Embassy set to mark 50 years of Passport Act of India on June 24
Better, faster services provided
KUWAIT CITY, June 22: Indian Embassy is celebrating 50 years of the Passports Act of India on Saturday, 24th June, 2017. The year 2017 saw commendable steps taken by Indian government towards rendering better and faster passport services to our Diaspora. Passport rules and regulations have been amended and simplified in order to make consular services more efficient and faster.
Indian Embassy remains fully committed to providing timely and efficient consular services to all Indians in Kuwait. The Embassy is issuing passports within three days (first day applications received, second day processed and third day passports delivered). Attestation services are rendered within 60-90 minutes. Besides, new passports on TATKAL basis are provided the same day. During 2016, embassy issued more than 96,000 new passports, carried out more than 95,000 attestation services and around 6,000 other miscellaneous services (birth, death, marriage certificates etc.). Over 14,000 visas were also issued during the last year by the Embassy.
Indian Embassy takes this opportunity to warn all service seekers about 10-12 touts operating around its premises as well as at three service centres.
The Embassy welcomes suggestions/comments for further improvement of its services to one and all.
In connection with this celebration, below is the message issued by the Honourable External Affairs Minister Ms Sushma Swaraj:
Message
IT IS a matter of immense pleasure for me to felicitate all our Passport Issuing Authorities in India and abroad on the occasion of the Fifth Passport Seva Divas on 24 June, 2017. This year we are celebrating the completion of 50 years of the enactment of the Passports Act, 1967. The Ministry of External Affairs and its subordinate office — the Central Passport Organisation — have good reasons to celebrate as well as mark the event with renewed commitment to provide better passport services in a timely, assured, and efficient manner.
The year that went by will go down in history as the one in which this Ministry took path-breaking steps in its endeavour towards building better passport delivery mechanisms. Not only did we simplify the Passport Rules but also we took giant strides in taking passport services closer to our citizens.
We have teamed up with the Department of Posts to utilize the Head Post Offices as Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) in order to extend passport services to our citizens on a larger scale and for ensuring wider area coverage. We have decided to set up 235 POPSK in two phases — 86 in Phase-I and 149 in Phase-II.
It is matter of satisfaction that 52 POPSK identified in Phase-I have already been operationalized. Applicants, who apply for their passports online through the passport portal, can now schedule an appointment and visit the designated POPSK to complete the formalities similar to those at the PSK necessary prior to the issue of the passport. We have been able to reduce the distance required to travel by an applicant to get a passport.
As a part of our simplification drive, we have permitted submission of several new documents as proof of date of birth and removed several Annexes to the Passport Rules. Our effort would be to continue to provide good governance, effective, transparent and accountable service delivery in the coming days.
I take this opportunity to request you to rededicate yourself to our Government’s commitment to the principle of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ and work towards putting in place more inclusive and robust mechanisms to achieve our objectives.