The Passport Seva Programme Version – 2 is an extension of Passport Seva Programme Version – 1. It is an online service. It was launched under the National E – Governance Plan.

Why in News recently?

The Government of India is to launch e – Passports very soon for citizens renewing their passport or applying for new passport.

About PSP – V – 2.0

• It is an expansion of PSP – 1. It brought in several changes to the delivery of passports. The main objective of the second version is to create a digital platform for passport related services. This is to make the process more transparent, accessible and reliable.
• Under the second version, several technological upgrades are to be added. This includes Chat – Bot, advance data analytics, auto – response, cloud enablement and natural language processing.
• Also, the new version will issue e – passports.
• The Government of India is planning to create new data centres for implementing the project. Also, it will create disaster recovery centre, passport seva kendras and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras.

What are E – Passports?

• The main aim of providing e – passports is to make them more secure. It will make immigration easy. It is an upgrade of the traditional passport.
• The E – Passports come with a chip. The chip carries personal details of the holder including biographical information. This prevents unauthorized data access.
• The software for the E – Passport was developed by National Informatics Centre and IIT Kanpur.
• The E – Passports have been designed in accordance with the ICAO standards. ICAO is International Civil Aviation Organization. ICAO operates under United Nations. It was established in 1944.