Passport services to be outsourced: Cabinet

New Delhi, Sep 6 (UNI) The Union Cabinet today decided to outsource front-end activities of passport issuance services through an open bidding process to facilitate delivery of passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible and reliable manner.

Under the move approved at a meeting of the Cabinet, 68 Passport Facilitation Centres would be set up and the existing Passport Offices would serve as Passport Back-Offices.

Dispatch of passports would be outsourced, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.

The Passport Seva project will also result in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes and a committed, trained and motivated workforce. The project will be implemented over a period of 19 months by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Other measures include upgradation of information technology with uniform procedures and setting up of a central printing unit and online links with concerned police authorities.

Service providers would be allowed to levy a fee, to be decided through an open bidding process, over and above the government fee for each service so as to enable him recover his costs.

Improvement would be made in the working conditions in Passport Back-Offices at a cost of Rs 8 crore.

A Project Management Unit would be set up for implementation of the project, while a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be established at an appropriate time for the management, supervision and monitoring of the project.

UNI