Parliament Question: Passport Seva Kendra in Ghaziabad

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3388 ANSWERED ON 07/08/2026 PASSPORT SEVA KENDRA IN GHAZIABAD

3388. SHRI ATUL GARG

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

(a) the processing capacity and infrastructural upgrades executed at the Passport Seva Kendra and associated post office centers during last three years in the Ghaziabad Parliamentary Constituency;

(b) the total volume of passport applications processed, including Tatkaal requests, for the citizens residing in the dense urban sectors of the Ghaziabad district last year;

(c) the specific improvements achieved in reducing the police verification turnaround time through the digital integration of the Ghaziabad police commissionerate;

(d) whether the Ministry has identified capacity constraints leading to the non-availability of regular appointments within a fourteen-day window in Ghaziabad, if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the steps being taken by the Government to increase the daily application processing quotas and deploy additional personnel at the Ghaziabad passport centers? 1ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken several steps to expand and strengthen the network of Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) across the country, including in Uttar Pradesh. There are 6 PSKs and 52 POPSKs in Uttar Pradesh, including one PSK in Ghaziabad. PSK Ghaziabad was upgraded and refurbished in November 2023. Over the last three years, the number of appointment slots offered by the PSK and POPSKs under the ambit of RPO Ghaziabad have been substantially increased in keeping with augmented infrastructure.

(b) During the year 2025, a total of 80,697 passport applications, including applications under the Tatkaal scheme, and 1,868 Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) applications were processed at PSK Ghaziabad.

(c) In view of the fact that Police Verification is a key component of the passport issuance process, the Ministry launched the Passport Seva Police App for use by State/UT police personnel tasked with conducting police verification, so as to enable expeditious digital submission of Police Verification Reports (PVR) direct from the Police Station to the concerned 2RPO. Under PSK Ghaziabad too, the PVRs are processed digitally through integration with the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate.

(d) & (e) Due to rise in demand, the Ministry has taken several steps to speed up passport issuance, including increase in the number of daily appointments, organization of special weekend drives, walk-in appointments etc. Additional staff has been deployed to meet the growing demand. In addition, applicants can avail of the ‘Apply anywhere in India’ scheme under which a passport can be applied for at any PSK/POPSK in India.

***** 3