Govt launches E-passport scheme

8220;Around 80 lakh e-passports would be issued by 2010,8221; Mukherjee said.

The new passports, would have an electronic chip containing all personal data and help reduce the procedure at immigration.

8220;It is compatible with international standards and identity cards and would protect against fraud and security breaches,8221; Mukherjee said, adding it was easy to verify the authenticity of e-passports.

The new passports have been designed indigenously in India by the Central Passport Organisation, the India Security Press, Nasik and IIT, Kanpur.

8220;I call upon the central passport organisation to take steps to upgrade their resources according to international standards,8221; Patil said.

8220;It will make the passport more secure,8221; she added.

A total of 41 countries have adopted e-passports and India is one of the first developing country to have this system, she said.