Passport Patrika | July - December 2013

Innovation
Citizen Convenience
Extended Reach
Process Transformation
e-Governance
Growth
Passport Patrika | July - December 2013
Passport
Patr kaA bulletin of Passport services in India
- Year 2013 at a glance
- Passport Seva Camp at Farrukhabad
- Reach of mPassport Seva app extended
- SMS Service launched
Passport Services Growth Path(in lakh)
(Projected)

In this Issue
04
05
20
22
27
28
15
19
Events
- Passport Seva Camp at Farrukhabad
- Foreign Secretary visits Herald House PSK, Delhi
- Parliamentary Standing Committee visits Passport Seva Kendras
Public Notice & Advisory
Achievements & Recognition
Media & Public Outreach
Voice of People
Employees Corner
Snippets
- Reach of mPassport Seva app extended
- Status Tracking of passport applications via SMS
- More user friendly Passport Seva Website
Passport Patrika | July – December 201302
Cover Story
- Year 2013 at a Glance
9.4
8.5 8.2 7.8
6.4
5.8
4.6 4.6 4.1
3.5
2.1 1.9
1.1 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3
9.5
8.3 8.1 7.8
6.1 5.7
4.6 4.4 4.0
3.4
2.0 1.7
1.0 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3-1.0
1.0
3.0
5.0
7.0
9.0
11.0
Kerala
TamilNadu
Maharashtra
AndhraPradesh
UttarPradesh
Punjab
Gujarat
Karnataka
Delhi
WestBengal
Rajasthan
Bihar
MadhyaPradesh
Jammu&Kashmir
Orissa
Jharkhand
Assam
Uttarakhand
Goa
Chattisgarh
HimachalPradesh
# of Applications processed & services rendered
# of applications received # of servicesrendered

Address:
CPV Division,
Ministry of External Affairs,
Patiala House Annexe,
Tilak Marg,
New Delhi-110 001
Tel: +91-11-23387013
Fax:+91-11-23071370
Passport Patrika is edited and
published by Shri Muktesh Pardeshi,
Joint Secretary (PSP) &
Chief Passport Officer on behalf of
Central Passport Organisation,
Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi
Editorial Team:
Muktesh Pardeshi
Sanjiv Aggarwal
Website:
http://passportindia.gov.in
E-mail:
passportpatrika@gmail.com
Editorial Note
Passport Patrika | July - December 2013 03
Muktesh Pardeshi
Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief Passport Officer
Creative Team:
Shalini Manchanda
Vipul Popli
Design and Publishing Partner :
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
How many passports are issued globally in a year? Though there are no official figures, some
estimates suggest that around 60 million passports (and other travel documents) are issued annually by
Governments all over the world. China, the United States and India are currently the top three issuing
countries.
Since 2000, the number of Indian passports being issued every year has risen more than
threefold. This is indicative of the growing rate of international travel undertaken by Indian people. In
2013, the Ministry of External Affairs issued 8.5 million passports and related travel documents, which
amount to about 14% of the global issuance. There is an approximately 15% increase over 2012 in
passport services rendered. It is only a matter of short time that India will be achieving the milestone of
issuing 10million(1crore)passports ayear.
The current issue contains plenty of information and data analysis on the Indian passport. For
instance, as on 31 December 2013, some 52 million Indian citizens held valid passports. Five States,
namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, account for 55% of the
total applications. And outside India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE top the chart, contributing to more than
40% of overseas issuance. In terms of age profile, 56% of applicants in 2013 were below the age of 30.
Gender-wise, 67% applicants were male. 41% of passport seekers had received education below 10th
grade (only 6 illiterates), signifying that large number of applicants were seeking blue collar jobs
abroad. 63% oftheapplicantsacquiredpassports for thefirsttimeintheirlives.
The second half of the year saw the implementation of many innovative and citizen-centric
initiatives such as the online facility for payment of passport fees, a premium SMS service, the extension
in the reach of mobile app - mPassport Seva and the introduction of a new concept called Passport Seva
Camp whichwas flaggedoffbytheHon'bleExternalAffairsMinisterinFarrukhabad inDecember2013.
The Passport Patrika is available online. Its content was among the top 5% of the most viewed one on
Slideshare,a documentsharing site,in2013.

SNIPPETS
ReachofmPassportSevaappextended
In order to keep pace with the current technology,
the Passport Seva Project had launched the mPassport
st
Seva mobile app on Android platform, as a pilot, on 21
March 2013. Encouraged by positive public response,
PSP team has now launched this app on Windows and
AppleiOSplatformsaswell.
The app provides passport-related information
onsmartphones.Thisapplicationprovidesawidevariety
of services such as status tracking, locating a Passport
Officeandothergeneralinformation.
The application provides information on various
steps involved to obtain a passport related service and
relatedphonenumbersincaseofqueriesorconcerns.
The users are able to search for a Passport Seva
Kendra (PSK) or District Passport Cell (DPC) where a
passport application can be submitted. This can also be
searched based on PIN code. For certain States and
Districts,theuserscansearchforPoliceStationsaswell.
Citizens residing overseas
who apply for a passport service at
Indian Missions/Posts abroad can
also utilize this facility for searching
address and other relevant
information. The Fee Calculator
feature of the application enables
users to find out the applicable fee
based on the service and mode of
submission. Users can track the
s t a t u s o f t h e i r p a s s p o r t
applications by providing File
Number and Date of Birth. In case
the passport has been dispatched, Delivery Status can
alsobetracked.
StatusTrackingofpassportapplicationsviaSMS
st
From 1 Nov 2013, the Ministry of External Affairs
with its technology partner Tata Consultancy Services
introduced a new and optional value-added SMS service
to keep passport applicants updated on the status of
theirapplications.
Under this service, Passport applicants are able to get
SMS alerts on their cell phones about the latest updates
and pending actions from the time of submission of their
applicationsuntiltheserviceisrendered.
The SMS services can be availed by paying a one-time
enrolment charge of Rs 30, payable in cash at the
PassportSevaKendra.
Applicants may receive up to nine SMSs as alerts and
updatesduringtheprocess.However,theapplicantswho
choose not to enroll for the SMS assistance will continue
toreceivethestandardcommunications.
The service also facilitates applicants to send their
queries via SMSs at any time to get the current status of
theirapplications.
In order to enhance the usability of passport Seva
th
website, MEA on 6 Sept 2013 launched the new face of
the portal. The new portal is very well structured and
provides an interactive platform enabling the applicants
tofindinformationeasily.
04 Passport Patrika | July – December 2013
Link Downloads
227974
165611
84052
Rating
4.2
4.0
www.play.google.com/
store/apps/
www.windowsphone.com/
en-in/store
www.apple.com/itunes 3.5
More User Friendly Passport Seva Website

In recent years, the issuance of passports has emerged as one of the major and visible
statutory/publicservicesrenderedbytheGovernmentofIndia.
Indian passports (together with other travel documents such as Identity Cards for Tibetan
refugees, Emergency Certificates for return to India, Police Clearance Certificates and Line of Control
TravelPermitsinJammuandKashmir)areissuedbytheMinistry ofExternalAffairsthroughanetwork
of 37 Passport Offices, CPV Division (only Diplomatic and Official passports) and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands Administration. This network has been expanded byadding 77 Passport Seva Kendras
and functional/upcoming 16 Passport Seva Laghu Kendras as extended arms of Passport Offices. For
Indians living abroad, issuance of passport and other related documents is done by 180 Indian
Missions/Posts.
Year 2013 at a Glance
Passport Patrika | July – December 2013 05
States with more than 3 lakh
Applications processed
Do You Know ?
Do You Know ?
51929132
Total No. of Valid
Passport Holders
COVER STORY
85.17 Lakh Passport services rendered in 2013

COVER STORY
During January-December 2013, the Ministry
processed an astounding number of approximately
97lakhpassportandrelatedservicesapplications.37
Passport Offices, Headquarters and the Office of the
Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
received 73 lakh passport service related
applications including Police Clearance Certificates,
against which 71.33 lakh passports and related
documents were issued compared to 62.5 lakh in 2012, thereby registering an increase of
approximately 15%. Moreover, 180 Indian Missions/Posts abroad issued 13.83 lakh passports, EC and
other passport related miscellaneousservices.Thus, the Government of India, in total, rendered 85.17
lakh passport services in a
year. This is an all time high
and amounts to over
threefold increase since 2000.
At this rate, India is likely to be
reaching a milestone of
issuing one crore passports a
year by 2014-15. The total
revenue expected to be
accrued from all passport
services in 2013-14 is Rs 1800
crore (exceeding BE figures of Rs 1600 crore). An amount of Rs. 429.47 was allocated to Central
PassportOrganizationinthefinancialyear2013-14.
The Central Passport Organization was created in 1959 as a Subordinate Office of the Ministry
and is headed by Joint Secretary and Chief Passport Officer, who also acts as Appellate Authority under
the Passports Act 1967 and the Head of Department under the Delegation of Financial Powers Rules
1978. The total strength of the Central Passport Organization Cadre is 2697 as on 31 December 2013.
st
The Ministry has taken several steps to improve the service conditions of the CPO personnel by re-
structuring and expanding of the CPO cadre, to ensure that all vacant posts available to them are filled
byfasterpromotionwithnecessaryamendments/downgradingofposts/relaxationineligibilityservice
in Recruitment Rules. The Ministry has notified a modified Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme (PLIS)
on 21 March 2013, having retrospective effect, to financially incentivise individual performance
st
measuredagainstpre-setnorms.
Intotal,8DPCswereheldin2013forpromotionofintotal746officials.
With a view to recognize outstanding services rendered by CPO employees to citizens and thus
contribute to improving governance in the country, Passport Seva Puraskars have been instituted. The
Puraskars will be given away to the selected employees and Passport Offices on Passport Seva Divas,
th
the24 Juneofeveryyear.
06
Growing Demand for Passports
Central Passport Organization
Channel wise percentage of applications processed
Operational Performance: 15% Growth
Passport Applications Received (Overseas applications not included)

COVER STORY
During the year, Passport Office, Surat shifted to a newly constructed building. Passport Office,
Bhopal which was functioning from a shabby building has been shifted to new well furnished space
hired in State Government owned building. The construction of new PO building Mumbai is nearing
completion.TheconstructionworkisinprogressatJalandhar.
The Passport Seva Project is one of the largest successful Mission Mode Projects under the
National e-Governance Plan. The programme is being run in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode
with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as the Service Provider. After a successful nation-wide rollout,
theschemeiscurrentlyintheOperationsandMaintenancePhasesinceJune2012.
77 Passport Seva Kendras with best-in-class amenities have been set up across the country
as extended arms of the 37 Regional Passport Offices, thus providing extended reach to passport
applicants. A 24 x 7 National Call Center has been set up which provides real-time status and up-to-
date information in 17 languages using a toll free number (1800-258-1800). The Call Centre receives
over 20,000 calls per day. The portal http://passportindia.gov.in also provides up-to-date real time
information. The project integrates with the State Police for verification of an applicant's personal
particulars,withIndiaPostforpostaldeliveryandwithISPNashikforsupplymanagementofpassport
booklets. An SMS/email alert is sent to applicant as soon as passport is dispatched. The project also
provides real time up-to-date information to 180 Missions and Posts abroad as well as the
Immigrationauthorities.
Floods in Surat Heavy Snowfall in Srinagar
07
Physical Infrastructure
Passport Seva Project: Successful Implementation
Passport Offices Work Under Diverse Weather Conditions

COVER STORY
Figuresspeak:
As on 31 December 2013, over 1.36 crore
st
passport service related applications have been
processed and over 1.22 crore services have
been rendered through the new system. Daily
footfallacross77PSKsis35,000citizens.
Top 5 States in terms of number of passport applications are: Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra,AndhraPradeshandUttarPradesh,accountingformorethan55%oftotalapplications.
08
Improvements in service delivery:
Today, on a pan India basis, 24% of
normal passports are issued within 3 days, 60%
within7days and 82%areissuedwithin14days
[This excludes the time taken for police
verification]. In case of Tatkal passports, 10%
are issued on the same day and 64% are issued
within 3 days. If we include police verification
time in the end-to-end delivery process, 49% of
passportswereissuedwithinamonth.
The number of pubic dealing counters has been increased from the erstwhile 350 to 1610 in
thenewsystemandpublicdealinghourshavegoneupfrom4hoursto7hoursaday.
Do You Know?
Do You Know? %52e
taudarG
Belo
w
10th41%
Education wise percentage of
application processed
06
declared
illiterate
Percentage of normal Passports issued in days
Ku
o
n
Y
o
w
oD
?
10% Tatkal Passports are
issued on the same day.

COVER STORY
09
PoliceVerification
Police Verification (PV) plays an
important role in the timely dispatch
of passports. The project team
continues to engage closely with the
Police Departments across
States/UTs. The all India average for
the number of days taken to
complete the police verification is 49
and about 37% of the PVs get completed within the desired time limit of 21 days. Some States/UTs
have consistently maintained low
Police Verification processing
times. Delhi completed police
verification in 13 days on an
average, followed by Andhra
Pradesh (17 days), Haryana (19
days), Kerala (27 days), and
Chandigarh (27 days). As on 31 December 2013, 399 of the 724 Police Districts were working on the
st
Districtmodel.
OnlinePaymentFacility
To address the concerns raised by citizens with regard to non-availability of appointments,
the Ministry introduced Online Payment System in July 2013. There has been a noticeable
improvementinavailabilityofappointmentssincethen.Therearecertaincategoriesofapplicantsand
servicesforwhichwalk-infacilityisavailable.
Interesting Facts
- Youngest Applicant 2 days
- Oldest Applicant 116 years
- Average Age 31 years
,
5,12,581
,

APublicGrievanceRedressalCell(PGRC) has been
established in CPV Division under the supervision of the
JointSecretary(PassportSevaProject)andChiefPassport
Officer. In addition, all Passport Offices handle public
grievances through the Centralized Public Grievance
Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAM) website of
the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and
Pensions,inwhich6026grievanceswerereceived during
the period 1.1.2013 to 31.12.2013, out of which 5013
cases have been disposed off. The latest position on their
applications, along with directions for further action, is
posted on this website, which can be easily accessed by
the public for its benefit. The number of
complaints/grievanceshavesteadilygonedowninthe
COVER STORY
Measures to Improve Passport Services
Passport Seva Call Centre
10
last3years.In2011,thenumberwas51,782,outofwhich
48,091 were redressed. The corresponding figure for
2012 was 46,878 and 42,295. During the period 1.1.2013
to 31.12.2013 (including CPGRAM) 38,489 public
grievance petitions were received by the CPV Division,
outofwhich36,944havebeendisposedoff.
Information and Facilitation Counters, Public
Grievance Cell and Help Desks have been set up in
Passport Offices to assist applicants and to attend
grievances/complaints expeditiously. The
complaint/suggestion boxes are also installed on
strategic locations at Passport Offices and Passport Seva
Kendras.
Ministry's efforts in improving redressal of public
grievances have been appreciated by the nodal agency
i.e. the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public
rd
Grievances. In a letter dated 3 December 2013, Hon'ble
MoS for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions has
observed:
Passport Adalats
Passport Offices held Passport Adalats regularly to
redress the grievances of passport applicants. These
Adalats have been very useful in disposing of 7000 old
and complex cases. Passport Adalats were held on
07.08.2013 at RPO Coimbatore, from 21.08.2013 to
30.10.2013 (11 in number) at RPO Chandigarh, on
28.09.2013 at RPO Jammu, on 09.10.2013 and
23.10.2013 at RPO Bangalore, on 25.10.2013 at RPO
Patnaandon23.11.2013atRPOLucknow.
…On the basis of data generated on the online
Centralised Public Grievances Redress and
Monitoring System, as on 21.11.2013, your
Ministry has been found to have improved
significantly in reducing the pendency of public
grievances. I congratulate on this and wish to place
on record my appreciation for the commendable
effortputinbyyourMinistryinthisregard…
PublicGrievanceRedressalMechanism
Under the Passport Seva Project (PSP), the
Ministry has put in place a strengthened Grievance
Redressal system whereby a National Call Centre with a
toll free number (1800-258-1800), operating in 17
languages and on 24X7 basis, has been set up to cater to
dissemination of information about various services,
handling of grievances and citizen feedback, which at
present works on a central system platform. Also a
helpdesk has been set up which can be accessed by
citizens through the passportindia.gov.in portal and
where suggestions and grievances can be sent and also
monitor its status online. It presently handles
approximately 20, 000 calls per day (out of which 42% are
inHindiand29%inEnglish).

COVER STORY
11
PassportMelas
With the view to address difficulties faced by citizens in obtaining appointments and to meet increased demand
for passport services, passport melas were organized from time to time by Passport Offices. 81 Passport Melas were
organised from time to time during the weekend/holidays by 27 Passport Offices. In 2013, 32,525 passport applications
wereprocessedduringPassportMelas.
RighttoInformationAct(RTI)
A Central Public Information Officer and Assistant Public Information Officer have been appointed in every
Passport Office to provide information to applicants under the RTI Act. A Central Public Information Officer has also been
appointed in the CPV Division.Joint Secretary (PSP)& CPO is the First AppellateAuthorityin respectof allPassport Offices
and also for the CPV Division. From 1 July 2013, CPV Division has been operating a separate section in the Government of
st
IndiaRTIportalforreceivingonlineRTIapplicationspertainingtoPassportOfficesandCPVDivision. Atotalof4598online
st
RTIapplicationsandpostalRTIapplicationswerereceivedanddisposedoffbytheDivisionduringtheperiod1 January to
st
31 December 2013(out of this 3298 applications transferred to RPOs for action). During the same period, 884 First
Appealswerealsoreceivedanddisposedoff.
Appeals(u/s11ofthePassportsAct)
The appeal against the decisions of PIAs is a
statutory right conferred upon the affected person
u/s 11 of the Passports Act. During the year, 7
appeal sessions were held in the month of January,
April, July, September, October, November and
December2013covering267appealcases.
Awarness Campaign on Emigration and Passport
Grievances
th
On 27 July 2013, a special Passport and
Emigration campaign was held at PSK Thillainagar.
During the Campaign, Shri D.Jai Shankar, Protector
of Emigrants, Chennai briefed the public regarding
EmigrationRules.
Details of Passport Melas (July - December 2013)
Applications
Collected
Applications
Collected

COVER STORY
PassportIndiaPortal
An online portal passportindia.gov.in has been created to
offer passport services, giving comprehensive and latest
information on passport services, appointment procedure,
documentation, status enquiry and other related issues, thus
enabling anytime-anywhere access. This portal is being updated
regularly to make it more users friendly and simpler. The portal is
bilingualwithinformationdisplayedprominentlyinHindiaswell.
MachineReadableTravelDocuments
In order to obviate the problems of smudging of photographs and data and to improve the overall quality,
functionality and security of Indian passports, various measures viz. shifting of data page in passport booklets to page no.
2 and observation page from last page to page no. 35, signature & seal of PIA at inner front cover page-facing page 1,
inclusionofsecondary “GhostImage”(letterscreenimage)ofpassportholderdrawnwith hispersonaldata atdatapage
st
have been implemented with effect from 1 April 2013 ( “2012 series booklets”). All Passport Offices, Headquarters and
select Missions/Posts abroad have been provided with machine readable passport printers. During the year, 23 new
passport printers were acquired to upgrade personalization infrastructure of Passport Offices. For 150 Missions/Posts
abroad and Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration, Machine Readable Passports (MRP) with ghost image security
feature are printed at Central Indian Passport Printing System (CIPPS) of the CPV Division, New Delhi. The CIPPS printed
1,13,469passportsduringtheyear.
E-Passports
In accordance with ICAO recommendation to incorporate biometric
data in the Machine Readable Travel Documents, India has also decided to
upgrade its existing passports to electronic category of e-passports. The e-
passports provide greater protection against fraudulent practices and
tampering. These e-passports also prevent issue of multiple passports to a
singleperson,thus,ensuringhighlevelofsecurityinpassportissuance.ATask
Forcehasbeensetuptoexpeditee-passportproject.
Channel wise percentage of applications processed

13
COVER STORY
DigitizationProject:
The project for “creation of image retrievable database” for the passport, visa, OCI and PIO applications in Indian
Missions/Posts was awarded to a panel of 3 vendors in June 2012. In the first phase, the digitization of consular
documents commenced in Indian Missions in London, San Francisco, Riyadh, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which is completed
except in London. In the second phase, the project would cover another 34 Indian Missions/Posts, out of which work has
already commenced in 9 Missions/Posts. As on 31.12.2013, nearly 7 crore pages have been digitized. Once implemented,
this project would lead to central repository of data, easy retrievability of files and uniformity in all the Indian
Missions/Postsabroad.
Haj pilgrims: Special Drive
As decided by the Haj Committee of India (constituted under Act of Parliament no. 35 of 2002), only valid passport
holders can apply for Haj. Therefore, all prospective Haj applicants were advised to get their passport issued before the
th th
Haj announcement 2013. Applications for Haj 2013 were received between 6 February 2013 and 30 March 2013 by the
Haj Committee of India as per new norms. It is a matter of satisfaction that the issuance of passports to prospective Haj
pilgrims has been a very smooth affair this year. Against the allocated Haj quota of 1, 25,000 applications, approximately 3
lakhapplicationformswerereceivedbytheHajCommitteebytheprescribeddeadline.
Awards & Recognition:
The Passport Seva Project is recipient of following :
· Case study TCS-Indian Passport Office: Transforming public sector services through process re-engineering and
digitization,Ovum,London(January2014)
· Featured as one of the achievements of UPA Government in the compilation '10 years of Progress and Growth
(2004-2014)'(January2014)
· Finalist(Securityine-Governance),DataSecurityCouncilofIndiaExcellenceAwards(December2013)
· TheEconomicTimesCertificateofRecognition(October2013)
· Citationby'GOVERNANCENow':'BIGDATALEADER'(August2013)
· eINDIAAwardofExcellence'(July2013)
· Mention by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India as one of
st
the7bestexamplesofpublicservicesdelivery(CivilServicesDay,21 April2013)
· PromisingInnovationAward'-RegionalRoundsofTataInnovista2012-13(March2013)
· President'saddresstotheJointSessionofParliament(February2013)
· ComputerSocietyofIndia-NihilentTechnologiese-GovernanceAwardforExcellence(December2012)
Interesting FactsInteresting Facts
Gender wise percentage of applications Age Group wise percentage of applications

COVER STORY
14
· No. of Passport services rendered by Passport Offices in India: 71,05,691
· Passport and Miscellaneous services by Indian Missions/Post: 13,83,686
· MEA, PV-II section (Official and Diplomatic Passports): 25,130
· Andaman and Nicobar Islands: 3,008
· Grand Total : 85,17,515
Total number of Passport Applications Received and Issued

ForeignSecretaryvisitsHeraldHousePSK,Delhi
th
On 17 Dec 2013, Shrimati Sujatha Singh,
Foreign Secretary visited PSK Herald House to have an
overview of PSK operations. She was given a detailed
walkthroughofthePSK.
EVENTS
PassportSevaCampatFarrukhabad
th
On 14 December 2013, the first Passport Seva
Camp was launched by Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon'ble
EAMatFarrukhabad.Thecampwasoperatedfromoneof
the UP Government offices wherein temporary CSE and
VO counters were set up fully equipped with all
peripherals. A total of 160 applications were processed
duringthetwodaycamp.
While inaugurating the camp, Shri Salman Khurshid
spoke about the advancement of technology which is
now enabling the doorstep service to the passport
aspirants. He appreciated MEA – TCS partnership and
complimented TCS for enabling the service transition
whichstartedwiththePSKsandnowthecamps.
Shrimati Sujatha Singh, Foreign Secretary
with Passport Seva Team at Herald House PSK
Mrs. Sujatha Singh born in
July 1954, joined the Indian
Foreign Service in July 1976.
She assumed charge as
Foreign Secretary on August
1,2013.
PriortotakingoverasForeign
Secretary, Mrs. Singh served
as Ambassador of India to
Germany (2012-2013) and
High Commissioner to
Australia(2007-2012).
She started her overseas assignments as Second Secretary in
the Embassy of India, Bonn (1978-82). Subsequently she was
First Secretary, High Commission of India, Accra (1985-89),
Counsellor,EmbassyofIndia,Paris(1989-92),DeputyChiefof
Mission and Deputy Permanent Representative to ESCAP at
Embassy of India, Bangkok (1997-2000) and Consul General,
Milan(2000-04).
Mrs. Singh has served over a third of her career at
Headquarters. She was Under Secretary looking after Nepal
(1982-85), Director, Economic Co-ordination Unit (1992-95),
attended the National Defence College at New Delhi (1995)
andJointSecretaryattheForeignServiceInstitute,NewDelhi
(1996-97). Subsequently she was Joint Secretary and then
Additional Secretary responsible for West Europe and the EU
intheMinistryofExternalAffairs,NewDelhi(2004-07).
Mrs. Singh completed her B.A. Honours in Economics in 1973
from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi and her M.A. in
Economicsin1975fromtheDelhiSchoolofEconomics.
Shrimati Sujatha Singh
15Passport Patrika | July - December 2013
Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon'ble EAM
with Passport Seva Team
Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon'ble EAM inaugurating
Passport Seva Camp at Farrukhabad

EVENTS
Secretary, IT, Govt. of India, at PSK Ahmedabad
Committee of Parliament on Official Language at RPO Bangalore
Parliamentary Standing Committee visits
PassportSevaKendras
The Standing Committee on External Affairs
led by Shri Ananth Kumar made visits to PSKs located
in Bangalore, Bhopal, Delhi (Herald House & Gurgaon)
th th
andGhaziabadduringtheperiod12 to18 July2013.
The Committee reviewed the PSK operations in terms
of services to the citizens and expressed satisfaction
attheprogressmadeinrecentyears.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External
affairshelddiscussionswith ForeignSecretary
On 17 December 2013, Parliamentaryth
StandingCommitteeonExternalAffairsledbyHon'ble
Shri Francisco Sardinha, held discussions with senior
officials of CPV Division led by Shrimati Sujatha Singh,
Foreign Secretary, on the subject "Passport Seva
Project-TargetsandAchievements".
Parliamentary Standing Committee visits PSK
(I) Ghaziabad, (II) Bangalore, (III) Bhopal, (IV) Delhi
Committee of Parliament on Official Language visits
RPO Ghaziabad and Bangalore
The First Sub Committee of Committee of
Parliament on Official Language visited Ghaziabad and
th th
Bangaloreon16 July&20 November2013respectively.
Secretary, IT, Govt. of India, visits PSK Ahmedabad
th
On 19 July 2013, Shri J. Satyanarayan, Secretary,
IT, Govt. of India, visited PSK Ahmedabad. During his visit,
Shri J. Satyanarayan interacted with citizens as well as
withtheGovt.officials.Hewaspleasedwiththefeedback
receivedfromtheapplicants.
I
II
III
IV

Visit of faculty members of State Administrative
TrainingInstitutesatPSK
th
On 18 September 2013, a group of 25
faculty members of State Administrative Training
Institutes visited PSK Herald House as a part of
“Training of Trainers in Servottam Public Service
Delivery” and were given a walk through. The group
showed keen interest in various aspects of project
delivery and appreciated the way the project has been
implemented and complimented on the high
standardsoftheservicedelivery.
Delegation of DoT visits PSK Herald House
st
On 01 October
2013, a delegation
c o n s i s t i n g o f 2 5
members from the DoT
visited PSK Herald
House to get an
o v e r v i e w o f t h e
Project.Thedelegationwasgivenawalkthroughofthe
PSKOperations.
CCTV control room inaugurated at Hyderabad
t h
On 24 July
2013, Shri Muktesh
Pardeshi JS(PSP) and
CPO inaugurated CCTV
c o n t ro l ro o m a t
Hyderabad PSK. In
order to have smooth
& controlled processes, the CCTV monitoring systems
areconnectedtoRPOcontrolroom.
PIA's PVR Conference at Goa
th
On 28 September
2 0 1 3 , P I A P V R
Conference was held
at Fidalgo Hotel in Goa
to review Police
Verificationissues.
Press Meet at PSK Lalbagh, Bangalore
th
On 6 August 2013,
a team of 17 reporters
f r o m N a t i o n a l a n d
Vernacular print media
visited Lalbagh PSK to get
an insight on the Passport
Seva Project and its
various milestones and achievements. RPO Bangalore
addressed the media on various aspects of passport
application.
Newspapers Reporters visit PSK Kozhikode
nd
On 22 August 2013, a team of reporters from
leading newspapers like Malayalam Mathrubhumi,
Malayala Manorama, Deshabhimani and Chandrika
visitedKozhikodePSK.
Press Meet at PSK Patna
th
On 4 September
2013, a successful media
w a l k - t h r o u g h w a s
organized at PSK Patna.
RPO Patna addressed the
m e d i a a b o u t t h e
f u n c t i o n i n g o f P S K
operations.
PoliceMeetheldatThanjavur
st
On 21 Nov 2013, a
m e e t i n g w a s h e l d
r e g a r d i n g t h e
modification in the police
verification process at
Thanjavur. The meeting
was attended by Shri
G . D h a r m a r a j , I P S ,
Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur and other senior
policeofficials.
EVENTS

EVENTS
Passport:InternationalDevelopments
With the increasing demand of the passport not only in India but also globally, initiatives have been taken across
the globe to improve the processes and provide the best passport services to the citizens in a more convenient and
efficient way. With the upcoming of the Passport Seva Kendras in India, a new face has been provided to the passport
services.ItcanbeseenthattheGovernmentsintheothercountriesarealsotakinginitiativestoprovidethebestservices.
Journey from Muzaffarpur to USA
MANY THANKS FOR HELP RENDERED IN GETTING SHORT VALIDITY PASSPORT TO RENJEET SAHNI AT RPO
PATNA:PASSPORTNO:L-2402392Dt:2/7/2013
DearMukteshji,
Kindly recall you help in enabling Ranjeet Sahni, a boy belonging to the downtrodden classes from
Muzaffarpur,togetashortvaliditypassport.Yourhelpwasinvaluableandhelpedapoorboytorealizeadream
visittoUSAatMicrosoftexpense.
This boy is so poor that he could not find a single gazetted officer to sign his verification certificate, and could
notprovideaddressproofetc.asrequiredinourrules.Youhadgonebythesprintoftherulesandnottheletter
andhelpedhimgetashortvaliditypassport.
YourhelpcouldbecomeacasestudyforthePassportPatrika.Iamalsomarkingthismailtomybatchmate,Shri
O.P Mishra, Director, DANICS, who too went out of the way to provide a verification letter to a disadvantage
fellowbihariyouthafterdoinghisduediligence.
Ranjeet Sahni is a beneficiary of Microsoft’s community program which we run in Bihar through the Aga Khan
Foundation9till date Microsoft has trained close to 4.6 lakhs youth in India). Ranjeet was trained on Microsoft
software and then went on to set up a mobile repair shop in his village. This helped him sustain himself and his
familyandalsobecomearolemodelforothers.
Attached are a few photographs and details of the event held in Atlanta in mid July, 2013. I would be grateful, if
this mail could be forwarded to RPO Patna, who provided the youth ready access, gave him a patient hearing
andescalatedthemattertoyouwithhisrecommendations.
LaunchofOnlineBooking
Taiwan: The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Taiwan launched a
th
website on 24 Dec 2013, which
allow the passport applicants to
book an appointment before
visiting BOCA's (Bureau of
ConsularAffairs)
France gives itself a year for
Online Passport payments
th
France: On 18 Dec 2013, the
French government announced
that a year from now citizens will
be able to pay online when they
request for fresh passport or for
therenewaloftheexistingone.
Government decides to issue
passport for 10 years
Pakistan: Through a notification
th
on 9 Dec 2013, the Federal
government has decided to
extend duration of the national
passport to ten years instead of 5
years,applicablenow.
Improving Passport Services for
Canadians
In order to provide the better
p a s s p o r t s e r v i c e s , t h e
responsibility for passport
services moved from the
Department of Foreign Affairs &
International Trade to Citizenship
and Immigration Canada (CIC).
Currently it takes approximately
4-6 weeks to process an
application.
New Passport costs €7 to make
you'll have to pay €80
st
Ireland: 1 Oct 2013, the price of
the passport will not come down
even though the cost of
producing them will fall by half.
The new passport – which has
images depicting Irish culture &
landmark will come into official
use.
Online Passport process on the
cards
th
Nepal: On 25 Dec 2013, through
a communication it was notified
that people will no longer require
paperwork to get passport if the
government's plan to receive
applicationsonlinematerializes.

Public Notice & Advisory
1. The International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) has set a deadline of the 24 November 2015 for
th
globally phasing out all non-Machine Readable Passports
(MRPs). From 25 November 2015 onwards, foreign
th
Governments may deny visa or entry to any person
travellingwithanon-MRPpassport.
2. All handwritten passports with pasted photos
earlier issued by Government of India are considered
non-MRP passports. All 20-year validity passports will
also fall in this category. The Government started issuing
MRP passports since 2001. All new Indian passports are
ICAO-compliantMRPpassports.
2. Pursuant to the signing of the Revised Travel
Arrangements between India and Bangladesh signed on
28 January2013, ithasbeendecidedby the Ministryofth
External Affairs to discontinue issuance of India-
Bangladesh Passport (IBP) w.e.f. 15 November 2013. Inth
order to implement the Revised Travel Arrangements
between India & Bangladesh and to phase out the
issuance of India-Bangladesh Passport, the following
course of action has been approved by the Government
ofIndiaforimplementation:
· IBPsalreadyissuedwillremainvalidtillexpiryof their
duration.
· No new applications for IBP will be accepted by any
concernedStateGovernmentafter15 November2013.
th
All applications received on or before 15 Novemberth
2013 should be processed and IBPs issued expeditiously.
No India-Bangladesh Passport should be issued after 30th
November,2013.
3. All concerned State Governments have been
informed accordingly. More details on how to apply for a
r e g u l a r p a s s p o r t i s a v a i l a b l e o n
www.passportindia.gov.in
India-Bangladesh Passport (IBP)
Discontinuation of India-Bangladesh Passport(IBP)
3. Indian citizens residing in India and abroad and
holding handwritten passports as well as 20-year
passports with validity beyond the 24 November 2015,th
should, therefore, apply for re-issue of passports and
obtainMRPpassportswellbeforethedeadlineinorderto
avoid any inconvenience in obtaining foreign visa or
immigrationproblem.
4. For more details related to passport services,
Passport website (www.passportindia.gov.in) or the
National Call Centre (toll free number 1800-258-1800)
maybeaccessed.
1. The India-Bangladesh Passport (IBP) was
introduced as a special travel document in August, 1972
to facilitate travel between India and Bangladesh only.
Over the years, the Central Government delegated
powers to State Governments of Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Tripura&WestBengaltoissueIBPs.
th
Source: www.mea.gov.in, 9 December 2013
th
Source: www.mea.gov.in, 8 November 2013
Machine-readable passports

MEA Felicitated as 'BIG DATA LEADERS'
th
On 13 August 2013, MEA was felicitated
as one of the few organizations, being the early
movers in Big Data. Passport Seva Project was
recognized as “Big Data Leaders” by Indian's
premier Government sector magazine
“Governance Now” for processing, issuing and
maintaining records of over 5 crore Indian
Passport holders and creating IT infrastructure
for processing over one crore applications in last
15months.
MEA recognized by Data Council of India
th
On 11 Dec 2013, the Passport Seva
Project was recognized by Data Council of India
for providing security in e-governance during
th
their 8 Annual Information Security Summit in
NewDelhi.
MEA recognized by Economic Times
th
On 24 Oct 2013, the Passport Seva Project
was awarded the certificate of recognition for
innovationandimplementationofe-Governance.

Milestone Achieved
The Passport Seva Project was conferred
with 'eIndia Governance Award 2013' in the
Government to Citizens (G2C) category at the
eIndia Awards 2013. The Awards, held for the 9th
successive year, were announced at a function
rd
held at Hyderabad on 23 July 2013. The award
was presented by Hon'ble Minister of
Information Technology, Government of Andhra
Pradesh,ShriPonnallaLakshmaiah.
Principal Consultant & Head-Technology, PSP felicitated with
“The innovative Hero” & “Regional Enterprise Security Award”
Shri Golok Kumar Simli, Principal
Consultant & Head-Technology, Passport
Seva,hasbeenawarded:
- The felicitation and honor certificate
for being chosen as one of the top 30 entries
by The Innovative Workgroup for the book
titled“TheInnovativeHeroes”publishedbyDynamicCIO.com
- The “Certificate of Achievement” for Pocket CIO and Regional
Enterprise Security Award conducted by IT Next 9.9 Media House on 20 - 21
September2013.
Passport Seva Project wins
eIndia Governance Award
Passport Patrika recognized as Top 5% viewed
collateralbySlideShare
Passport Patrika has been among the top
5% viewed collateral on SlideShare. Within a
span of 4 months, the Patrikas have been viewed
21000 times and have been downloaded 445
times creating huge awareness across document
sharingsites.
1CrorepassportissuedthroughPassportSevaProject
th
On 20 August 2013, Passport Seva Project achieved another mark by issuing the 1,00,00,000
th
passportfromRPO,Ghaziabad,exactlyafter2monthsofachieving1Croreapplicationprocessedmark.
Photo: Hon'ble Minister of IT, Government of Andhra Pradesh presenting eIndia Governance Award

Reprinted Courtesy: egov, September 2013

Sources:
th th
1. Times of India, Ludhiana, 13 Nov 2013 2. Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, 10 Oct 2013
th th
3. Times News Network, Hyderabad, 10 Oct 2013 4. The Hindu, Hyderabad, 08 Nov 2013
th th
5. Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 06 Nov 2013 6. Dainik Bhaskar, Chandigarh, 19 Oct 2013
th
7. The Times of India, Mumbai, 11 Oct 2013
1
3
2
4
7
5
6

1
3
4
5
6
7
2
Sources:
th nd
1. Dainik Bhaskar, Chandigarh, 07 Nov 2013 2. I-next, Bareilly, 22 Nov 2013
th th
3. Mathrubhumi,Kannur,26 Nov2013 4. NutanSaurashtra,Rajkot,28 Nov2013
th th
5. Jansandesh,Lucknow,07 Dec2013 6. Lokmat,Mumbai,08 Dec2013
th
7. TimesofIndia,NewDelhi,30 Jul2013

PassportSevaProject–WindsofChange
A cover story on how Passport Seva Project has created a change in service delivery of Indian Passport was
publishedin@TCS,aninternalmagazine.

Citizen Feedback
In the Passport Seva Project, various channels
used for feedback collection are as follows:
a) Feedback forms filled at PSKs
b) Touch screen facility installed at select PSKs
c) E-mails received at PSP Helpdesk
d) Online through the Passport Seva Portal
e) Call Centre
Collection of feedback is done on the following four
parameters:
a) Cleanliness and ambience
b) Courtesy
c) Efficiency / service delivery
d) Overall Experience
This section presents citizen satisfaction gathered over
22.5 Lac+ citizens during July 2013 – December 2013.
Citizen Speak
(July2013-December2013)
VIPFeedback
• Verygoodandexcellentservice,bettertheninternationalstandards.Keepitup
rd
Mr.KeshubMahindra,FormerChairman,MahindraGroup,PSKMumbai,23 July2013
• Thepersonneldeployedhereareveryhelpfulandpromptingivinganysortofassistanceforquickdeliveryofservices
th
Mr.ApurbaRatanChakraborty,Secretary,FinanceDepartment,Govt.ofWB, PSKKolkata,29 July2013
Citizen'sComments- Appreciative/Positive
• Excellent service. This office definitely improves the overall image of govt. office. Very well co-ordinated and role
modeltoothergovt.offices.
st
Sandhya Kasturirangan, PSK Chennai, 1 July 2013
• I went to PSK for reissue of my passport and can't resist myself to express my satisfaction. The efficient working
environment, staff behavior and the online system deserve high appreciation. I am feeling proud to be an Indian that
hasaPassportOfficeofInternationalStandards.YouhavesetupamodelforotherGovernmentDepartments.
th
ParthaSarathiPal,PSKRanchi,24 Dec2013
Citizen'sComments- ScopeforImprovement
• SpecialclearancemaybeprovidedforSr.Citizensifpossible
th
M Prasada Rao , PSK Hyderabad, 16 Dec 2013
• Capacityforsittingisabitlow,resteverythingisPerfect
rd
Narinder Singh Chadwa, PSK Shimla, 3 July 2013
Average of 99.78 % Citizen Satisfaction level overall for all PSKs.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Cleanliness and
Ambience
Courtesy Efficiency Overall
Experience
Excellent Good Poor
Voice of People
PSK-wise Overall Citizen Satisfaction Index

Employees Corner

Employees Corner
Shri A.R. Ghanashyam, has been appointed as the High Commissioner of India to Nigeria.
HewasappointedAS(CPV)duringearly2013.
EmployeeEnrichmentProgram
To increase the efficiency & productivity of manpower, a two day Managerial Effectiveness Program was
conductedforTCSEmployeesofNorthIndialocationsatPSKHeraldHouseon14 &15 September,2013.th th
VigilanceAwarenessWeek
th nd
During 28 October to 2 November 2013, Vigilance Awareness Week was observed in all Passport Offfices. The
theme for Vigilance Awareness Week in the current year was 'Promoting Good Governance- Positive
ContributionofVigilance'.
RPOsattendedInternationalTrainingprogram
Shri K Balamurugan, RPO, Tiruchirappalli and Shri Rajender Gupta, RPO Jammu attended the e-Governance
ChampionProgrammeconductedbyNationalInstituteofSmartGovernment,Hyderabad.
APoetPassportOfficer
ShrimatiPadmaMahanti,RPOBhubaneswarhaspennedawonderfulstoryinpoetry"MistandMusings".
Mist and Musings by Shrimati Padma Mahanti, RPO Bhubaneswar
High Level Appointments
Shrimati Mukta Dutta Tomar, who was Consul General in Chicago until recently, has been
appointed as the Joint Secretary in CPV Division. She has held diplomatic assignments in
Indian Embassies in Madrid, Kathmandu, Paris, and Yangon. She has also served at the
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations at New York. She has also headed the
Investment&TechnologyPromotion&EconomicDivisionintheMinistry.
Generosity @ Passport Organization
The Passport Office employees came forward and joined their hands together to help the victims of
natural disaster in Uttrakhand which happened in June 2013. A sum of Rs 12,21,124/- was donated to the Prime
Minister'sNationalReliefFund.

Employees Corner
Moments of Fun, Festivities and Camaraderie

State-wise Passport Services
in 2013
Ministry of External Affairs
Government of India
www.passportindia.gov.in
Toll free 24x7 Call Centre:1800-258-1800
In partnership with
Gujrat (4,63,154)
Karnataka (4,36,999)
Madhya Pradesh(1,02,740)
Orissa (81,406)
Tamil Nadu (8,34,391)
Uttarakhand
(48,016)
Haryana &
Delhi (4,08,588)
Goa (48,368)
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh
Nagaland,Mizoram, Manipur &
Meghalaya (51,816)
Andhra Pradesh
(7,75,698)
Rajasthan (2,02,331)
Punjab (5,71,430)
(including Chandigarh)
Jammu & Kashmir (86,671)
West Bengal,
Tripura & Sikkim (3,37,232)
Uttar Pradesh (6,08,653)
Maharashtra(8,08,965)
Bihar (1,69,451)
Jharkhand(60,448)
Himachal Pradesh (28,270)
Kerala (9,50,611)
Chattisgarh (30,453)
Andaman&NicobarIslands(3,008)

Passport Patrika | July - December 2013

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