Tourists from Australia and 39 other countries may soon be able to obtain a visa on arrival in India.
The move is seen as an attempt by the government to boost international visitor arrivals.
"There was a consensus about initiating the process to make India a tourist-friendly country and extending the on-arrival visa facility to around 40 more countries," Rajeev Shukla, India’s planning minister, told the Press Trust of India.
India currently issues tourist visas on arrival only to visitors from a dozen nations, including Finland, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Japan.
Other tourists are forced to apply weeks in advance in person at an Indian visa processing centre.
As a part of the new regime, tourists from US, UK, UAE, Canada, Brazil, Australia and other nations in Western Europe will be eligible for visa-on-arrival.
India will not demand reciprocal visa-on-arrival arrangements from these 40 countries for Indian tourists.
The extended visa scheme requires official cabinet approval
