மொபைல் பாஸ்போர்ட் சேவா வேன் கோவையில் தொடக்கம்!

A mobile passport seva van, which will have facilities for on-site processing passport applications, was launched in Coimbatore on Friday.

மொபைல் பாஸ்போர்ட் சேவா வேன் கோவையில் தொடக்கம்!

K.J. Srinivasa, Joint Secretary and Chief Passport Officer, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), inaugurated the facility in the presence of Regional Passport Officer Sathish K.S. at the Regional Passport Office (RPO), Coimbatore.

The mobile passport seva van was launched with the aim of extending passport services to residents in remote and underserved areas. The initiative is aimed to ensure that individuals, particularly those in remote areas are able to access passport-related services easily, without travelling long distances. The van will also play a vital role in organising student-connect programmes to raise awareness about passport services, procedures and the importance of having a passport among students, said a release.

The van is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to process passport applications efficiently, making it a step forward in bringing government services closer to people and fostering accessibility and inclusivity, it said.

POPSK opened in Tiruppur

The MEA in collaboration with the Department of Posts launched the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Head Post Office, Tiruppur, on Friday.

Minister for Information Publicity M.P. Saminathan inaugurated the POPSK in the presence of Minister for Human Resources Management N. Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, Tiruppur MP K. Subbarayan and Dr. Srinivasa.

Dr. Srinivasa stated that the establishment of the POPSK in Tiruppur was a crucial step in making passport services more inclusive, citizen-friendly, and accessible to all.

The POPSK in Tiruppur was established, addressing a long-standing need for passport services at Tiruppur. Previously, applicants had to travel to Coimbatore. The facility in Tiruppur was the 444th POPSK in the country, making progress toward MEA’s goal of establishing one PSK/POPSK in every Lok Sabha constituency, said a release.

The POPSK would initially handle 40 applications per day, with plans for expansion based on demand. This increased the total daily appointment capacity of one PSK and five POPSKs under the RPO Coimbatore to 1,060 applications per day covering six districts or seven Lok Sabha constituencies, namely Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Erode, Tiruppur, Namakkal, Salem and Pollachi, it said.

In 2024, the RPO Coimbatore issued 1.79 lakh passports and related services. The release added that establishment of a POPSK in Pollachi Lok Sabha constituency is under development and is expected to be functional by this year. After the establishment of POPSK at Pollachi, all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu will be covered with either a PSK or POPSK.