India\\\'s easy visa regime, Bangladeshis to benefit

India's plans to make it easier for foreign tourists to get visas may help many seeking to visit the country -- and that include Bangladesh nationals. If the new procedure is accepted, tourists from Bangladesh and 179 other countries will not have to travel to the consulates, high-commissions or embassies of India to get the visas. They will be able to apply online on a designated website after paying required fees and will receive electronic versions of visas within three days. The electronic visas will be valid for 30 days. The officials at the airports would do the rest when the tourists arrive. The facility will be extended to the tourists from Bangladesh, but not to the ones from Pakistan. The tourists from Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria and Somalia will also not be able to avail the facility. “We have decided to extend the Visa-on-Arrival facility to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months for the respective departments to put the required infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist session beginning October,” said India's Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla, according to bdnews24.com.