The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that a passport is a travel document, not a proof of citizenship. Officials from the MEA stated this while highlighting the security measures incorporated into new chip-based e-passports, such as biometric data, to boost global acceptance and reduce the risk of fraud.
The MEA will organize a two-day Human Resource Mobility Forum next week to highlight legal pathways for migration and facilitate networking between foreign employers and Indian nationals seeking jobs abroad.
Since the introduction of chip-based e-passports last year, a total of 14.7 million e-passports 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.
The MEA is working with the labour and education ministries to organize the Human Resource Mobility Forum, which will focus on countries such as Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia.
Efforts are also underway to expand the number of countries offering visa-free travel or visa-on-arrival services to Indian nationals and to improve the functioning of Passport Seva Kendras and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras.
Currently, 27 countries offer visa-free travel for Indians, up from 16 in 2019, while 47 countries offer visa-on-arrival services, up from 38 in 2019. Sixty-six countries offer e-visas to Indians.
