Electronic passports embedded with a chip for fool-proof security following norms of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAI) are likely to be rolled out by the year-end or early next year, said Secretary (Consular and Diaspora), Ministry of External Affairs, Ausaf Sayeed.
Mr. Sayeed dismissed the notion about e-passports replacing old passports and said obtaining them was voluntary. The chip will carry the details of the passport holder in electronic form and this would, in all likelihood, put an end to forged passports.
He was speaking to reporters here along with Chief Passport Officer T. Armstrong Changsan, Protector General of Emigrants Bramha Kumar, Regional Passport Officer-Hyderabad Dasari Balaiah, RPO Vishakapatnam Vishwanjali Gaikwad, and RPO Vijayawada D.S.S. Srinivasa Rao.
