Are you happy with passport service? Here's how it works

BANGALORE, INDIA: Unlike in the past, getting a passport is not a big task now. With the Passport Seva Project, the government has been efficiently handling the increasing demand for passports.

The project aims to deliver all passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible, reliable manner and in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes and committed, trained and motivated workforce. What has made it feasible is the online services.

The website- www.passportindia.gov.in carries all details related to Passport services. Through the website, passport applicants can locate the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), District Passport Cell (DPC), know about the police station concerned.

The website also has a provision for calculation of fees and tracking the application status. Applicants can apply for fresh passports or reissue passports and get police clearance certificates online.

Recently, MEA launched the ‘mPassport Seva' to offer a variety of services to smartphone users such as Passport Application Status Tracking, locating the PSKs and general information on various steps involved in obtaining a Passport.

How does the system work?

Nearly 30,000 passport applications are processed daily by the personnel manning the Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and many more thousand citizens are attended to by call centres.

The entire process is online and streamlined, including an interface with the Indian police for verification of personal particulars of applicants and with India Post for tracking delivery of passports.

Application status can be tracked through the Passport Portal- www.passportindia.gov.in. For assistance one can call toll-free helpline 1800-258-1800.

An e-mail based helpdesk facility and a 24x7 call centre have been set up to provide requisite information to citizens in 17 vernacular languages. An SMS message is sent to the citizen as soon as the passport is dispatched.

The services are provided within defined service levels. There is closer and larger number of access points for services and a portfolio of online services are available with real-time status tracking. The project also delivers a system for grievance redressal and it adheres to ‘First -In-First Out' principle while rendering services.

The role of TCS

For the PSP, the MEA decided to outsource front-end passport services, establish 77 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) across the country, create a centralized IT system linking all PSKs, RPO/POs, Police and Postal Department and permit the private partner to levy a Service Charge for each service.

After all the tender processes, TCS was selected as the service provider in May 2008. The Indian IT major was responsible for implementing the PSP for which it had signed a Master Service Agreement (MSA) on October 13, 2008.

As per the Master Service Agreement (MSA) signed by the MEA and TCS, the company would recover its cost through Service Charge per passport based on volumes and subject to 27 stringent service delivery levels.

The Project runs on the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer model wherein the initial investments are by the private partner. The project is run with over 3,000 persons deployed from the private Service Provider and 2,500 officials from the MEA.

The Agreement with TCS to operate and maintain the Passport Seva System is valid till June 11, 2018 with provision for its renewal for further two years. Until then, the Indian IT major is responsible for providing all hardware, software, networking & PCs of the entire Passport system as specified in the RFP and the MSA.

As specified in the RPF, the company also has to provide physical infrastructure for all PSKs. Besides that, the company also has to look after the maintenance and operations of Data Centre (DC), Disaster Recovery Centre (DRC) and Central Passport Printing Facility (CPPF) set-up.

Apart from that, TCS also has to provide staff for all private counters at PSKs, technical staff for supporting PSK, PO, DC, DRC, CPPF and impart training on application software, general computer skills, soft skills, and customer service & delivery.

Some of the other responsibilities of the service provider include looking after change management, communication strategy and implementation, Call Centre & grievance handling, obtaining ISO (9001, 27001, 20000) certifications for the Passport System and ensuring compliance with the Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

As the service provider, TCS has limited access. Only front-end activities, such as token issuance, initial scrutiny of the application forms, acceptance of fee, scanning of the documents, taking photos and biometrics are performed by the staff provided by TCS.

The sovereign and fiduciary functions such as verification of documents, police verification, decision on grant of passports, revocation, impounding of passports, printing and dispatch of passports, are performed by the Govt personnel.

Fact-sheet

Number of Passport Issuing Authorities (PIAs) in India: 38.

Other passport centres: 178 Indian Missions & Posts abroad render passport, visa and consular services worldwide

Number of Passport Application Collection Centres (PACC): 14

Legally: The office of Chief Secretary Andaman & Nicobar Islands deals with passport matters as per provisions of the Passport Act, 1967 and the Passport Rules, 1980

Number of staff working on the project: Over 3,000 persons deployed from TCS and 2,500 officials from the MEA

Timeline

September 6, 2007: The National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) submitted the detailed report and the MEA got the approval from the Union Cabinet for passport seva project.

May 2008: TCS was selected as the service provider for PSP. The Agreement with TCS to operate and maintain the Passport Seva System is valid till June 11, 2018

May 2010: To test the functionality of the new system, a pilot project was launched at four Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in Karnataka.

August 2010: Three more pilot PSKs were launched in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Ambala in August 2010.

January 2011: A roll-out plan was firmed up

June 14, 2012: 77 PSKs (as approved by the Union Cabinet) were established across the country

Awards

The Computer Society of India (CSI) had adjudged the Passport Seva Project as the most significant eGovernance initiative of the Government of India undertaken during 2011-12