Passport Seva Programme 2.0: Foreign minister S Jaishankar makes big announcement on e-passports, what we know so far

The Central government is going to launch the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP-Version 2.0), which will include new and upgraded e-passports. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Friday, June 24, in his message on the occasion of Passport Seva Divas revealed the plan for new and upgraded e-passports and related services which aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘ease of living’ for citizens. The External Affairs Minister encouraged the passport-issuing authorities in India and abroad to provide passports and related services to people in a “timely, reliable, accessible, transparent and efficient manner."

Sharing the message of Jaishankar the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) tweeted, “Here is a message from EAM @DrSJaishankar, as we observe the Passport Seva Divas today. #TeamMEA reaffirms its commitment to provide passport and related services to citizens in a timely, reliable, accessible, transparent and efficient manner."

Here is a message from EAM @DrSJaishankar, as we observe the Passport Seva Divas today. #TeamMEA reaffirms its commitment to provide passport and related services to citizens in a timely, reliable, accessible, transparent and efficient manner. pic.twitter.com/k1gmaTPLKq

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 24, 2023

“We will soon be embarking on Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Version 2.0, including new and upgraded e-passports. In line with the Prime Minister's vision of enhancing the 'Ease of Living' for citizens, these initiatives will usher in a new paradigm of 'EASE": E: Enhanced passport services to citizens, using a digital ecosystem A: Artificial Intelligence-powered service delivery S: Smoother overseas travel using chip-enabled e-passports E: Enhanced data security," the minister said.

Ease of travel

MEA is expected to make it more convenient to avail the passport services through the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme. The second phase will likely aid in international travel, courtesy the digitisation of documents, among other factors. Millions of citizens are currently enjoying the use of the mPassport Seva Mobile App, mPassport Police App and the integration of the Passport Seva Programme with DigiLocker. As per Jaishankar’s statement, the MEA processed as many as 13.32 million passports and miscellaneous services in 2022, marking an increase of 63 per cent from 2021.

During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foreign ministry had addressed the surge in demand for passport-related services by increasing the number of daily appointments and by organising special drives over the weekends. The External Affairs Ministry has also increased the number of Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in the country, from 77 in 2014 to 523 in 2023.