GOVERNMENT EASES RESTRICTIONS ON TOURIST VISAS

Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced today that the government has loosened the visa requirements that call for a foreigner to wait two months before entering the nation again.

Following the David Headley case, the government has mandated that visitors with long-term, multiple-entry tourist visas must wait two months before returning.

"The visa rules for tourists were tightened. Hereafter, after the tourist visits India and leaves the country, there has to be a break of 60 days before he or she can apply for another tourist visa," Chidambaram said in New Delhi.

"There is a very small number of tourists who use India as a hub and visit neighbouring countries. In such cases, if the itinerary shows visits to India and other countries as part of the same trip, we have allowed the Visa Issuing Authorities to relax the 60-day period and permit up to three entries into India," he said.

The Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs, according to Chidambaram, were "on the same page and reading from the same hymn" about the visa problem.

However, S M Krishna, the minister of external affairs, has criticised Tharoor for it, claiming that he is the ministry's boss and making it plain to Tharoor that he must follow the policies he determines.