Tharoor concerned about misuse of Indian business visas

With the number of business visas issued by India to Chinese surging to over 58,000 last year, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Saturday expressed concern over some visa holders misusing the visas to work in India.

"The visa issued to the Chinese people last year has gone up substantially. Business visas are intended for business visitors like setting up of business office, overseeing an ongoing project, but it is not intended to substitute an employment visa, which may be given to technically qualified persons to assist projects of Chinese companies," Tharoor said at a seminar organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce here.

Tharoor said it was "a concern for three ministries - External Affairs, Home ministry and Labour Ministry".

"If unskilled workers are coming with these visas, they are taking the jobs of Indian unskilled workers," he said.

"Semi-skilled and unskilled workers, if needed, should come to the country through proper visa channel. This is not a proper way," Tharoor said, adding though work visas take a little longer than business visas, that is the standard process of obtaining visas.

Earlier during his speech, Tharoor described China as one of India's major trading partners and said bilateral trade with the neighbour overtakes that with the US if information technology and allied services are kept aside.

Talking about China's relation with India on Arunachal Pradesh, Tharoor said: "Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India."

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( 251 Words)

2009-10-31-19:28:24 (IANS)

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