Bhubaneswar, April 1 – Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated a visa application centre here on Wednesday.
Speaking at the inauguration event, Majhi said the establishment of the centre reflects Odisha's growing global connectivity and the state government's commitment to citizen-centric services.
The centre has been set up at the Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bus Terminal.
"Such initiatives enhance ease of travel, promote industries and tourism, and support international engagement," he added.
Majhi said there was a growing need for a visa application centre in the state, and a request was made to the Union government to facilitate the opening of such a centre in Bhubaneswar.
"We are happy that the central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has extended full support and cooperation in opening this centre here," he said.
The CM further said that the newly launched centre will significantly benefit residents of Odisha, who previously had to travel to Kolkata to submit their visa applications.
The state government has provided around 3,000 square feet for this state-of-the-art facility inside the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Bus Terminal at Barmunda in the city, he further said.
In its first phase of operations, the CM informed that the centre will cater to visa services for 10 countries – The UK, Ireland, Austria, Estonia, Italy, Malta, Switzerland, Japan, Morocco, and Egypt.
Additional services are expected to be introduced in the near future, further expanding 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.