India soon to issue chip based e-passports

Jan. 9: TCS on Friday secured the Rs.6,000 crore deal for the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme, including the launch of e-passports likely within a few months. Up till now, passports are issued in the form of personalised printed booklets. The development was confirmed by MEA Secretary Sanjay Bhattacharya in a tweet. The personal details of the applicants would be digitally signed and stored in the chip, embedded in the passport booklet.

The e-passport will be in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. The chip on the e-passport will restrict the unauthorised transfer of data through radio-frequency identification (RFID). The e-passport will also deter identity theft and forgery.

India 🇮🇳 to soon introduce next-gen #ePassport for citizens

– secure #biometric data
– smooth passage through #immigration posts globally
– @icao compliant
– produced at India Security Press, Nashik
– #eGovernance @passportsevamea @MEAIndia #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/tmMjhvvb9W

— Sanjay Bhattacharyya (@SecySanjay) January 5, 2022

It needs mention here that India has already issued 20,000 official and diplomatic e-passports having chips embedded in them on a trial basis. The first of these passports was issued to former President Prathiba Patil in 2008. Further features of this passport are being worked on by the Indian Security Press in Nasik.

In India, there is a network of 555 Passport Kendras which includes 36 Passport Offices, 93 Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and 426 Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK). In August 2020, the government said that all 36 passport offices in India would issue e-passports after the components of the personalisation system are inducted in the existing issuance system.