Dhaka, Jan. 22 -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the distribution of e-passports at an event in the capital's Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Wednesday.

Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed, director general of the Department of Immigration and Passports or DIP, handed over an e-passport to Hasina at the inauguration ceremony.

Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia and 119th in the world to introduce the e-passport, the home ministry said in a statement.

The delivery of e-passports will start in regional offices by the end of 2020. The services will expand in phases. Machine-readable passports will remain valid as well.

DIP will initially distribute e-passports form its Agargaon, Uttara and Jatrabari offices in Dhaka, ...