Explained | India headed for e-passports: Government plans ambitious expansion of digital network and passport offices
The Hindu
It will lead to faster delivery of passports and enable verification of applicants and quick tracing in case of emergency situations
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on January 7 signed an agreement for the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP), one of the several Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) of the Government of India. It will facilitate the next phase of the PSP termed PSP-V2.0. The $1-billion agreement will focus on faster delivery of passports to the citizens and create a more effective integration between various wings of the government like the MEA and the local police network that can work in harmony for verification of applicants and quick tracing in case of emergency situations.
The passport application and processing involves manual sections which are expected to go digital. The MEA said the PSP-V2.0 is a “continuation and enhancement” of PSP-V1.0. It said the aim is to create a digital platform that would be “transparent, more accessible and reliable” and that it would be backed by a trained workforce. This will create a state-of-the-art digital ecosystem, overhaul processes and integrate various wings of the government involved in issuance of passports. The issue of training of the employees is expected to take some time.
The Tata Consultancy Services according to the MEA will ensure “support functions” like “citizen interface, technology backbone, call centres, training and change management”. The government will exercise “all sovereign and security related functions” in issuing passports. Strategic assets like data centres, data base and the application software will be owned by the government with access controlled through biometrics.