July 5, 2019
Government of India to open four new Embassies and High Commissions abroad in 2019-20
17 iconic tourism sites are currently being developed into world-class tourist destinations
Finance Minister has proposed revamping the Indian Development Assistance Scheme (IDEAS)
India’s traditional artisans and their creative products to be integrated with global markets
Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2019-20 in Parliament, outlining plans to improve India’s position in the international community. The plan focuses on establishing new diplomatic ties, enabling trade, and encouraging inbound and outbound tourism.
Government of India plans to increase India’s overseas presence with the establishment of four new Indian Embassies and High Commissions. These Embassies will be strategically opened in countries where India is yet to have a Resident Diplomatic Mission, enabled to provide local Indian communities in these countries with better access to public services.
Over the course of Financial Year 2018-19, Government approved 18 new Indian diplomatic Missions in Africa, of which 5 Embassies have already been opened in Rwanda, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Guinea, and Burkina Faso. The remaining 13 countries with upcoming Indian Diplomatic Missions are Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe, Eritrea, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, Swaziland, Liberia, and Togo.
India maintains a policy of pursuing economic cooperation with countries through bilateral and regional coordination. As the world’s sixth largest economy, the Government intends to consider alternative development models, including private sector equity, multilateral financing, and corporate contributions. Meanwhile, plans to revamp the Indian Development Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) will result in improved concessional financing for projects, infrastructure development, and capacity-building in recipient countries.
In addition, the plans acknowledge the scope for growth in India’s tourism sector as the Government aims to develop 17 iconic tourism sites into world class destinations. These newly developed sites will contribute to the sector with increased volume of both domestic and international tourists.
In order to preserve the rich tribal culture and heritage of India, Government also plans to develop a digital repository of documents, folk songs, photos, and videos on the cultural, sociological and anthropological details of India’s tribes.