E-Passports To Be Introduced Soon: Jaishankar
New Delhi, Feb 4: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday said the government will soon introduce chip based e-passports, and the process for inviting tenders for the chips is on.
Replying to supplementary questions in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said: “Entire world is now moving to chip based passports. We have already started the process… We have issued letters of intent to get the chips.
“Once we award the contract, which will take some time, within six months we will be able to issue passports with chips,” he said, adding this would be done “within this financial year”.
Congress member Shashi Tharoor warned that the chips can be skimmed and data stolen from the passport. Jaishankar said the government was aware of the concern and it will ensure that the chips were safe.
“We are very aware of the danger. We will ensure that the chips are such that unless you hand it over, the data will not be transferred. Unless we are sure of the safety we will not go ahead,” he said.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Union Budget that E-passports will be launched in India in 2022-23.
