MEA launches Twitter Seva

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted: "New frontiers in the use of digital for citizen engagement. MoS @Gen_VKSingh launches #TwitterSeva for passport and consular services."

In an attempt to streamline, liberalize and ease the process of issue of passport, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday announced host of new rules for applying for an Indian passport.

The government has taken a number of steps in the realm of passport policy which is expected to benefit the citizens of India applying for a passport.

As per the extant statutory provisions of the Passport Rules, 1980, all the applicants born on or after 26/01/1989, in order to get a passport, had to, hitherto, mandatorily submit the Birth Certificate as the proof of Date of Birth (DOB). It has now been decided that all applicants of passports can submit any one of the following documents as the proof of DOB while submitting the passport application:

The Birth Certificate (BC) issued by the Registrar of Births & Deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India;

Under the new rules, a person can submit any of the following documents as proof for date of birth: birth certificate issued by the registrar of births and deaths or the municipal corporation; transfer/school leaving/matriculation certificate issued by the school last attended or a recognised educational board; PAN card; Aadhar card or E-Aadhar; copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant (only in respect of government servants) or the pay pension order (in respect of retired government Servants), duly attested or certified by the officer in charge of the administration of the ministry or department concerned of the applicant; driving licence; election photo identity card (EPIC); and policy bond issued by the public life insurance corporations and companies.

A three-member Committee comprising of the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Women and Child Development was constituted to examine various issues pertaining to passport applications where mother/child has insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also relating to passport issues to children with single parent and to adopted children.

The Report of the Committee has been accepted by the Minister of External Affairs.

Image: Vikas Swarup Twitter page