No business trip on diplomatic passport: Govt tells MPs

MEA writes to parliament to check misuse of diplomatic passport by MPs

GN Bureau | February 18, 2010


A view of South Block that houses MEA
A view of South Block that houses MEA

The External Affairs Ministry has sought to put an end to some members of parliament misusing their diplomatic passports for work and business.

Diplomatic passports  are  issued  to MPs going abroad on diplomatic assignment as also to their spouses accompanying them. In a letter to parliament, the ministry has made it clear that these can be used for personal visits as well but for not conducting any business or professional work as a lawyer, doctor or a businessperson.

"While diplomatic passports can be used for private visit like tourism or visiting friends and relatives, they are not meant to be used when traveling abroad for work and business," the letter said.

It also makes it clear that any MP having the diplomatic passport does not get a right to visit any country, no matter even if the ministry sends a visa note for their visit.

"While issuing visa notes addressed to foreign missions, the purpose of visit is specified, viz. official or private.  However, it remains the prerogative of the foreign missions to grant or decline  visa  to an applicant, regardless of the visa note from this ministry," the letter added.

Comments

 

Other News

Income Tax dept holds Ghatkopar Outreach on new IT Act

The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff

Making AI work where governance is closest to people

India’s next governance leap may not solely come from digitisation. It will come from making public systems more intelligent, more adaptive, and more responsive to the dynamics at the grassroots. That opportunity is especially significant at the panchayat level, where governance is not an abstract po

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor

A 19th-century pilgrim’s progress

The Travels of a Sadhu in the Himalayas By Jaladhar Sen (Translated by Somdatta Mandal) Speaking Tiger Books, 259 pages, ₹499.00  

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter