MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh and L-G VK Saxena inaugurate Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in Kargil.

MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh and L-G VK Saxena inaugurate Post Office Passport Seva Kendra in Kargil.
Step aimed at bringing passport services closer to people; L-G says long-pending demand of people of Kargil fulfilled.
Kargil, September 2: Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh and Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, today inaugurated the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at Kargil, marking a significant step towards bringing passport services closer to the people of the 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 the POPSK at Leh, which has been functioning since 2017. It is also the 457th POPSK in the country.
The facility addresses a long-standing demand of the people of Kargil, who earlier had to travel long distances to Leh and Srinagar to access passport-related services. The opening of POPSK Kargil marks another important milestone in strengthening decentralised public service delivery in Ladakh, ensuring that citizens can access essential government services closer to their homes. The new centre will substantially reduce the time, travel and expenditure involved in obtaining passport services, particularly benefiting residents of Kargil and adjoining areas.
The facility is expected to be particularly useful for people who require passports for Haj and Umrah pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia and other countries, apart from those travelling abroad for education and job purposes.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor said the inauguration of POPSK Kargil is another important step towards ensuring last-mile delivery of citizen-centric services in Ladakh. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Posts for fulfilling the long-pending aspiration of the people of Kargil.
L-G Shri Saxena said that bringing essential services closer to citizens is central to the Government’s vision of “Ease of Living”, particularly in the remote and geographically challenging regions such as Ladakh. He expressed confidence that the new facility would provide people with fair, efficient, transparent and hassle-free passport services. He also appreciated MoS Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh for visiting Kargil and for the support extended by the Ministry of External Affairs in establishing the POPSK.
Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, in his address, said the establishment of POPSK Kargil is 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 Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of Hon’ble External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, aims to make passport services more accessible, citizen-centric and efficient.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Shri Mohmad Haneefa, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Ladakh; Dr. Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil; besides senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Post and the UT Administration.