The Indian government has started piloting biometric data capture for visa applications as part of its Immigration, Visa, Foreigner’s Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) project, reports The Indian Express.

The pilots are taking place in the UK and Bangladesh and aim to strengthen security measures around incoming visitors to India. Outsourcing agencies will start working at Indian high commissions in these two countries to provide fingerprinting and digital imaging services for visa applicants before visa approval takes place.

The government hopes to implement the system at Indian embassies in all countries. These embassies currently process eight million visa applications annually.

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