In a bid to ensure a smooth immigration process, the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is expected to introduce new chip-based passports by the end of the year
The e-passport is part of the Indian government’s Passport Seva Project which was launched in 2008 to digitize the passport space and provide online services.
The second phase of the project was bagged by TCS who will be rolling out the e-passports.
According to Tej Bhatla, head of TCS’s public sector business unit, the Ministry of External Affairs is “looking at a launch timeline within this year
He added that the new passports will be based on chips while the existing passports currently in circulation will be renewed.
Reportedly, the e-passports will be based on secure biometric data that would ensure smooth immigration process globally.
It will be ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) compliant and will be introduced to curb forgery in the immigration process.
The chip embedded in the passport will store the biographical data and has a digital security feature.