Indian embassy introduces machine-readable passport Gulf Times /12 May, 2008 The ambassador, flanked by Goel (left) and Sanjiv Kohli, explaining the features of the new machine-readable passport. Right: A sample of the new passport By Arvind Nair THE INDIAN embassy in Doha has introduced machine readable passports (MRPs) in consonance with the guidelines issued by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Announcing this yesterday, Ambassador George Joseph said the new documents, which are machine-printed and machine-readable, would eventually quicken delivery of consular services at the embassy. Initially, the new system will help the embassy maintain the current schedule of service delivery though the population of Indians has ballooned to 310,000. This effectively means that the chancery is servicing a community of 400,000 people if the visitors are also included, he said. The new booklet conforms to the international specifications. The new e-passports will make it easy for travellers to get easy clearance at immigration counters across the world, the ambassador pointed out. Application form for the new passport is different from the old ones. The photographs should have a light background, not white or black, and they should not be signed across, unlike in the past. The signature should be on the front page. Those who hold hand-written passports have until 2014 to get the new document. There is no need for people to scramble to the embassy to get the new passport, the ambassador said. In most cases, one can wait until the expiry of the current book. Foreigners who apply for an Indian visa should possess a passport which has a validity of at least six months. The computerisation project was carried out by a three-man team from the National Informatics Centre from India. The system was introduced on May 6, said consular attaché Viswanath Goel. Once the transition problems are over, the embassy would be able to deliver more passports and reduce the waiting time, he hoped. At present, it takes five working days to issue a new passport and this schedule would be maintained for now, he said. He said the new system was part of Indian governments policy of introducing e-governance. The passports security zone has additional features. It has a reduced risk of forgery since the photograph is scanned, not pasted as in the past. The passports are largely error-free and more elegant, Goel added. The entire data on the passport will be uploaded to the government system and this would make it easy to seek other government services. At the embassy, checking the application and receiving it would take place at the same counter. This should cut down the waiting time, the officials said. Yesterday, the ambassador distributed letters of appreciation to the computerisation team of Om Prakash, T A Jojo and Ajay Katoch. He introduced Sanjiv Kohli, minister-political and commercial, who joined the embassy recently. Meanwhile, T R Meena has been made the labour attaché at the embassy. He will be responsible for all labour-related matters. He may be contacted on 5572871 to seek any assistance. Answering a question, the ambassador said the embassy had no plans to outsource its services. - Forwarded by www.goa-world.com
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