SAARC revisits Visa Exemption Scheme

• Eight South Asian countries, including India, approved a proposal to exempt 19 categories of people from visa requirement and agreed on a liberalised scheme under which select journalists, business persons and sportspersons can be given long-term multi-entry visas after prior clearance. Other categories for which visa requirements are exempted include members of Parliament, diplomats, non-government people involved in SAARC projects
• A meeting of SAARC Foreign Ministers,  also endorsed India's proposal for setting up of a SAARC Forum, a grouping of non-government officials which will act as a pressure group on governments to enhance the integration.
• The SAARC member countries also agreed on various steps concerning the SAARC University, like early convening of the Governing Board meeting, which has been delayed for long as a result of which several crucial decisions have been pending.The Governing Board will now meeting early next month which could set in motion the appointments to the Steering Committee and firming up of rules and regulations for the university, the sources said.The President of the University, which has been established in Delhi, will also be selected from India. The government of India will nominate three eminent persons among whom one person will be chosen by the Governing Board.
• In the field of trade, the Council of Ministers decided that SAFTA ministerial meeting will take place in Maldives in May to consider ways to enhance intra-regional commerce.The meeting took note of the fact that the intra-SAARC trade has already cross one billion USD mark and there is potential for raising it manifold.