TCS wins second phase of Passport Seva Programme valued at about Rs 6,000 crore

This is the country’s largest mission-critical e-governance programme till date.

TCS
had won the original mandate in 2008, when the Passport Seva Programme was launched, to transform passport services through a digitized process. The programme saw TCS transforming the delivery of passport-related services, digitizing the processes, and setting global benchmarks in timeliness, transparency, and reliability.

The world-class experience delivered at the TCS-run Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) across the country made the service immensely popular and a source of national pride. Accessibility was further enhanced by extending the service through designated post offices and through Indian missions and posts across the world, the company said in a statement.

The company processes an average of 1.5 to 2 crore passports annually as part of the programme.

In the next phase, TCS will refresh existing facilities and systems, develop innovative new solutions to enable the issuance of e-passports, enhance the citizen experience using biometrics, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics, chatbots, auto-response, natural language processing and cloud solutions.

“Our partnership with MEA over the last decade has become a benchmark in a 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,” said Tej Bhatla, Business Unit Head, Public Sector, TCS.