Canadians to benefit from India’s fast-track visa regime
Tuesday, 28/01/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140128/punjab.htm#16
Toronto :The Indian consulate here has taken various steps to make its visa regime more transparent and prompt to accelerate air travel, tourism, social, cultural and economic ties between the two countries, Consul General Akhilesh Mishra has said.
"We have successfully eliminated middlemen and intermediaries, who thrived on the bottlenecks in the processing and delivery of consular services," Mishra said after unfurling the Tricolour to commemorate Republic Day yesterday.
He said steps taken by the Consulate to streamline the visa regime included prompt response to emails, speedy delivery of visa and rapid mechanism to address public grievances.
Earlier, Mishra read the message of President Pranab Mukherjee in Hindi and English. Despite freezing cold, a large number of Indo-Canadians attended the function.
Members of several Indo-Canadian organisations including Satish Thakkar, former president of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Rajesh Gupta, president and CEO of the State Bank of India (Canada), were among those present on the occasion.
"At the end of August 2013, we had a backlog of over 2,500 services, including passports, OCI, PIO, PCCs, surrender certificates and visas. By December 2013, they were all cleared," he said.
"My vision is to develop at least 1,000 focal points in the community to catalyse and guide flow of trade and investment, both ways, between India and Canada," he said.
