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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 412
ANSWERED ON - 20/03/2026
PASSPORT SEVA KENDRAS
*412. SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH
SMT. SUPRIYA SULE
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the average processing time for passport applications at Regional
Passport Offices across Maharashtra during 2024–25, in comparison with
the national average along with the reasons for inter-office disparities, if
any;
(b) whether the Government has assessed the high volume of passport
applications from semi-urban and rural areas of Maharashtra and the
objective criteria used for not establishing additional Post Office
Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in such regions, if so, the details
thereof;
(c) whether the data from MADAD grievance portal indicates recurring
issues faced by migrant workers, students and overseas job-seekers
1from Maharashtra, if so, the number, nature and disposal rate of
grievances registered during the last two years;
(d) whether the Government has reviewed challenges faced by students
from rural Maharashtra in documentation, police verification and
appointment scheduling for overseas education, if so, the details thereof;
and
(e) the time-bound measures proposed to expand POPSK coverage and
improve passport service delivery across underserved regions of
Maharashtra?
ANSWER
THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER
(DR. SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR)
(a) to (e) A statement is laid in the table of the House.
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2STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) IN RESPECT
OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*412 REGARDING “Passport
Seva Kendra” FOR ANSWERING ON 20.03.2026.
(a) Currently, 8 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and 41 Post Office
Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) are operational under 3 Regional
Passport Offices (RPOs) in the State of Maharashtra. The average
processing time for passport applications (excluding Police verification
time) under 3 RPOs in the State of Maharashtra during 2024-2025 is 14
working days for normal category passport and 3 working days for
Tatkaal category passport. Further, the average processing time for
passport applications (excluding Police verification time) across the
country under 37 RPOs during 2024-2025 is 13 working days for normal
category passport and 3 working days for Tatkaal category passport.
There is no noticeable disparity in the processing time of passports
between the National Average and the State of Maharashtra.
(b) Opening of new passport offices/ Centres depends on several factors
including the demand and volume of applications in the region.
Government of India has taken several steps to expand the network of
PSKs and POPSKs in semi-urban, rural and underserved districts and
tribal areas of Maharashtra. In January 2017, Ministry of External Affairs
3(MEA) in association with Department of Posts (DoP) had decided to open
Seva Kendras at the Head Post Offices (HPO)/Post Offices (PO) in the
country, including in the State of Maharashtra, called Post Office Passport
Seva Kendras (POPSK) in each Lok Sabha Constituency (LSC) where there
is no PSK or POPSK. Under this initiative, out of 48 LSCs, 47 LSCs in
Maharashtra are covered with either a PSK or a POPSK, except Dindori
LSC. MEA is regularly following up with DoP for opening of a POPSK in the
Dindori LSC. The process for establishment of POPSK at Manmad in
Dindori LSC is in advanced stage.
(c) To address the challenges faced by Indian citizens abroad, the MADAD
Portal was launched by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in February
2015. Over the years, the MADAD Portal has emerged as a key instrument
for extending the assistance to Indian citizens abroad including migrant
workers, students and overseas job seekers. The challenges and issues
faced by Indian nationals inter-alia includes repatriation, transportation of
mortal remains, salary/dues and employment-related disputes, Recruiting
Agent/ fraudulent cases, imprisonment cases, whereabouts unknown,
passport related issues, visa and immigration problems, academic
difficulties, safety and security concerns and other emergency situations.
The data related to number of grievances registered and resolved
through MADAD portal during the last two years (2024-2025) is as follows:
Year Grievances Brought forward Total Grievances
4Received from previous Grievances Resolved
year
2024 5704 3663 9367 5467
2025 6158 3900 10058 6454
The MADAD portal does not support State-wise access to grievance data.
(d) & (e) To cater the challenges faced by students, including those from
rural Maharashtra and to provide the smooth, speedy and efficient
passport services, MEA 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 organising special drives on weekends. Staff from
Ministry and other passport offices are also being deployed to clear the
pendency as part of the special drive. Also, walk-in appointments are
given for RPO back office for expeditiously clearing pending files.
Moreover, in June 2018, Ministry had launched the ‘Apply anywhere in
India’’ scheme under which a passport can be applied at any PSK/POPSK
in India. Also, MEA has been regularly deploying Passport Mobile Van
under respective RPOs, including RPOs in Maharashtra, for on-site
passport processing in rural, tribal, remote and underserved areas. The
integration of Digilocker with the passport issuance system, which
enables citizens to submit various documents required for Passport
5Services through DigiLocker in a paperless mode is also benefitting the
students. Further, mobile van camps have also been organised in various
educational institutions in the state of Maharashtra.
The upgraded Passport Programme Version 2.0 (PSP V2.0) along with the
chip-based e-Passport has already 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
Maharashtra. New digital tools introduced under PSP V2.0 have
significantly addressed the difficulties faced by the Passport applicants
while applying for passport and improved the passport application and
grievance-redressal experience by making the process faster, transparent
and more user-friendly. Applicants benefit from chatbot and citizen
centric service delivery system that guide them to the correct service
page, provide information on required documents, appointment
availability and nearest PSK/POPSK. Automated biometric matching
strengthens security and accelerates decision-making during application
processing. Real-time SMS/email alerts keep citizens informed at every
stage of their application cycle. Further, the payment of application fees
through digital mode including through Unified Payments Interface (UPI),
online appointment facilities and feedback kiosks have brought
significant improvement in delivery of passport services.
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