To a specific question from Congress member Shashi Tharoor on the dangers of “data-skimming” that has also been cited in a report of the American Civil Liberties Union that warned of data being misused by terrorists, identity thieves and marketeers, Mr. Jaishankar said the government is “very, very cognizant” of the concern. “Until we are sure that the skimming danger is adequately addressed, naturally we will not be going forward. But we have every confidence that will be the case.
During her budget speech this week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced plans to roll out the e-passport, which will have an embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and antenna, and will conform with international biometric passports that allow for swifter immigration procedures.