Government employees may get LTC to visit SAARC nations

NEW DELHI: The picturesque island nation of Sri Lanka could be the first destination in the Modi government’s proposal to provide Leave Travel Concession (LTC) to its employees to visit some SAARC countries in the backdrop of PM’s successful trip to the neighbouring country separated from India by less than 30 miles.
Last week the government announced in Parliament that a proposal to provide LTC to Government employees to visit some SAARC countries is in its initial stage of consideration. The details of this are yet to be finalized. This was stated by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in Prime Minister’s office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question by in the Lok Sabha.

“The purpose behind the proposal is to enhance people-to-people contact and bilateral ties in the SAARC region through increase in tourism in the region,” according to Singh

Senior government sources, well-versed with the matter, told ET that Sri Lanka is likely to be first country in SAARC to be covered under the LTC for government employees with an eye on increasing Indian tourists in the island nation. Indian tourists enjoy "Tourist Visa on Arrival - Electronic Travel Authorization” at Colombo. In December 2014, Indian tourists to Sri Lanka numbered 26,153 as against 22,559 in the corresponding period of the previous year, an increase of 15.93 per cent. Tourism is one of the main revenue generating source for Sri Lanka in the post war period.

However, according to sources this figure is low considering that spending capacity of Indian tourists are rising, besides Lanka provides affordable hospitality, variety of options from sea-beaches to upcountry location to religious pilgrimage to regular connectivity. Besides, there is a strategic objective of extending LTC for government employees to Sri Lanka, sources indicated. Experts who did not wish to be identified told ET that Chinese tourists are steadily increasing in Lanka thereby contributing to the local economy. While the Chinese government designates countries as tourist destinations encouraging its citizens to travel to those locations and also providing chartered flights, India has no such system.

China outstripped Britain to become the second largest source of tourists to Sri Lanka, with tourist figures (Lankan Tourism Board) growing by 85% in February 2015 when compared with the same month in the previous year. Chinese tourist arrivals expanded to 39,160 in 2015, compared to 21,098 in February 2014. In 2013, only 54,288 Chinese tourists visited Sri Lanka, but the numbers ballooned to 128,166 by the end of last year, growing an impressive 136.1%,

“One of the key steps to increase Indian tourists in Sri Lanka is by means of LTC for government employees. It will increase people-to-people contacts besides making India a stakeholder in the local economy. There are lot of cultural similarities and linkages and historical bonds for Indians to visit Lanka in more numbers and enhance people-to-people contact,” an expert pointed out. Indians have been visiting Lanka in numbers in last few years but the government wants to encourage further. India has been wary of Chinese inroads in its neighbourhood including Sri Lanka where Beijing has undertaken infrastructure projects besides sending submarines in quick successions last year.

There are two million government employees who can avail LTC.

To make connectivity smooth Air India will soon start direct flights between New Delhi and Colombo. Currently Sri Lankan Airlines run a daily Delhi-Colombo direct flight and vice versa. Besides there are over 100 weekly flights from various locations in Southern India to Colombo.

India on its part extended the facility of "Tourist Visa on Arrival - Electronic Travel Authorization” Scheme to Sri Lankan citizens from the Sinhala and Tamil New Year of this April 14 during Modi’s trip. Following the civil war and terror threat Lankans were bracketed with countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, China and Somalia while applying for visa.

While Sri Lanka remains one of India's top countries from where India receives tourists, tourism arrivals declined by 11% in 2013 while arrivals from Maldives dropped by 10% between 2012 and 2013. Most Lankans come to India for religious pilgrimage to Buddhist and Hindu temples.

After Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives could be added from SAARC for government employees to utilize LTC.

As per the Government’s order dated 26.09.2014, the Government has extended the facility of conversion of home town LTC to visit the states in the North East Region, Jammu & Kashmir and the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands for a period of two years up to 25.09.2016. This facility was first introduced in the year 2008. Presently, no other proposal is under consideration for including more places under the conversion of Home Town LTC to anywhere in the country.