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Indians to get e-passports from next year

Indian citizens will likely get e-passports, starting 2021. Reportedly, anyone seeking a reissuance or opt for applying for a new passport in 2021, would be able to get an e-passport with an electronic microprocessor chip embedded in it. The Indian government has already initiated the said process, whereas the infrastructure is also in place to ensure upgraded and future-ready documents are provided to deter identity theft, forgery, and enhanced connectivity for a streamlined immigration process. As per the latest reports, the government initially issued 20000 official and diplomatic e-passports embedded with such chips on a trial basis. Now, after a successful run, it has begun the process for issuance of e-passports for all citizens. Till now, passports were issued to citizens in the form of personalised printed booklets. The e-passports will follow the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and will be tougher, as well as harder to destroy. The chip at the front of the passport will come with an internationally recognized logo meant for e-passports. Regarding procedures for applying, all remain the same, i.e., from filing the application form on the Indian government website to choosing your location and date of the appointment. The microchip embedded in the passport will hold all vital information related to the passport holder’s biometric data, as well as security features that will disallow unauthorized data transfer through RFID (radio-frequency identification). Almost all major airports have faster processing times for e-visa and e-passport holders due to higher level of automation from gaining access to immigrations areas to security checks, as computerized authorization is much more secure and faster. Reportedly, all 36 passport offices in India under the Ministry of External Affair will start issuing the said e-passports soon. The issuance time will remain the same, i.e., with no disruptions or delays caused due to the new system. Referring to this development, Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar emphasized the need for higher security protocols for passports, and the need for e-passports being at the forefront of achieving that goal.

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Mount Abu seeing surge in tourist footfalls due to lockdown relaxation

Mount Abu, the sole hill station of the desert state of Rajasthan, is witnessing a steady rise in the number of domestic tourists following relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said on Wednesday. Famous for its scenic natural beauty, the hill station situated in Sirohi district has received more than 10,000 tourists after a long gap, the official from the state''s tourism department said. The destination remains flooded with tourists during the summer season but this year, due to the coronavirus lockdown, there were no tourists. However, people have again started visiting Mount Abu and the footfalls are gradually rising even during the ongoing monsoon season. “The figure of tourists in Mount Abu is rising... Similar trends have been noticed in Udaipur where tourists are exploring short and safe vacations while following safety guidelines,” the official said. The safety of tourists and locals is the top priority of the state government and guidelines on preventive measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 are being strictly adhered to at all monuments, resorts etc., Alok Gupta, Principal secretary of the tourism department, said. "After missing the entire summer season, people are eager for a getaway. Local tourists are returning in big numbers. While unlocking tourism, the safety of people is our concern," he said. Gupta said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has instructed the officials to keep public health ahead of all other aspects. It is due to the consideration of public health and vacation needs that the department is promoting short, safe stays, he said.

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Tourism activities to resume in Banjar valley from September 5

Facing huge losses due to the lockdown imposed following the coronavirus outbreak, various associations and stakeholders of the tourism industry in the Banjar valley, at a meeting, have decided to resume tourism activities from September 5. Hotel owners said there were certain hitches in resuming the operations. The SOPs were complicated and certain relaxations should be allowed. Many local women worked in hotels and return to their homes in the evening. It was not possible for them to stay in the units they worked, as was mandatory under the SOPs. They also said employing new people would mean that local women would lose their jobs. Panki Sood, an entrepreneur, said they had started taking bookings from September 5. A meeting would be held tomorrow to decide the nitty-gritties. The demand to settle the issues would be raised accordingly. There are various scenic places in the Banjar valley like the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), the Unesco World Heritage Site. Rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountain ranges, forests, historic buildings and temples are the major tourist attractions.

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India in talks with 13 countries to resume flights under air bubbles

New Delhi: India is in talks with as many as 13 countries for resumption of international flights under bilateral air bubbles, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. "These countries include Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Bahrain, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea & Thailand," Puri said on a social media post on Twitter. "The ongoing negotiations will benefit stranded Indians and nationals of these countries," he added. At present, India has international air travel arrangements under bilateral air bubbles in place with countries like US, UK, France, Germany, UAE, Qatar and Maldives. Bilateral air bubbles is a mechanism to resume international flights between India and other countries with certain preconditions, which regulates movement in view of the covid-19 pandemic. "Air bubbles have also been proposed with our neighbors Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal & Bhutan. Going forward, we will consider such arrangements with other countries also," Puri added. International flights to and from India have been in suspension since March as various countries went into lockdown to prevent the spread of covid-19, although the government-owned Air India has carried out repatriation flights to bring stranded Indians home. Indian airlines, including private carriers, have recently been allowed to operate international repatriation and charter flights while certain foreign airlines have also been given permission to operate similar flights to and from India. Indian private airlines like IndiGo, and SpiceJet, among others have operated international charter and repatriation flights in the recent past. Separately, full service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, will operate special, non-stop flights between Delhi and London's Heathrow from 28 August to 30 September 2020, marking its foray in long-haul international operations, the airline said in a statement. No-frills carrier SpiceJet Limited is also set to start non-stop flights to London from September.

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CII National Committee writes to tourism minister seeking opening of hotels across states

NEW DELHI: Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) CEO Puneet Chhatwal, chairman of CII's national committee on tourism and hospitality and MakeMyTrip Group executive chairman Deep Kalra, co chairman of the committee have written to tourism minister Prahlad Patel seeking opening of hotels in all states, policy support and a rollback of some tax proposals introduced this year. “It is imperative that the tourism and hospitality industry reopens following Unlock 3.0 in the country,” said Chhatwal and added that CII has reached out to ministry of tourism at the centre and Anil Baijal, LG, Delhi government for support during these ‘unprecedented times.’ Requesting the minister to advise all state governments to allow hotels to operate as per Unlock 3.0 MHA guidelines, making loans more accessible and seeking a 12 months deferment of statutory dues, the letter dated August 13 said budget 2020 proposed a new TDS levy similar to TCS under GST law, whereby travel agents and OTAs are required to withhold 1-5% TDS while remitting payments to hotels and airlines. "Keeping in with the fact that the entire industry is heading for a loss this year, the proposed provision should be rolled back,” the letter stated and added: “Proposed TCS on sale of overseas packages in Finance Bill 2020 is detrimental to tourism business in India. Proposed TCS will not only increase the cost of packages sold by Indian tour operators, it will also shift all sales of outbound tourism to overseas suppliers, denying the govermment income tax and GST revenue...proposed TCS should be rolled back.” The industry leaders have also sought restrictions on the size of large public gatherings, congregations for conferences, marriages etc to be based on size of banquet halls and not number of people (current guidelines cap marriage related gatherings at 50 people), and have suggested measures like making e visas free or providing them at a nominal cost till December 2021, changes in LTA rules, zero rating GST for MICE, zero rating GST for bookings made on domestic travel for two years to boost domestic tourism. They have also highlighted Covid testing protocols that could be followed for safe international and domestic travel. “As per current rules, LTA can be claimed for travel fare or tickets within India only, expenses incurred for accommodation, or any other fee will not be eligible for exemption. To incentivize domestic tourism, government may modify the rules and allow citizens to avail LTA benefit on domestic tours including travel fare or tickets and accommodation for a period of two years,” the latter stated. Investments in the hotel sector can also be encouraged by giving infrastructure status for lower investments, according to the leaders. “The government has granted infrastructure status to hotel projects above Rs 200 crore...If mid-market hotel projects under Rs 200 crore are granted infrastructure status and have longer tenure to repay loan, they will be profitable,” the letter stated.

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Kerala to welcome domestic tourists from September

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran said the state would welcome domestic tourists from September with restrictions. He also announced a Rs 455 crore loan scheme to support the tourism sector affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme known as the Chief Minister’s special tourism loan fund will benefit both entrepreneurs and workers in the sector. Entrepreneurs in the sector can avail a loan up to Rs 25 lakh while the small ventures can avail up to Rs 3 lakh. The tourism department will offer 50 per cent subsidy for the first year of the loan term. The workers will get Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 as a soft loan from Kerala Bank. There will not be repayment for the first six months, said the minister. The minister also said that a Rs 100 crore project with Kerala Bank for the sector was in the preparatory stage. Surendran said the former principal secretary to the Chief Minister, M Sivasankar, could not fulfil the trust reposed on him by the Chief Minister. “He was appointed for his calibre and was kept away when the Chief Minister came to know about his activities,” said the tourism minister. He said the UDF and BJP were acting like Siamese twins to unleash rumours against the government. The Leader of Opposition is acting like a new version of Goebbels, said Surendran. He denied that the government had any role in the alleged commission payment to Swapna Suresh, accused in the gold smuggling case, for the construction of a Life Mission project.

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