India launches trusted traveller programme for faster immigration
immigration process at airports for pre-verified Indian nationals and people of Indian origin holding the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.
Home minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. This facility will be available free of cost for all passengers, Shah said.
Eligible individuals will need to apply online and submit their biometrics (fingerprint and facial image) along with other required information as specified in the application form for registration, explained officials. In the second phase, the programme will also cover foreign travellers, they said.
After verification, a whitelist of trusted travellers will be generated and fed for implementation through e-gates, or automated border gates which will minimise human intervention in the immigration clearance process. The registration will be valid till the validity of the passport or five years, whichever is earlier, and can be renewed thereafter.
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The facility has been set up with assistance from the US. The concept was first mooted in 2013 by the then UPA government.
The programme has been designed for faster, smoother and safer immigration clearance for international travellers, the home minister said. Besides Delhi, it will initially be launched in seven major airports — Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad — and then expanded to 21 airports, Shah
