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We all know that the1st world war had a long lasting impact on the world but how many of you‘ll knew that it was this period which was responsible in bringing about a revolutionary change in Indian travelling. Before this getting in and out of India was a hassle free job. The passport was never required as a travel document.
The passport became a mandatory document for entry and exit into India under the Defense of India Act 1914. The passport Act was formulated in 1920 and the rule further strengthened. Present Passports Act was promulgated in 1967 by Government of India. Today the Indian passport has become a major proof of nationality and is issued by Consular Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India).
In the early stages passport offices were opened only in 5 cities namely Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Nagpur and the national capital Delhi. Passports are issued from 37 locations across the nation and 160 Indian missions abroad. Special passports are issued for India-Sri lanka and India- Bangladesh. (This has been phased out now). Apart from this there are 3 types of passports. The one with a blue cover is for ordinary travel, one with Maroon cover is for diplomats and top ranking government officials and the one with a white cover for individuals representing Government of India.
As per the Act Indian citizens have the right to possess the passport and travel round the world. It contains many necessary details like age, sex, photograph, signature, date of birth, place of birth etc which prove the Individuals identity. Issuance of a new passport takes about 15-20 days and costs roughly around 1000 Rs- 1500 Rs. The process tends to be quite long at times due to the laxity shown by the officials.
In case someone looses his/her passport, getting a new passport becomes quite a tedious process so one has to be extra careful with the passport while travelling and when not doing so it should be kept in a safe place. Another Issue which a common man needs to guard against is the ease with which duplicate passports are made and issued. These people open a travel agency or a placement agency and misguide the youth specially those from lower middle who in the lure of earning more or taking their families abroad get trapped.
If the rules and regulations are followed getting a Indian Passport is a simple process and one should make sure to get it from the national authorities. Passport Seva Project was started in September 2007. All the front end activities related to passport issuance, dispatch of passport, centralized printing of passport is put in place. The whole purpose was to make the entire process of issuance and delivery more transparent and avoid the use of fake passports.
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