India's Ministry of External Affairs clarifies that passports serve as official travel documents regulating citizen departure from the country. With merely 8 percent of India's population holding valid passports, this represents a significant gap in international mobility. The statement underscores the passport's dual role as both an identity document and an exit permit, essential for international travel and cross-border movement, while highlighting the relatively low passport penetration among India's 1.4 billion citizens.

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