Passport Seva Kendra needed in every district: Jaishankar

There should be at least one Passport Seva Kendra in every district, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

He was speaking after inaugurating a Passport Seva Kendra at Rajpipla in Narmada district of Gujarat.

He also said the district will attract tourists from all over the world due to the Statue of Unity -- the gigantic statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel -- which will also open up opportunities for locals to go abroad.

The 182-metre tall world's tallest statue is located 25 km from Rajpipla.

"Being foreign minister, I believe there should be at least one Passport Seva Kendra in every Lok Sabha constituency, or rather in every district," said Jaishankar, who was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.

"This is the first centre I have inaugurated after becoming foreign minister," he noted.

"The Statue of Unity is being talked about all over the country, and even non-resident Indians, who number more than 300 lakh, will certainly visit this place.

"The Statue of Unity will change your future. When world comes to you, you will also go abroad," he said.

The former career diplomat also lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the changes in the country in the last five years.

"Experience of people like us (who have spent a long time outside India) is different. I would say we are more objective when comparing the country's present to its past. The changes that I have seen in the last five years are something I have not seen in my entire life time," he said.

"People trust Modi because he has, in a way, become a symbol of change, and the youth feel this more," the Union minister said.

During his two-day visit to the Narmada district -- of which he has been made in-charge minister -- Jaishankar on Saturday visited Malsamot village in predominantly-tribal Dediapada tehsil. He will be visiting the Statue of Unity on Sunday.