NEW DELHI: The Center has done away with the requirement of obtaining separate advance reference category (PRC) clearance for foreign nationals who have already obtained security clearance through the Security Clearance Portal (SCP), officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday.
The move aims to eliminate the double approval process for certain categories of foreign citizens whose security clearance is regulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The People’s Republic of China refers to a category of individuals from countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and China (for certain categories), as well as foreigners of Pakistani origin and stateless persons, who require security clearance to attend events such as conferences and sports competitions in India. The MHA regulates the security clearance of persons listed in the People’s Republic of China.
SCP is a central web application to simplify security clearances for specific categories handled by MHA. Only ministries and government departments that require security clearance for foreign citizens to attend an event can apply on this portal.
“Some amendments have been made to the existing visa guide recently, including dispensing with the separate PRC clearance requirement for foreign nationals who have been granted security clearance on the SCP portal. This removes the dual process,” said a ministry official, requesting anonymity.
The official added that powers related to extension or conversion of visas and other visa-related services that were not specifically addressed in the visa manual earlier have now been integrated into it.
“Provision for multiple entry on different visas granted under the e-visa platform has also been included,” a second official said.
India currently offers e-visas to citizens of 172 countries.
