New Delhi: In the last one year, only 30 e-visas have been issued by the Indian government under its Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Parliament was told.

On March 7, 2024, the campaign was launched by Modi during his visit to Srinagar, which aimed at making members of Indian Diaspora as ‘Incredible India Ambassadors’.

Under the Chalo India campaign launched through the union ministry of tourism, Modi had called on the Indian Diaspora to serve as “powerful catalyst for Indian tourism”, and act as “India’s Cultural Ambassadors”  by encouraging at least five of their non-Indian friends to travel to India under the campaign.

With more than 30 million strong Indian Diaspora spread across different countries, arrangements were made for many of them to witness the virtual launch of the campaign by Modi in various Indian embassies and high commissions.

A dedicated portal was launched by the ministry to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to register and nominate friends and associates, which would allow the ministry to directly share promotional material with them. The ministry had also announced that there “is no upper limit on the number of foreign friends a diaspora member must encourage, although it is recommended to encourage at least 5 friends based on the clarion call of the honourable Prime Minister.”

“They can invite as many as possible and will earn rewards for each foreign visitor they successfully attract to India. The Chalo India website will facilitate the creation of accounts for diaspora members, offering them a platform to join the movement, track their contributions, and stay informed about the program. This initiative not only promotes tourism but also fosters international goodwill and cultural exchange.”

The move was aimed at giving a boost to inbound tourists. A Deccan Herald report published this February had underlined that while top global tourist destinations like Dubai, France, Spain, Switzerland, the United States, China, Japan and Australia had rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic, witnessing a five to 40 per cent surge in international travellers, “India has lagged behind.”

“According to data published by the Union Ministry of Tourism, 76.8 lakh foreign tourists visited the country between January and October 2024,” it had said.

“Till October last year, the country earned Rs 2.16 lakh crore in Foreign Exchanging Earning (FEE) due to international visitors. This was nearly 25.13 per cent higher than earnings in 2019, when the FEE was Rs 1.73 lakh crore. Factoring in dollar-to-rupee valuations,” it said, adding that “experts say India’s actual FEE was 11 per cent lesser compared to its 2019 earnings.”

Against this background, Modi was seen directly appealing to the Indian Diaspora to help grow the number of foreign tourists visiting India through the campaign. Besides, the Prime Minister himself had been featured by the government with an aim to promote tourism from time to time, which also included Modi strolling across white sandy beaches of Lakshwadeep and scuba-diving in the archipelago.

The Deccan Herald report said, “Enquiries about accommodation, flights and other facilities at Lakshadweep began pouring in, through online channels and tour operators. However, many potential tourists were disappointed when their plans could not materialise due to poor connectivity with the mainland and limited accommodation options. Available accommodation options proved expensive when compared to Maldives — which Indian tourists wanted to avoid due to geopolitical tensions.”

This July 31, replying to a written question by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MPs Subhash Barala and Mayank Kumar Nayak, tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Lok Sabha that the objective of the Chalo India initiative was to promote tourist destinations and “products of the country, including the lesser known destinations and cultural heritage sites, with the aim of increasing India’s share of the global tourism market.” However, to the question, how many visas were issued by the Modi government under Chalo India, he replied, “Till date, 30 e-tourist visas, have been issued under the said initiative.”

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