evidence: NEW DELHI: Making the process to get passports friendlier for divorced or separated women, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has done away with the practice of asking for the name of the spouse, following a recommendation from a Parliamentary panel. The step is among a slew of measures announced by the MEA to bring the passport-seeking process up to date with modern norms. "In case of divorce or separation, the applicant is not required to provide the name of the spouse in the form while applying for the issue of passport," said an MEA official. It is mandatory only for married applicants to provide the name of the spouse in the passport application. [...] Taking a leaf out of the experience of other countries, the MEA has made it non-mandatory for the applicant to provide the names of both mother and father in the application form if the parents are divorced or separated. "Only one parent’s name — either mother or father or legal guardian — is mandatory," added the official.