New Delhi, June 26: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday launched the mPassportSeva Mobile App along with a new scheme by which an applicant can apply for passport from anywhere in the country, an official statement said.

The mPassport Seva App, released on the occasion of the Sixth Passport Seva Divas, is available in Android and iOS platforms and will have the facilities to apply, pay and schedule appointments for passport services. 

"With the launch of this mPassport Seva App, citizens would not require access to a computer and printer to apply for passport services," it said.

The new app will support services such as new user registration; signing in to registered user account; application form filing to apply for passport and police clearance certificate; paying for passport services; appointment scheduling; application availability status; document advisor; and fee calculator.

The Ministry said its other new scheme allows applicants to choose the Regional Passport Office (RPO) and thus the desired Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) where they wish to submit their application irrespective of whether the present residential address specified in the application form lies within the jurisdiction of the selected RPO or not. 

"The police verification, if required for a specific passport, would be conducted at the address specified in the application form. The passport will be printed and despatched by the RPO selected for application submission by the applicant," it said.

This initiative is expected to benefit the applicants who are unable to apply at a PSK or POPSK near their ordinary place of residence, it said.

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Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.

The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.

Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.

The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.