TCS Joins Forces With Govt Of India To Roll Our Chip-Based Passports: India’s Biggest E-Governance Project!

In a revolutionary move, Tata Consultancy Services is now introducing chip based electronic passports.

TCS plans to introduce them by the end of the year. 

Lets find out more about the e-passport by TCS!

TCS To Launch E-Passport; Will Set Up New Command Centre

TCS will be launching a new command and control centre with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with a new data centre. These will support any backend requirements of the e-passport. 

The ministry has recently renewed its PSK deal of 10 years with TCS for more than Rs. 6000 crores, and the e-passport project will be a part of the second phase. 

This passport project is India’s largest ever mission-critical e-governance programme. 

What Is E-Passport?

An e-passport looks like a regular passport, with the exception of a electronic chip. A small electronic chip will be fitted on the passport, similar to the driver’s license. Your name, date of birth, address, and other facts are all stored on the microchip along with other information that is listed on your passport.

The microchip will make it easier for immigration authorities to immediately check a traveler’s information. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and antenna are integrated as an inlay in the back cover of the e-passport. The data page of the passport contains important information that is also saved in the chip. 

The critical information of the passport will be printed on its data page and will also be stored in the chip. 

The main intention of the chip is to reduce the circulation of fake passports, enhance the security of passports, eliminate duplication and data tampering. They will also help improve the level of identity verification. 

E-Passport Will Be Launched By Year End

Together with the Ministry of External Affairs, TCS is establishing a new command and control centre (MEA). The current version of the passport command centre is being operated out of the TCS offices, but the Passport 2.0 version will set up a single joint command centre at the MEA offices.

The company also intends to construct new solutions for the issue of e-passports and upgrade existing facilities (PSKs) and systems (including hardware). Introducing tools like biometrics, chatbots, and auto-response, among others, is part of this.

A TCS official has confirmed that the ministry of external affairs will launch the passport within this year.