Budget 2022: E-passports with embedded chips to be rolled out this year
E-passports will be embedded with a microprocessor chip which will have all the biometric information of the passport holder.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 1 Feb 2022 7:46 AM GMT
Hyderabad: E-passports (electronic or biometric passports) with embedded chips will be issued in the financial year 2022-23 to enhance convenience for citizens, announced Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2022 on Tuesday. Currently, India issues passports in printed booklet format.
Following the announcement, the Ministry of Tourism tweeted," Issuance of E-passports using embedded chips and futuristic technology will be rolled out in 2022-23 for convenience of overseas travellers and to enhance international tourism growth in the country."
E-passports will be embedded with a microprocessor chip which will have all the biometric information of the passport holder.
The e-passports will help secure biometric data and also enable smoother passage through emigration counters across the world. It is also expected to prevent the forgery of passports.
The e-passports, proposed to comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines, will be produced at the Indian Security Press in Nashik in Maharashtra. The application process for e-passports will remain the same.
The first e-passport was issued to President Pratibha Patel in 2008 in India. On a trial basis, India had issued 20,000 official and diplomatic e-passports.
