look news india
The Indian government is working towards expediting rules for visas for Chinese technicians following complaints from industry that delays in visas to Chinese technicians in India were negatively impacting India's ability to become a manufacturing hub.
According to sources, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the Government of India is working with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs to prepare a framework for fast-track visas for engineers and technicians setting up Chinese machines in factories in India. At present, it takes four to five months for Chinese technicians to get visas. The aim is to reduce the visa processing time to less than 30 days.
It is worth noting that after the clash between India and China in the Galwan Valley in the year 2020, the central government had imposed strict restrictions on China, which soured bilateral relations. The government banned hundreds of Chinese apps and slowed down the visa process. Direct flights between the two countries were also reduced. Before the Corona epidemic, visas were issued to two lakh Chinese citizens in 2019, whereas this year only two thousand Chinese citizens have been given visas so far. Talks are going on between the two countries to resolve the border dispute, but bilateral relations remain tense. India says that relations cannot be normal until the dispute is resolved.
The government plans to streamline the visa process by allowing all companies in targeted sectors receiving government subsidies to apply for business visas for Chinese workers. Under current rules, only manufacturing businesses approved under the incentive programme can apply for business visas for Chinese workers, forcing the rest to apply for cumbersome employment permits that require a lot of paperwork. India is highly dependent on imports from China, especially for machinery needed in manufacturing.
