External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched a Passport Seva app to make the process of applying for and following up on issuing of passports seamless. Termed as a 'passport revolution' the application allows users to file for a passport from anywhere in India through the ease of their smartphones.
Swaraj was addressing officials of several Passport Seva Kendras and members of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the occasion of Passport Seva Diwas. She mentioned two schemes launched by the MEA - Passport application from anywhere in India and the mobile app that allows citizens to apply for passports in an easier manner.
The External Affairs minister further stated that Northeast India will have multiple passport service centres, as opposed to the current situation where Guwahati, in Assam, is the only city which caters to passport seekers in the entire northeastern region.
"In the first two phases, we announced 251 passports registration centres out of which 212 centres are already established. In the third phase, 38 additional centres were announced out of which two centres have been operationalised' she added.
Sushma Swaraj further informed that in total, there are 260 working passport centres, which will be expanded to all Lok Sabha constituencies in the near future. Currently, officials of the External Affairs Ministry are making a list of areas where new passport centres will be made.
Earlier, a meeting took place between Women and Child Development Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs, in which the participating ministers discussed steps to be taken for issuance of passport and further helped in making the passport issuance form more citizen-friendly.
[With inputs from ANI]
