Srilanka, Feb. 5 -- The Cabinet has approved a programme to issue 4,000 passports per day by operating the Immigration and Emigration Department 24/7, with additional staff recruited on a contract basis, including pensioners.

Following recommendations from an expert committee appointed by the Cabinet to address the ongoing passport shortage, the government has already initiated the procurement of 1.1 million empty passports with "P" category chips.

In addition, government officers will be temporarily assigned to the department, with the approval of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, to support the process

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Daily Mirror Sri Lanka...