Udit Agarwal
Plans have been made to issue e-passports with the advanced security features which inlcudes the chip storing all the personal details of an applicant that is embedded in the physical passport booklet, according to the report which has been revealed by the government.
In a written letter in the Rajya Sabha Minister of State for the External Affairs V revealed in case anyone tempers with the chip, the system shall even be able to identify it result in the failure of the passport authentication.
The government has already given its approval for the procurement of electronic contactless inlays for the manufacturing of e-passports to the Indian Security press Nasik.
With respect to that, ISP Nasik has been contracted to float a global three-stage tender for the procurement of the International Civil Aviation Organization compliant electronic contactless inlays along with its Operating system which is even required for the manufacture of the e-passports, the government said.
The manufacture of the e-passports will start on the successful completion of the tendering and procurement process by the ISP Nasik. On answering to another question on whether Passport Seva project has been issuing once crore of passports every year, the minister replied “Yes. The ministry issued more than 1.12 crore passports in 2018 and 1.08 crore passports in 2017 in India.”
