This document summarizes a response from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3235, answered on August 8, 2025, regarding passport application requirements, specifically concerning residents of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.
The query addresses concerns that applicants from these districts face additional document requirements, such as letters from local Samaj/CSOs and residents, for police verification during passport application/renewal.
The Ministry clarifies that police verification is conducted by State Police Authorities according to their own guidelines and provisions. These authorities are responsible for verifying citizenship, criminality, and identity, and may request necessary documents. Due to varying geographical and demographic conditions across States/UTs, specific document requirements may differ to effectively establish citizenship, criminality, and identity. The Police Verification is conducted independently without intervention from Passport Issuing Authorities.
Regarding service quality and grievance resolution at Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), the Ministry states that guidelines are periodically issued to Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) to ensure smooth coordination. Review meetings are conducted to improve passport service functioning and staff coordination. Public grievances are addressed with high priority through mechanisms like a Public Grievances Cell, CPGRAMS, emails, and the X (formerly Twitter) handle. RPOs are required to submit action taken reports on grievances received through various channels, with stringent monitoring of all grievances undertaken.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of External Affairs: A ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the country's foreign relations.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India.
Raju Bista: Member of Parliament who raised the question in the Lok Sabha.
Darjeeling: A district in the state of West Bengal, India, known for its tea industry and Himalayan views.
Kalimpong: A district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Passport Seva Kendra (PSK): An extended arm of the Central Passport Organization (CPO) of the Ministry of External Affairs, providing passport-related services.
West Bengal: A state in eastern India.
CPGRAMS: Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, an online platform for citizens to lodge and track grievances.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 3235
ANSWERED ON - 08/08/2025
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR PASSPORT
3235. SHRI RAJU BISTA
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Ministry is aware that people from Darjeeling and
Kalimpong districts, particularly in Hilly areas, have to produce
additional documents besides the prescribed lists of documents when
applying/renewing for passports, as police verification requirements -
such as a letter from Local Samaj (CSO), two additional letters from
other residents of the locality certifying that they know the applicant
and that s/he is an Indian Citizen, if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether such requirements are necessary for police verification
across the country or these are applicable to PSKs in West Bengal
1alone, particularly the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, if so, the
details thereof; and
(c) whether the Ministry has set up mechanisms to improve service
quality of the PSK and to resolve grievances of the people who have
complaints about staff behaviour at PSKs and the police verification
process, if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) & (b) Police Verification is conducted by the State Police
Authorities as per their own guidelines and provisions. The concerned
police authorites are required to conduct all the necessary
verification with respect to Citizenship, criminality and identity of the
passport applicant and may seek all the necessary documents in this
regard. Considering the geographical and demographic conditions of
different States/UTs, the concerned police authorities of different
States/UTs may need different documents to establish the citizenship,
2criminality and identity of the passport applicant. The Police
Verification is conducted independently without any intervention of
the Passport Issuing Authorities.
(c) From time to time, guidelines are issued to Regional Passport
Offices (RPOs) and all concerned to ensure smooth coordination at
functional level. Frequent review meetings are also being conducted
with RPOs to ensure the smooth functioning of Passport Services and
also for better coordination among various levels of staff members.
Also, the complaints and public grievances are always accorded
highest priority and redressed through different modes like specific
Public Grievances Cell, CPGRAMS, emails and X- handle. RPOs are
also asked to send these action taken reports on grievances received
on various modes. Stringent monitoring of all grievances is
undertaken.
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