Passport Seva Kendra to introduce easier processes for public: General V K Singh

ITANAGAR: The Centre is committed to streamline and bring visible changes in public services throughout the country and Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) will facilitate the process by making passport available to people in a hassle-free manner, Union Minister Gen (Retd) V K Singh said here today.

Formally inaugurating the PSK here in presence of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Singh said the Kendra would facilitate people to get passport within the state instead of going to Guwahati and other places.

"As of date there are over 700 police districts in the country out of which 638 districts have the facilities of online police verification so that the process could be made faster. At present it takes minimum 28 days for police verification for passport and we are trying to make it short and accordingly the ministry is taking up the issue with the Home Ministry," the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said.

He said, the ministry is contemplating to set up PSKs in all post offices of the state with all facilities soon so that people could be benefitted.

"In the next two years, we want to establish PSKs in nearly 850 head post offices in the country which will also help in reducing the time in police verification process," Singh said, adding Arunachal Pradesh being a big state with sparse population, the state government had to work out the modalities for establishing PSKs in all the post offices.

He further disclosed that the ministry had even provided passport to a day-old child and another to a 116-year-old person so far.