MEA rendered 16.5 mn passport related services in 2023: S Jaishankar

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rendered 1.65 crore passport-related services to citizens in 2023, registering an annual growth of nearly 15 per cent.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said this while commending the personnel for efficient passport-related service delivery.

The MEA commemorated the 12th Passport Seva Divas on Monday to mark the enactment of the Passports Act on June 24, 1967.

Coinciding with this, a three-day Regional Passport Officers (RPO) conference was organised in Delhi.

"I am happy to note that in 2023, the ministry rendered 1.65 crore passport-related services to our citizens," Jaishankar said in a message to the conference.

"The year 2023 noticed a commendable annual growth of nearly 15 per cent in passport and other related services," the minister said.

The monthly submission of applications crossed the 14 lakh mark in 2023, he said.

The external affairs minister also underlined the need for leveraging the power of the latest technologies to