Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members at a Karyakarta Sammelan in Goa on October 14, claimed that the strength of the Indian passport has increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Perception towards the country has changed. Those who travel abroad… this [Goa] is the state of sailors. Ask now, when the passport of India was shown in past and now… the moment Indian passport is shown… the face lights up with a smile… on the face of foreign staff and they enquire ‘You are from Modi Ji’s country?’ The task of increasing the Indian passport’s value was done by PM Modi. This happened because [we form] a majoritarian government,” Shah claimed.
The same was also published by several media houses without fact-checking the statement of the union minister.
However, fact-checking website Alt News debunked the home minister’s claim and reported that the claim was misleading.
Alt News cited the Henley Passport Index (HPI), the most commonly used index. According to HPI, India’s rank is 90 which is 16 spots lower than the rank in 2013.
“The Indian passport’s strength has decreased globally as India’s HPI rank has dropped to 90. Thus, Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement that PM Modi has enhanced the value of the Indian passport is misleading and not worth boasting as an achievement,” the fact-checking website concluded.
You can read the Alt News full report here