Foreign tourists with e-visa to get free SIM cards containing Rs 50 talk time, 50 Mb data

New Delhi: Foreign tourists arriving in India on e-visa will get free pre-loaded SIM cards.

These SIMs, which will be provided by BSNL, will have Rs 50 talk time and 50 Mb internet data at free of cost. Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma launched the service.

The facility would be initially available at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, which will later cover remaining 15 international airports in the country.

The SIM card, with 30 days' validity, will also help the travellers to contact the 24-hour tourist helpline number available in 12 languages, including Russian, German and Japanese.

The tourists arriving in India on e-visa could get the SIM cards, a part of welcome kit, from India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) counters at the airports.

Under the e-visa scheme, an applicant receives an email authorising him or her to travel to India after it has been approved. The tourist can travel with a print-out of this authorisation.

On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then stamp the entry into the country.

With Agency Inputs