Destination

Visa General Information
Foreign visitors entering India must possess a passport valid for at least 6 months after their date of entry into India, except in the case of nationals of Bhutan and Nepal, who need only carry suitable means of identification. There should be at least two blank pages in the passport.

Diplomatic and Official Passport Holders
Holders of Diplomatic Passports should apply for a Diplomat Visa.
Holders of Official Passports should apply for an Official Visa.
Holders of Diplomatic and Official passports may contact the nearest Indian Embassy or High Commission for further information. Some useful links:

http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/online/visaServices
http://mea.gov.in/bvwa.htm
http://www.boi.gov.in/content/diplomaticofficial-visa-do

Delegates from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Sudan should:

Be registered for the Clean Cooking Forum through their focal point persons immediately
For participants from Pakistan:

The “Port-of-Entry” into India should be only via Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai for Pakistan citizens.
Pakistan citizens holding two passports should apply for visa on their Pakistan passport.
The list of Indian diplomatic missions overseas can be consulted at:
http://goidirectory.gov.in/country_wise_view.php?ct=I001
http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/mission/mission

The Rupee is the official currency of India. The Indian Rupee may be abbreviated in any of the following formats INR, Rs or  symbol  ₹.

INR is available as paper notes in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2000. INR is also available as coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10.

The voltage in India is 230 volts. You will require a voltage converter if you are carrying a device that does not accept 230 Volts. Wall sockets accept plugs with two or three round pins. Should you wish to use appliances of 110 volts, most Conference Hotels will provide adaptors on request but it may be useful to carry your own for convenience. Most laptops have adaptors that accept 110-240 volts, but will still need plugs of the type shown here.

Changing money in India is very simple. Upon arrival in India, foreign currencies can be converted into Rupees at foreign exchange counters at airports. These outlets are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. You can also find Foreign Exchange desks at star-rated hotels. Travellers’ cheques may not be accepted at all banks or hotels.

Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) dispense cash throughout the city. Although these machines are linked to a specific local bank, all major credit and debit cards, both domestic and international, should be accepted. Kindly note that certain credit cards may not be accepted at certain ATMs.

Taxis
Taxis are on call round the clock in Delhi. Air Conditioned (AC) Radio taxis are also available. These taxis have a flat charge per kilometre travelled and are available at both the international and domestic terminals of the airport. In addition, there are prepaid taxi counters at the airport for travelling to any part of the city. We advise that hiring private cars and unlicensed taxis must be done with caution and is not recommended for participants.

Hotel front desks will normally be able to arrange reliable transport by taxi but they
will require 15-30 mins notice in order to do so. Taxis are willing to wait for you during your intermediate stops at reduced charges. It is simplest to inform the front desk about the places you wish to visit, the total time you wish to spend and the number of people travelling. They would then be able to book the taxi for you at a fixed rate.

Auto Rickshaws
Three-wheeled auto rickshaws (also known as “Autos”) are a convenient way to travel
within the city. They cost is half the fare of a taxi but are more expensive than buses. Usually, autos are metered, but it is good to fix the fare beforehand to avoid any dishonesty. They can be found clustered together in auto stands around the city. If there is no auto stand near you, you can hail autos by standing on the side of the road and hailing an empty one.

A valid yellow-fever certificate is mandatory for all individuals, who have been or were in transit in Africa, South America six days prior to their arrival in India. The certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination. India does immunisation against small pox or cholera.

The full list of Yellow Fever endemic countries:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

Please check the Government of India site for the latest information on the list of countries.

Drinking Water
Drinking bottled water at all times is strongly recommended.

The Organisers do not take responsibility for any individual, medical, travel or personal insurance. Participants are advised to secure their own insurance policies before departure from their countries, as required.

While every attempt is made to ensure efficiently, trouble-free hospitality, including hotel accommodation, sightseeing and tours, participants are advised that no liability accrues to the Organisers in the event of any necessary modifications, including a change in itineraries for tours due to delays or cancellations of flights/other exigencies beyond the Organisers’ control.

Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours 30 mins ahead of GMT.

The Country Code for India is ’91’. The City Code for Delhi is ’11’ and Greater Noida ‘120’. Landline numbers in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai have eight digits, whereas the numbers in smaller cities could have only 4-7 digits. All mobile numbers contain 10 digits.

Area Codes in India are referred to as STD codes. STD codes for some cities are:
Delhi – 11
Mumbai – 22
Kolkata – 33
Chennai – 44
Hyderabad – 40
Bengaluru – 80

In India, both GSM and CDMA (WLL) mobile systems are present. Please contact your mobile service provider to check their roaming partners and tariffs in India. In case you plan on making many local calls in India from your mobile phone, the mobile service provider in your country may be able to provide you with an Indian SIM card. This is a much cheaper way of making local calls as compared with international roaming charges.

DIALING FROM OUTSIDE INDIA INTO INDIA
1. To Indian Landline:
International access code (’00’ or ‘+’), followed by 91, then STD CODE followed by LandlineNo., e.g. +91 11 XXXXXXXX (‘120’ is the STD CODE for Greater Noida).
2. To Indian Mobile:
International access code (’00’ or ‘+’), followed by 91 and the 10-digit MOBILE NO., e.g. +91 XXX XXX XXXX.

DIALING WITHIN INDIA
1. From Indian landline to Indian landline:
Local call: no prefix required for the landline No.
Long distance call: 0, then STD CODE followed by landline No. 
2. From Indian landline to Indian Mobile:
Local call -10 digit Mobile No.
Long distance call: 0, followed by 10 digit Mobile No. 
3. From Indian Mobile to Indian landline:
Local or Long distance calls: 0, followed by STD Code, followed by landline No.
4. From Indian Mobile to Indian Mobile:
Local Call – 10 digit Mobile No.
Long distance call – 0, followed by Mobile No.

DIALING OUT FROM INDIA TO INTERNATIONAL NUMBERS
The international access code when dialling out of India is ’00’ (or ‘+’ when dialling from a mobile phone).

Tipping in India is a common practice. In hotels, porters and room service attendants are generally tipped once at the end of the stay. The amount of the tip is usually 10% but could be more if any special service was delivered. In restaurants, tips to waiters represent about 10% of the bill. If hiring a car for a full day, then the tip for the driver would be about Rs. 200 – 300 depending on the distance travelled.

The weather in Delhi is best in the month of October. During this period, Delhi and most parts of India are exceedingly pleasant. The average temperature in Delhi during October is usually 26°C (78°F) during the day and 19°C (66°F) at night. The evenings can get a bit chilly and can be well managed with a light jacket or a shawl.

New Delhi can generally be regarded as a safe city. However, participants are advised to observe normal safety precautions when moving around the city. In particular:

• Stay alert: watch your luggage and briefcase.
• Please enquire at your hotel reception desk about the use of safe deposit boxes.
• Always carry with you the name and address of your hotel (preferably in both English and Hindi).

New Delhi emergency and useful numbers: