Govt to grant visas to Chinese workers in non-PLI sectors

NEW DELHI: The government is considering granting visas to Chinese technicians/workers in non-PLI sectors as well.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), told a press conference that the department is also working on streamlining the visa process for strategic sectors that do not avail PLI benefits.

“We are in the process of working out a similar streamlined process for non-PLI sectors as well. The final decision is yet to be taken, but we are moving in that direction and hope it will happen,” said the DPIIT secretary.

He added that the department has already developed a streamlined procedure for PLI beneficiaries.

“We are trying to extend it to other non-PLI beneficiaries who are working in the same strategic sectors, as one gets a subsidy and visa relaxation, the rest should also get a streamlined visa process, if not a subsidy,” he added.

The secretary, however, refused to name specific sectors outside PLI that could benefit from visa facilitation.

Industry representatives have asked the government to ease the visa process for Chinese technicians and workers in India as there is a significant education gap in the country.

The government had earlier agreed to relax visa norms for Chinese workers in sectors availing PLI benefits. However, the government is now considering extending the relaxed visa norms to strategic sectors not covered by PLI.

Asked if the government is considering the demands of the sectors to extend the PLI scheme, Rajesh Kumar Singh said that consultations have always been on and the demands of the industry to extend the PLI scheme are always there. However, he cannot announce the sectors until the government finalises anything in this regard.