Budget 2022: Finance Minister pitches for e-passports

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the Union Budget 2022, said that e-passports will soon be issued that will use the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and biometrics to verify the identity of the people and will be an upgrade from the traditional printed passports.

The e-passport aims to make it more sturdy in terms of security and ensure smooth passage through immigration posts globally.  

Sanjay Bhattacharya, Secretary, Ministry of External affairs has mentioned that India would get an e-passport with secure biometric data and that it will be in tune with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).  

The chip in the e-Passport will be embedded that will contain significant data related to the passport holder such as name, biometric data and other information. As of now, India issues passports in printed booklets.  

In case of malicious intentions of tampering with the chip, the system will take cognizance and result in the failure of the authentication of the passport.  

Bhattacharya revealed that the e-passports will be manufactured at India Security Press (ISP), Nashik.   

Issuance of e-passport will start on the completion of the procurement process by ISP, Nasik.  

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar had earlier stated that the government is exploring feasibility with the ISP regarding the applicability of the project.  

“We propose to pursue the manufacture of e-passports on priority so that a new passport booklet with advanced security features can be rolled out in the near future,” Jaishankar had said.