Under the scheme, those Indians who do not have passports or lost them or they have expired can get duplicate passports issued on priority basis.

The amnesty would be available only till the end of this month and is open to all Indian immigrants in Italy who are not having proper authorisation, K A P Sinha, Principal Secretary to Minister of State (External Affairs) said in a statement here on Wednesday.

About 40,000 people from Punjab, who were facing problem in getting duplicate passports issued, will be benefited by the scheme. The Italian government’s decision came after the Indian Government took up the issue with Rome.

On the directives of Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, a special team consisting of officials from different passport offices in Punjab has been deputed at the Indian Embassy in Rome and CGI Milan, to expedite the process of issuing duplicate passports.