While the Centre is pushing for the use of biometric data in various domains, there is one where it has withdrawn its use. Last month, the home ministry, on the insistence of the tourism ministry, withdrew the process of collecting biometrics data to issue e-visas to tourists at the five seaports around the coastal regions. The tourism ministry’s view was that the move will help promote cruise tourism, which is in its infancy now. Currently, when any passenger or tourist enters the country through any airport, the government collects biometric data to issue any e-visa. Details like fingerprints and photos are usually collected. officials of the tourism ministry, during the 7th meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee on Tourism Sector (IMCCTS), contended that the system of using biometrics for issuing e-visa for cruise vessel passengers is “complex and time-consuming”.
— source dnaindia.com