Visa services centre launched in city
Bhubaneswar: People from Odisha, who travel to Kolkata or other cities for visa-related work, will now get the international visa services at Bhubaneswar. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday inaugurated this centre operated by VFS Global .
Majhi at the inaugural ceremony said the establishment of this centre reflects Odisha’s growing global connectivity and commitment to citizen-centric services. Such initiatives enhance ease of travel, promote industries and tourism, and support international engagement, he added.
He said the newly-launched centre stands as a testimony to the growing demand for convenient and accessible visa services in the region. It will significantly benefit residents of Odisha, who previously had to travel outside the state to submit their visa applications, he added.
Around 3,000 sq ft of space has been provided by govt to open this centre inside the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminal at Baramunda in the city. In the first phase, Majhi said, the centre will cater to visa services for 10 countries: The UK, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Japan, Morocco and Egypt. More countries will be added in the coming days to expand the range of services available to applicants, he added.
VFS Global currently provides visa services on behalf of 53 countries in India through a network of over 560 visa application centres across 20 cities. Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO of VFS Global, said VFS Global operates more than 4,000 application centres in 167 countries and has processed over 537 million transactions since 2001.
The inauguration of the Bhubaneswar centre marks another step forward in strengthening infrastructure for global mobility and improving ease of access for citizens across Odisha, official sources said.
Among others, embassy officials of Austria, Italy and Switzerland, govt chief whip Saroj Pradhan, additional chief secretary (home) Hemant Sharma, additional chief secretary (CM) Saswat Mishra, and COO of VFS Global, South Asia, Yummi Talwar were present.
Majhi at the inaugural ceremony said the establishment of this centre reflects Odisha’s growing global connectivity and commitment to citizen-centric services. Such initiatives enhance ease of travel, promote industries and tourism, and support international engagement, he added.
He said the newly-launched centre stands as a testimony to the growing demand for convenient and accessible visa services in the region. It will significantly benefit residents of Odisha, who previously had to travel outside the state to submit their visa applications, he added.
Around 3,000 sq ft of space has been provided by govt to open this centre inside the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminal at Baramunda in the city. In the first phase, Majhi said, the centre will cater to visa services for 10 countries: The UK, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Japan, Morocco and Egypt. More countries will be added in the coming days to expand the range of services available to applicants, he added.
VFS Global currently provides visa services on behalf of 53 countries in India through a network of over 560 visa application centres across 20 cities. Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO of VFS Global, said VFS Global operates more than 4,000 application centres in 167 countries and has processed over 537 million transactions since 2001.
The inauguration of the Bhubaneswar centre marks another step forward in strengthening infrastructure for global mobility and improving ease of access for citizens across Odisha, official sources said.
Among others, embassy officials of Austria, Italy and Switzerland, govt chief whip Saroj Pradhan, additional chief secretary (home) Hemant Sharma, additional chief secretary (CM) Saswat Mishra, and COO of VFS Global, South Asia, Yummi Talwar were present.
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