India scraps plan for orange-coloured passports

Passports will also continue to have the last page.

India's external affairs ministry on Tuesday announced it has reversed its decision on the issuance of a orange-coloured passport to workers.
The decision was taken at a meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and attended by one of her two deputies V K Singh among others, the ministry said in a release.
The ministry had earlier decided to issue a passport with orange colour jacket to passport holders with ECR status, with a view to help and assist them on priority basis, it said.
However, "the MEA has received several individual and collective representations requesting to reconsider the decision", it said.
After comprehensive discussions with the various stakeholders, "the MEA has decided to continue with the current practice of printing of the last page of the passport and not to issue a separate passport with orange colour jacket to ECR passport holders", the release said. 
The MEA decision was criticised by political parties which said the separate orange colour passports show the BJP's "discriminatory mindset". 

• India