New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Monday announced that two Passport Seva Kendras will be transformed into "all women" PSKs to mark International Women's Day.
Muraleedharan also said that the government is continuously working to create a balance between men and women in various spheres, be it professional or personal.
The minister initiated the transformation of two Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) into "all women" PSKs. One is at R K Puram, New Delhi, and the other at Tripunithura in Cochin, Kerala, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
The initiative has been taken under the flagship Passport Seva Programme of the ministry.
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The Passport Seva Programme has emerged as one of the most successful programmes of the government. It delivers passport-related services to citizens in India and Indian citizens living outside the country, it said.
The programme has effectively delivered on the vision of Digital India with the successful establishment of a digital ecosystem among all stakeholders, offering passport-related services to citizens in a ubiquitous manner at their doorstep, ensuring smooth governance and ease of services, and digitally empowering citizens, the statement said.
The ministry since May 2014 has taken several steps to bring about quantitative and qualitative improvements in delivering passport services not only in India but also outside India, it said.
The statement said that as a result, 93 PSKs and 426 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras, apart from the existing 36 Passport Offices, have been made operational across the country.
In addition to this, the programme has also been extended to 190 Indian missions and posts abroad, thus creating a global footprint.
The steps taken by the ministry has helped deliver passport services to citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible and reliable manner, it said.
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The ministry has also ensured a comfortable environment to deliver services through streamlined processes, and a committed, trained and motivated workforce, the statement said.
Steps have also been taken for simplification of passport processes, manuals and rules, it said.
In addition to the above, the ministry has taken an initiative to empower women as part of the Passport Seva Programme. A total of 1,670 women employees are deployed under the programme, the MEA said.
Through the programme, passports have been issued to more than 2.76 crores of applicants till date. In the last three years, 1.03 crore passports have been issued to women applicants, amounting to 35 per cent of total applicants.
Muraleedharan underlined that the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is marching ahead towards a progressive, technologically advanced and socially diverse community.
PTI
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