Parliament Question: Passport seva kendra in J&K

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2325 ANSWERED ON 12/03/2026 PASSPORT SEVA KENDRA IN J&K 2325. SHRI SAJJAD AHMAD KICHLOO Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government proposes to establish a full fledged passport office or Passport Seva Kendra in Chenab Valley Region of J&K considering the vast geography and public hardships; (b) the number of passport applications pending in the Union Territory, district-wise, as on date; (c) the average time taken for processing, police verification and delivery of passports; and (d) the steps taken to coordinate with concerned authorities to ensure time bound issuance of pending applications? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA) (a) Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) have been established in the Union Territory of J&K in Srin- agar and Jammu and Passport Seva Kendras in Srinagar and Jammu. In keeping with the Min- istry’s commitment for Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) or Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in each Lok Sabha Constituency (LSC), every LSC in the Union Territory of J&K has been catered to. Moreover, in June 2018, Ministry had launched the ‘Apply anywhere in India’ scheme un- der which a passport can be applied at any PSK/POPSK in India. MEA has been regularly deploy- ing Passport Mobile Van under respective RPOs, including RPO Jammu and RPO Srinagar, for on-site passport processing in rural/remote/hilly and under-served areas. (b) The total number of passport applications pending as of March 6, 2026 in various districts under RPO Srinagar and RPO Jammu is 440. (c) The average time taken for passport processing/issuance is within 6-21 days under RPO Jammu and RPO Srinagar, excluding police verification time. Police verification is conducted normally in 15-74 days, as additional verification from J&K Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and agencies is also conducted in respect of passport applicants from the Union Territory of J&K. (d) Passport services are provided through the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) under two Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) functional in the Union Territory of J&K. Due to the rise in demand and pendency in issuance of passport, the Ministry has been working continuously to speed up passport issuance and meet high or seasonal demand for passports by taking various steps including increasing the number of daily appointments and organizing special drives on weekends. Staff from Ministry and other passport 1offices are also deployed to clear the pendency, if required, as part of the special drive. Walk-in appointments are given by RPO for expeditiously clearing pending files. Passport Adalats are also conducted to clear pending passport applications under the respective RPOs. As part of PSP V2.0, all 37 RPOs, including RPO Jammu and RPO Srinagar, have been provided with Mobile Van facilities to reach out to remote and hilly areas. The launch of Mobile Van Facility is a huge success in rural and hilly areas of Union Territory of J&K. Till date, the total number of Passport applications processed under RPO Jammu and RPO Srinagar are 553 and 1193 respectively. ***** 2