OREANDA-NEWS. February 24, 2012. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, announced the launch of citizen-centric PSKs for applications and issuance of passports in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The PSK at Herald House, ITO, New Delhi, was inaugurated by the Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna in the presence of other dignitaries including Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, National Capital Territory of Delhi, members of parliament and senior government officials.

Passport Seva Project, an e-Governance Mission Mode project from the MEA, is transforming the passport issuance system in India by providing passport-related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, accessible and reliable manner. The new PSKs will provide a comfortable and efficient environment for applicants, using online appointments and streamlined processes.

N Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director, TCS, said, “e-Governance Mission Mode projects like the Passport Seva Project showcases how effectively a partnership model can work to provide technology-led, citizen-centric, best-in-class services to Indian citizens. We are delighted to partner with the MEA in this important national initiative.” He added: “The state-of-the-art centres are delivering services in a comfortable environment as well as providing increased access points for citizens.

Milestones achieved in the PSK programme

50 PSKs have gone live across India (Karnataka-4, Tamil Nadu-8, Andhra Pradesh-7, Kerala-10, Delhi-3, Punjab-7, Gujarat-5, Kolkata-1, UP-2, Bihar-1, Rajasthan-1, Maharashtra-1).

Over 10,000 citizens visit the PSKs daily across India.

Over 12,000 average calls are handled daily by PSK call centres to guide citizens.

PSK call centres support 9 languages, which will be ramped up to 17 languages.

Process integration with police departments (address verification) and the Indian postal services (delivery of passports).

The key benefits of PSK services for citizens include:

On-line application submission, including uploading of required documents.

Scheduling appointments at a fixed time and end-to-end tracking of the application.

Priority service for senior citizens and a special area for mothers accompanied by children.

Biometric data and photographs taken in a highly secure environment.

Citizens leave the PSK with certainty on the status of their application.

Expedited police verification through electronic linkage between PSK and police stations.

Transparency in the process and online real-time availability of data for ease of monitoring and decision-making.