Reversing its earlier decisions, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Tuesday announced that it would not issue a separate orange-coloured passport to people requiring emigration check and would continue printing personal details on the last page of the booklet.
The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by one of her two deputies VK Singh among others, on Monday, the MEA said.
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.
After discussions with the stakeholders, "the MEA has decided to continue with the current practice of printing of the last page of the passport and not to issue a separate passport with orange colour jacket to ECR passport holders", it said.
