'From 74 to 80' | Congress targets Centre for decline in global ranking of Indian passport

The Congress on Monday targeted the Modi government for the decline in global ranking of the Indian passport, alleging that its policies are responsible for hurting the country's global reputation. In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his past claims that people travelling and living abroad know the strength of the Indian passport. "Modi Government's policies are responsible for hurting India's global reputation. "PM Modi claimed in 2018: 'People travelling and living abroad know the respect and strength of the Indian passport today.' Where is that 'strength' reflected? Facts belie his assertions," he said in his post. "In one global passport ranking, India has fallen from 74th in 2013 to 80th in June 2026. [World Economic Forum]. Another global passport index places India at a dismal 125th in 2026. [Global Citizen Solutions]," he said, citing reports in this regard. Kharge said instead of improving services, the Modi government has made obtaining passports more expensive, increasing the fee from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500, while Tatkal charges have gone up to Rs 5,000. "Even with respect to the ease of travelling to India, Foreign Tourist Arrivals are still below pre-COVID levels: They have dropped from 10.93 million (2019) to 9.95 million (2024). Is the Modi Government masking this failure by clubbing NRI arrivals with foreign tourist data?," he asked. Why is India's official visa application portal still so outdated and confusing that it resembles a website from the late 1990s, he also asked. "No one in India, the land of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' wants to welcome the tourists like this? "If the passport is weaker, tourism has not recovered, visa services are lacklustre and citizens are paying more for substandard services, then where exactly is this much-advertised global respect? Reality bites. India's reputation suffers. Courtesy: Modi Government," the Congress chief alleged.