Bhopal Passport Office holds training programme for postal staff to strengthen passport services at POPSKs

The programme aimed to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and timeliness of the passport issuance system, as well as to strengthen coordination between the Regional Passport Office and the postal services.

During the session, Regional Passport Officer of Bhopal Shitanshu Chaurasiya provided an overview of the 25 POPSKs operational under the jurisdiction of RPO Bhopal. He highlighted that seven new POPSKs have been inaugurated in the last two years, which is the highest among any Passport Office across the country, a release said.

He further informed that over three lakh passport applications were submitted in 2025, of which approximately 45 percent were processed through POPSKs, underscoring the significant contribution of postal services.

Meanwhile, Chief Postmaster General, Madhya Pradesh Circle, Vineet Mathur, who attended the programme as the Chief Guest, extended greetings to the postal staff for their valuable contribution to delivering passport services to citizens.

He also emphasized the need for regular inspections of POPSKs to ensure their smooth and efficient functioning.

Along with this, awards for outstanding performance in 2025 across various categories of POPSKs were also presented to POPSK Jabalpur, POPSK Dewas, and POPSK Chhindwara on the occasion. Additionally, the Best Customer Service Award was conferred upon POPSK Shahdol.

During the programme, various practical and procedural aspects related to passport applications were discussed in detail. The participating postal officials were briefed on the latest guidelines, online systems, and time-bound processing procedures.

Earlier this week, the Regional Passport Office (RPO) Bhopal launched a comprehensive accessibility initiative to make passport services more inclusive, especially for differently-abled applicants. As part of the effort, passport-related information has been made available in Braille script for the visually impaired along with a series of videos in sign language for speech and hearing-impaired applicants.

Joint Secretary (Passport Seva Programme) and Chief Passport Officer, B S Mubarak inaugurated the initiative in the presence of Regional Passport Officer, Shitanshu Chaurasiya at RPO Bhopal on April 7. (ANI)