The United States has rejected India's request to exempt ministers and Members of Parliament on a personal visit to that nation from biometric registration

The United States has rejected India's request to exempt ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs)on a personal visit to that nation from biometric registration that requires them to be fingerprinted, the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported Monday. The MPs had been informed about the decision through a bulletin, the IANS quoted a senior Rajya Sabha (Upper House of parliament) official, confirming that the United States had turned down India's request as said Monday. The US Embassy has clearly stated that it is not possible for them to make any exceptions for any category of persons other than those already made, he said, quoting from a communiqu circulated by the External Affairs Ministry. At present, only children under the age of 14 and adults above 79 as well as people visiting the United States for official purposes on official and diplomatic passports are exempt from the new visa regulations. Though ministers and MPs would be exempt from being fingerprinted or photographed for visas during official visits to the United States, they would be required to follow the procedure on a personal visit. Ministers and MPs were earlier exempted from personal interview or visit to the US Embassy or Consulate. The government's request followed pressure from ministers and MPs to have them granted exemption from personal appearance for the registration, an official said.