Parliament Question: Passport Seva Digital Ecosystem

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 1175 ANSWERED ON- 06/02/2026 PASSPORT SEVA DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM † 1175. SHRI DILESHWAR KAMAIT SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG SHRI MUKESHKUMAR CHANDRAKAANT DALAL SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA SHRI RAHUL SINGH LODHI SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN SHRI RAMESH AWASTHI SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL SHRI P. C. MOHAN SHRI TEJASVI SURYA SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA 1SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA SMT. KAMLESH JANGDE SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR SMT. LOVELY ANAND Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :- (a) the key features of the upgraded Passport Seva Programme (PSP) 2.0 and Global Passport Seva Programme (GPSP) 2.0 and their imple- mentation status globally and State-wise including in Karnataka par- ticularly in Bengaluru; (b) the manner in which these digital upgrades have improved appli- cation processing and grievance redressal; (c) the security and ICAO-compliance features incorporated in the new e-passport; (d) whether the Government proposes to upgrade existing Passport Seva Kendras or establish additional centres in Bengaluru to meet growing demand and if so, the details and timelines thereof; (e) the criteria adopted for opening new Passport Seva Kendras, in- cluding population coverage and application volume; and 2(f) the steps taken to ensure a smooth nationwide and global transition to the upgraded systems? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) The upgraded Passport Programme Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0) has been rolled out in all 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) and their Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in the country, including in Bengaluru and in the State of Karnataka, in a phased manner and the pan-India roll out was completed on 26th May 2025. Further, the Global Passport Seva Programme Version 2.0 (GPSP V2.0) has been implemented in 203 Missions/Posts abroad, in a phased manner, and the roll out of GPSP V2.0 was completed on 28th October 2025. Upgraded Passport Seva Programme (PSP V2.0) and Global Pass- port Seva Programme (GPSP V2.0) introduces a fully digitally enabled passport ecosystem with several innovative enhancements to improve accuracy, transparency and convenience for applicants in India and 3abroad. The platform incorporates facial recognition and biometric matching to strengthen identity verification and speed up processing. Citizen support is enhanced through chatbot that offer service discovery and application guidance. PSP V2.0 leverages emerging technologies, in- cluding SMS/email alerts, data analytics and report generation. Process automation supports document validation to prevent forgery, reduce manual errors and lower operational costs. (b) New digital tools introduced under PSP V2.0 have significantly im- proved the passport application and grievance-redressal experience by making the process faster, transparent and more user-friendly. Appli- cants benefit from chatbot and citizen centric service delivery system that guide them to the correct service page, provide information on re- quired documents, appointment availability and nearest PSK/POPSK. Au- tomated biometric matching strengthens security and accelerates deci- sion-making during application processing. Real-time SMS/email alerts keep citizens informed at every stage of their application cycle. For grievance redressal, track of pendency and delays or deviations are con- tinuously monitored by Project Management Unit (PMU) of PSP Division, 4MEA. In addition, feedback kiosks installed at PSKs capture both qualita- tive and quantitative inputs from applicants, which are analyzed to im- prove service delivery and citizen satisfaction. (c) The e-Passport is a hybrid passport integrating both paper and electronic elements, featuring a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Chip and an embedded antenna as an inlay. PSP V2.0 and GPSP V2.0 alongwith e-Passport are enabled with a mature, enterprise-grade security framework that delivers comprehensive protection across the ecosystem. The PSP application’s security tools provide comprehensive protection across multiple areas, including identity and access security, data security and application security. It also incorporates robust vulnerability management and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) based monitoring, to protect citizen’s personal data from breaches and misuse. The PSP System captures ICAO compliant photograph of the applicant. Standardized facial image quality as per ICAO standards enables reliable face recognition through strict controls on lighting, background, pose, and facial visibility prevent the use of altered or misleading images, reducing identity fraud and impersonation. 5(d & e) Refurbishment/upgradation or, opening of Passport Offices (POs)/ Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs)/ Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) is an on-going activity and depends upon various factors including scalability of the present PSK/POPSK, distance from existing POs/ PSKs/ POPSKs, increasing demand/ volume of passport applications from a particular region. The Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Department of Posts (DoP) had decided in January 2017 to open Seva Kendras at the Head Post Offices (HPO)/Post Offices (PO) in the country, including in Karnataka, called Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) in each Lok Sabha Constituency (LSC) where there is no PSK or POPSK. Currently, there is 1 Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Bengaluru and 5 PSKs and 23 POPSKs are operational in the State of Karnataka and every Lok Sabha Constituency in Karnataka State is covered with either a PSK or a POPSK. At present, there is no proposal under consideration of the Ministry of External Affairs to open a new PSK/POPSK in Bengaluru. 6(f) To ensure smooth nationwide and global transition to the upgraded system, comprehensive hands-on training was provided to various stakeholders including Missions/Posts, RPOs, Police department, Other Service Provider (OSP). A dedicated Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) in the PSP Division is continuously monitoring system performance and stability, while a 24×7 helpline provides round-the-clock support to users and resolves operational issues related to both applications, ensuring uninterrupted and efficient service delivery. Network Operating Centre (NOC) and Security Operating Centre (SOC) have also been established as part of PSP V2.0 and GPSP V2.0 to have 24x7 watch on security aspect of the project. In PSP V2.0 and GPSP V2.0, Service Request Management (SRM) tool has also been deployed where the technical issues related to the application can be monitored and resolved on real time manner. ***** 7