TCS chose by MEA for the second phase of the Passport Seva Program

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has chosen Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the second phase of the Passport Seva programme, which is now the country's largest e-governance initiative.

TCS will renew current facilities and systems as part of this agreement, as well as build innovative new solutions to facilitate the issuing of e-passports. According to a TCS announcement, biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, chatbots, auto-response, natural language processing, and the cloud will all be used to improve the customer experience.

"TCS has been playing a vital role in building a Digital India, driving transformation programs of national importance. Our partnership with MEA over the last decade has become a benchmark in public-private partnership for citizen services. We are pleased to be selected for the next phase of the Passport Seva Program and look forward to driving further innovations and improving citizen experiences using our contextual knowledge and digital technologies," Public Sector Business Unit Head at TCS Tej Bhatia said.

TCS, on the other hand, has previously worked on the Passport Seva initiative, which was launched in 2008. TCS transformed passport-related services in its previous phase, digitising processes and creating global norms for timeliness, transparency, and reliability.

"Ministry of External Affairs today signed an agreement for the second phase of the Passport Seva Programme with Tata Consultancy Services Limited, our valued partner, appointing them as the Service Provider for the project," the MEA said.