Have Biometrics to Save Country

The Ministry of Home Affairs of India is incorporating biometrics into the Immigration, Visa and Foreigners’ Registration and Tracking system (IVFRT), an INR 10.1 billion (US$184.7 million) project launched in 2010 to develop and implement a secure and integrated service delivery system that would facilitate legitimate travellers while strengthening security of the nation.

The current update in progress is the incorporation of biometrics into the IVFRT. “Some people come into the country on different passports with different visas”. The reliance on information such as name and birthdate for authentication makes it easier for people to use fake identities.

Last month, the NIC signed an agreement with the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL), a government of India enterprise that develops various products for government needs such as defence, telecommunications, police or power. ECIL will provide infrastructure to enable the government to capture and store fingerprints of foreign visitors and Indian visa applicants.  

SECURITY LIES IN THE TECHNOLOGY USING...

 “The system will compare fingerprints to the all previous records stored in the database”. “If the biometrics match any other record, an alert will be sent to the concerned agency to verify the identity of the person”.

The biometric system has been implemented in Indian embassies in ten countries. Expansion work is under-way to include immigration check-points at airports in India as well as more embassies abroad.