Parliament Question: PSKs and RPOs in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3338 ANSWERED ON 07/08/2026 PSKS AND RPOS IN TAMIL NADU

3338. SHRI THARANIVENTHAN M S

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

(a)the total number of Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) and Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) operational in India and specifically in Arani Parliamentary Constituency of Tamil Nadu;

(b) the average processing time for new passports, renewals and other related services in RPOs and PSKs;

(c) whether the Government has evaluated the impact of RPOs and PSKs on service accessibility, especially in rural and remote areas, if so, the details thereof;

(d) the steps taken by the Government to upgrade infrastructure, digital systems and staffing to improve service delivery; and 1(e) the measures adopted to address citizen grievances, delays and complaints related to passport services? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) to (c) As on date, 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and 456 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) are operational under 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) across the country. Of these, 8 PSKs and 32 POPSKs are operational under 4 RPOs in Tamil Nadu, including the POPSK in Arani Lok Sabha Constituency.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken several steps to expand the service accessibility and upgrade the network of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) across the country and to improve digital/online facilities for faster processing. MEA, in association with Department of Posts (DoP), has opened numerous Seva Kendras at the Head Post Offices (HPOs)/Post Offices (POs) in each Lok Sabha Constituency where there is no PSK or POPSK. In addition, the Ministry has made available the ‘Apply anywhere in India’ scheme under 2which a passport can be applied for at any PSK/POPSK. The Passport Mobile Vans have been widely deployed to allow on-site passport processing in remote, rural, hilly and less serviced areas.

At PSKs, the applications for passports and related services are processed on the same day, subject to document submission and verification, and are forwarded to the concerned authorities for further processing. Details of average issuance time (excluding Police Verification time) for passports and related services RPO-wise/ State-wise are attached.

(d) The upgraded Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0), along with the ePassport was implemented at all 37 RPOs and respective PSKs and POPSKs in the country, including in Tamil Nadu. The PSP V2.0 provides comprehensive digital platforms, including the Passport Seva Portal, Passport Seva Mobile Apps and a centralized citizen service call centre available through toll-free numbers, enabling applicants to access information, track application status and obtain responses to routine queries. These digital initiatives have substantially reduced the need for physical visits for administrative inquiries while improving accessibility, convenience and service delivery.

3In order to address staffing issues, the Ministry is working proactively to fill vacancies through the Staff Selection Commission and through deputation from other services. It has also engaged young professionals, data entry operators and multi-tasking staff on contract basis in various RPOs.

(e) To address the issues regarding citizen grievances, delays, and com- plaints, the Ministry has set up Public Grievances Cells and monitors all communications received through emails and social media closely. RPOs have been sensitised to promptly attend to all passport related grievances in a timely manner. Passport adalats are conducted to clear pending pass- port applications. Self-service kiosks/feedback screens have been installed at PSKs and POPSKs to capture feedback from citizens on service quality. A 24x7 call-centre offers guidance and support to applicants in 23 different languages (location wise).

4ANNEXURE Average Passport Issuance Time (excluding Police Verification time) in Days Sl.No. RPO Name State Normal Tatkaal PCC 1 RPO Ahmedabad Gujarat 11 4 1 2 RPO Amritsar Punjab 10 4 1 3 RPO Bareilly Uttar Pradesh 19 4 1 4 RPO Bengaluru Karnataka 14 4 1 5 RPO Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 11 2 1 6 RPO Bhubaneswar Odisha 21 3 1 7 RPO Chandigarh Chandigarh 16 4 1 8 RPO Chennai Tamil Nadu 9 2 1 9 RPO Cochin Kerala 4 1 1 10 RPO Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 19 4 1 11 RPO Dehradun Uttarakhand 22 3 1 12 RPO Delhi Delhi 9 2 1 13 RPO Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh 9 3 1 14 RPO Goa Goa 5 2 1 15 RPO Guwahati Assam 19 4 1 16 RPO Hyderabad Telangana 14 4 1 17 RPO Jaipur Rajasthan 18 3 1 18 RPO Jalandhar Punjab 8 2 1 19 RPO Jammu Jammu & Kashmir 22 - 1 20 RPO Kolkata West Bengal 19 4 1 21 RPO Kota Rajasthan 16 3 1 22 RPO Kozhikode Kerala 6 1 1 23 RPO Lucknow Uttar Pradesh 16 3 1 24 RPO Madurai Tamil Nadu 11 3 1 25 RPO Mumbai Maharashtra 7 3 1 26 RPO Nagpur Maharashtra 23 3 1 27 RPO Patna Bihar 9 1 1 28 RPO Pune Maharashtra 10 4 1 29 RPO Raipur Chhattisgarh 21 4 1 530 RPO Ranchi Jharkhand 11 4 1 31 RPO Shimla Himachal Pradesh 9 3 1 32 RPO Srinagar Jammu & Kashmir 7 - 1 33 RPO Surat Gujarat 17 4 1 34 RPO Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu 7 4 1 35 RPO Trivandrum Kerala 7 2 1 36 RPO Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh 13 3 1 37 RPO Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh 12 2 1 ***** 6