LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 289
TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.12.2018
INDIAN PASSPORT IN PASSPORT INDEX
289. SHRI KALIKESH N. SINGH DEO:
Will the Minister of External Affairs be pleased to state:
the reasons for Indian passport scoring poorly amongst all Asian countries on the passport index as released for the year 2018-19;
(b) whether the Ministry is taking any measures to improve the global rating of the Indian Passport; and
(c) if so, the details of the measures planned and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]
(a) As per the information available on www.passportindex.org, the Arton Capital Passport Index (ACPI) gives global ranking to various passports based on the "visa free” status accorded to the passport holders of a specific country. The current passport
ranking is based on the number of countries a passport holder can visit Visa Free or gets Visa on Arrival. To determine the individual rank of each passport, a Visa Free Score (VFS) is prepared which is the sum of Visa Free (VF) and Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility
accorded to the passport holder of a country.
According to ACPI 2018, India is ranked 66th with a VFS of 65; 25 countries according VF entry and 40 countries granting VOA facility to Indian passport holders. India was ranked 73rd in 2017 with a VFS of 57 with 25 countries according VF entry and 32 countries
granting VOA facility to Indian passport holders.
(b) & (c) Yes. The Government has been continuously liberalizing the visa policy with the objective of promoting investments and tourism into India from other countries. The e-Visa scheme has been further liberalized to allow business visits and medical treatment
in India. The number of entries and validity of e-Visas has been increased and the scheme has been expanded to include 166 countries and territories till date. These initiatives are expected to encourage other countries to reciprocate and facilitate travel
of Indian passport holders to their countries. As more countries permit Indian passport holders to visit Visa Free or grant them Visa on Arrival facility, the rank of the Indian passport on the Global Passport Index is expected to improve.
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