The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approval for liberalisation and simplification of the existing visa regime for the entry of foreigners for tourism and business purposes. The Cabinet also approved `2,000-crore assistance package as one time settlement of 36,384 displaced families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu & Kashmir (PoK).
The new policy on VISA will lead to the simplification and digitisation of the process. "The Union Cabinet has given its approval for liberalisation, simplification and rationalisation of the existing visa regime in India, and incremental changes in the visa policy decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with various stakeholders and with approval of the Home Minister.
"The approval will facilitate entry of foreigners for tourism, business and medical purposes. This is expected to stimulate economic growth, increase earnings from export of services like tourism, medical value travel and travel on account of business and to make ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’, 'Make in India' and other such flagship initiatives of the Government successful. This will also considerably ease the travel of foreigners to India for the above-mentioned legitimate purposes," said the Government statement.
Cabinet also gave its approval to the Status-cum-Progress Report and constitution of "Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers" in compliance of Supreme Court judgment of February 2012.
"Approval of the Union Cabinet will help in monitoring of the precious Inter-linking of River Projects to be carried out under National Perspective Plan 1980 of Government of India. The Status-cum-Progress Report of Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers will be submitted bi-annually for information of Cabinet, which will facilitate faster and appropriate decisions in the interest of the country as expeditiously as possible," said the statement.