Union home minister P Chidambaram said organisers of events must give particulars of the foreign delegates scheduled to attend conferences.
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 today.
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 home ministry, administrative approval of nodal ministry and political clearance from the ministry of external affairs as well as clerance from the concerned state or union teritories. 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 home ministry 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.
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