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India To Ease Out Visa Norms For Bangladeshi Citizens

Keeping the healthy state of India-Bangladesh Relations intact, India will ease out the visa norms for Bangladesh citizens. India-Bangladesh relations have always been cordial and both the nations have seen a strategic partner in each other. Rajnath Singh, Indian Minister for Home Affairs will be on a 3-day visit to Bangladesh during which he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on revised travel arrangements.

 

Bangladesh had earlier requested India to do away with the travel restrictions for senior Bangladeshi citizens and also those who participated in the 1971 liberation war.

As reported by The Hindu, the visa rules for senior citizens from Bangladesh will be relaxed further and they would be able to visit India more frequently. Similarly, the visa norms for those who participated in the 1971 liberation war will also be eased out after the MoU is signed.

In 2014, India had eased out visa norms for Bangladeshi citizens above 65 years of age and below 13 years of age. Starting from 2014, they were granted multiple entry visas for 5 years as against the 1-year visas issues earlier.

In 2017, India had also scrapped visa curbs for the war veterans who participated in the 1971 war. Citizens from 150 nations have the leverage of procuring an e-visa online for visiting India however, Bangladesh has not yet been added to the list. India has always been apprehensive about the influx of illegal migrants coming in from Bangladesh who could pose a potential security threat to India.

As stated by the Home Ministry of India, of the medical visas provided in 2016, the largest proportion of receivers of medical visas were from Bangladesh. Bangladesh was followed by Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on the above-mentioned list.

Rajnath Singh will meet the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina during his visit and both are expected to discuss and deliberate on various bilateral issues besides just travel arrangements.

More News at EurAsian Times

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