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Tag: prepandemic

  • Visa applications from Delhi reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels

    Visa applications from Delhi reach 80% of pre-pandemic levels

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    New Delhi: Visa applications from the national capital nearly touched the pre-pandemic levels last year, driven by pent-up demand, the opening of international borders and eased Covid-related protocols, a report showed on Thursday.

    According to VFS Global, the visa application volume from New Delhi reached close to 80 per cent of the 2019 pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and registered a 93 per cent growth when compared to 2021.

    This trend of rise in visa application volume from New Delhi is in line with the overall growth registered in India, which was also close to 80 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

    “We witnessed unprecedented demand from India in 2022 which led to an extended peak outbound travel season with steady volumes witnessed until December. We are confident that the momentum will further grow and hence it is advisable for applicants to apply for their visas in advance to avoid last-minute surprises,” said Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer-South Asia, VFS Global.

    Premium optional services such as Visa At Your Doorstep (VAYD) which enables travellers to book the entire visa experience at a location of their choice, witnessed around 90 per cent year-on-year rise in 2022.

    “Health considerations continue to be a key determining factor in the new normal. As a result, we see an increasing number of travellers opt for such services that provide a seamless visa experience and prioritise safe travel,” Sen added.

    According to the revised Schengen Visa Code, one can apply for a Schengen visa up to six months before the date of travel.

    “Particularly this year with higher demand and limited appointment slots available, we urge applicants to apply for their visa as early as possible,” said the company.

    Visa applicants are advised to beware of fraudulent entities who charge fees from customers for scheduling appointments or providing any other services using VFS Global’s name or independently.

    VFS Global operates a global network with more than 3,400 application centres in 145 countries. The company has processed over 256 million applications since its inception in 2001. VFS Global is majority-owned by funds managed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • MGNREGS work demand back to pre-pandemic level: Economic Survey

    MGNREGS work demand back to pre-pandemic level: Economic Survey

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    New Delhi: The work demand under the MGNREGS hovered around the pre-pandemic level between July to November 2022, the Economic Survey released on Tuesday said, attributing it to the “normalisation of the rural economy” and “swift recovery from Covid-induced slowdown”.

    According to the Economic Survey, which was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the current financial year, 6.49 crore households demanded employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) till January 24.

    Of them, 6.48 crore households were offered employment and 5.7 crore of them availed it, it said.

    “The number of persons demanding work under MGNREGS was seen to be trending around pre-pandemic levels from July to November 2022. This could be attributed to the normalisation of the rural economy due to strong agricultural growth and a swift recovery from Covid induced slowdown, culminating in better employment opportunities,” the Survey said.

    According to the Survey, the number of works done under MGNREGS has steadily increased over the years, with 85 lakh completed works in financial year 2021-22 and 70.6 lakh completed works in the current financial year by January

    The share of “works done on individual’s land” has increased from 16 percent of the total completed works in 2015-16, to 73 percent in 2022-23.

    These works include creating household assets such as animal sheds, farm ponds, dug wells, horticulture plantations, vermicomposting pits etc., in which the beneficiary gets both labour and material costs as per standard rates, the Survey said.

    “Empirically, within a short span of 2-3 years, these assets have been observed to have a significant positive impact on agricultural productivity, production-related
    expenditure, and income per household, along with a negative association with migration and fall in indebtedness, especially from non-institutional sources,” the Survey said.

    It added this will have long-term implications for aiding income diversification and infusing resilience into rural livelihoods.

    In 2019-20, 265.4 crore person-days employment was generated under the MGNREGS, which increased to 389.1 crore in 2020-21, and 363.3 crore in 2021-22. In 2022-23, 225.8 crore person-days employment was generated by January 6, according to data provided by the Rural Development Ministry.

    Almost 99 percent of wage-seekers are receiving their wages directly into their
    bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfers, it said.

    Around 14 crore Aadhaar have been seeded in the Management Information System (MIS) which is 92.0 percent of the total active workers (15.3 crore). A total of 7.9 crore workers have been linked to Aadhaar Based Payment System, it added.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )