MEA to introduce Bio-metric Passports: Pranab

Chennai, Dec 22: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will introduce Bio-metric Passports to safeguard against forgery and prevent the holding of more than one passport in different names, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced today.

Inaugurating the Passport Officer's Conference here, he said the bio-metric passports would have a micro-processor-based digital storage device that would prevent tampering and would be much safer against forgeries.

The digital storage device would be embedded with the usual information about the passport and its holder and would also have certain biometric features of the holder, like finger prints, imprinted on it, he added.

''We hope to convert all diplomatic and official passports into biometric passports in 2007 as a pilot project. Based on this experience, all ordinary passports will also be converted into biometric passports in the coming years,'' he added.

The rising international profile and India's growing economy had led to phenomenal growth in Indians travelling abroad, which in turn had resulted in rapid increase in issuance and re-issuance of passports, Mr Pranab said and added that over 35 lakh passports were issued in 2005 and it had crossed 38 lakhs this year.

Mr Mukherjee also announced opening up of a branch office of the MEA in Chennai on the lines of Kolkatta and Hyderabad. A proposal in this regard was sent by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

''The Branch Secretariat of MEA will become operational soon'', he said.

To a question, Mr Mukharjee said some of the work of the passport offices would be outsourced. However, the areas of work would be decided later.

UNI

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