Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh and Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Wednesday inaugurated a post office passport seva kendra (POPSK) here, expanding passport services closer to people in the remote district and adjoining areas.
The POPSK, established by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Department of Posts at the sub-post office, Kargil, is the second passport seva kendra in Ladakh after Leh and the 457th POPSK in the country, officials said. The facility fulfils a long-pending demand of Kargil residents, who earlier had to travel to Leh and Srinagar for passport-related services, officials said.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts for fulfilling the long-pending aspiration of the people of Kargil.
Speaking at the inauguration, Saxena said the new centre is another step towards ensuring last-mile delivery of citizen-centric services in Ladakh and bringing essential government services closer to people in remote and geographically challenging areas. Singh said the establishment of POPSK Kargil was part of the government’s continued efforts to expand passport services to remote and underserved areas and make them more accessible, efficient and citizen-friendly. He said the initiative, being implemented under the leadership of PM Modi and the guidance of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, is aimed at making passport services more accessible and citizen-centric.
Its establishment is expected to reduce the time, travel and expenditure involved in obtaining passports and particularly benefit people travelling abroad for education and employment as well as those undertaking Haj and Umrah pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, they said.
