If you have retired from a Public Sector Undertaking and intend to get a new passport or renew your existing passport, you will do well to read this post.
I have retired from a Public Sector Bank and proceeded to renew my passport which would be expiring within one year. So I set out to fill out the online application form. One of the items in the form is 'Employment'. Options include PSB, Government Service and Retired Government servant. However there is no option for Retired PSB employees. First I thought of ticking the option 'Others.' But thinking that it will not be entirely correct to do so, I ticked 'PSB'. In the details column I wrote 'Retired from Bank ......"
At the counter for obtaining a token at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), I was told that since I have chosen employment type as 'PSB', I must produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the employer. I pointed out that I am retired and hence this requirement does not apply to me. I was asked to write an application and get APO's permission to change the employment type. APO was quite considerate and okayed my application. I proceeded to the processing area. I explained the situation to the official. He said that he did not have the power to change my occupation. And with the existing PSB entry the document would not move ahead until a NOC was uploaded in the system. So he scanned my application that was okayed by the APO and uploaded it as the NOC. Then he put some remarks on the file and asked me to explain the situation to the person at level 2 who was to handle my file next. The next person told me that he has enabled the option to change my occupation and I was to go back to a level one functionary.
Back at level one, I was asked if I would prefer Retired Government Servant as my occupation: after all PSU and government are not very different! I asked a counter question, "Will any documents be required if I do so?" The answer was in the affirmative. A copy of the PPO would be required. So I requested the person at the counter to change it to Other. She did so and I went back to level 2. level 2 official confirmed the change and asked me to proceed to level 3 where the change was to be authenticated and the processing completed. At level three I was told that somehow the system was not accepting the authentication. I ran back and forth between the levels and was ultimately directed to a person who was considered an expert.
The reason system was misbehaving was elementary! Though the employment type had been changed to Other, the NOC upload had not been deleted! He helped the level 2 person to delete it and the change could finally be effected in the system at level 3.
The final receipt given to me still says that NOC is required! However I have been assured that it will go through. I checked the status of my passport online and it confirms that the matter is moving ahead.
The morale of the story is that as far as Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is concerned there is nothing like a retired PSU employee, you are just one of the 'others.'
Incidentally, my wife, who is a housewife and hence had mentioned her occupation as 'Other', sailed through the three levels without any hurdles.
I have retired from a Public Sector Bank and proceeded to renew my passport which would be expiring within one year. So I set out to fill out the online application form. One of the items in the form is 'Employment'. Options include PSB, Government Service and Retired Government servant. However there is no option for Retired PSB employees. First I thought of ticking the option 'Others.' But thinking that it will not be entirely correct to do so, I ticked 'PSB'. In the details column I wrote 'Retired from Bank ......"
At the counter for obtaining a token at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK), I was told that since I have chosen employment type as 'PSB', I must produce a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the employer. I pointed out that I am retired and hence this requirement does not apply to me. I was asked to write an application and get APO's permission to change the employment type. APO was quite considerate and okayed my application. I proceeded to the processing area. I explained the situation to the official. He said that he did not have the power to change my occupation. And with the existing PSB entry the document would not move ahead until a NOC was uploaded in the system. So he scanned my application that was okayed by the APO and uploaded it as the NOC. Then he put some remarks on the file and asked me to explain the situation to the person at level 2 who was to handle my file next. The next person told me that he has enabled the option to change my occupation and I was to go back to a level one functionary.
Back at level one, I was asked if I would prefer Retired Government Servant as my occupation: after all PSU and government are not very different! I asked a counter question, "Will any documents be required if I do so?" The answer was in the affirmative. A copy of the PPO would be required. So I requested the person at the counter to change it to Other. She did so and I went back to level 2. level 2 official confirmed the change and asked me to proceed to level 3 where the change was to be authenticated and the processing completed. At level three I was told that somehow the system was not accepting the authentication. I ran back and forth between the levels and was ultimately directed to a person who was considered an expert.
The reason system was misbehaving was elementary! Though the employment type had been changed to Other, the NOC upload had not been deleted! He helped the level 2 person to delete it and the change could finally be effected in the system at level 3.
The final receipt given to me still says that NOC is required! However I have been assured that it will go through. I checked the status of my passport online and it confirms that the matter is moving ahead.
The morale of the story is that as far as Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is concerned there is nothing like a retired PSU employee, you are just one of the 'others.'
Incidentally, my wife, who is a housewife and hence had mentioned her occupation as 'Other', sailed through the three levels without any hurdles.
