12th Passport Seva Divas – 24 June 2024

Current Context: On June 24, 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) commemorated the 12th Passport Seva Divas to mark the enactment of the Passports Act on June 24, 1967.

• Coinciding with this celebration, a 3-day Regional Passport Officers (RPO) Conference was held from June 22 to 24 in Delhi.
• During this event, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar highlighted the commendable annual growth of nearly 15% in passport and related services, with the Ministry rendering 1.65 crore passport-related services to citizens in 2023.
• The MEA has operationalized an expansive network of 440 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), along with the existing 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), totaling 533 passport application processing centers under 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) across India.
• The passport delivery program has been recognized as one of the most successful and well-appreciated models of efficient service delivery by the Government of India.

Question:

1 In total, how many Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) are operational across India?

• A) 37
• B) 440
• C) 500
• D) 533

Answer: D) The MEA has operationalized an expansive network of 440 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs), along with the existing 93 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs), totaling 533 passport application processing centers under 37 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) across India.