- NEW DELHI — India on Tuesday officially launched in 13 cities the first phase
of its next-generation e-passport initiative, combining advanced electronic
technology with the traditional paper passport format to enhance identity
verification and strengthen travel document security.
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- According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), this
project began under a pilot phase in conjunction with the Passport Seva
Programme (PSP) Version 2.0, which was initiated in April last year.
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- The MEA confirmed that this is the first stage of a
nationwide implementation expected to reach all Passport Seva Kendras across
the country by mid-2025.
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- The e-passports are currently being issued in several
cities, including Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Goa, Shimla, Raipur, Amritsar,
Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Surat, Ranchi, and Delhi.
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- Tamil Nadu, notably, began issuing e-passports on March
3, 2025, at the Chennai Regional Passport Office. By March 22, 2025, the state
had already issued 20,729 e-passports.
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- These high-tech passports are distinctly identifiable
from regular ones, featuring a gold-coloured symbol printed below the front
cover.
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- Internally, they include an embedded Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) chip and antenna within the inlay.
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- The integration of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a
critical aspect, ensuring secure storage of biometric and personal data while
verifying its accuracy and authenticity.
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- The MEA highlighted that one of the primary advantages of
e-passports lies in their enhanced data protection capabilities.
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- This advanced technology helps preserve the integrity of
the holder's information, significantly reducing the risk of tampering or
identity forgery.
