In a move that might be inconvenient for those who are using passport as their address proof, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) wants to discontinue with the practice of printing address on the last page of passport it issues to the citizens, according to reports.
As a consequence, the document that shows citizenship will no more be a valid address proof. Photo copies of passports are currently taken for use at government and private offices as the proof.
Earlier, a three-member committee – with representatives from MEA and child development ministry – set up to look into the demands pouring in from people had proposed that the government should go without last page on passports.
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The recommendations were accepted and as a result, in new bunch of passport there will not be any last page with holder’s permanent address.
“As the last page of the passport would not be printed now, the passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required) status would be issued a passport with orange passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport,” a spokesperson said.
The last page that has the address of the passport holder on it also mentions status of ECR or ECNR on the very same page. The MEA also plans to issue orange passports to holders who require emigration check. Similarly, those who do not require emigration check or are part of ECNR category will continue to get blue passports.
At present, the crucial document is issued in three colours — white passport is given to government officers, diplomats get red passport while other people get blue ones. The report adds that the new passports will be designed at the government security press, India Security Press, in Nashik.