Issuance of machine-readable passport/visa from 129 offices: Rs 12.22 billion project PC-1 submitted for approval

The Interior Ministry has submitted PC-1 (revised), to the Planning Commission for approval, of Machine-Readable Passport (PRP)/Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) Project Phase-II (Revised) costing Rs 12.22 billion, to install machines of machine-readable passports at 30 Regional Passport Offices (RPOs) in the country and 99 missions abroad, it is learnt.
According to documents available with Business Recorder, the project will also include procuring Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) for biometric matching, establishing Central Control and Disaster Recovery Facilities(CDRF), Central Production facility (CPF), passport personalisation, CNIC verification linkage with Nadra, hardware and software for development and operations of MRP/MRV system, and secure and reliable network infrastructure.
The project plans to employ a full human resource team for development of MRP/MRV system and its operation at all 76 RPOs and 102 Pak missions abroad. The project envisages to fully comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) deadline to stop issuance of manual passports by November, 2015. Manual passports would not be issued after the deadline. Hence, from then onwards, only machine-readable passports (MRP) and mMachine-readable visas (MRV) will have to be issued.
In order to comply with the international obligation and to facilitate the citizens to travel with ease internationally, an automated system is envisaged to be developed within the country and at foreign missions of Pakistan for production and issuance of MRPs and MRVs.
According to details, Rs 1.55 billion would be spent on deployment of MRV/MRP in Foreign Missions, Rs 924.16 million on Control Centre, Rs 138.4 million on network restructuring, Rs 188.987 million for establishment of 46 new passport office in Pakistan, Rs 1.399 billion on MRP/MRV operational expense, Rs 1.244 billion for human resources (local sites), Rs 4.569 billion on human resources (foreign missions) and RS 55.02 million would be spent to establish of six new passport offices in FATA etc.