Unified platform for registration is only for residents and in the future systems may cater to tourists
aviation1 hour ago
In a bid to boost the economy as daily Covid-19 cases in the country have come down, the Indian government is considering to resume issuing tourist visas very soon, confirmed a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official on Wednesday.
Listen to this story and more on the 8@8 with David Light podcast
A senior MHA official confirmed that things have been formalised and a meeting has been called in the Ministry of Home Affairs that will be chaired by the Home Secretary on Thursday to discuss plans to resume tourist visas.
The official said that it will be done in a phased manner and as per the feasibility, it will be open to all. The government is likely to allow only vaccinated people to apply for tourist visas.
Tourist visas are suspended since March 2020, from the day the first lockdown was announced. Later, several categories of visas like business, employment and others were exempted but tourist visas remained suspended.
Many Gulf countries have resumed tourist visas. Before the suspension of tourist visas, around 7-8 lakh tourists used to come to India every month.
India recorded 27,176 new Covid-19 cases and 284 deaths in the last 24 hours on Wednesday. The active cases have come down to 3.51 lakh. Less than 50,000 daily cases have been reported for 80 consecutive days now.
Covid-19 has severely affected the tourism industry, resulting in job losses and shutdowns of hotels and restaurants.
Unified platform for registration is only for residents and in the future systems may cater to tourists
aviation1 hour ago
Stewart says he has no plans to retire
entertainment2 hours ago
We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit, says Francis in his yearly address to diplomats
world2 hours ago
Music streaming services together saw revenues from UK purchases rise almost 8 per cent to around two billion pounds
entertainment2 hours ago
Located near Dubai International Airport (DXB), it is the first of four sites that are being developed as part of the emirate's initial air taxi infrastructure network
aviation2 hours ago
He passed away surrounded by family following a four-year battle with bladder cancer
entertainment2 hours ago
Authorities have now launched a unified platform for licensing purposes where applicants can apply for a permit
aviation2 hours ago
The reminder list includes movies that can officially compete in various categories but merely featuring in the list does not guarantee that the film will advance
entertainment2 hours ago