India has conveyed its concerns to Australia over the safety of students and asked for more effective steps to ensure the security of Indians there. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith held wide-ranging discussions with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna on attacks on Indians on Wednesday evening. Mr Smith, who is on a three-day visit to India, has already acknowledged that some of the attacks were racist and had racial overtones. Earlier in the day, the Australian Foreign Minister met HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and briefed him about the initiatives taken by the Australian government to ensure safety and security of Indian students there. The two also discussed about the entry of foreign educational institutions in India under the proposed Foreign Education Providers Bill. Mr Smith also met Home Minister P Chidambarm and the two discussed security preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi in October, this year. There have been a series of visits to India by top Australian leaders, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his deputy Julia Gillard, to allay concerns in the wake of assaults on Indian students. According to official data, there are about 1.2 lakh students out of nearly five lakh Indians in Australia.