PIB Details

Civil Services/Yuva Sahakar/Liberalization of visa/BhoomiRashi Portal

  • 14/11/2018

Civil Services:

  • Be flexible, adaptable, open & dynamic and strive to reform outdated government practices: Vice President tells civil servants
  • Harmonize the social, cultural, linguistic, religious & economic differences in the country;
  • Civil Services are the greatest contribution of Sardar Patel;
  • Let common man have a say; include him in decision making & in setting development agendas;
  • Adopt a more empathetic, responsive and inclusive approach;
  • Pandit Nehru saw true nationalism as the collective well being of entire population;
  • Possess the commitment to serve people; It will be dedicated offering to our motherland;
  • civil service officers have the most important role of translating “Swarajya” to “Surajya”. Each citizen and each person in this country must feel that there is a perceptible improvement in the quality of life

 

Yuva Sahakar-Cooperative Enterprise Support and Innovation Scheme

 

  • The Central Government has been encouraging ‘Start-Ups’ for ease of doing business, non-conventional opportunities are emerging and are being encouraged. The conducive environment is being leveraged by private and corporate sectors and ‘Hub Start-ups’ are being promoted. The newly launched scheme would encourage cooperatives to venture into new and innovative areas.
  • The scheme will be linked to Rs 1000 crore ‘Cooperative Start-up and Innovation Fund (CSIF)’ created by the NCDC. It would have more incentives for cooperatives of North Eastern region, Aspirational Districts and cooperatives with women or SC or ST or PwD members. The funding for the project will be up to 80% of the project cost for these special categories as against 70% for others. The scheme envisages 2% less than the applicable rate of interest on term loan for the project cost up to Rs 3 crore including 2 years moratorium on payment of principal. All types of cooperatives in operation for at least one year are eligible.
  • The Minister explained that this scheme is expected to meet the needs of today’s youth. He added that NCDC, being the most preferred financial institution in the world of cooperatives, has embarked on Sahakar 22, a Mission for Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022.

Liberalization of visa regime of India

  • Two new categories of e-visa i.e. e-Conference & e-Medical Attendant visa have been introduced recently. E-visa is now available for five categories i.e. (i) Tourist, (ii) Business (iii) Medical (iv) Conference and (v) medical attendant.
  • The local FRRO has been empowered now to extend duration of electronic visas beyond 60 days upto 90 days. Moreover, these e-visas can now be availed three times in one year against twice in a year earlier.
  • For foreigners who are already in India and who require any consular/visa services like extension of visa, conversion of visa, exit permission or any of the total 27 visa-related services, an online e-FRRO facility has now been launched throughout the country. The foreigners do not have to physically visit the offices of FRROs/FROs. They can apply as well as receive consular/visa services online after making online payment.
  • To promote cruise tourism immigration facilities have been provided at five major seaports where e-Landing Permits are granted to passengers for their onshore site-seeing. The condition of biometric enrollment for such tourists arriving at the ports of Mumbai, Cochin, Mormugao, Chennai & New Mangalore has also been suspended till December, 2020 to ensure faster immigration clearance so that cruise tourists can spend maximum time on shore.
    • Foreign nationals who fall sick during their stay in India can now avail medical treatment without converting their visa into Medical Visa. This would take care of sudden medical emergencies.
    • Allowing conversion of any category of visa of a foreign national who is married to an Indian citizen/Person of Indian Origin/OCI Cardholder into an Entry Visa at any point of time by the FRRO himself
  • Facilities such as extension of employment and business visas for a period up to ten years within India as against five years at present; extension of visa of foreigners who are staying in India upto 15 years continuously and for 5 years at a time; permitting a foreign national who is already in India on Long Term Visa to attend international conferences/seminars/workshops without any specific permission from the FRRO concerned have also been extended.
  • FRROs have been delegated powers for various visa related services like Visa extension, Visa conversion, registration, exit permission, etc. These measures will help in expediting clearances for various visa related services to foreigners and cut their waiting time.
  • FRROs have been delegated power for various visa related services like Visa extension. Visa conversion, registration, exit permission, etc. These measures will help in expediting clearances for various visa related services to foreigners and cut their waiting time.
  • Foreigners require Restricted Area Permit/Protected Area Permit besides a proper visa to visit areas which have been declared as "Restricted" or "Protected" areas. In many cases such permits are granted only after a Prior Reference is made by the concerned State/UT Govt. to the MHA. This takes time and creates another entry barrier for a foreigner. The MHA has now rationalized issuance of such permits. Prior Clearance of the MHA for grant of Protected Area Permit (PAP) and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to foreigners in the following three major areas has been dispensed with :

➢ Foreigners intending to visit a place covered under the PAP/RAP regime for activities

other than tourism on a visa other than Tourist Visa;

➢ Foreigners visiting a place for tourism purpose which is not opened for tourism;

➢ Individual foreign tourists.

  • Accordingly, the State Government concerned or the FRROs can now take decision locally and grant PAP or RAP to such foreigners immediately.
    • Earlier, foreigners visiting Andaman & Nicobar Islands required a visa as well as an RAP. With a view to promote flow of tourism and investment, 30 islands of Andaman & Nicobar have been excluded from the RAP regime notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963. Foreigners will also be allowed to visit 11 uninhabited islands, to be notified by Andaman & Nicobar Islands Admn., only for day trips without any RAP. Requirement of registration by foreigners visiting these islands has also been dispensed with.
  • Provisions relating to grant of intern visa have been liberalized with a view to attract more foreigners for internship in India which will be beneficial to Indian organizations. Intern Visa is now available at any time during the course of study. Further, minimum remuneration requirement for grant of intern visa for internship in a company has been reduced from Rs.7.80 lakhs to Rs.3.60 lakhs per annum.

BhoomiRashi Portal 

  • BhoomiRashi Portal in Land Acquisition process for roads and highways sector in the country.
  • The portal allows for totally digital and paper-less processing of land acquisition cases, and has resulted in transparent, quick, corruption-free and error-free handling of land acquisition cases.It has alsomade the possible real-time tracking of activities and generation of reports relating to land acquisition.
  • Earlier the approved compensation amount used to be parked with the CALA (Competent Authority for Land Acquisition) but with BhoomiRashi portal this amount directly transferred into the account of the person concerned, through Public Financial Management System which is an integral part of the portal.
  • In addition to this, the process is also environment friendly since there is no physical movement of files – all work is done digitally.