You have to pay more for passport from Oct 1

September 29, 2012

Mangalore, September 29: The Ministry for External Affairs (MEA) has increased the cost of passport and related services, with effect from October 1.

The move will increase the cost of obtaining a regular passport by Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. A release by the MEA stated that costs related to expenditure, procurement of equipment, reimbursement to police authorities, payment to India Posts, printing of passport booklets, personalisation costs, IT?expenses and contractual payment to service providers had all increased in the last ten years, necessitating an increase in the fee. The last revision of fees was in 2002, when the passport fee was increased to Rs 1,000 from Rs 300 for a normal application.

Accordingly, the rates from October 1 will be Rs 1,500 for normal applications, Rs 3,500 for tatkal applications and Rs 1,000 for minor applications. The fee for police clearance certificate has been increased to Rs 500 from Rs 300.

Though the new fee will come into effect from the next working day (Monday, October 1), the website: www.passportindia.gov.in has not revised the rates for the passport in its fee calculator link. Applicants no longer have the option of walking to the Passport Office to apply, but have to apply and take appointments through the website.

The ministry in the last few years has changed the way passport services have been delivered. Under the Passport Seva Project, the?ministry has set up 77 Passport Seva Kendras, to process passport applications. In the last few months, the ministry has started to make services more friendly after complaints from people about inability to get appointments and lack of proper guidance at the Kendras.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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