BETTIAH, April 14 -- India Post and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday inaugurated Bihar's 38th Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) at the sub-post office in Ramnagar in Valmiki Nagar constituency of West Champaran district. JD(U) leader and two-time Member of Parliament from Valmiki Nagar constituency, Sunil Mahato, inaugurated the POPSK. The new facility, the 454th in the country, is expected to improve access to passport services in such remote areas by eliminating long-distance travel. Mahato said, "With the opening of Ramnagar POPSK, MEA has demonstrated its commitment to citizen-centric governance by fulfilling the mandate of opening one passport office in every parliamentary constituency in Bihar." When contacted, Brijesh Kumar Saha, sub post master of sub-post office in Ramnagar said that 23 applications were processed on the first day. "The facility would ensure greater convenience and faster processing for applicants in the region. Applicants can apply for fresh passports, renew existing ones and avail police clearance certificate (PCC) services from here," he said. Sarfaraz Ansari, an electrician and resident of Ramnagar's Dhokharaha village, welcomed the initiative. He recalled how his application was not entertained at the Bettiah-based office as he reached late. "My application was rejected as I could not make it in time. The passport office was so far away and commuting from my native village took longer than expected. I was waiting for this facility's opening," Ansari who aspires to find a job in Gulf countries said....