The Hindu : New Delhi News : Passport employees caution Govt. against outsourcing

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Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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New Delhi

Passport employees caution Govt. against outsourcing

Staff Reporter

‘Government should look toward strengthening the numbers of passport employees’
‘Passport offices have been the fourth largest revenue earners for the Government’

NEW DELHI: The employees of various passport offices across the country have urged the External Affairs Ministry to reconsider outsourcing of services pertaining to issuance of passports. They have pointed out that such an exercise would put national security at risk and also lead to livelihood problems for the employees.

In a letter to the Joint Secretary (Chief Passport Officer and Visa), MEA, the All-India Passport Employees’ Association has argued that liberalisation of passport issuing procedures -- which would not require prior police verification and involve private players -- might make it easy for the people in general to get passports, but anti-social elements might take undue advantage of the facility and enhance the risk for national security.

The Association has also argued that instead of outsourcing a major chunk of the passport procedure, the Government should look toward strengthening the numbers of passport employees and also provide them with new technology so that their efficiency is enhanced.

Citing figures from 2002 to 2007, the letter said there were 1,829 employees in 2000 who were instrumental in issuing 22 lakh passports. While the number of employees remained the same till 2005, the number of passports issued shot up to 35 lakh. In 2006, the number of employees increased to 1,989 and the number of passports issued went up to 44 lakh. However, in 2007, while the number of employees again came down to 1,812, a total of 50 lakh passports have already been issued so far during the year and the number is likely to cross 60 lakh by the year-end.

The Association said that the argument of the Union Finance Ministry that there is no money to support a large staff was surprising as the passport offices have been the fourth largest revenue earners for the Government.

Association president Mahesh Mishra has suggested in the letter that instead of closing passport offices for the public, the Government should allow them to continue and ensure competition with the private players, who would otherwise establish a monopoly.

Further, it has been suggested that the Group “C” subordinates, supporting and non-gazetted government employees should not be forced to own responsibility for the work done by private vendors.

It has also been suggested by the Association that the technology that is going to be provided to the proposed private vendors should be first given to the Government employees.

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