1 passport was issued every 37 seconds last year in Karnataka

BENGALURU: A passport was issued every 37 seconds in Karnataka in 2023, according to statistics available with the regional passport officer, Bengaluru. Karnataka printed and issued a record number of 8.5 lakh blue books last year - the highest in 10 years.

The Regional Passport Office (RPO), which operates five Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) in the state, including two in Bengaluru (on Lalbagh Road and Marathahalli), and 23 other post office kendras, said it issued 1.2 lakh more books in 2023 than in the previous year.

"Bengaluru PSKs accounted for nearly 65% of the share of passports issued in the state in 2023. While the PSK at Marathahalli issued over 630 regular passports, 150 tatkal passports and 50 police clearance certificates a day, the one on Lalbagh Road issued nearly 1,250 regular passports, 250 tatkal passports, and 100 police clearance certificates per day," said Krishna K, regional passport officer, Bengaluru.

After experiencing a lull during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, passport issuance picked up pace in 2022 and 2023, crossing the previous record of 7.6 lakh in 2019.

Sources at the RPO attributed the increase in number of passports issued to two reasons - one, travelling has increased all over the country and Karnataka was not lagging behind, and two, applying for a passport has become easier than what it was five years back.

The year 2024 is set to be crucial for passport services in the country as the Passport Seva Programme (PSP) 2.0 is to be introduced in association with Tata Consultancy Services. As part of the programme, chip-enabled passports are likely to be introduced in the country. PS.0 was introduced in May 2010 as a pilot project in Bengaluru and Chandigarh before it was made available in the rest of the country by 2012.

In June 2023, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had announced that PSP 2.0 would aim to ensure 'EASE', i.e, enhanced passport service, using a digital ecosystem and artificial intelligence-powered service delivery, smoother overseas travel using e-passports, as well as enhanced data security.


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