Govt sets up portal for visas to Chinese technicians

New Delhi: A portal to facilitate business visas for Chinese technicians, whose expertise are required in Indian manufacturing firms in the PLI sector, has started functioning, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

The move assumes significance as some domestic manufacturing firms have flagged the issue of delay in getting visas for Chinese technicians, who are required for works like installation or repair of certain machines, besides training workers in India.

“The portal started last week only. It is to streamline the process where business visas will be given to Chinese technicians in the PLI sector,” the official said. The official added that the home affairs ministry has held interaction with different departments to sensitise and train them in how the portal will be used. Normally, these experts require a visa for 3-6 months for works like installation of machines and training workforce to use those machines.

The PLI scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including telecommunication, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, speciality steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones, and pharma with an outlay of Rs1.97 lakh crore.