The government has formulated a set of guidelines for easing the visa process for Chinese technicians and other professionals whose services are required by companies investing under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) for installation of machinery and getting their plants running, a senior official said Wednesday.
“We have resolved the visa issue in the sense that we have created an SOP (standard operating procedure) for PLI units,” the official who did not wish to be named said.
The delay and uncertainties in getting visas for Chinese technicians was flagged at the review meeting held by the government with companies selected under the scheme in August.
Some of the selected companies had said that they needed Chinese technicians’ help for getting their production facilities ready. The issue was then discussed at the level of the Cabinet Secretary.
This was one of the reasons given by the beneficiaries for the delay in getting their plants on-stream.
Since the 2020 border stand-off, business ties with China have been downgraded. Investments and imports from China have been put under greater scrutiny. Even visa clearance for technicians and business persons is taking longer than usual.
The PLI scheme that was launched in March 2020 has an outlay of Rs 1.97 trillion and covers 14 sectors.
PLI schemes in sectors like high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell (ACC) batteries, textile products, and speciality steel have been slow in taking off.