Bhubaneswar, Dec. 26: The ministry of external affairs, in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services, has started a new student connect initiative under its Passport Seva Project for students who aim to go abroad for higher studies.

The initiative will enable these students to get their passports in a much simpler manner.

According to the plan, officers from the Regional Passport Office would set up special camps at institutes if there were sufficient number of students interested in applying for a passport or hold melas at the nearest Passport Seva Kendras. "If required, students will be felicitated by allotting special time slots for walk-in processing of applications," Passport Seva Project joint secretary Arun K. Chatterjee said.

With the admission season round the corner for universities outside India, the ministry anticipates a surge in the number of applications in the current quarter, as passports are mandatory for students planning to study abroad. Although passports are an essential travel document and applying for one is a must before students plan for studies abroad, it is often considered to be a lengthy process with too many hassles and middlemen.

"I tired to apply for a passport twice last year. On the first occasion, I was duped by an agent and lost Rs 500. The second time, I returned without filing the application after seeing the crowd outside the office," said Saroj Parida, a student.

"There is a lack of awareness among students about how streamlined the application process has become in the past few years. The officials must make efforts to reach out to all institutions and create awareness," said Hrusikesh Mishra, a senior faculty member.