"Tourist visa is not the appropriate visa for journalistic activities by the foreigners. Tourist visa is issued to foreigners who do not have residence or occupation in India and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends and relatives etc. 

"No other activity is permissible on tourist visa," a home ministry official said on Wednesday.

The home ministry has requested ministry of external affairs to convey the directive to all Indian missions and posts abroad.

All state governments and authorities concerned in the country have also been requested to ensure strict compliance of the order, the official said.

The action came after the government found that Roger Bilham, a geophysicist at the University of Colorado, had been visiting India since 1967 multiple times on tourist visa and was engaged in journalistic activities.