Govt Of India Selects TCS For e-Passport Project, Again: Project Size $1 Billion?

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has again been appointed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for the next phase of the Passport Seva Programme.

It is the country’s largest mission-critical e-governance programme till date.

Public-Private Partnership

Both entities have a history of public-private partnership for citizen services.

It runs some critical e-governance projects such as Passport Seva Kendra, India Post and IRCTC.

The company had scored a Rs 1,000 crore deal for the first phase from the MEA when the programme launched in 2008.

The company hasn’t disclosed the amount of the renewed deal but estimates peg it at $1 Billion.

Services Rendered In First Phase

The company was responsible for transforming the delivery of passport-related services, digitising the processes, and setting global benchmarks in timeliness, transparency and reliability.

It also expedited the timeline to get passports.

It further improved accessibility by making the service available through designated post offices, Indian missions and posts across the world.

Services To Be Rendered In Second Phase

As part of the renewed contract, TCS will “refresh existing facilities and systems, and develop innovative new solutions to enable the issuance of  e-passports and further enhance the citizen experience”.

It will make use of technologies such as biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, chatbots, auto-response, natural language processing, and the cloud.

The company plays a significant role towards building a Digital India by leading transformation programs of national importance.

Contributions To The Country

Its partnership with MEA over the last decade has set an example for public-private partnership for citizen services.

The company said that the “world-class experience” it delivered has made the service immensely popular and a source of national pride.

Commenting on the renewed deal, business unit head of public sector in TCS Tej Bhatla said that they look forward to “driving further innovations and improving citizen experiences using [their] contextual knowledge and digital technologies”.