Nearly 1.37 crore passports were issued in India in the year 2023, which is about 37,700 per day, News18 reported on February 24, citing data from the Ministry of External Affairs. Kerala and Maharashtra emerged as the biggest contributors to this number.
Of the total passports issued last year, nearly half were from five states -- Kerala (15.47 lakh), Maharashtra (15.10 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (13.68 lakh), Tamil Nadu (11.47 lakh) and Punjab (11.94 lakh), the report added.
In the year 2022, about 1.17 crore passports were issued in the country while the number in 2021 stood at over 73 lakhs.
The report further revealed that a number of factors have contributed to the increase in passport issuances in India, with one of them being the ease of getting passports.
Citing ministry data, it said that in 2015, the average passport issuance time was 21 days. This reduced to just six days in 2023, which has been a key growth driver in passport issuance.
Nearly two lakh passports were issued in the country last week and almost a similar number of requests were reportedly received.
About 11 lakh passports were issued in India in the month of January, the report further stated.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is responsible for issuance of passports to Indian citizens.
The Centre, under Passports Act 1967, issues different types of passports — ordinary, diplomatic, official, emergency certificate and certificate of identity for the purpose.
During the last few years, the growing economy and spreading globalisation have led to an increased demand for passport and related services in India. This increasing demand for passports and related services is coming from both large cities and smaller towns.
Meanwhile, the strength of Indian passport moved up from 87th place in 2022 to 80th in 2023. At 80th, the other two countries along with India are Senegal and Togo, news agency ANI reported citing a report by Henley and Partners.
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