Pre-pandemic norms to resume for international meets

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday decided to resume accepting requests for political clearances for holding international conferences, workshops and seminars in both physical and virtual formats following the improvement in Covid-19 related situations in India.

The MEA on Monday issued a memorandum in this regard, ET has gathered. “In view of easing of easing of instructions on travel and assembly of people by the Government of India and state governments, requests for political clearances for holding international conferences, seminars and workshops in physical and virtual format have resumed,” a source told ET.

The government instructions restricting holding of all international conferences due to Covid-19 pandemic are no longer applicable, sources said. The conferences will continue to be governed by the same rules and regulations applicable prior to Covid-19 pandemic. Sources told ET that MEA brass had taken a conscious decision on going back to the pre-pandemic system of seminars, conferences and workshops and creating a positive atmosphere. “We have decided to take a forward-looking approach,” a source said.


The MEA had recently revised its guidelines to say that publicly-funded universities, professors and administrators will have to get prior approval from the ministry if they want to hold online international conferences or seminars that are centred around issues relating to the security of the Indian state or which are “clearly related to India’s internal matters”.