The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday through a gazette notification directed all academic institutions, hotels and guest houses to inform the authorities about foreign students or guests within 24 hours of their making an entry. The notification said every university and educational institution shall furnish to the Foreigner Regional Registration Officer information in respect of foreign students enrolled in the institute within 24 hours of his or her arrival.
While course name, course duration and fee structure have to be furnished at the beginning, a half-yearly report has to be given on attendance of the student in the class, result and general conduct of the student. The Home Ministry also said all hotels will require to furnish details of a foreign guest, including his or her signature, on arrival at its premises. The foreign visitor’s name and nationality have to be maintained in a register.
The hotels have to furnish details from the foreign guest about his or her purpose of visit to India, proposed duration of stay, whether employed in India, address to which the visitor is proceeding besides others.
Every particular, other than the signature of the keeper of a hotel or a visitor, which is required to be recorded in the said register, shall be recorded by the keeper of the hotel in English language, if he is so able, or otherwise, in an Indian language. If a visitor does not understand English language, it shall be the duty of the keeper of the hotel, if so requested, to explain to the visitor the requirements of the government order. The keeper of the hotel will, as soon as may be but not more than twenty-four hours, after the arrival of a foreigner, transmit a copy of the particulars written duly completed from the particulars furnished by the foreigner, to the registration officer, the notification said.
The Home Ministry said ‘hotel’ includes any boarding-house, club, ‘dak-bunglow’, rest house, hostel, paying guest house, ‘sarai’, rented accommodation, hospital, or other premises of like nature, furnished or unfurnished, where lodging or sleeping accommodation is provided for reward.