News New reforms in passport worrying the Indians

[Technoglitch]

What is an ‘orange’ passport?
Citizens who fall under the Emigration Check Required (ECR) category will soon have passports with orange jackets, instead of the dark blue that has so far been the colour of all passports under the ECR and non-ECR categories. ECR passports are mainly given to non-matriculate workers who wish to work in the Gulf countries and in Southeast Asia.

Why has this been introduced now?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been taking measures to improve passport services over the last decade. The previous government prioritised quick passport delivery. The present government, apart from opening new passport centres, is streamlining the process for passport application and delivery. The MEA was also wondering how to make passports more gender-just, especially after a few cases of single mothers applying for their children’s passports came to the Ministry (the address on the last page includes the father’s/ legal guardian’s name). The MEA has done away with the last page to be printed in “due course”. It was while initiating a change in passports that the decision to introduce orange passports for the ECR category was taken.

What is different about the ECR category?
Passport holders under the ECR category have faced exploitation, especially in West Asia. Protecting their human rights has become a priority, as the government is reaching out to diaspora Indians and Indians working abroad. ECR passport holders are being serviced by the Protector General of Emigrants so that their human rights are safeguarded abroad. It is expected that with an orange passport, ECR passport holders will stand out in difficult situations and their passports will allow for quick processing of their documents. However, critics say this could render migrant workers “second-class citizens”.


Blue, white, maroon, and now orange: new coloured passports explained - The Hindu

 

[Technoglitch]

ECR segregation is discriminatory
Furthermore, the proposal to issue 'an orange coloured' passport for Emigration Check Required (ECR) categories of people was met with ire, as social workers stated that it is discriminatory to segregate citizens who have not passed Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations.

The 'ECR' stamp in the current passport ensures the safety of uneducated and unskilled Indian workers, from the deprived socio-economic conditions, against prevailing legal conditions in foreign countries.

KV Shamsudheen, founder and chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, has written a letter to the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj requesting her to retract this decision as it would cause severe difficulty for NRI's. He said: "It is not fair to segregate citizens who in the ECR category with and orange passport. The government is claiming the orange passport will save workers from exploitation. But that is not the case, they will be subject to discrimination, especially at immigration lines at international airports."

Social worker Girish Pant said that the decision has its pros and cons. "If workers are easily identified with the different coloured passport, they can avail services that would protect them against unscrupulous agents and job frauds. However, removal of the address could indeed cause increased paper work for NRIs, especially when it comes to getting their paperwork attested by various authorities."

Many countries demand parents' information for resident and visit visa purposes, said Shamsudheen, adding, "If the new passport is implemented, NRIs have to get a certificate showing parents' names' (birth certificate) from their home cities, that requires attestation by the Indian ministry of foreign affairs, embassies of the home country, and attestation by respective country's foreign ministry. It will be very cumbersome to NRIs. Applying for visas to foreign countries will be a technical nightmare," he said.



Orange is the new blue? Indians worried about passport reform - Khaleej Times

 

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“Passport holders with ECR (Emigration Check Required) status would be issued a passport with orange color passport jacket and those with non-ECR status would continue to get a blue passport,” spokesman Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.

Indian passports, barring official and diplomatic passports, are navy blue.

The government’s plan was roundly criticized.

“You cannot divide people on the basis of educational qualifications; it’s discriminatory,” said S. Irudaya Rajan, professor at the Centre for Development Studies in Thiruvananthapuram in the southern state of Kerala, from where many migrant workers originate.

“An orange cover shows a person is not well educated, and makes them vulnerable to exploitation. These are already vulnerable people who need more protection, not discrimination,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

There are an estimated six million Indian migrants in the six Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman, many of them trafficked and exploited.

Orange passports for India's migrant workers create 'second class citizens' | Reuters