Himdarshan Samachar

Shimla Leads the Nation in E-Passport Services
Shimla: Under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Advanced Passport Seva Programme (PSP 2.0), the Regional Passport Office in Shimla has emerged as the top performer in implementing the e-passport system across India. In April 2024, the central government launched the pilot phase of e-passport services in 12 selected cities including Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Goa, Raipur, Amritsar, Shimla, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, and Ranchi.
Among all, Shimla excelled in performance and became the leading center in issuing e-passports nationwide. Recognizing its outstanding performance, the Regional Passport Office in Shimla received the prestigious Passport Seva Award and a certificate of appreciation during the 13th Passport Seva Divas (2024–25) celebrations.
Regional Passport Officer Varun Kumar Sharma congratulated the team and stated that residents of Himachal Pradesh are now receiving secure, fast, and modern e-passport services.
What is an E-Passport?
An e-passport is a modern and secure travel document embedded with an RFID chip. This chip stores the holder’s personal and biometric data, improving security and speeding up international travel while minimizing the chances of forgery.