The External Affairs Ministry and the Department of Posts have agreed to utilise Head Post Offices in various states as the Post Office Passport Seva Kendra for delivering passport related services to the people. Briefing media in New Delhi yesterday, Minister of state for External Affairs, General (Retd.) V K Singh said this is being done in order to extend passport services to the citizens on a larger scale and to ensure wider area coverage. He said the pilot projects will be inaugurated today at Head Post Offices of Mysuru in Karnataka and Dahod in Gujarat. <br/><br/>Applicants, who apply for their passports online through the passport portal, can now schedule an appointment and then visit the designated Post Office Passport Seva Kendra to complete the formalities. He also said the government intends to scale up this programme by opening Post Office Passport Seva Kendras in all the head post offices in a phased manner once the pilot projects are operationalised successfully. Singh spoke in the presence of Minister of State for Telecommunication Manoj Sinha. This is the first time the External Affairs Ministry will share the powers it has under the Passport Act with another Ministry.