India news: Passport not proof of citizenship, ministry says

India is bolstering its public health surveillance at airports in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak. 

In a new move, people traveling from or transiting through Ebola-affected countries will now be required to submit a compulsory online self-declaration form before arriving in India. 

The fully digital AIR SUVIDHA 2.0 portal has been rolled out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

It replaces an earlier paper-based process and comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

According to a statement from the civil aviation ministry, here's what the new process entails:

• The self-declaration encompasses passengers' 21-day travel history, exposure history and any related symptoms before immigration clearance
• The form can be completed 24 hours in advance before arrival in India
• The online system facilitates real-time data sharing with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, Integrated Disease Surveillance Program and State Surveillance Officers, enabling quick identification and referral of at-risk travellers

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed solidarity with Venezuela after the Latin American nation was jolted by two back-to-back deadly earthquakes.

Modi offered his condolences to the families of the people who died in the disaster.

He said India was "ready to extend all possible assistance."

At least 32 people have died in the quake and 700 are injured, according to Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

Read our rolling updates on the Venezuela quakes here.

 India and the European Union (EU) reaffirmed their shared pledge for the promotion and protection of human rights at the 12th India-EU Human Rights Dialogue held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The talks were co-chaired by Piyush Srivastava, Additional Secretary (Europe West) at India's Ministry of External Affairs and Herve Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India. 

Both sides welcomed "the meaningful, free and frank discussions under the framework of the Dialogue and concurred on the value of its regularity," official statements from India's Foreign Ministry and the delegation of the European Union to India and Bhutan said. 

The discussions saw the two sides sketching out their approaches, achievements, and challenges in their respective journeys toward what the statements called "the shared goal of advancement of all human rights."

"As major democracies, open market economies, diverse societies, and together home to nearly one fourth of the world population, the EU and India emphasised the universality, indivisibility and interrelatedness of all human rights," the statements said.

A wide area of issues like civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights were discussed in the meeting.

The two sides also talked about gender, LGBTQ+ and child rights. 

They reiterated their commitment for developing "trustworthy, sustainable, human-centric AI" following discussions held during the AI Impact Summit 2026 hosted by India in February.

The Indian passport is primarily a travel document and should not be treated as a conclusive proof of citizenship, a senior official of India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said, according to Indian media reports.

The remarks were made as the official sought to clarify the legal scope of the document in response to a question at an event held on Wednesday to mark the expansion of passport services.

"Even though while travelling abroad, passport attests to your nationality, yet it is not a document of your citizenship," The Hindu daily quoted the official as saying in response to its query.

The clarification from the Foreign Ministry comes at a moment when the Election Commission of India is undertaking a controversial revision of electoral rolls, wherein voters are required to furnish documents to establish eligibility —including proof of citizenship.

People ask what proves Indian citizenship

The statement soon triggered a social media debate, with several users expressing their confusion over what the Foreign Ministry meant and what documents establish a proof of citizenship. 

Some users shared pictures of their passports, with the text "Indian" mentioned next to nationality and asked how the passport does not prove citizenship. 

Last year, the Supreme Court also said that Aadhaar — India's  biometric identity scheme — was not conclusive proof of citizenship. 

"Passport is not a document of Citizenship. Aadhar Card is not a document of Citizenship. Voter ID Card is not a document of citizenship. Then what is the proof?" another X post said. 

Critics, opposition criticize Foreign Ministry remarks on passport

Veteran Indian screenwriter, lyricist and political activist Javed Akhtar called the ministry's clarification "absurd".

"The ministry of external affairs says that a passport is a document travel not the proof of citizen ship . Really ??? . So are they providing this travel document to some people without being totally convinced that this person is an Indian citizen ??" he wrote on X.

Some opposition politicians also slammed the Foreign Ministry's statement.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray questioned whether the statement would "create doubts in the minds of other countries, of whether non Indians get Indian Passports as a travel document?"

"Beyond its very confused foreign policy, how much more absurd can the MEA become," he added. 

Others took a dig at the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. 

"It would seem that the only proof of Indian citizenship today is to be both Hindu and a BJP voter. Nothing else will do," Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said. 

This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi, bringing you our daily news capsule of all the biggest developments making headlines in India. 

The travel season for India's summer holidayers is entering its last leg as rains lash several parts of the country and students prepare to get back to school. 

Speaking of travel, the Indian passport has found itself in the center of a social media furore after the country's Foreign Ministry said that it does not serve as a proof of citizenship and is primarily a travel document. Some people are now questioning what really constitutes as citizenship proof in India.

In news from the world of international relations, the 12th India-EU Human Rights Dialogue has concluded with the two sides reiterating their commitment to the promotion and protection of all human rights. 

And following a massive double earthquake in Venezuela, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered New Delhi's assistance to Caracas. 

Stay with us as we unpack all this and more.