Writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar has criticized the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for stating that a passport is not a proof of citizenship but a travel document.
In a post on social media platform X, Akhtar questioned whether the authorities were issuing passports without being convinced that the person was an Indian citizen.
The MEA officials had said that a passport is a travel document, not a document of citizenship, while highlighting measures incorporated into new chip-based e-passports, such as biometric data, to boost global acceptance and reduce the risk of fraud.
Since the introduction of chip-based e-passports last year, 14.7 million have been issued, accounting for about 10% of the total passports.
The e-passports offer heightened security and significantly reduce the scope for unauthorized access or tampering of data, as well as the possibility of obtaining the document through fraudulent means.
