Biometric Passports launched

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee will present electronic passports to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and vice-president Hamid Ansari marking the introduction of the new scheme in India.The e-passport, also called biometric passports, will carry the biological features and facial imprints of a holder and will be at par with international civil aviation standards. In the first phase, such e-passports will be issued to those who qualify for official and diplomatic categories. By next year, these will be issued in the ordinary passport category as well.