New Delhi: In what is being seen as part of the government’s push for Hindi, external affairs minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Friday announced that passports would be bilingual from now onwards — both in English and Hindi.
Currently, all details of the citizen in the passport are in English only. Passport officials told this newspaper that at the time of filling in the passport application form, an option would be extended to citizens whether they want their passport to be bilingual or not. For those who want it to be so can punch in the details in the Devnagari script on a keyboard, which will be provided for the applicant. But for those who do not want it to be bilingual, the details will appear in English only, as is done currently. The minister also announced a 10 per cent cut in passport fees for the people above 60 years of age and children below eight years of age.
Speaking at a function to mark 50 years of the Passport Act, Ms Swaraj said if in Germany, the details of the passport can be in (the local language) German as well and if in Arabic-speaking countries, the document can be in Arabic as well, the passport in India too can be bilingual — in both English and Hindi.
“Passports should at least be bilingual. All Arab countries have their passport in Arabic, Germany makes it in German and Russia makes it in Russian. Why can’t we make it Hindi? Now, we have given an order to Nashik Printing Press that passports should be (printed) in Hindi as well. So you will receive passports in Hindi and English,” Ms Swaraj said.
The minister also pointed out how the government has simplified passport rules so that citizens are not harassed. In this case, she referred to divorcee ladies who can now write the name of either of their parents on the passport form instead of the former husband, and also with regard to single parents whose children can have the name of just the single parent on the passport.
She pointed out that there are cases now of unmarried women adopting children on their own, and thus becoming single parents.
