaugural address by EAM at Passport Officers' Conference 2011
I am pleased to inaugurate the Annual Passport Officers' Conference 2011. This Conference is an
important occasion for the Ministry as well as Passport Offices to take stock of the functioning of our
Passport Offices in meeting the primary objective of delivering passport services to fellow citizens
efficiently.
At the outset, let me reiterate that the Passport Offices are the public face of the Ministry of
External Affairs. I attach very high importance to prompt, efficient and courteous manner of delivery of
passport services to our fellow citizens.
With India's fast growing economy and our increasing integration with global economy, the
number of Indians travelling abroad has shown phenomenal growth in recent years. Apart from business
and employment reasons, more and more people are travelling abroad for education, tourism, pilgrimage
and social visits. This, in turn, has resulted in a rapid increase in demand for passports and other
miscellaneous services.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the number of passport applications has doubled since 2000. I
understand a record number of passports numbering over 53 lakh were issued during 2010-11, in
addition to rendering more than 6 lakh passport- related services. The demand on the Passport Offices
would continue to grow in the months and years to come. This offers not only new opportunities but also
enormous challenges.
I acknowledge the positive contributions made by Passport Officers in rendering timely Passport
services, in spite of steep increase in demand and constraints with regard to infrastructure, equipment and
personnel.
8


As a rapidly growing and modernizing nation, we are duty bound to provide services to our public
that are completely transparent, prompt, user-friendly and, above all, in conformity with the best
international standards and practices.
We have to strive to re-affirm our citizen-centric role by adopting measures which will facilitate greater
convenience and comfort to public at large.
I wish to stress that there are still large number of complaints received by emails as well as
through letters. Be it harassment of people visiting passport offices by either officials or by the agents, be
it discourteous behavior at the public interface in the passport offices, or be it difficulties in accessing
information or in meeting with responsible officials. These problems should be information or in
meeting with responsible officials. These problems should be addressed promptly.
Here, we need to constantly improve on the public grievance redressal mechanisms that have
been put in place. Priority should be accorded to increase accountability within the system so that
grievances/complaints are indeed attended to. You must also ensure accessibility to citizens in your
offices in a systematic manner by way of designating an 'Open Day' for addressing the complaints
received from the public. It is important that these services are widely disseminated for citizens to take
maximum advantage.
We must continue to facilitate faster and easier issuance of passports to Haj pilgrims as carried
out this year. Next year as well, you should take measures for opening separate counters for the Haj
pilgrims; holding special Passport Adalats; and liaisoning with police authorities to obtain police reports
on priority basis.
The Passport Adalats, held once a month all over India, are disposing off long pending cases.
These Passport Adalats should be mandatory for all Passport Officers their calendar to eliminate all
pending old cases.
I understand that there is lot of pendency in passport delivery services largely due to pending
police verifications. Please coordinate with the respective Commissioners of Police in your jurisdiction
regularly so that the police verifications can be expedited. I also like that this pendency be eliminated, at
least in those cases where police verifications have been received, by the end of the year.
To meet the ever increasing demand for passports, we embarked on an e-Governance initiative the Passport Seva Project. This is a flagship Project of our Ministry. I am happy to note that 30 out of 77
Passport Seva Kendras have become operational. I would like to see the operationalisation of remaining
PSKs by March next year.
As part of the organisational reforms, the Central Passport Organisation cadre has been
restructured and expanded. As part of the staff welfare and career enhancement measures of CPO
employees, the Ministry has fast tracked promotions and also instituted Productivity Linked Incentive
Scheme. I am happy to note that the employees of the Central Passport Organisation and their families are
offered gratis passport services. We also need to urgently address the genuine grievances of the CPO
employees.
Dear Colleagues,
The Passport Seva Project is a venture in the overall national interest. You are the
most important stakeholder in the Project and your active involvement would be critical for
the success of the execution of the Project.
I am confident that with your utmost support, this transformational initiative would
be a great success and become a model for other citizen-centric services in the country.
I hope that the deliberations of the Conference would be constructive and result in
practical and forward looking suggestions for improving the overall management of the
Central Passport Organisation.
I wish the Conference all success. Thank You.
Name ? (to be provided)
New Delhi
November 29, 2011


9

COVER STORY
External Affairs Minister Dedicates Seven PSKs to the Nation at Tirupati
rd

Yet another chapter was added to the Passport Seva Project on 23 December, 2011, when a total
of seven Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) were dedicated to the nation on a single day by Hon'ble Minister
of External Affairs Shri. S.M. Krishna, in an event organized at Mahati Auditorium, Tirupati. The seven
PSKs include one PSK each in Tirupati, Nizamabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and three PSKs in
Hyderabad.
Many senior dignitaries including MPs, MLAs from Andhra Pradesh and Ministers from State
government, apart from Ministry officials graced the occasion.
Hon'ble External Affairs Minister visited the PSK at Tirupati, where the inauguration ceremony
commenced with ribbon cutting by EAM, followed by lamp lighting by the dignitaries. The dignitaries
took a tour of the PSK and were briefed about the entire process – from token issuance-to- capture of
applicant details, photograph and biometrics-to-verification and granting of the application by passport
officials.
The group then headed for Mahati Auditorium for the main function, where unveiling of plaques
took place. The Hon'ble External Affairs Minister expressed his delight to inaugurate the seven PSKs in
Andhra Pradesh. He re-affirmed the citizen-centric role of Passport Offices through adopting measures
which facilitate speedier service, greater convenience and comfort to the public at large. In Andhra
Pradesh, the demand for passport services has been growing rapidly in the recent years at a much higher
rate than that at the national level. Shri Krishna highlighted that the Passport Seva Project launched by
the Ministry of External Affairs is a flagship initiative of the Central Government under the National eGovernance Plan to improve delivery of public services and overall governance. He stressed that this
project incorporates the best of global practices in the passport issuance system including the
establishment of PSKs. He also extended his sincere appreciation to Tata Consultancy Services, the
service provider and partner, PSP, for its earnest efforts in speedy implementation of the project. Towards
the end of the speech he acknowledged the whole-hearted support received from the Government of
Andhra Pradesh and its people in the timely execution of this transformative initiative.

External Affairs Minister Shri. S.M. Krishna speaking at the inauguration of Andhra Pradesh Passport Seva Kendras at Tirupati

10


KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Security Deployment in Passport Seva Project
Security deployment in Passport Seva Project would act as a benchmark for many Mission Mode
Applications being deployed under National e-Governance Plan:
As the Passport Seva project is being rolled out across the country, we are also witnessing the robust
security deployment protecting various layers of the Passport Seva System including Data and Information.
A lot of internet malicious traffic has been observed including DoS (denial of service) attack, virus threat
etc. but we have been successful in averting these threats by taking proactive measures to shield the
applicant's Data in the system. Some of the unique and noticeable efforts that have gone in strengthening the
security system of the Passport Seva Project (PSP) are:
1. Centralised Access - The users of the Passport Seva System have been given authorised role based
access to the PSP Application, secured with Digital Signature Certificate (DSC). The beauty of such
access is that no one has power to meddle with the data locally and also the task being performed by any
user is audited and tracked. It is always advisable to have centralised access for large scale Mission
Mode Applications that provide better control mechanism to be adhered centrally. Some of them are:
Level 1: Key Security Considerations at the User End:
a. User authentication performed using Biometric mechanism
b. Role based access to the Passport Services, Business Transactions and Data
c. DSC used for submission of applications and signing the documents
Level 2: Key Security Considerations at the Network/ Transport layer:
a. Network Link Encryption (IPSEC)
b. Encrypted HTTP session using SSL (HTTPS)
Level 3: Key Security Considerations at the Application & Database layer:
a. Dual key access for the system administrators
b. Secure storage of user credentials
c. Intrusion Prevention System to detect/prevent unauthorized activities/sessions
d. Server-to-server communication encryption
e. Secured/ encrypted storage of data/ data elements in the Database & DB Backups
f. Comprehensive logging & audit trail of sessions and transactions
2.

Separate Access Route - Passport Seva System has different access routes to the Passport Seva
Application. Closed User Group users connected through intranet have been given secure access
through a separate portal. Other stakeholders like police, post and citizens have been given access
through front office portal routed through Passport Seva Gateway as they are internet based. Police
officials have been given access based on DSCs as they would upload police verification report in the
system.

3. Active Load Balance Data Centres/Disaster Recovery Centres - Passport Seva Data Centres, first of
its kind in a Government set-up have been in operation since last twenty two months in an active mode.
Both the Data Centres are live and load is distributed among them. Citizens however, have been given
single window access through www.passportindia.gov.in. Uniqueness of these data centres comes
handy in case of failure of one of them. Each data centre is capable of handling full load of the other data
centre i.e. catering to entire load of the Passport Seva System in disaster scenario.
4. State-of-the-art NOC (Network operation centre) - Passport Seva System also witnesses a state-ofthe-art Network Operation Centre, with well defined trouble-shooting desk such as L1, L2 and L3
support personnel posted as 24X7 operation & management which is different from other government
NOC, as it is controlled by strategic control team deployed by Ministry with clear and distinct role.

11

5. Security standards and certifications - Passport Seva System has followed various international
standards of security and process under the supervision of third party audit agency, STQC, an
autonomous body of Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, GoI. Some of the
critical standards followed are as under:
ISO 27001
- Information Security
ISO 17799
- Operational Integrity and Security Management
ISO 20000
- Service Management
ISO 9001
- Operations of Passport Seva Kendra
ITIL/ITSM
- IT Infrastructure Management
W3C specifications
- Portal Development
Interoperability
- Web Services, Open Standards
IEEE/ISO specifications
- Project Documentation
Digital Signature (DSC)
- RSA standards
Information Access/transfer protocols - SOAP, HTTP/HTTPS
BioAPI 2.0 (ISO/IEC 19784-1:2005) - Biometric Framework
6. PRIDE (Passport Related Information Data Exchange) - In contrast to the legacy system, PSP
system is working on a centralised database i.e. PRIDE. All the legacy data have been successfully
migrated into PRIDE including data from Missions/Posts. Passport Issuance Authorities
(PIAs)/Granting Officers (GOs) taking a granting decision on the Passport Application and for
Passport related services (across all RPOs/POs/Missions/Posts) are ensuring duplicity and other
background verification of the Passport Seekers before taking granting decisions.
"My own experience confirms that PSP system has been designed,
developed and deployed in best possible manner with utmost security
measures, both at system and process level. Many mission mode
applications would like to replicate such a highly secure deployment
strategically controlled by the Ministry." - Golok Kumar Simili
For queries regarding this article, please write to:
Golok Kumar Simili,
Principal Consultant,
Passport Seva Project
Ministry of External Affairs
Email: princontech@mea.gov.in
How to Submit an Application at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK)
Under the new system defined by the Ministry, the process for availing passport services has
been simplified. Online appointment is mandatory to walk into PSK for further processing. Walk-in
Service is provided at the discretion of RPO/PSK in-charge for emergency/medical cases.
Steps for form submission at Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) Step 1: Log on to the website www.passportindia.gov.in
Step 2: Create a user id and assign password. A User id helps to maintain the security of a passport
applicant, enabling him to apply for passport services, take an appointment as well as check the status of
his application.
Step 3: Fill and submit the application form online or download the e-form, fill and upload the same
with the user-id created above. With a single user id, a user can upload maximum three application
forms. However there is no restriction on the number of user ids a person can create
Step 4: Note the Application Reference Number (ARN), schedule an appointment and take a printout
of the appointment slip.
12


Step 5: Visit the designated Passport Seva Kendra at the scheduled date and time, along with all original
documents and photocopies as required. Applicant's presence is mandatory.

At the Passport Seva Kendra
Step 6: Collect a token from the Token Issuance Counter after showing the appointment slip. Enter
through the turnstile and wait for turn in the waiting area till your token number is displayed on the
display board.
Step 7: Stage 1, Processing by Citizen Service Executive (CSE) - Submit the token, and self-attested
(signed by the applicant) photocopies of the supporting documents to the at the designated service
counter. Complete activities at the counter which include submission of correct applicant details,
capture of photograph and biometrics as well as fee payment.
Await your turn at the Stage 2 counter.
Step 8: Stage 2 Processing by Verification Officer (VO) – Submit all original documents to the
verification officer. On successful verification, you will be directed to visit the stage 3 counter.
Step 9: Stage 3 Processing by Granting Officer (GO) – The granting officer takes a decision on
granting of the passport – with pre/post/no police verification, with ECR/ECNR, for an appropriate
validity period.
Step 10: Collect the print-out of the final status of your application (acknowledgement letter) at the exit
gate.
After successful application form submission, with final status as "Granted", the passport would go in
for printing immediately in case of Post/No police verification. In case the application has been granted
on pre police verification basis, the passport goes into printing after a clear police report is received.
The applicant can at all time track the status of the application from the website or by calling the call
center at 1800-258-1800.
PSK Directory


13

STATUS SCAN
Numbers Speak…
•
Number of PSKs operational as on 31.12.2011: 30
•
Number of applications processed in PSP between May 2010 to Dec 2011: 12,33,130
•
Number of passports printed between May 2010 to Dec 2011: 10,19,579
•
Number of languages supported at the Call Centre: 7
•
Average number of citizens serviced daily: Over 8,000
•
Average number of calls received at the Passport Seva Call Center daily: Over 10,000
•
Average number of hits to the passportindia.gov.in portal daily: Over 42,000
•
Citizen Satisfaction Index at PSK: 99.70%

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
Citizen Feedback
In the Passport Seva Project, various channels used for feedback collection are as follows:
•
Feedback forms filled at PSKs
• screen facility installed at select PSKs
Touch
•
E-mails received at PSP Helpdesk
•
Online through the Passport Seva Portal
• Centre
Call
Collection of feedback is done on the following four parameters:
•
Cleanliness and ambience
•
Courtesy
•
Efficiency / service delivery
•
Overall Experience
This section presents citizen satisfaction gathered over the last quarter (October - December 2012)

PSK-wise Overall Citizen Satisfaction Index

Overall PSK Feedback Analysis

99.70 % Citizens rated PSK Services as "Excellent", "Very Good" or "Good"
14


Citizens Speak…
VIP Feedback:
Mr. K Sellamuthu, IAS ,Commisioner of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, Tamil Nadu,
visited PSK-Navin's Presidium, Chennai on 28th October'11 and has rated PSK Services
"Very Good" on all the parameters.
Comment- “Smooth Transaction with customers is commendable.”
Mr. S Gopalakrishnan, Executive Co-Chairman Infosys, visited PSK Bangalore Sai Arcade
th
PSK on 16 November'11 and has rated PSK Services "Excellent" on all parameters.
Comment- “The whole process was handled very professionally and with courtesy. Thanks.”
th

Mr. G Panduranga Rao, Jt. Transport Commissioner, visited Hyderabad-2 PSK on 13
December'11 and has rated "Excellent" on Physical look, Amenities & Convenience
parameters and "Very Good" on all other parameters
Comment- “Services are good here. Response towards the applicants is good, guiding the
applicants is good.”

Other Feedback:
“Everything is well organised. I am happy with new system. Staff is humble and co-operative.”
– Ms. Navdeep Kaur, Jalandhar-1 PSK
“Great customer service, I found very good environment at PSK. I hope it is maintained in the
long run also.”
– Mr. Chandrashekhar R, Madurai PSK
Scope for Improvement:
“Please provide extra facilities for children below 10 years and also please give priority to
elderly persons and people who are ill. Rest all is fine.”
– Mr. P G Naveen Kumar, Hubli PSK
“Procedure for police verification should be clear and transparent, the old website is still
working, two address proves are required but site mentions that only one is required.”
– Mr. Surinder Singh Bhai, Delhi-1 PSK
“The website needs to be updated with the correct documents, as of now the website does
not provide a complete list of documents required.”
– Mr. Sitaram Subhramanyam G, Hyderabad-1 PSK
“Tatkaal appointments should be slotted in a fixed time of the day.”
– Mr. B. R. Sharma, Ludhiana PSK


15

EMPLOYEES CORNER
List of Officers who have since been retired/VRS/expired/resigned from service w.e.f. October, 2011.

16


Interview: Regional Passport Officer, Chennai
?
Please share your experience with this commendable initiative -The Passport Seva Project.

" Passport Seva Project is an important e-governance initiative taken by the Ministry to transform the
passport delivery system into the paperless mode with introduction of online police verification
system. Since the entire process is system-driven it is a great reduction in time in backend. PSKs
provided comfortable atmosphere for the public to submit the application and complete the entire
process till granting."
? have been quite a job to transform old systems into new
It must

ones, how did you go about bringing in this change?
" The success to the changes is simply brought by the Officers and staff
due to their positive attitude to acceptance and early adaption to
change."
?
Share with us some of the achievements and learnings, since

Chennai RPO has gone operational with 3 PSKs in Sept 2011.
" It is premature to talk about the achievements since we are in the stage
of inception. However, the issuance of passport is faster and
atmosphere for the public at PSKs is comfortable."

Regional Passport Officer, Chennai
Shri Senthil Pandian ( IAS )

?think that there has been an improvement in citizen service delivery when availing
Do you

passport services?
" Yes, of course. After the process of verification & granting the passport delivery is quicker when
compared to legacy system. It is because of the fact that the entire process is system triggered."
?
Please share your thoughts about the online appointment system & online police enquiry

system.
" Online Police verification is commendable due to which time taken to issue passport is reduced to
almost half. In the new software, there is a provision to feed & store the data and manage appointment
at particular time due to which common man struggles to get appointment. Public feels that the
application form may be simplified and appointment process can be streamlined."
? how satisfied are you with the changes in the work culture and citizen experience this
Overall,

initiative has brought in?
"Officers and staff adapted to the new system much earlier than expected. Citizens by and large they
are happy except for filling application form and getting appointment."


17

In The Media

18


RPO Amritsar Organised a Session for School Children


19

Printed by: First Impressions 9911223390, 011-2341882

Passport Seva Kendra, Kolkata

Passport Patrika | October - December 2011

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (15)

Ähnlich wie Passport Patrika | October - December 2011

Ähnlich wie Passport Patrika | October - December 2011 (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

Passport Patrika | October - December 2011