NEW DELHI: The number of nations whose citizens are eligible for visas on arrival (VoA) in India is likely to be expanded to include 13 countries largely from Europe, south-east and central Asia after a review convened by the PMO felt security conditions need not be a hurdle to promote tourism.
Countries that could be offered VoA includeMalaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine,Kazakhstan, Brazil and South Africa. At the meeting - also attended by officials from other ministries like culture and environment - it was made clear that security cannot be invoked to strike down important government initiatives.
In a separate, but related review, government is planning a major boost to skill development by aiming to add a eight-crore-strong workforce over the next five years. A big step in this direction could be introducing vocational study as elective options in classes IX to XII so that credits in these subjects can be counted for university admissions.
Home ministry has been asked to work on details of the proposed visa regime in a manner that factors in security concerns by utilizing information-sharing agreements with Asean and theEuropean Union while ensuring that travel to India becomes less hassle-free.
Ramping up tourist numbers is seen as a significant revenue earner with 600,000 foreign visitors a year being a miniscule proportion of global tourism. With timely intervention, the sector can grow much faster than the 24 million jobs currently targeted in the 12th Plan. So far, the VoA scheme has registered modest success with over 10,000 visas issued last year.
At present, 13 countries whose nationals can avail a visa on arrival include Finland, Japan,Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laosand Myanmar. But the list excludes more populous nations even in the Asean who can be tapped for a much larger tourist footfall.
Tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai said, "Government is aware of the urgent need to develop infrastructure to ensure there is adequate connectivity, hotel room availability and facilities for tourists." The government is also drawing lessons from European countries that have leveraged tourism to tide over financial woes.
The government is also considering a spate of measures to kick start its skill-development programme by roughly doubling the targeted addition of skilled persons from existing 40 lakh a year. This is seen as essential, keeping in mind rapidly growing sectors like tourism, information technology and textiles.
The problem of lack of skilled people had caught the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during UPA-I, but despite reports being commissioned and submitted, the issue was never quite addressed. Now, the government has initiated a curriculum evaluation that is intended to introduce vocational study as elective subjects in classes IX to XII.
In a departure from past practice, study of these subjects will count for students keen on attending university as it is felt that if they can earn credits and keep options open, they might be tempted to take up vocational areas in school itself.
On tourism, the PMO has also asked the MHA and the ministry of external affairs to resolve the confusion around restrictions on re-entry of tourists within a 60-day period. The visa rule is likely to be relaxed and a solution reached in the next one month.
Besides increasing VoA facility to four additional airports, including Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi and Bengaluru, the PMO has asked the civil aviation ministry to improve the facilities in the existing airports of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai so that tourists do not have to stand for hours for emigration and other clearances. The ministries of home and civil aviation have also been asked to increase counters and accept immigration fees in both Indian currency and dollars.
Countries that could be offered VoA includeMalaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine,Kazakhstan, Brazil and South Africa. At the meeting - also attended by officials from other ministries like culture and environment - it was made clear that security cannot be invoked to strike down important government initiatives.
In a separate, but related review, government is planning a major boost to skill development by aiming to add a eight-crore-strong workforce over the next five years. A big step in this direction could be introducing vocational study as elective options in classes IX to XII so that credits in these subjects can be counted for university admissions.
Home ministry has been asked to work on details of the proposed visa regime in a manner that factors in security concerns by utilizing information-sharing agreements with Asean and theEuropean Union while ensuring that travel to India becomes less hassle-free.
Ramping up tourist numbers is seen as a significant revenue earner with 600,000 foreign visitors a year being a miniscule proportion of global tourism. With timely intervention, the sector can grow much faster than the 24 million jobs currently targeted in the 12th Plan. So far, the VoA scheme has registered modest success with over 10,000 visas issued last year.
At present, 13 countries whose nationals can avail a visa on arrival include Finland, Japan,Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laosand Myanmar. But the list excludes more populous nations even in the Asean who can be tapped for a much larger tourist footfall.
Tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai said, "Government is aware of the urgent need to develop infrastructure to ensure there is adequate connectivity, hotel room availability and facilities for tourists." The government is also drawing lessons from European countries that have leveraged tourism to tide over financial woes.
The government is also considering a spate of measures to kick start its skill-development programme by roughly doubling the targeted addition of skilled persons from existing 40 lakh a year. This is seen as essential, keeping in mind rapidly growing sectors like tourism, information technology and textiles.
The problem of lack of skilled people had caught the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during UPA-I, but despite reports being commissioned and submitted, the issue was never quite addressed. Now, the government has initiated a curriculum evaluation that is intended to introduce vocational study as elective subjects in classes IX to XII.
In a departure from past practice, study of these subjects will count for students keen on attending university as it is felt that if they can earn credits and keep options open, they might be tempted to take up vocational areas in school itself.
On tourism, the PMO has also asked the MHA and the ministry of external affairs to resolve the confusion around restrictions on re-entry of tourists within a 60-day period. The visa rule is likely to be relaxed and a solution reached in the next one month.
Besides increasing VoA facility to four additional airports, including Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi and Bengaluru, the PMO has asked the civil aviation ministry to improve the facilities in the existing airports of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai so that tourists do not have to stand for hours for emigration and other clearances. The ministries of home and civil aviation have also been asked to increase counters and accept immigration fees in both Indian currency and dollars.
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