Bhubaneswar: The Centre has asked all the
state governments including Orissa to adhere to the revised
procedure for grant of conference visa to foreign participants
coming to India for attending international conferences,
seminars and workshops, official sources said on Saturday.
In a letter to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said organisers of events
must give particulars of the foreign delegates scheduled to
attend conferences.
While the Ministry of Home Affairs (foreigners
division) grants in-principle approval for holding the
events, security clearance for grant of conference visa is
required from the ministry only in respect of participants
from Afganistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Pakisthan, Sri
Lanka and Sudan and in respect of foreigners of Pak origin and
stateless persons.
The participants from other countries can obtain
conference visa from the concerned Indian mission on
production of invitation letter from organisers, event
clearance from the MHA, administrative approval of nodal
ministry and political clearance from the ministry of external
affairs as well as clerance from the concerned state or union
territories.
Though the organisers of events were supposed to give
details of the foreign participants at least six weeks before
the conference, it was seen that the procedure was not
followed, Chidambaram said in the letter.
Stating that vetting security was a time consuming
process, the MHA asked the state governments to ensure that
the procedure was adhered to keeping in view the security
impartives.
"I would, therefore, impress upon you to kindly issue
appropriate instructions to all concerned in this regard," the
home minister said adding that the requests received from the
organisers not confirming to the time linit of six weeks
before commencement of the event will not be processed by the
ministry.
Meanwhile, Orissa government issued direction to all
department secretaries to adhere to revised procedure for
issuance of conference visa for foreign delegates.
PTI
