To ensure a smooth immigration process, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is expected to introduce new chip-based passports by the end of the year, The Economic Times reported.
e-Passport is part of the Government of India’s Passport Seva Project which was launched in 2008 to digitize the passport space and provide online services. The second phase of the project went to TCS, which will introduce e-passports.
According to Tej Bhatla, head of TCS’ public sector business unit, the Ministry of External Affairs is “looking at a launch timeline within this year and we are working in that direction.” He said that the new passports will be based on chips while the passports currently in circulation will be renewed.
Reportedly, the e-passports will be based on secure biometric data which will ensure smooth immigration process globally. It will be ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) compliant and will be introduced to prevent counterfeiting in the immigration process.
The chip embedded in the passport will store biographical data and will have a digital security feature. Each chip will have a unique digital signature for each country that can be verified using their certificates.
While companies globally are grappling with semiconductor chip shortages, Bhatla said this is unlikely to impact the e-passport project. “I think the demand is going to spread to a large extent and the government has already achieved whatever it needs for the next few months. We are in a relatively good position from the e-passport perspective,” said Bhatla.
Bhatla shared that the company is setting up new data centers for the project, while the existing two centers will be refreshed. “Therefore, we have a lot of dependence on some of the hardware coming from outside the country,” Bhatla said.
TCS plans to refresh its facilities and systems including hardware and develop new solutions for the e-passport project. It aims to improve the user experience through the use of chatbots, auto-response and biometrics.
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