Bhopal: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated Country’s First Post Office Passport Seva Kendra at Vidisha on Saturday. Now residents of Raisen, Guna, Ashoknagar, Sagar and Damoh including Vidisha need not come to Bhopal to get passport prepared on beginning of this center. The center will work in the form of Laghu Passport Seva Kandra. Efforts will be made to examine applications beside its approval in a single day itself. Shaikh Sohit and Pawan Soni got their passport made from this office on Saturday.
Chouhan mentioned that Madhya Pradesh is getting such facilities with the cooperation of Union Government which were impossible to think earlier. Passport facilities have been expanded in state by the warm cooperation of Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. He further said that Madhya Pradesh got its first passport office facility when Atal Bihari Bajpai was External Affairs Minister. There was waiting list of 42 days to make passport earlier, which is now reduced to 3 days. Efforts are being made to reduce it further.
Chouhan stated that the construction of Medical College at Vidisha is going on speedily. Also Industrial center is being constructed near Vidisha. He urged the industrialists to establish industries in this area too. He further said that an amount of Rs 270 crore towards relief for hailstorm affected and Rs 306 crore towards insurance claim are being deposited in the bank accounts of farmers of Vidisha district.
The Chief Minister a few days ago participated in the inauguration programme of Passport Laghu Seva Kendra at Indore. Beside this, laghu passport offices will be opened in Jabalpur, Gwalior and Satna. Chouhan extended gratitude towards Post Master General of Madhya Pradesh Haque for arranging necessary facilities to begin passport office in Vidisha.