MEA inaugurates Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in tribal region of Andhra Pradesh

The Ministry of External Affairs just opened an exciting new Passport Seva Kendra in Andhra Pradesh's tribal Araku region, making passport services more accessible to remote communities. This is the 443rd Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in the country and the 8th under the Visakhapatnam Regional Passport Office. Local officials celebrated the milestone, highlighting how this initiative will simplify bureaucratic processes for residents. The new center can handle 50 passport appointments daily, with potential for expansion based on local demand.

"The opening of the new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra will benefit the local community" - Gumma Thanuja Rani, Member of Parliament

by ANI January 22, 2025 52 views

Andhra Pradesh, January 22: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has inaugurated a new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) in the tribal region of Araku Alluri Seetharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday in collaboration with the Department of Posts.

Key Points

1. First POPSK in Araku tribal region serving remote villages

2. Initial capacity of 50 passport appointments daily

3. Part of government's e-governance passport service expansion

4. Collaborative effort between MEA and Department of Posts

The inauguration of this Seva Kendra makes it the 443rd POPSK in the country and 8th under the jurisdiction of the Regional Passport Office (RPO) Visakhapatnam, the MEA noted.

The inauguration was graced by Gumma Thanuja Rani, Member of Parliament of Araku, Regam Matyalingam, MLA of Araku, KJ Srinivasa, Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Programme) & Chief Passport Officer from the Ministry of External Affairs and other senior officials.

The establishment of this new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra is a part of the Government's broader initiative to bring essential passport services closer to citizens, particularly in remote and underserved regions of the country. The new new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra will serve residents of several villages in the tribal dominated Araku Valley falling under the assembly segments of Araku, Palakonda, Kurupam, Parvathipuram, Paderu, and Rampachodavaram under Araku parliamentary constituency area, as per the MEA.

Thanuja Rani acknowledged that the opening of the new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra will benefit the local community and contribute towards efficient public service delivery.

MEA informed that the new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra will operate with an initial capacity of 50 appointments per day, which can be scaled up based on demand.

In recent years, the Government of India has taken many initiatives to usher in an era of e-Governance to improve the delivery of public services. One such project focuses on reforming Passport services in India.

The Passport Seva Programme (PSP) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, provides passport services through the Central Passport Organization (CPO) and its network of Passport Offices, Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras.