Digital Passports/e-Passports in India
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Digital Passports/e-Passports in India
April 01, 2022
Hon’ble Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced the Union Budget on 1st February 2022. The budget reflected India’s focus on the technology sector and how it will play a pivotal role in scaling the Indian IT sector and advance the infrastructural vision.
In the ambitious list of initiatives that India will be focusing on, the e-passport or digital passport is an exciting one.
An e-passport possesses an electronic chip in its jacket that contains all the information that is usually printed on the traditional passport’s information/data page. The passport holder’s name, age, date of birth, and other biographic data can be stored in this chip. It also contains an advanced biometric identifier to facilitate smooth passage through immigration checks.
- These passports will be using radio frequency identification technology to add more advanced security features to it
- Digital data of an individual will be digitally signed and then encoded in the chip that will be embedded in the passport
- Any kind of tampering with the chip might result in the cancellation of the passport authentication
As India is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to commemorate 75 years of independence, India’s focus on these diverse IT services and emerging technologies will play a major role in shaping up the future of the country for the Amrit Kaal (India@100). This will pave the way for an e-driven country, shaping a future that will flow along the lines of technology and innovations.