The Union Home Ministry is mulling the idea of relaxing the Restricted Area Permit for foreign nationals in some of states in the north-eastern region.
The move is aimed at promoting tourism, generating job prospects for the local population as well as creating income for the states in the North-east.
If everything goes well, foreign tourists will now be able to visit and enjoy the pristine beauty of several places across the North-east, which were till kept in wraps till date.
Also read: Centre plans to open Arunachal Pradesh to foreign tourists
The Union Home Ministry is examining the pros and cons to relax the 60-year-old Restricted Area Permit, under which foreigners are required to obtain special permission prior to visit states like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland, apart from few other states in the country.
A tweet in the official Twitter handle of Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju wrote:
“And also MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) will coordinate with other agencies and State Govts to identify which are the locations which would require relaxations in PAP (Protected Area permit) to facilitate more foreign tourists.”
Earlier, the move was proposed only for the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
However, the same will not be applicable for tourists from Pakistan, Afghanistan and China, apart from citizens from across the globe having Pakistan origin.
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