As part of the festivities commemorating the occasion, the high commission on Tuesday presented visas to three independence warriors during a ceremony held at the Indian Visa Application Centre located in Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka. The Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Riva Ganguly Das, presented the liberation fighters with visas that allowed them multiple admission over a period of five years. “Relations between the people of the two nations, which we refer to as “people to people diplomacy,” are very crucial for the overall state of the bilateral relationship. According to Das, “our practice of liberalizing visas has led to a rise in the number of visas that are issued.”
An official from the high commission in Bangladesh stated that India issued 1.38 million visas to citizens of Bangladesh in 2017, and 1.46 million visas in 2018.
Between January 2018 and March 2019, around 13.7 million tourists from other countries visited India. Of these, approximately 2.87 million were from Bangladesh, the biggest number of any single country.
In response to a query regarding the economic benefits that these visits bring to India, Das stated that these visits bring apparent economic benefits to both countries. On certain events like the Eid and weddings, a lot of people go shopping there. It is the role of businesspeople to seek out new opportunities, and it is the cornerstone of people-to-people diplomacy.
According to the high commissioner, India has opened nine new visa application centres in Bangladesh this year, making the total number of centres in Bangladesh 15.
Reference:
The Financial Express. “Bangladeshis Top Visitors in India in 2019.” The Financial Express, https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/bangladeshis-top-visitors-in-india-in-2019-1577788432
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https://www.educations.com/study-guides/asia/study-in-india/student-visas-19128
