Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
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Transcript of Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
PassportPatrika
October - December 2012
A quarterly bulletin of Passport services in India
- Year 2012 in Review
- Shri Salman Khurshid appointed as the new
External Affairs Minister
- India Telecom 2012
PSP wins CSI – Nihilent Award of Excellence for 2011 - 2012
Passport Patrika
October-December 2012
Editorial Team:
Passport Patrika is edited and
published by Muktesh Pardeshi,
Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief
Passport Officer on behalf of
Central Passport Organisation,
Ministry of External Affairs,
New Delhi.
Muktesh Pardeshi
Sanjiv Aggarwal
Address: CPV Division,
Ministry of External Affairs,
Patiala House Annexe,
Tilak Marg,
New Delhi-110 001.
Tel: +91-11-23387013
Fax:+91-11-23071370
Website:
http://passportindia.gov.in
E-mail:
Design and Publishing Partner :
TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Muktesh Pardeshi
Joint Secretary (PSP) & Chief Passport Officer
EDITORIAL NOTE
This is a special, year-end issue of the Passport Patrika. In this
edition, we seek to give readers an overview of passport services rendered in
2012, which indeed was a momentous year: a record number of 73.89 lakh
passport services were rendered, registering almost a three-fold increase
since 2000. During January-December 2012, the 37 Passport Offices,
Headquarters and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration issued
59.40 lakh passports and rendered 3.14 lakh passport-related miscellaneous
services (including Police Clearance Certificates). 180 Indian Missions/Posts
abroad issued 11.35 lakh passports and other passport-related services.
It was a historic and transformational year. The highlight of the year
was the successful implementation of the Cabinet-mandated Passport Seva
Project which was undertaken to comprehensively overhaul passport
issuance and delivery system. The Project, which was launched in a pilot
mode in May 2010 in Bangalore, reached its goal of complete project
execution in June 2012 when the 77th Passport Seva Kendra in Delhi was
unveiled for public service. 77 PSKs are functioning as extended arms of
existing Passport Offices and have substantially enhanced the country-wide
network of Passport services outlets. The project's timely completion-from
the pilot phase to the complete rollout in two years- has set a new
benchmark for successful project implementation in the country. The Project
is showing the way how IT enablement in Government sector can bring in
efficiency in public service delivery and good governance.
Some of the other important steps to make the passport issuance
system simpler, speedier and secure included strengthening of the public
grievance redress system, setting up of a multilingual call centre operating
round-the-clock, revamping of portal, holding of Passport Melas & Adalats to
reach out to the people, timely disposal of appeal cases, improvement in
physical infrastructure in Passport Offices and introduction of new security
features in passport booklets.
It was also a rewarding year: the project bagged the CSI-Nihilent
Award of Excellence for 2011-12. CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Awards are the
oldest and most coveted e-Governance Awards conferred by the Computer
Society of India, which is the largest association of IT professionals in the
country with over 90,000 members. We have proudly featured this as the
cover story.
Passport Patrika October - December 2012 3
IN THIS ISSUE
Passport Services in the year 2012: A year-end review.…...…….........................…………...……...04
Cover Story……………….……..……………....…..……………........………………….………....16
- PSP wins CSI – Nihilent Award of Excellence for 2011 – 2012 .….……….........………………………....16
Snippets...………..…………………………………...…………………………………………..…..18
- Shri Salman Khurshid appointed as the new External Affairs Minister………......……....…………...18
- PSP participation in eIndia 2012 and eGov Knowledge Exchange Forum 2012.....……….......……18
- Training of Police Officials at Trichy……….……………........……..………………….……………………..……..18
- Passport Melas – Visakhapatnam & Malappuram ....……………....…………..………………………………18
- Passport Lok Adalat at RPO Amritsar...……………………..…..………….....……….……………………..……..19
- Media Roadshow at Ameerpet PSK (Hyderabad)……...…..……....…………….……………………..……..19
- Passport Grievance Adalat in Malappuram…………….………………......………………………………..……19
- PSP participation in India Telecom 2012……………………..……..……......……….……………………..….…19
Media & Public Outreach..…………………………………………………………….……….…..20
Voice of people..…………………………………………….....………………………….…….…….22
- Citizen Feedback…………………………………………………….………………….......………………………………...22
- Citizen Speak……………………………………………………………………………………........………………………...22
Employees Corner…...……………………………………………….....…………….……………..24
- Appointments, Promotions & Retirements……….………………………………….....…………………….....24
Passport Services in 2012 – Snapshot……………………………………........………………….…26
Diwali Celebrations across PSKs ………………………………………...................................……27
Consular, Passport and Visa Services
Passport Services
Increasing Demand for Passports
Central Passport Organization
Successful Implementation of Passport Seva Project
The Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry provides passport services through Central
Passport Organization (CPO) and its network of Passport Offices and Passport Seva Kendras; and consular, visa
and passport services to overseas Indians/foreign nationals through the Indian Missions and Posts abroad.
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 has been expanded by adding 77 Passport Seva Kendras as extended arms of Passport
Offices. For Indians living abroad, passport and other miscellaneous services are rendered by 180 Indian
Missions/Posts. All Passport Offices issue machine-readable passports as per the guidelines laid down by the
International Civil Aviation Organization.
Over the last decade, there has been considerable expansion in the number of services rendered by Passport
Offices. During January-December 2012, the 37 Passport Offices, Headquarters and the Office of the Chief
Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands issued 59.40 lakh passports (inclusive of 2301 Diplomatic passports
and 22010 Official passports) and rendered 3.14 lakh passport-related miscellaneous services including Police
Clearance Certificates. 180 Indian Missions/Posts abroad issued 11.35 lakh passports and other passport
related miscellaneous services. Thus, the Government of India, in total, rendered 73.89 lakh passport services.
The total revenue generated from all passport services in 2012-13 (April – December 2012), which was
estimated to be Rs. 1200 crore during the whole financial year, was Rs.884.69 crore. An amount of Rs. 559.72
crore was allocated to Central Passport Organization in the financial year 2012-13.
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 was 2697 as on 31st December 2012. The Ministry has taken several steps
to improve the service conditions of the CPO personnel by re-structuring of the cadre, faster promotion and
introduction of productivity–linked incentive scheme. In total, 6 DPCs were held in 2012 for promotion from
Assistant to Superintendent, LDC to UDC, UDC to Assistant, DPO to PO and Superintendent to PGO.
The Ministry has been taking a number of measures to make the passport issuance system simpler and
speedier for the comfort and convenience of the public. Despite extensive computerization, opening of new
Passport Offices and reforms in the Central Passport Organization, a need was felt for change in the existing
system due to rapidly growing volume of passport seekers. Following a study by the National Institute for Smart
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
4 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
5 Passport Patrika October - December 2012
Government (NISG) and with the approval of the Union Cabinet in September 2007, the Ministry embarked on
Passport Seva Project (PSP), an ambitious Mission Mode Project undertaken on Public-Private Partnership basis
as part of the National e-Governance Plan. The Project runs on the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer model wherein
the initial investments are by the private partner. There is minimal investment from the Government. The
Project aims at delivering all passport related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible
and reliable manner. The Project inter alia envisaged setting up of 77 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) across the
country, setting up of a multi-lingual Call Centre operating 24X7 and a centralized nationwide computerized
system for the issuance of passports.
The pilot project was launched at four PSKs in Karnataka
in May 2010. Subsequently, three more pilot PSKs were
launched in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Ambala in August
2010. Following requisite certification by the Third Party
Audit Agency - Standards, Testing & Quality Certification
(STQC), an organization under the Department of
Information Technology - in January 2011, a roll-out plan
was firmed up jointly by the Ministry and the Service
Provider. By 14th June, 2012 all the 77 PSKs were set up
and operationalized in the country, when the 77th PSK at
RPO, Delhi was unveiled for public service. The project's
timely completion- from the pilot phase to the complete
rollout in 2 years- has set a new benchmark for successful
project implementation. The STQC Directorate issued Compliance Verification Report on 12th June 2012 after a
rigorous verification process and awarded the requisite Go-Live certification. This is a significant milestone for
the project as it marks the completion of project implementation and commencement of the Operations &
Maintenance phase. More than 64.73 lakh passport applications have been processed under the new system as
on 31.12.2012. The Project was adjudged as the best e-Governance Project of the Government of India
undertaken during 2011-12 by the Computer Society of India.
The entire process is online and streamlined including interface with the Indian police for verification of
personal particulars of applicants and with India Post for tracking delivery of passports. The Passport Portal
(www.passportindia.gov.in) provides comprehensive and latest information on passport services as well as
status of an application, thus enabling anytime-anywhere access. An e-mail based helpdesk facility and a 24x7
call centre has been set up to provide requisite information to citizens in 17 vernacular languages. For assistance
one can call toll-free helpline 1800-258-1800.
The basic design involves performance of all non-sovereign, non-security and non-sensitive functions by the
Service Provider, M/s Tata Consultancy Services while the Government functionaries retain all critical roles and
responsibilities. The benefits to the citizens are service provisioning within defined service levels, closer and
larger number of access points for services, availability of a portfolio of on-line services with real-time status
tracking and enquiry and an effective system of grievance redressal and strict adherence to 'First In-First Out'
principle in rendering of services.
PSK Lal Bagh (Bangalore)
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
6
Other Measures to improve Passport Services
(a) Public Grievance Redressal Mechanism
(b) Right to Information Act (RTI)
The CPV Division of the Ministry has been listed as one of the pilot units chosen by the Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), for the implementation of Quality Management System
(QMS) Sevottam-a pilot project of Government of India for improving public service delivery in all Government
offices. A Public Grievance Redressal Cell (PGRC) has been established in CPV Division under the supervision of
the Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Project) and Chief Passport Officer. It deals with grievances recieved through
telephone, e-mail and post, as also references from various Government offices such as President's Secretariat,
Prime Minister's Office, Central Vigilance Commission and Parliament Secretariat. 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, in which 5402 grievances were
recieved during the year 2012, out of which 2,253 cases have been disposed of. The latest position on their
applications, alongwith directions for further action, is posted on this website, which can be easily accessed by
the public for its benefit. In total, 46,878 public grievance petitions were received by the CPV Division in 2012
(including CPGRAM) out of which 42,295 have been disposed of.
The names, addresses and phone number of the Public Grievance Officer are also installed in the Passport
Offices. The Complaint/Suggestion Boxes are also installed on the strategic locations in the Passport Offices.
There is a Public Grievance redressal mechanism in all Passport offices to enquire into and redress any
complaints from citizens in a timeframe. Information and
Facilitation counters, PG cell and Help desks have been set
u p t o a s s i s t a p p l i c a n t s a n d t o a t t e n d t o
grievances/complaints expeditiously.
Apart from this, as part of Passport Seva Project (PSP)
implementation, a National Call centre has been set up,
operating in 17 Indian languages to cater to dissemination
of information about various services, grievances
handling, and citizens 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 watch its status online. The PSP call centre and helpdesk cater to various
services-information dissemination, grievances handling, and citizen feedback. Citizen dial toll free number
1800-258-1800 to reach these call centers. The call centre operates on 24x7 basis. It presently handles approx.
18,000 calls per day (out of which 42% are in Hindi and 29% in English).
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 Appellate Authority in respect
Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Hyderabad Call Center Snapshot
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
7 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
of all Passport Offices and also for the CPV Division. A total of 1,196 RTI applications and 1,009 appeals were
received and disposed of by the Division during the year 2012.
The website of CPV Division http://passport.gov.in, which
was established in 1999, has been phased out after the
operationalization of PSP. A new 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.
Out of 37 Passport offices, 16 are operating from own buildings, 4 are running from GOI buildings and
remaining 17 are operating from rented buildings. In line with the policy of the Ministry to shift all Passport
Offices to own buildings, efforts are being made to acquire plot of land to construct state-of-art buildings.
Ministry has so far acquired plots of land at nine places viz. Srinagar, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Surat,
Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal and Guwahati. In the remaining 8 places, Passport Officers have been advised to contact
State Governments for allotment of plots of land on priority. The construction of new PO building and 22 staff
residences at Surat is complete and at Mumbai it is nearing completion. Passport Office, Ranchi which was
functioning under severe space constraints shifted to a spacious and swanky office in a private building during
this year.
For 150 Missions/Posts abroad and Office of Assistant Secretary (Passport), Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Port
Blair, Machine Readable Passports (MRP) are printed at Central Indian Passport Printing System (CIPPS) of the
CPV Division, New Delhi. CIPPS printed 1, 08,073 passports in 2012.
(c) Passport India Portal
(d) Physical Infrastructure
(e) Machine Readable Passports
PSP Portal
Model of Proposed Passport Bhavan in Srinagar Front Elevation of Residential Quarters in Surat
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
8 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
(f) New security features in passport booklets
(g) E-Passports
In order to obviate the problems of smudging of photographs and data and to improve the quality, functionality
and security of Indian passports, various measures viz. shifting of data page in passport booklets to page no. 2 and from last page to page no. 35, signature & seal of PIA at cover page-facing page 1, inclusion of “Ghost Image” with personal data of the passport holder at data page have been introduced. ISP, Nashik has started printing “2012 series booklets” with these new features.
In accordance with ICAO guidelines 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 issuance of e-passports (also known as bio-metric passports), was launched by the President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 25th June, 2008 under Diplomatic and Official passports category as part of a pilot project. The e-passports provide greater protection against fraudulent misuse and tampering besides provides high level of security to passports. These e-passports also prevent holding multiple passports and facilitate tracking of wanted individuals.
Based on the experience gained through pilot phase of issuance of e-passports in the diplomatic and official categories, Ministry decided to introduce e-passports for ordinary category as well. Accordingly, a global PQB notice for procuring inlays for contact less chips for production of e-passports was published by ISP, Nashik in March 2009. The evaluation of global PQB applications for procurement of ICAO compliant electronic contact less inlays along with its operating systems for manufacture of e-passports by the India Security Press Nashik is still under process. 301 e-official and 661 e-diplomatic passports were issued by the Ministry in the year 2012.
(h) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
India served as a member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Machine Readable Travel Documents
(MRTD) Panel in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and has implemented the ICAO guidelines on Machine Readable Travel Documents. The ICAO, in terms of Document 9303 as the central reference, has established ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD), on cost sharing basis, to promote a globally inter-operable e-passport validation scheme for electronic travel documents to support ICAO's strategic objectives to improve civil aviation security. The ICAO PKD central platform manages world-wide exchange of certificates to validate electronic signature of data contained in the chip of e-passports and other MRTDs. As more and more States introduce e-passports, the PKD infrastructure strives to ensure that the exchange process between States
Passport sample showing 'ghost image'
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
9 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
remains reliable, fast and simple. The PKD Board members are nominated by PKD participating countries and appointed by the ICAO Council. India was admitted to ICAO PKD in February 2009. During 2012, India was represented at the 16th Meeting of the PKD Board in Windsor by Shri Basant K. Gupta, Additional Secretary (CPV) and Shri S. K. Sinha, Senior Technical Director, NIC. Shri Gupta also represented India at the 21st TAG-MRTD Meeting held in Montreal.
Passport Offices held Passport Adalats regularly to redress the grievances of passport applicants. These
Adalats have been very useful in disposing of old cases.
A special camp for Haj applicants was organized at Thanjavur PSK on 24th March 2012. About 170 applications
were processed on the day. A Haj Mela was organized at RPO, Bangalore from 16th January 2012 to 13th April 2012. A total of 9100 appointments were dedicated to Haj applicants at the 4 PSKs in Karnataka. A special camp for Haj aspirants was organized at Chennai Saligramam PSK on two consecutive Saturdays on 24th March and 31st March 2012. A total of 890 applications were processed.
Beginning 2012, the Haj Committee of India has made it mandatory to provide passport details along with the application from a prospective Haj applicant. In spite of paucity of time, as per Haj Committee figures, it received 3, 07,000 Haj applications with valid passports against the allocated Haj quota of 1, 25,000.
The CPV Division is bringing out a quarterly bulletin “Passport Patrika”, containing information on various
passport related issues. Media road shows were organized in Hyderabad on 19 July 2012, Panaji on 3 August 2012, Lucknow on 8 August 2012 and Kolkata on 21 August 2012, whereby media was briefed on improvements in delivery of passport services.
(i) Passport Adalats
(j) Haj pilgrims: Special Drive
(k) Public outreach
Passport Officer, Trichy interacting with citizens during Haj Mela
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
10 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
(l) Revision in Passport fees
Parliamentary Committees' visit to RPOs/ PSKs
In exercise of the powers conferred by the Passport Act, 1967, the Central Government has decided to revise
Passport and related service fees with effect from 1st October 2012. The current fees were last fixed on 29.03.2002. The enhanced revenue will be used for further expanding passport service network, upgrading technical infrastructure and improving public service delivery.
(a) The Standing Committee on External Affairs led by Shri Ananth Kumar made a visit to PSK Lal Bagh, Bangalore, PSK Malad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad PSK2 (Vijay Cross Road) during the period 1st March to 5th March 2012. They reviewed the PSK operations in terms of services to the citizens and expressed satisfaction at the progress made by PSP over the last one year.
Parliamentary Standing Committee members
at PSK Mumbai-MaladParliamentary Standing Committee interacting with
citizens of PSK Ahmedabad
Parliamentary Standing Committee during the
Process Walkthrough at PSK Bangalore
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
11 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
(b) In view of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs' recommendations in its 11th report regarding organizing refresher session on dealing with general public on Consular, Passport & Visa matters for officers at all levels, a module on delivery of effective Consular services to Indian citizens abroad, was held at Foreign Service Institute on 23rd May 2012, which was addressed by Shri H.K. Dua, Hon'ble Member of Standing Committee on External Affairs, Foreign Secretary and other senior officers.
(c) The Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation of Lok Sabha made a study visit to RPO, Coimbatore on 27th June 2012 with reference to Rules and Regulations framed under Passport Act 1967.
(d) On 10th July, 2012, the Estimates Committee led by Shri Francisco Sardinha, Hon'ble MP and Chairman visited PSK Lucknow.
Parliamentary Committee with MEA and RPO officials
Group Meet during Estimates Committee Visit - Lucknow
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
12 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
(e) On 3rd August, 2012, the Chairman of the Estimates Committee Shri Francisco Sardinha, Hon'ble MP along with Shri Shantaram Naik, MP and Shri Shripad Naik, MP visited RPO, Panaji. The delegation was given a detailed walk-through of the PSK operations.
(f) The Committee of Parliament on Official language made visits to RPO, Surat on 12th June 2012, RPO, Jammu on 9th July, 2012 and to RPO, Chennai on 4th January, 2013 with another meeting to be held at RPO, Jaipur on 2nd February, 2013. (g) On 10th January, 2013, the Chairman of the Estimates Committee Shri Francisco Sardinha, along with 9 MPs, visited RPO, Panaji. The delegation reviewed the progress of Passport Seva project and the functioning of RPO, Panaji.
(h) On 16th January, 2013, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs led by Hon'ble Shri Ananth Kumar, Chairman, held discussions with senior officials of CPV Division led by Shri Ranjan Mathai, Foreign Secretary, on the subject ”Passport Seva Project - Targets and Achievements”.
(a) 13 PSKs in Kerala were inaugurated on 2nd April 2012 by Shri S.M.Krishna, EAM, in the presence of Shri Oommen Chandy, CM, Kerala, MOS (EA) and other dignitaries.
(b) With the view to address difficulties faced by citizens in obtaining appointments and to meet increased demand for passport services during summer, Passport Melas were organized from time to time by 24 Passport Offices since 23rd June 2012. Several Passport Offices and Seva Kendra's (in total 40) were kept open during the weekend.
In the year 2012, 33,584 passport applications were received during Passport Melas, out of which nearly 26,000 passport services have been rendered.
Important Events and Developments
External Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna and Kerala Chief Minister
Shri Oommen Chandy unveiling 13 Kerala PSKs
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
13 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Bangalore Bangalore RPO
Chennai RPO
6,265
401
362
Lalbagh PSK, Sai Arcade PSK, Mangalore PSK, Hubli PSK
Ahmedabad 1 PSK & Vadodara PSK
Amritsar PSK
Ahmedabad
Amritsar
Locations Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) RPOApplicationsCollected
Passport Mela Brief
Chandigarh
Chennai
Ambala PSK
Vadapalani PSK, Navin PSK, Thambaram PSK
84
1,254
Cochin
Coimbatore
Thrissur PSK, Alappuzha PSK, Kottayyam PSKCochin PSK, Aluva PSK
Cochin RPO
Coimbatore RPO
352
571
Delhi
Hyderabad
Ghaziabad
ITO PSK, Gurgaon PSK, Shalimar Place PSK &Bhikaji Cama Place PSK
Begumpet PSK, Ameerpet PSK, Tolichowki PSK,Vijawada PSK, Nizamabad PSK, Tirupati PSK
Ghaziabad PSK Ghaziabad RPO
Hyderabad RPO
4,954
2,454
144
Goa Panaji PSK 124
Jaipur Jaipur PSK, Jodhpur PSK, Sikar PSK 827
Kolkata
Lucknow
Madurai
Behrampore PSK, Kolkata PSK
Kanpur PSK, Gorakhpur PSK
Madurai PSK Madurai RPO
Kolkata RPO 1,589
59
120
KozhikodeKozhikode 1 PSK, Vadakara PSK
Payyanur PSK, Kannur 1 PSK207
Malappuram
Nagpur
Patna
Pune
Surat
Trichy
Malappuram PSK
Nagpur PSK
Patna RPOPatna PSK
Pune PSK
Surat PSK
Trichy PSK, Thanjavur PSK
Pune RPO
1,700
10
213
56
242
600
Trivandrum
Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam PSK Visakhapatnam RPO
Kollam PSK, Vazhuthacaud PSK,Neyyattinkara PSK
48
10,893
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
14 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Visas
(a) Visa Issuance by Missions/Posts abroad
(b) Visa Issuance by CPV Division
(c) Outsourcing of Visa/Consular/Passport Work by Indian Missions/Posts
(d) Visa-Waiver Agreements
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, which commenced in 2006. At present the visa work has been outsourced in 68
Missions/Posts abroad.
In order to enhance the security environment of the visa issuance system, MEA has decided to introduce
biometric enrolment procedure (ten fingerprint & facial biometrics) for foreigners seeking visa to visit India. This
is a joint project of MHA, NIC and MEA with MHA being the nodal authority and MEA as the implementing
authority in Indian Missions/Posts abroad. MEA issued detailed instructions on this project to all Indian
Missions/Posts abroad in May 2012. The implementation of this entire scheme is expected to be completed by
2014. The introduction of biometric procedures is related to implementation of IVFRT (Immigration, Visa and
Foreigners Registration & Tracking) system in Indian Missions/Posts abroad, which is being done by MHA in
collaboration with NIC. At present, IVFRT scheme (without biometrics) has been introduced in 108 Indian
Missions/Posts abroad. The implementation of IVFRT scheme along with enrollment of biometric procedures
would further enhance the security aspects of visa issuance besides facilitating movement of genuine foreign
visitors to India.
The CPV Division issued 7,190 visas to foreign diplomatic and official passport holders in the year 2012. The
CPV Division also issued 13,665 notes verbale for visas for Indian Government officials going to join Indian
Missions/Posts on transfer and official engagements in 2012.
MEA introduced outsourcing of visa services in Indian Missions/Posts abroad during 2006-07. Subsequently,
passport and consular services were also outsourced. As on now, 68 Indian Missions/Posts abroad have
outsourced passport/visa/consular services and collection work upto 31.12.2012 (out of which 18
Missions/Posts have outsourced all 3 categories, 36 Missions/Posts only visa services, 9 Missions/Posts only visa
and passports services, 4 Missions/Posts only visa and consular services and only 1 Mission passport and
consular services).
The basic objective of outsourcing is to facilitate prompt and effective services to public, besides reducing
number of visitors to Missions/Posts, thus enhancing securing environment. The security aspects of these
services are fully protected as only peripheral work is being entrusted to outsourcing agencies. The sensitive
work, policy issues including final decision for approval/rejection lies with India based officers. Also, as per new
policy introduced in October 2011, only Indian companies with or without a local partner of Indian or foreign
origin are eligible to take part in the tender process, thereby further enhancing the security aspects of
outsourcing system.
India has visa waiver agreements with 52 countries by which diplomatic/official passport holders are exempted
from the requirements of visas. In the year 2012, no visa exemption agreement was signed with any country.
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
15 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Consular Matters
(a) Launch of Apostille Convention Project
(b) Outsourcing of attestation services
(c) Extradition Cases and Legal Assistance
The Attestation Cell in the CPV Division of the Ministry has been providing attestation services for
authentication of educational and personal documents of individuals for use in countries abroad. Apart from
this, Indian business establishments also need commercial documents attested by MEA for export as well as for
other business ventures abroad. During the year 2012, 3,07,672 personal and educational documents and
1,86,926 commercial documents were attested by the Ministry including the Branch Secretariats (Chennai,
Guwahati, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
In addition to the general attestation, Apostille certification is also being performed by the Attestation Cell with
effect from August 2007 for those going to the Apostille member countries. Apostille stickers are affixed on the
documents and a fee of Rs. 50/- by way of Postal Order is charged for this service. During the year 2012, 2,61,749
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.
There was constant increase in number of applicants approaching CPV Division for attestation of their
documents. Many times, this has led to unruly behaviour from public with local agents/touts also joining. The
security provided proved inadequate with no proper mechanism of security checks at the entry point or inside
the premises. This put the entire Division vulnerable from the security point of view. In view of this, Ministry
outsourced the work relating to collection/delivery of documents for attestation to five companies. An
agreement was signed between the Ministry of External Affairs and these five companies on 16th July, 2012 for
two years.
The Ministry has been pursuing actively with various countries for negotiating bilateral agreements to
provide a legal and institutional framework to combat international terrorism, organized crime including
financial frauds and drugs trafficking. These consular agreements include Treaties on Extradition, Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters, Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters and Transfer of
Sentenced Prisoners.
During the year, a Thai delegation visited New Delhi from 10th September to 12th September, 2012 to negotiate
an Extradition Treaty between the Republic of India and the Kingdom of Thailand.
In 2012, Government of India received six requests for extradition from various countries, Bangladesh (1),
United Kingdom (1), United States of America (4) and request for local prosecution in respect of 89 Indian
nationals from countries like Saudi Arabia (4) and United Arab Emirates (85). The Government of India made 13
requests for extradition to Government of Bangladesh (1), Saudi Arabia (2), South Africa (1), Thailand (2), United
Arab Emirates (1), United Kingdom (3) and United States of America (3). Further, one person has been extradited
to the United States of America and two persons to Australia. One each has been extradited from Germany and
Saudi Arabia respectively.
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012: A YEAR-END REVIEW
COVER STORY
16 Passport Patrika | 2012October - December
Muktesh Pardeshi, JS (PSP) & CPO receiving CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Award 2011-12 of Excellence
The Computer Society of India (CSI) adjudged Passport Seva Project (PSP) as the most significant e-
Governance initiative of the Government of India undertaken during 2011-12. The final selection for the award
was done after a multi-stage evaluation, which included field visits to Passport Seva Kendras. The award is a clear
recognition that enhanced usage of ICT as envisioned in the Passport Seva Project has brought about
transformation in the functioning of the Passport Offices and delivery of public service to citizens. Held for the
tenth successive year, the awards were announced at a grand function held as part of the 47th Annual
Convention of CSI at Kolkata on 02 December 2012.
The Computer Society of India is the largest association of IT professionals in India. It joined hands with
Nihilent Technologies in the year 2002 to institute CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Awards for recognizing successful
efforts in application of ICT for good governance at the project, district, department, State/ Central level. The
Awards nominations go through a multistage short listing and uses well established AHP model for scoring apart
from field level validation of data presented & presentations by 'Finalists'.
About CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Awards 2011-12:
Passport Seva Project wins the 'Award of Excellence' in Project Category (G2C)' at the CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Awards 2011-12
COVER STORY
17 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Glimpse of CSI - Nihilent Award Souvenir & Certificate
PSP features as a case study in the book 'Inclusive Growth through e-Governance'
SNIPPETS
18 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Training of Police Officials at Trichy
On 20 November 2012, a training session was
conducted for the police officials on passport
reforms and the latest field verification
procedures. The training was chaired by Shri A
Alexander Mohan, I.P.S., Inspector General of
Police, Central Zone, Tamil Nadu. Senior police
official's viz., Deputy Inspector General, Thanjavur
Range, Superintendent of Police, Thanjavur and
Nagapattinam, Deputy Superintendents of Police,
Inspectors and 60 newly recruited Sub-inspectors
of three districts participated in this training. Key
elements discussed in meeting were accuracy of
reports, speedy verification and transparency in
procedures.
Shri Salman Khurshid appointed as the
new External Affairs Minister
On 28 October 2012, Shri Salman Khurshid
took over as new External Affairs Minister in place
of the Shri S M Krishna. Shri Khurshid is a well
known educationist, social reformer and political
thinker having a powerful emerging presence in
the Indian political scenario. He has been elected
from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha constituency in the
General Election of 2009. Prior to this, he was
elected to the 10th Lok Sabha (1991–1996) from
the same constituency. He became the Union
Deputy Minister of Commerce in June 1991 and
later served as the Minister of State for External
Affairs (January 1993 - June 1996). He started his
political career in 1981 as an Officer on Special
Duty in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under
the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi.
Shri Salman Khurshid takes over charge fromShri S.M. Krishna as the External Affairs Minister in South
Block in the presence of MoS for External Affairs,Shrimati Preneet Kaur
Police officials during training at Trichy
PSP participation in eIndia 2012 and eGov
Knowledge Exchange Forum 2012
On 15 November 2012 and 14 December 2012,
Shri Muktesh Pardeshi, JS (PSP) & CPO addressed
eIndia 2012 and eGov Knowledge Exchange Forum
2012 respectively on PSP experience and its key
benefits to citizens.
Passport Melas - Visakhapatnam &
Malappuram
On 07 November 2012 and 10 November 2012,
Passport Melas were organized at Visakhapatnam
PSK & Malappuram PSK respectively. Based on the
response, the Passport Mela was extended till 20
November 2012. Melas at Visakhapatnam PSK &
Malappuram PSK witnessed total application
collection of 10000 + and 600+ respectively.
Passport Grievance Adalat in Malappuram
On 24 November 2012, Passport Grievance
Adalat was organized at Malappuram Town Hall.
Shri E Ahamed, Minister of State for External
Affairs, Shri BK Gupta, Additional Secretary (CPV)
and Passport Officers from Trivandrum, Kozhikode
& Cochin participated in this meet. During the
meet complaints were accepted from citizens
against whom criminal charges have been
registered by Kozhikode Airport Police for
passport tampering cases.
Passport Lok Adalat at RPO Amritsar
On 15 December 2012, RPO Amritsar held
Passport Lok Adalat in order to clear pending
passport applications from the legacy system
(NIC). On that day, 600 cases were settled which
were mostly Lost/ Damaged/ Deportee cases.
Shri J.S. Sodhi, RPO Amritsar during thePassport Lok Adalat at RPO Amritsar
Shri Muktesh Pardeshi, JS (PSP) & CPO & Dr. K Srikar Reddy,RPO Hyderabad addressing media roadshow in Hyderabad
Shri Kapil Sibal, Hon'ble Minister for Communication andInformation Technology inaugurating DeitY stall
Shri E Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs,Shri BK Gupta, Additional Secretary (CPV) interacting
with citizens during the Passport Grievance Adalat
Media Roadshow at Ameerpet PSK
(Hyderabad)
On 15 November 2012, Shri Muktesh Pardeshi,
JS (PSP) & CPO and Dr. K Srikar Reddy, RPO
Hyderabad addressed a media roadshow in
Hyderabad. During the roadshow, the local
media was briefed on Government's efforts to do
away with menace of duplicate passports. Media
was also informed about proposed 15 Mini-PSKs
of which two were earlier opened at Gulbarga
and Mizoram while two are under process at
Karimnagar and Bhimavaram in West Godavari
district of Andhra Pradesh.
PSP participation in India Telecom 2012
India Telecom 2012 Exhibition and Conference
was organized by DoT and FICCI in association with
industry bodies. This year's edition was held in
Delhi from 13-15 December 2012. For the first
time, Passport Seva Project (PSP) was one of the
exhibitors as part of eGovernance projects in the
DeitY stall. PSP booth showcased innovative use of
ICT in PSKs & its key benefits.
SNIPPETS
Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
MEDIA & PUBLIC OUTREACH
Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
The Telegraph, December 2012
Bureaucracy Today, November 2012
21 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
MEDIA & PUBLIC OUTREACH
The Hindu, October 2012
TelecomLIVE, November 2012
The Goan, November 2012
Average of 99.75 % 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 THE PEOPLE
PSK-wise Overall Citizen Satisfaction Index
22 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
VIP FeedbackThis is a world class service centre. Congratulations to the passport office team and TCS Team.
Sridhar Ramamurthy, CFO, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)Extremely well trained ,disciplined personal on all counters .pleasant experience.
Amrita Ranjan, Addl. Commissioner of Income Tax
Citizen's Comments - Appreciative/PositiveYou have taken care of everything in a true practice from the guard at the gate to the exit, everyone seems to share and own the vision.
Anurag Sangal, Dehradun Service comparable to countries like USA, UK. Good improvement in the last 10yrs to my experience.
Seshadri Karur Varadharajan Seshadri, Chennai 1
Citizen's Comments - Scope for ImprovementApart from calling people to state capital for making passport the technical passport seva kendra should beopened at district level.
Saurabh Jain, Bhopal(Note: Based on similar feedback very soon PSLKs are going to be established)
Please Provide drinking water & washrooms etc services for relatives outside the PSKs. Sirajuddin Khatib, Nashik(Note: Based on similar feedback basic amenities has been arranged at some of PSKs)
(October 2012 - December 2012)
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 11 Lac+ citizens during October 2012 -
December 2012.
23 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
EMPLOYEES CORNER
DPCs held during the period
S.No. Name of DPC DPC held on Approved for promotion
1. DPC for MACP Scheme 26.11.2012 26
S.No.
S.No.
Name
Name
Station Date of joining
Date of joining
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
8.
7.
Shri M S Salil
Shri R P Dutta
DPO
APO (CIPPS & Hindi)
DPO
DPO
APO
APO
APO
DPO
DPO
Shri Syed Ali Sabeer
Shri Harminder Singh Gill
Shri Piyush Kumar
Shri Dhanajay Sharma
Shri Ravi Prakash Dewa
Shri Vijay Shankar Pandey
Shri Anil Kumar
PO, Panaji
Hyderabad
PO, JalandharPatna
Ghaziabad
Patna
PO, Dehradun
Ghaziabad
05.11.2012
02.11.2012
17.11.2012
26.11.2012
03.12.2012
04.12.2012
10.12.2012
17.12.2012
13.12.2012
List of officers who have joined on deputation
List of officers who have joined in CPV Division
Post
Designation
S.No. Name Post Date of relinquishment Station1.
2.
Shri VSDL Surendra
Shri Parneet Singh
DPO
PO
20.10.2012
31.12.2012
Vis'patnam
Jalandhar
Deputationist who have relinquished the charge
S.No. Name Postheld
Date of birth
Date of Retirement
Station from
1. Shri Sunil Kumar UDC 10.01.1976 01.10.2012(Resigned) Delhi2. Shri Samir Ghosh OA 01.12.1972 08.10.2012 (Expired) Kolkata3.4.5.6.7.8.9.
10.11.12.13.
18.
Shri Navneet MishraShri Vishal KumarShri Rajinder PalShrimati B SathyabhamaShri V SundararamanShri A K SapraShrimati S VisalakshiShrimati N P KenyShrimati N V SarammaShri R RadhakrishnanShri D K Kadu
Shrimati Rahael Kurain
LDCLDC
PGOPGODPOAPOSupdt.POAPOSupdt.PGO
APO
01.07.1984
10.10.195214.10.195215.10.195217.10.195222.10.195223.10.195229.10.195229.10.195204.10.1952
02.11.1952
Resigned15.10.2012 (Resigned)31.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.201231.10.2012
30.11.2012
PuneAmritsar
CochinChandigarh
MaduraiChandigarhChennaiNagpurCochinTrichyMumbai
Trichy
List of officers retired/ availed VRS from service w.e.f. October 2012- December 2012
14.
19.
15.
20.
16.
21.
17.
22.
Shri Brahmmananda Dalei
Shrimati P J Mane
Shri Lingaraj Gartia
Shrimati Susamma Alex
Shri Sebak Behera
Shrimati Shipra Bhattacharya
Shrimati J D Rahate
Shrimati E K Sreeranjini
LDC
APO
LDC
APO
LDC
PGO
DPO
PGO
01.07.1982
03.11.1952
15.06.1986
25.11.1952
04.07.1986
11.11.1952
14.11.1952
13.11.1952
2012 (Resigned)
30.11.2012
06.11.2012
30.11.2012
23.11.2012
30.11.2012
30.11.2012
30.11.2012
Bhubaneswar
Hyderabad
Bhubaneswar
Cochin
Madurai
Lucknow
Mumbai
Cochin
Appointments, Promotions & Retirements
24 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
EMPLOYEES CORNER
25 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
S.No. Name Postheld
Date of birth
Group & Name of Post
Group 'A'
Passport Officer
Deputy Passport Officer
Assistant Passport Officer
Subtotal :
Group 'B' (Gazetted)
Passport Granting Officer
Superintendent
Subtotal :
Group 'B' (Non-Gazetted)
Assistant
Hindi Translator
Group'C' (Non-Gazetted)
UDC
UDC (Hindi)
LDC
Driver
Stenographer
Office Assistant
Subtotal :
Grand Total :
17
71
135
223
320
245
565
428
23
628
04
648
00
30
148
1909
2697
Total sanctioned strength
Date of Retirement
Station from
23. Shri K P Alavi PGO 15.11.1952 30.11.2012 Malappuram24. Shri B D Sakpal PGO 17.11.1952 30.11.2012 Mumbai25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.
Shrimati Shakuntala DeviShri K K VijayachandranShri R Sattar KhanShri Akash GuptaShri Lingaraj GartiaShri Shibsankar HazariShri Sanjeev Kumar ChanchalShrimati K K SosammaShrimati C S PatilShrimati Veena KhannaShrimati Geeta N Bhagat
Asstt.PGOLDCLDCLDCLDCLDCPGOAPOAPOPGO
22.11.195222.11.195201.07.196720.10.198715.06.198602.05.198325.07.198620.05.195407.12.195211.12.195215.12.1952
30.11.201230.11.201230.11.201207.12.201207.12.201212.12.201228.12.201231.12.201231.12.201231.12.201231.12.2012
DelhiBangalore
JammuHyderabad
BhubaneswarGuwahatiMaduraiBangaloreAhmedabadChandigarhDelhi
List of officers retired/ availed VRS from service w.e.f. October 2012- December 2012
Cadre Strength of the Central Passport Organisation as on 31.12.2012
36.37.38.
Shri Jai KumarShri Raj SinghShri Vinod Sharma
APOPGOLDC
16.12.195224.12.195225.07.1986
31.12.201231.12.201231.12.2012
DehradunDelhiJammu
PASSPORT SERVICES IN 2012 - SNAPSHOT
No. ofPassport
applicationsreceived
No. ofPassports
Issued
No. ofPassports
issued underTatkaal
No. ofmiscellaneousapplications
received
No. ofmiscellaneous
servicesrendered
RevenuePassportOffice
Ahmedabad
Amritsar
Bangalore
Bareilly
Bhopal
Bhubneswar
Chandigarh
Chennai
Cochin
Coimbatore
Dehradun
Delhi
Ghaziabad
Guwahati
Hyderabad
Jaipur
Jalandhar
Jammu
Kolkata
Kozhikode
Lucknow
Madurai
Malappuram
Mumbai
Nagpur
Panaji
Patna
Pune
Raipur
Ranchi
Shimla
Srinagar
Surat
Thane
Trichy
Trivandrum
Vizag
Total
HQ CPV Division (Diplomatic / Official Passport)
Passport Issued by 180 Mission / Posts Abroad
Grand Total (Total Passport and EC issued + Total Miscellaneous service rendered)
330121
77404
407646
72695
105927
30484
283102
329408
296255
82156
54577
318129
115131
60264
523720
184720
127731
25149
281197
232604
354259
176821
193462
324529
87560
30215
146582
144928
37473
56979
24461
56728
115671
192332
141374
158203
103183
6283180
313656
73671
400263
70610
109243
73164
282672
319321
264968
78591
51148
264785
119828
52111
503243
196703
140923
24627
233380
227923
302359
161299
194650
277187
92551
22498
133648
146756
32517
55520
21991
61463
111993
129791
128339
131790
110526
5915708
4210
6026
45877
1973
11857
3870
8667
64076
68072
10875
3702
74142
5603
8581
53666
16123
1645
47
17385
38509
12595
135
35434
32833
5433
283
2119
22422
3983
4428
2826
231
2884
13156
7341
41986
9544
642539
9876
6370
11823
3506
1151
1234
13919
11186
71729
1274
2011
6789
3507
1940
49136
12801
13221
1203
9645
10820
26506
8005
9292
8198
1014
2892
11838
4099
378
3486
1951
1159
7040
5123
8917
11962
28730
383731
9758
6945
11541
3272
1131
1199
13748
11003
14740
1215
1783
6467
3372
2315
46516
7792
12734
1039
8968
10638
25562
7754
9285
7840
977
2628
13358
4153
367
3211
1905
973
6411
5071
8917
11760
28087
314435
381673340
91000700
558679649
80858235
74951290
44962100
333878200
477727000
335181401
110747200
47308193
509323162
90667105
74040700
647602868
216649200
151456600
430436863
309282275
322907296
442511962
222114970
59823390
408440304
101382645
28120400
165315715
191166230
10658800
29652230
39280500
61644500
131308000
177067700
174630811
229948600
154674284
7917074418
2301/22010
1135104*
7389558
26 Passport Patrika | July - September 2012
*(inclusive of 108073 Passport issued by CIPPS at CPV Division)
Statement showing the number of passport services rendered by Passport Officesduring 01 January 2012 to 31 December 2012
DIWALI CELEBRATIONS ACROSS PSKs
27 Passport Patrika | October - December 2012
Ministry of External Affairs
Government of India
www.passportindia.gov.in24x7 Call Centre
Toll free number 1800-258-1800
Passport Seva Project - Snapshot(As on 31 December 2012)
In partnership with
Passport Seva Kendras live across23 states in 63 cities
Applications received till date
Citizens handled to date
Daily Footfall
Citizen SatisfactionIndex at PSKs
Recordsmigrated fromlegacy system
Calls to date@ Call Center
Calls / day
7000+ Users trained - 1700+ RPO
Staff, 2200+ Police and 3000 TCS customerservice staff
9.8+ million
23000+
Passport Issued
7 million
90 million
6 million
Peak Team Size
Languages supportedat the 24x7 callcentre operatingacross 6 locations
Online hits per day
180 Missions and Posts34 Immigration centers
at overseaslocations as well as pan India leveraging Passport Seva
Built up area in PSKs0.75 million sqft
40000+
40000+
77
3500+
17
Online verification by Policeacross locations pan India~400
10+ million10+ million
99.5%