The government today moved a step closer to clearing the bottlenecks for foreign research scholars and, in the process, institutionalising another blacklist. A meeting of the Research Coordination Committee today decided that the three ministries involved — the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs — will work out the modalities of a “green and red channel” for clearing research proposals. The Home Ministry will prepare a Cabinet note on this.

As first reported in The Indian Express which is doing a series highlighting how foreign scholars are stranded — their visas delayed, many even asked to change their subjects — the government is planning a green channel for categories of research and institutions that can be approved without going through the harrowing process of clearance.

But there will still be a red channel that will basically be defined by the scholar’s nationality, the home institution, the participating institution in India and, significantly, the nature of research.

At today’s meeting, it was decided that the HRD ministry would, in consultation with the MEA, prepare a list of countries whose scholars would need clearance. A list of institutions a scholar is from is also likely to be drawn up. The Home Ministry, once again, will have the authority to provide inputs on research subjects and locations within the country where security clearance will be needed.

The committee will also work out the weightage to be assigned to each of these factors when it comes to deciding if a proposal falls in the green channel or red.

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