
Foreign tourists visiting India with e-visa can stay up to 2 months
Foreign tourists visiting India on e-visa can now stay up to two months, instead of the earlier one, and enjoy double-entry benefits while those coming for treatment can avail triple-entry facility.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today that a new liberalised visa regime has been rolled out by the government beginning April 1 under which tourists coming on e-visa can stay up to two months with double-entry benefits.
“Duration of stay on e-visa increased from 30 days to 60 days with double entry on tourist and business e-visas and triple entry on medical e-visa,” he said in a statement.
Earlier, a tourist coming on e-visa could stay in India up to 30 days only.
With the double-entry benefits, tourists can visit neighbouring countries like Bhutan and can return to India within the stipulated time.
“The government has liberalised its visa regime to promote tourism, business travel and attract potential investors to the country,” Singh said.
Effective April 1, e-visa has been sub-divided into three categories - e-tourist visa, e-business visa and e-medical visa.
The window for application under e-visa scheme has been increased from 30 days to 120 days.
Besides, both business and medical visas will be granted within 48 hours of application upon urgent requests.
The Home Minister said separate immigration counters and facilitation desks to assist medical tourists have been provided at six major Indian airports.
The airports are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
A new category of visa - Film (F) visa has also been introduced with maximum duration of one-year with multiple entry facility.
Another category of visa, titled Intern (I) Visa, has been rolled out for foreigners intending to pursue internship in India.
Singh said e-visa facility has been extended to the nationals of 161 countries for entry through 24 airports and three Indian seaports. The seaports are Cochin, Goa and Mangalore.
The multiple entry tourist and business visas for a period of five years will now be available to nationals of most of the countries.
Nine-four Missions having bio-metric enrolment facilities have started giving five-year tourist and business visas. The remaining Missions will be providing this facility in due course.
Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a print-out of this authorisation.
On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then allow the entry into the country.

Ladakh soldiers among first set of army personnel to get Covid-19 vaccine
- More than 12,000 doses of the vaccine have reached Ladakh of which around 4,000 have been earmarked for armed forces personnel to protect them from Covid-19, the officials said speaking on condition of anonymity.
_1610727809220_1610727824299.png)
Thousands of Odisha's healthcare workers say no to Covid-19 vaccine, here's why
- MPW workers demand promotion and cadre-restructuring.

Join Congress to defeat BJP: Adhir Ranjan repeats invite to Mamata Banerjee
- Choudhury's comments came after the TMC had on Wednesday said the Congress and the Left should support Banerjee in her fight against the BJP, a suggestion rejected by the two parties.

News updates from HT: India-Japan to cooperate in field of 5G, smart cities

When 4 CBI officers turned 'bribe facilitators' for bank fraud accused

Rajnath Singh unveils India's first indigenously developed driverless metro car

'No room for doubt on Covid vaccine, ready to take the shot': Sharad Pawar

PM Modi to interact with health workers of Kerala’s Ernakulam hospital tomorrow
- In view of high active caseload the state had sought more vials in the first stage but it was told that in the second stage more vials will be given. Once lauded for its Covid-19 management, now Kerala is the virus hotspot of the country.

Arunachal Pradesh to build memorial to honour hero who won Tawang for India

India-Japan to work on bolstering cooperation in field of 5G, smart cities
- The two countries will also work together in the field of telecom security, submarine optical fibre cable system to islands of India.

At bilateral meet with India, Nepal’s foreign minister Gyawali raises border row
- Nepal is looking to India to provide vaccines as grant assistance for the first phase of its vaccination programme, which requires 12 million doses to cover 20% of its population. Nepal also plans to buy millions of doses from foreign suppliers, including SII and Bharat Biotech.

Tamil Nadu warms up for Covid-19 vaccination, over 150 sites to be in operation
- Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami will participate in the vaccination drive tomorrow in Madurai where a sanitary worker of a hospital is expected to receive the first shot.

Patna IndiGo station manager murder: Family demands CBI probe
- The Bihar chief minister reassured that the state’s law and order situation is stable and promised a speedy trial.

6.3 crore domestic air passengers in 2020, 56 pc lower than 2019: DGCA

Read your 2019 Lok Sabha manifesto: Tomar reminds Rahul Gandhi over farm laws
- Tomar also attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi over her party’s stand on the laws. He said that both leaders should clarify if they were lying about these reforms in their election manifesto.