MEA drops plan to issue separate orange-coloured passport

New Delhi, January 31: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said to continue with current practice of printing of last page of passport and not to issue separate passport with orange colour jacket to Emigration Check Required (ECR) passport holders.

Based on the recommendations of a three-member committee comprising officials of the MEA and the women and child development ministry, it was decided not to print the last page of the passport booklet, the MEA said in a release.

The ministry had earlier decided to issue a passport with orange-coloured jacket to passport holders with ECR status, with a view to help and assist them on priority basis, it said.

However, “the MEA has received several individual and collective representations requesting to reconsider these two decisions the decision of the MEA on both these issues was reviewed in the light of these representations,” it said.

Yesterday, the Kerala High Court issued a notice to the central government on a PIL challenging the decision to introduce orange-coloured passports, arguing that such a move would lead to segregation of people with low education and low economic status.