Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Personal Experience : Had a trip planned to india this December ('14). With 2 days to go, I realized I could not find my child's PIO card. Panicked and was almost planning to cancel when I found out about the new Visa On arrival facility that Modi promised in September. Googled it and came to know the website was made functional a week earlier. Filled out the form, uploaded the picture, called their help desk to make sure that the website was legit.The service was polite and prompt and answered by different people on multiple occasions.They said they could process the application within 48 hours that would enable me to travel. Luckily I found the PIO but I had the letter printed just in case. Acche Din ...
bulbul Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 http://www.makeinindia.com/live-projects-industrial-corridor/
Texan Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Personal Experience : Had a trip planned to india this December ('14). With 2 days to go, I realized I could not find my child's PIO card. Panicked and was almost planning to cancel when I found out about the new Visa On arrival facility that Modi promised in September. Googled it and came to know the website was made functional a week earlier. Filled out the form, uploaded the picture, called their help desk to make sure that the website was legit.The service was polite and prompt and answered by different people on multiple occasions.They said they could process the application within 48 hours that would enable me to travel. Luckily I found the PIO but I had the letter printed just in case. Acche Din ... Good to know. Thanks for sharing! By the way, wasn't PIO and OCI going to be made pretty much the same? I vaguely remember when Modi was in NY, he made some announcement to that effect.
Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Good to know. Thanks for sharing! By the way, wasn't PIO and OCI going to be made pretty much the same? I vaguely remember when Modi was in NY, he made some announcement to that effect. PIO is lifetime now,I know about that. One more thing is that this time when I landed, I didn't have to fill out those redundant customs and immigrations forms either.
amiret Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 The Wall Street Journal on India's new liberalized Visa regime in FEB 7 2014. Feb 7 2014 : Analysts on Friday hailed the Indian government’s decision to grant visas on arrival to travelers from 180 countries, a move they said would boost tourism, earnings from which could help deflate the country’s bloating fiscal deficit. This is a “game changer for the Indian economy,†Rajiv Biswas, IHS Global’s chief economist for Asia, said in a statement. They were not referring to the new Govt.
bulbul Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 ^ LoL Visa on arrival is available to only 50+ countries now,from where 180 came into picture? isa on Arrival Facility is available for holders of passport of following countries Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand,Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands,Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html
Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 ^ LoL Visa on arrival is available to only 50+ countries now,from where 180 came into picture? https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html It was brought into effect for 150 countries in Dec I think...maybe they extended to 180 in feb 2015
bulbul Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 It was brought into effect in Dec I think... UPA is very good at announcing schemes near to election. They never bothered to implement anything properly. :giggle:
Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 UPA is very good at announcing schemes near to election. They never bothered to implement anything properly. :giggle: Pretty sure it was not there in 2014 Feb..Just news,no implementation See the link below.It was launched in Dec. Previous govt had it for 15 countries and that too not online. http://www.ibtimes.com/india-launches-tourist-visa-arrival-program-1732663
bulbul Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Pretty sure it was not there in 2014 Feb..Just news,no implementation See the link below.It was launched in Dec. Previous govt had it for 15 countries and that too not online. http://www.ibtimes.com/india-launches-tourist-visa-arrival-program-1732663 That's what i said UPA was good in announcing schemes and taking credit. Proper implementation is the key. Every project they started have one or other issues ,even simple thing is not taken care properly.
Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 That's what i said UPA was good in announcing schemes and taking credit. Proper implementation is the key. Every project they started have one or other issues ,even simple thing is not taken care properly. Agree, I was impressed by the online help I got. I suggest people call that number given just to check and see how helpful the service is. A far cry from the service when I had to renew my passport last year.
Clarke Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Interesting days these, the govt in center pursues clean solar energy, the Delhi govt gives a free hand to industries like dying and electroplating. Bole to, inmein se liberal kaun :hmmmm2:
someone Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Government builds 7.1 lakh toilets in January :clap:
adi B Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Government builds 7.1 lakh toilets in January :clap: great news,well done GOI :two_thumbs_up:
zen Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 I do not passionately support any political party in India as I see politicians to be made of the same "material" irrespective of the party they belong to. However, I do respect Modi and believe that he is the best choice for the PM post at the moment. One of the big agenda for Modi is development. However, I do feel that India's definition for development should not be the one that is defined in the west. India will have to define development based upon its strengths and weaknesses. By 2030, it is estimated that India’s population will reach 1.5B from the current 1.2B (CAGR 1.3%). This means that India would need to support 17% of the world population on roughly 2% of world’s land area. As we know, India is already strained in terms of resources so even a slight increase can have compounding negative effects. On a relatively larger land area, the US supports approx. 1/4th of India's current population. Now imagine the strain India would put on its resources if an avg Indian started to consume like an avg American. If India does not actively control its population, most measures will be similar to playing the catch up game. Addressing this issue is a big challenge. Another key concern is the environment. I believe that it is the duty of the present generation to preserve the environment for the next generation, and so on. And not ruin it for its own benefits. Countries such as China and India like to believe that the west has developed w/o keeping environment at the core, and now when it is China and India's turn, everyone is complaining. Unfortunately, this is not a valid point as moving forward is about learning from the mistakes of others. As they say, early bird gets the worm so late risers should not complain. Developing countries have to take in to consideration the realities. It also brings the attention to my earlier point on not defining development as per western standards. Considering the above, India has different challenges than what west had when it started to develop. The impact on environment and resources of steam engines running in Europe a 100 years ago is not the same as steam engines running today to support over a 1B people. For me development in India is not about producing more Ambanis, SRKs or Sachins, while others are left behind in terms of economic prosperity. India would be developed when a farmer has access to clean energy, water and air, when the infrastructure in his village is such that both resources and waste are managed efficiently, when he can send his children to quality schools in his neighborhood, when he does not have to worry about the safety of his daughter and wife, when he has access to reliable public transportation, health care and other basic services, etc. And in this environment, he produces enough food for the nation. The challenge for Modi is to manage development that is suitable to India's needs and challenges, which is both social and economic upliftment of its citizens. I admire the clean Ganga project initiative. However, India will not move both socially and economically forward if on one hand the sale of Ferrari's increase, while on the other hand, farmers continue to commit suicide. The government and political parties will have to work together to see that benefits reach everyone, while addressing the challenges related to over-population and environmental degradation. :icflove:
jalebi_bhai Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 I do not passionately support any political party in India as I see politicians to be made of the same "material" irrespective of the party they belong to. However, I do respect Modi and believe that he is the best choice for the PM post at the moment. One of the big agenda for Modi is development. However, I do feel that India's definition for development should not be the one that is defined in the west. India will have to define development based upon its strengths and weaknesses. By 2030, it is estimated that India’s population will reach 1.5B from the current 1.2B (CAGR 1.3%). This means that India would need to support 17% of the world population on roughly 2% of world’s land area. As we know, India is already strained in terms of resources so even a slight increase can have compounding negative effects. On a relatively larger land area, the US supports approx. 1/4th of India's current population. Now imagine the strain India would put on its resources if an avg Indian started to consume like an avg American. If India does not actively control its population, most measures will be similar to playing the catch up game. Addressing this issue is a big challenge. Another key concern is the environment. I believe that it is the duty of the present generation to preserve the environment for the next generation, and so on. And not ruin it for its own benefits. Countries such as China and India like to believe that the west has developed w/o keeping environment at the core, and now when it is China and India's turn, everyone is complaining. Unfortunately, this is not a valid point as moving forward is about learning from the mistakes of others. As they say, early bird gets the worm so late risers should not complain. Developing countries have to take in to consideration the realities. It also brings the attention to my earlier point on not defining development as per western standards. Considering the above, India has different challenges than what west had when it started to develop. The impact on environment and resources of steam engines running in Europe a 100 years ago is not the same as steam engines running today to support over a 1B people. For me development in India is not about producing more Ambanis, SRKs or Sachins, while others are left behind in terms of economic prosperity. India would be developed when a farmer has access to clean energy, water and air, when the infrastructure in his village is such that both resources and waste are managed efficiently, when he can send his children to quality schools in his neighborhood, when he does not have to worry about the safety of his daughter and wife, when he has access to reliable public transportation, health care and other basic services, etc. And in this environment, he produces enough food for the nation. The challenge for Modi is to manage development that is suitable to India's needs and challenges, which is both social and economic upliftment of its citizens. I admire the clean Ganga project initiative. However, India will not move both socially and economically forward if on one hand the sale of Ferrari's increase, while on the other hand, farmers continue to commit suicide. The government and political parties will have to work together to see that benefits reach everyone, while addressing the challenges related to over-population and environmental degradation. :icflove: Farmer suicides and Environmental degradation are two issues that can be remedied over a generation. But what is your prognosis of the over-population problem?
dial_100 Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Personal Experience : Had a trip planned to india this December ('14). With 2 days to go, I realized I could not find my child's PIO card. Panicked and was almost planning to cancel when I found out about the new Visa On arrival facility that Modi promised in September. Googled it and came to know the website was made functional a week earlier. Filled out the form, uploaded the picture, called their help desk to make sure that the website was legit.The service was polite and prompt and answered by different people on multiple occasions.They said they could process the application within 48 hours that would enable me to travel. Luckily I found the PIO but I had the letter printed just in case. Acche Din ... Personal Experience: I applied on Sunday night and got my VoA for my trip to India. Monday afternoon 2.00pm I had email that it was approved. Printed it and travelled on it. I didn't need to travel to Houston and stay overnight in a hotel to get a stupid visa. Only trouble with this is when you arrive in India, there are separate counters for Immigration and the stupid finger prints don't work accurately. But not a huge problem. Lines were very short. It took 7-8 attempts to get the finger prints right. Total time spent at the counter was 5-6 mins. I felt so proud when an American couple who travelled to marriage ceremony on a very short notice from a friend in Goa. They said that they got visa before they finalized their traveling plan. They managed to visit only because of VoA. I was very impressed with the whole experience. Full credit for implementing it so well. :two_thumbs_up:
Yoda-esque Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Personal Experience: I applied on Sunday night and got my VoA for my trip to India. Monday afternoon 2.00pm I had email that it was approved. Printed it and travelled on it. I didn't need to travel to Houston and stay overnight in a hotel to get a stupid visa. Only trouble with this is when you arrive in India, there are separate counters for Immigration and the stupid finger prints don't work accurately. But not a huge problem. Lines were very short. It took 7-8 attempts to get the finger prints right. Total time spent at the counter was 5-6 mins. I felt so proud when an American couple who travelled to marriage ceremony on a very short notice from a friend in Goa. They said that they got visa before they finalized their traveling plan. They managed to visit only because of VoA. I was very impressed with the whole experience. Full credit for implementing it so well. :two_thumbs_up: The thing that surprised me was that the website was strangely functional and clean. Very impressed!
Sachin=GOD Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Anyone has any idea about whats happening regarding Vadra? Modi talked so much about him during the campaign....any action till now? Any CBI inquiry? Any court case against him by the Govt? Any inquiry by the Haryana or Rajasthan Govts (both BJP now)?
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