New Delhi
17 May 2007
The performance audit of passport, visa and consular services of
ministries of external affairs and home affairs by the Comptroller and Auditor General
suggests there are "serious grounds for concern at nearly all aspects of the
administration" of those services.
"Test check of records disclosed systemic deficiencies[,] irregularities in matters of
foreign nationals and lapses in the areas of national security," reads the report of the
CAG for the year ended March 2006 report, which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on
Thursday.
Although passports can be issued to Indian nationals only, these were issued to certain
nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Passports were
recovered from two persons having suspected links with Inter-Services Intelligence of
Pakistan.
"In September 2005, instance came to the notice that Indian Missions / Posts were
issuing Emergency Certificates (ECs) to Pakistani nationals," it was detected. The CAG
has recommended that the Ministry of External Affairs take corrective measures to
strengthen internal controls.
The report went on to dwell on the risk of misuse of the travel documents missing from
the Indian missions abroad. For instance, the Consulate General of India in Jeddah
reported on three instances, between August 2003 and October 2005, that a total of 600
passport booklets were missing.
The CAG recommended that the missing and damaged travel documents should be
investigated. "This was of serious concern as missing blank travel documents could
jeopardise national security," it said. Some missions were also found issuing LT (long
term) visas in contravention of the Manual.
"We would like to recommend much closer liaison between the Ministry of External
Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs and the State Police Forces so as to ensure an optimum
level of service delivery consistent with the needs of national security," the report
concluded.
The performance audit covered the period 2000-01 to 2004-05. Twelve regional passport
offices or passport offices and 51 Indian missions or posts were selected through
statistical sampling and they were test checked in field audit conducted between
December 2005 and September 2006.
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