Soon: Bilingual passports

Passports will be in both Hindi and English, instead of just English, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Friday.

The minister also announced a 10 per cent reduction in passport fee for applicants who are under eight and over 60 and said ration cards could be submitted as proof while applying for tatkal passports. The option of submitting a ration card would help people who do not have a PAN card.

“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 in Hindi? 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,” Swaraj said at an event to mark 50 years of the Passport Act, 1967.

The 10 per cent reduction in passport fee will be applicable from Saturday, she said.

The postal department released a commemorative stamp on the occasion. The event was attended by Communications Minister Manoj Sinha and Ministers of State in the External Affairs Ministry V K Singh and M J Akbar.