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By Shivangi Acharya and Krishn Kaushik
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is likely to speed up processing of visas for Chinese technicians, three government officials said, as it looks to overcome delays at manufacturing units that have hindered investments worth billions of dollars.
After the nuclear-armed nations clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, India blocked virtually all Chinese visitors, stepped up scrutiny of investments, halted projects and shut down Chinese mobile apps.
The latest plan is backed by the trade ministry, while the foreign ministry is considering it "positively" despite initial reservations, one of the officials said.
Domestic industry and government officials asked the foreign ministry to revisit the issue, said one official aware of the details, as the delays hamper Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal to boost local manufacturing.
The officials sought anonymity as the decision has not yet been made public. The trade, home and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The reluctance to approve visas led to production losses of $15 billion for the electronics manufacturing sector in the last four years, the Economic Times newspaper has said, citing an industry estimate.
The technicians are needed to operate Chinese-made machinery used in Indian high-tech manufacturing units in industries ranging from telecoms to steel products and solar panels.
India received nearly 1,600 visa applications for Chinese technicians between last November and April this year, a government official said.
Faster business visas will be issued for technicians needed in 14 sectors covered by a $24-billion scheme to spur production of high-tech electronics items, the officials said.
A fast-track portal will be set up to cut the time for visa approval to less than a month from a year now, one of the officials said.
The visa would permit stays of up to six months, another official said.
The plan would ensure transfer and implementation of technology without compromising national security, Pankaj Mohindroo, head of industry body India Cellular and Electronics Association told Reuters.
(Reporting by Shivangi Acharya and Krishn Kaushik; Additional reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh and Neha Arora in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Arun Koyyur)
