The Hindu : Cabinet nod for visa-free travel pact

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 08, 2004

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National

Cabinet nod for visa-free travel pact

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JAN. 7. The Union Cabinet today gave its ex-post-facto approval to the agreement on "visa-free travel", for holders of diplomatic and official passports, between India and Thailand. The agreement was signed in October last during the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to that country.

Briefing reporters, the Cabinet spokesperson and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said that a citizen of one country holding valid diplomatic or official passport would be exempt from visa requirement while entering or transiting through or exiting from the territory of the other country. The holders of diplomatic and official passports would be allowed to stay in the other country for a maximum of 90 days without a visa.

The agreement does not restrict the right of either party to deny entry or shorten the stay of the nationals of the other party considered undesirable. The agreement would come into force on a mutually agreed date.

The Cabinet also approved the signing of an agreement in the field of Health and Medicine with South Africa. It would forge cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and the National Department of Health of South Africa on the basis of equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit. Ms. Swaraj, who is also Health and Family Welfare Minister, will visit South Africa soon to sign the agreement.

The agreement will encourage cooperation in areas of pharmaceutical services, procurement of medicines, community based HIV/AIDS, TB, traditional and modern medicine, waterborne diseases, research in cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

In order to increase the investments between India and Mozambique, the Cabinet gave its nod to the signing and ratification of a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement between the two countries. India has signed similar agreements with 56 countries and finalised agreements with seven others.

The Cabinet approved the taking over of the State Observatory of Nainital as an autonomous institute under the administrative control of the Department of Science and Technology. The institute will carry out research in the areas of optical astronomy to synergise its activities with similar institutes. It will have a full-time Director and vacancies in faculty positions will be filled over the next five years.

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