The External Affairs Committee of Parliament, which will begin a two-day tour of the State from Monday, will hold an evaluation of the functioning of the Regional Passport office and the office of the Protector of Immigrants.
The committee, headed by former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, will hold discussions with the representatives of Ministry of External Affairs, Regional Passport Office, Police, Postal and Central Public Works Department officials, agencies that are involved in the implementation of the Passport Seva Project, the Protector of Immigrants and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs as part of its evaluation exercises.
The meeting assumes importance in the backdrop of the recent spate of foreign recruitment rackets that were exposed in recent times. The State has also been witnessing delay in the issue of passport to applications for the want of sufficient passport books. A statement issued by Mr. Tharoor’s office said the panel has 14 members, including Jose K. Mani, KC(M) MP. The liaison officer for the visit is Varghese Daniel, Superintendent – 0471-2460132, 94471016891. The contact person for the panel is Dr. Ram Raj Rai, Director, Lok Sabha secretariat Mob: 09868109777.
