Answering a volley of questions in the Rajya Sabha on 24 July, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh categorically stated that data collected during the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ‘has not been sought, received or used’ for either new passport issuance or renewals. The clarification comes after civil-society groups warned that linking passport validation to electoral databases could jeopardise the overseas travel rights of Indians facing documentation errors. The Minister noted that Indian passports are now fully ICAO-compliant machine-readable booklets and therefore carry the label ‘Nationality’ rather than ‘Citizen of India’, dispelling claims that the omission might dilute proof of citizenship. He also tabled figures showing that Indian travellers currently enjoy visa-free entry to 27 countries, visa-on-arrival in 47 and e-visa access in 66—a data point global-mobility teams will welcome when planning assignment travel calendars. From a corporate-mobility standpoint, the assurance means that passport renewals for expatriate workers and their dependants should not face unexpected scrutiny linked to voter-roll anomalies. Immigration lawyers say the statement will be cited in future litigation should any regional passport office attempt to demand SIR data. The debate underscores how identity-management reforms inside India can have knock-on effects for outbound mobility and treaty negotiations on visa reciprocity. Singh added that the government continues diplomatic efforts to expand the list of countries offering lenient entry to Indian nationals.
Source: The Economic Times
