Shillong gets passport office

SHILLONG : External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said India is the third-largest passport issuing country in the world after China and the US.
“The country accounts for 14% passport issuance in the world, with over 5.7 crore passport-holders,” Sushma said, while inaugurating a Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) here. She gave a recorded speech as her helicopter could not land in the city due to inclement weather.
While Guwahati has a PSK, Aizawl has a mini PSK. The government is planning to set up mini PSKs in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim by early 2015, she added.
With Swaraj being unable to land, Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma inaugurated the PSK at Lower Lachumiere here. The passport office will spare people from having to go to Guwahati to get their passports.
“The opening of the office is significant as it coincides with the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,” Mukul said.