The Ministry of External Affairs approved an agreement with Tata Consultancy Services Limited for the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme (PSP), one of the several Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) of the Government of India.
The latest agreement will promote the next phase of the PSP termed PSP-V2.0. The $1 billion agreement will focus on quick delivery of passports to the citizens and create a more effective integration between various wings of the Government like the MEA and the local police network that can work in harmony for verification of applicants and quick tracing in case of emergencies.
What will be the new features of PSP-V2.0?
1. The new program is directed to have technology upgrades comprising the use of the latest biometrics technology, Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Data Analytics, Chat-Bot, Auto-response, Natural Language Processing, Cloud Enablement.
2. The newest feature under the PSP-V2.0 will be the issuance of the new generation of passports called e-passports. Under this, new and renewed passports will be fitted with a microchip that will hold all biometric information regarding the applicants.
3. E-passports will ease the immigration process across the world and will also increase digital safety for passport holders.
4. The software for the ePassport has been developed by IIT Kanpur and the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Why Govt Of India Selected TCS For e-Passport Project
Public-Private Partnership(ppp) : 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.
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.
Passport Seva Programme (PSP): PSP is one of the several Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) of India. A Mission Mode Project (MMP) is an individual project within the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) that focuses on one aspect of electronic governance, such as banking, land records or commercial taxes etc.
PSP-V2.0: The PSP-V2.0 is an expansion and improvement of the PSP-V1.0, an e-government tool that brought new changes to the delivery of passport-related services to individuals.
The new initiative is aimed at creating a digital platform that would be “transparent, more accessible and reliable” and that it would be backed by a trained workforce.
This will create a state-of-the-art digital ecosystem, overhaul existing processes and integrate various wings of Government that are involved in issuance of passports.
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