Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 1 : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday inaugurated the new Visa Application Centre operated by VFS Global in Bhubaneswar, marking a significant milestone in enhancing access to international visa services for the people of Odisha.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister highlighted that the establishment of this centre reflects Odisha's growing global connectivity and commitment to citizen-centric services. He noted that such initiatives enhance ease of travel, promote industries & tourism, and support international engagement, according to a release.
The CM said that there was a growing need for a Visa application centre in the state. Considering this need, the state government had requested the central Government to facilitate the opening up of such a centre in Bhubaneswar. We are happy that the central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji has extended full support and cooperation in the opening of this centre here.
He further said that 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 to Kolkata to submit their visa applications.
The state government has provided approximately 3,000 square feet for this state-of-the-art facility inside the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminal at Barmunda in the city, said the CM.
In its first phase of operations, the CM informed that the centre will cater to visa services for the following ten countries: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Japan, Morocco, and Egypt. Additional missions are expected to be introduced in the near future, further expanding the range of services available to applicants, he added.
The centre is designed to provide a seamless and efficient application experience to applicants. 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, according to the release.
Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VFS Global, has been instrumental in building the organization into the world's largest visa and consular services provider. Under his leadership, the company serves 70 governments across 167 countries, promoting innovation, responsible technology, and secure mobility solutions.
As a global leader in trusted technology services, VFS Global supports governments and diplomatic missions worldwide by managing administrative and non-judgmental aspects of visa, passport, and consular services. This enables client governments to focus on critical decision-making processes. 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, the release added.
Among others, Embassy officials of Austria, Italy and Switzerland, Government Chief Whip Saroj Pradhan, Home Department ACS Hemant Sharma, ACS to CM Saswat Mishra, and COO of VFS Global, South Asia, Yummi Talwar were present.
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