India Post Expands Passport Services with 600 New Seva Kendras

The Department of Posts, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, plans to open 600 additional passport seva kendras at post offices, enhancing India Post's citizen services. This initiative aims to serve one crore citizens annually through a nationwide network, which began growing in 2017.

The Indian government is set to significantly expand its passport services network through an agreement between the Department of Posts and the Ministry of External Affairs. Announced by Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia at the India Economic Enclave 2024, the arrangement will see an additional 600 passport seva kendras established at post offices across the nation.

India Post's expansive reach, with 6,40,000 points of sale, positions it uniquely to provide widespread and efficient citizen services. The new passport seva kendras project aims to assist one crore citizens annually, enhancing the offerings of the Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) network that began in 2017.

This expansion of services aligns with India Post's broader strategy to transform into a citizen-centric and logistics-focused entity, also planning to grow its postal, life insurance, and rural postal life insurance services. The POPSK initiative, which has already helped over 1.52 crore citizens, will have 1,042 centers nationwide by 2028-29.

(With inputs from agencies.)