DNA

Mumbai, Oct 31: The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has launched the ambitious ‘Passport Seva Project’ which once implemented, would help get a passport within three to five days.

An over-worked ministry issues around 9,000 passports every day from its 32 regional offices. In the year 2006 alone, 45 lakh passports were issued, informed Sunil Agnihotri, from the MEA office, New Delhi. To streamline the passport issuance process, the MEA has decided to establish a system for providing passport-related services in a speedy, convenient and transparent manner for which it has invited private participation.

“The entire work of delivering application forms, scrutinising the documents received, finger printing and readying the travel document will be outsourced to private players as these formalities are time consuming,” Agnihotri said.

“We have decided to open additional 68 centres across the country and the required space would be provided by the ministry,” he added.

The contracted parties would provide software design, data digitisation, net-working and IT infrastructure apart from helping upgrade existing systems at the passport offices.

“We are aware that applicants want their passports delivered in a short span of time. But we still manage with the same staff strength that was brought in to issue not more than 50 passports per day, when close to 300 passports are issued every day,” Agnihotri added.