TCS receives Rs1,000-crore contract for taking passport issuance process online

16 October 2008

New Delhi: The government announced the award of a Rs1,000 crore contract to Tata Consultancy Services on Monday aimed at bringing the entire passport issuance process online. With the process being digitalised passports would now be issued in just three days, once police verification was complete.

Government sources said the project would be rolled out countrywide gradually, with Bangalore and Chandigarh being the first cities to benefit with pilot programmes starting June next. The programme is expected to be complete by January 2010.

Passports under the Tatkal (instant) scheme would be delivered in just one day.

The number of passport counters would also be increased from 345 to 1,250, said official sources.

This is the latest initiative by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to simplify issuance of passports. It had earlier raised the fees for various services, reduced the number of requirements, simplified the application form, enabled online tracking of passports and permitted select police stations to accept application forms.

''The sovereign and fiduciary function of granting and issuing passport remains with the MEA and TCS will be our technology and operations partner in this project,'' said foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon.