According to the new passport rules that have been announced Delhi by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh, Sadhus and Sanyasis are henceforth allowed to mention the names of their spiritual gurus in their passport, instead of their parents’ names.
The new rules have also eliminated the requirement of a birth certificate, which was mandatory as a date of birth (DOB) proof.
For DOB proof during the filing process, applicants can now submit any of these documents- transfer/School leaving/ Matriculation Certificate, PAN card, Aadhaar Card/E-Aadhaar having the DOB of applicant, copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant, driving licence, Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or LIC policy bond.
The birth certificate issued by the Registrar of Births & Deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India can also be given as DOB proof.
All the applicants born on or after 26 January, 1989, had to mandatory submit the birth certificate as the DOB proof to get a passport, as per the extant statutory provisions of the Passport Rules, 1980.
Singh also said that they now have a provision for government servants who are unable to attain a “no objection” certificate from their employers.
The government servants who are unable to obtain the Identity Certificate/ No-Objection Certificate from their employer can now get the passport by submitting a self- declaration that he/she has given prior Intimation letter to his/her employer informing that he/she was applying for an ordinary passport, if they intend to get the passport on urgent basis.
Singh added in his statement that the ministry has come up with these new guidelines in the realm of passport policy ‘to streamline, liberalise and ease the process of issue of passport’ so that the citizens can benefit.
The government has also accepted the demand by the sadhus/sanyasis that they should be allowed to write names of their gurus instead of names of their parents, Singh said, adding but they have to provide at least one public document such as EPIC, PAN card, Adhaar Card, etc wherein the name of the guru has been recorded against the column(s) for parent(s) name(s).
A report of a inter-ministerial committee with members from MEA and Women and Child Development ministry to examine issues pertaining to applications where mother/child has insisted that the name of the father should not be mentioned in the passport and also relating to children with single parent and to adopted children has also been accepted.
Based on the report, policy changes have been made which include no mandatory requirement of a marriage certificate for married applicants as also provide name of the only one parent and not both. This would enable single parents to apply for passports for their children and to also issue passports where the name of either the father or the mother is not required to be printed at the request of the applicant.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)