The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday extended on the gratis basis the regular visa, e-visa and stay stipulation of stranded foreign nationals till April 30.
Many foreigners had to remain stranded in the country after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on March 24.
“Regular visa, e-visa or stay stipulation, of such foreign nationals who have who have been stranded in India because of the spread of COVID-19 in many parts of the world and due to consequent travel restrictions imposed by Indian Authorities and whose Visas have expired or would be expiring during February 1(Midnight) to April 30 (Midnight), would be extended till April 30, 2020 (Midnight) on GRATIS basis, after making online application by the Foreigner,” the ministry stated.
Earlier, the Centre had decided to suspend all tourist visas till April 15 in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 324 and the number of cases surged to 9,352, according to the Union Health Ministry.
To tackle the spread of COVID-19, the government is also focusing on increasing the capacity of primary medical infrastructure which includes dedicated hospitals, isolation beds, ICU beds, and quarantine facilities.
Ordnance Factory Board has manufactured specialized tents to augment medical infrastructure in remote areas.