Tata Consultancy (News - Alert) Services (TCS), the IT services wing of Tata Group, has signed a deal with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India for the Passport Seva Project (PSP) valued at more than Rs 1,000 crore (approximately $210 million).

 

TCS signed a Master Service Agreement with MEA in New Delhi on Monday.

 

The PSP project, the largest mission critical e-governance project, is launched with an aim to issue new passport to citizens within three working days. Under this project, the passports under the current Tatkal scheme (emergency issuing of passport) will be issued on the same day, subject to the police verification of the applicants.

 

TCS plans to implement the project within a Buy-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) framework. The pilot project will be completed within 19 months. The government plans to roll out the project nationwide within next six years through 77 passport filing centers. TCS takes up end-to-end responsibility of implementing the project.

 

The Passport Seva Project would digitize the entire passport services. Citizens can file applications online. They also have an option of filling the Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR)-enabled form, which along with the relevant documents, will be scanned and submitted at passport facilitation centers (PFCs). The PFCs will be responsible for biometric capture, photograph, payment and verification and grant of passports. If there is no police verification required or if post-issue police verification is required, the passport will be issued within three days.

 

Throughout the process, applicants can track the progress of the application process. Police nodal offices will be facilitated by TCS personnel and the PP Forms will be downloaded there directly eliminating the logistic delay. Additionally a call center will be established to assist applicants regarding the application procedures and status of their passport. Grievances would be tracked and closed.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Shivshankar Menon, foreign secretary, Ministry of External Affairs said, “The Passport Seva Project, based on a public-private partnership model, aims to provide passport-related services to Indian citizens in a speedy, convenient and transparent manner. The sovereign and fiduciary function of granting and issuing passport remains with MEA and TCS will be our technology and operations partner in this project”

 

“We believe that this mission mode project of national importance will make delivery of passport services truly world class in nature,” said S Ramadorai, CEO and managing director, TCS, in a statement. “This project reiterates TCS’ commitment to help government deliver citizen services more efficiently through technology and process improvements and will transform passport service delivery to the citizens of India. ”