The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said a passport is issued to regulate the departure of "Indian citizens" from the country, citing provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, amid continuing discussions over the legal status and purpose of the travel document.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said an Indian passport is issued by the Government of India after due verification under an established process laid down in the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passports Rules, 1980.

"An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India. It is issued after due verification laid out by an established process," Jaiswal said.

He added that the issuance of passports to Indian citizens and other eligible individuals is governed by the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passports Rules, 1980.

The remarks came weeks after the government stated that a passport is primarily a travel document and should not be construed as proof of citizenship, a position that had triggered political reactions and public debate.

The MEA had then maintained that while passports are issued only after extensive verification, their primary purpose is to facilitate international travel and attest to the holder's nationality while travelling abroad, rather than serve as a standalone proof of citizenship.

According to the MEA, fewer than 8 per cent of Indian citizens currently hold a passport, underscoring that the document is not universally possessed by the country's population.

The government's remarks come against the backdrop of recurring debates over documents that establish citizenship, with courts having held in several cases that documents such as Aadhaar, PAN and voter identity cards are not, by themselves, conclusive proof of citizenship.