The union government is working on a framework to process visa applications for the entry of Chinese and other foreign technicians needed in non-Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme sectors to boost production, a senior government official said on Thursday. DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at a press briefing said that a framework for entry of technicians in PLI sectors already exists and that the government is looking at extending it to other non-PLI beneficiaries which are operating in those same strategic sectors. “We felt if one is getting a subsidy and a visa clearance, the other is not . at least he should also get a streamlined process. The final decision has not been taken but we are moving in that direction and we are hopeful that it will be done,” the Secretary said. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs will take the final call, Singh said. The Indian Express had last month reported that the delay in visa approval is hurting the manufacturing industry including the leather sector which is increasingly shifting to sports footwear. Having imported and installed Chinese machinery, the domestic industry is unable to operationalise plants due to visa hurdles. The issue first cropped up after the Galwan clash in 2020. Since then, alternate ways such as sending Indian professionals to China have not quite worked out as Chinese authorities tend to promptly grant visas to importers but delay applications sent by Indian manufacturers and government officials. The demand for Chinese professionals comes as they offer cost advantages over technicians from other countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam and other western nations. Exporters said that dependence on Chinese professionals arise due to heavy dependence on China for crucial parts in most electrical and electronic segments. Official data shows that out of the nearly $100 billion worth imports from China, nearly 60 per cent comprised engineering and electronic items, and these also play a key role in fulfilling India’s export orders. Given the strained geo-political relationship with China, India has imposed strict quality norms to reduce Chinese imports of items of mass consumption as well as intermediate products and is simultaneously promoting manufacturing with the help of the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) in strategic areas. The border standoff after the Galwan clash in 2020 has seen several measures announced by the government to limit Chinese influence on the Indian economy. The most prominent was the amendment brought about in the FDI policy under Press Note 3 (PN3). The modification in PN3 brought the investment in India from land bordering countries under the government route.
