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Capital: New Delhi
Population: 1,000,000,000
Languages: Hindi, English and 22 regional languages
Currency: Indian Rupee (Rs)
Religion: 80% Hindu, 14% Musilm, 2,4% Christian, 2% Sikh,
0,7% Buddhist, 0,5 % Jains
Visa Information
Foreign Nationals desirous of coming into India are required
to possess a valid passport of their country and a valid
Indian Visa.
There is no provision of
'Visa on Arrival' in India and no fee is charged for
immigration facilities at the airports. Foreign passengers
should ensure that they are in possession of valid Passport
and Indian Visa before they start their journey to India.
The Consular Passport and
Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs is
responsible for issuance of Indian visas to the foreign
nationals for their visit for various purposes. This
facility is granted through various Indian missions abroad.
Visa fees are non-refundable and subject to change without
notice. The Indian Mission reserves the right on granting
and deciding type/duration of visa irrespective of the fees
tendered at the time of making application. Granting of Visa
does not confer the right of entry to India and is subject
to the discretion of the Immigration Authorities. Specific
Visas are granted on the basis of purpose of staying in
India.Special permits are required for visiting certain
areas in india. For information on this is provided by the
VISA authorities.Additional fee is required to pay for each
restricted/protected areas namely Sikkim,Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. For VISA services kindly contact the respective
authorities in the country and region of residence.
Weather and Climate
The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical
monsoon one. There are four seasons:
winter (December-February)
summer (March-June)
south-west monsoon season (June-September)
post monsoon season (October-November)
Hot tropical weather with variations from region to region.
Coolest weather lasts from November to mid-March, with cool,
fresh mornings and evenings and dry, sunny days. Really hot
weather,is between April and June. Monsoon rains occur in
most regions in summer between June and September.
Required clothing
Lightweight cottons and linens in summer with warmer clothes
in winter and on cooler evenings. Waterproofing essential
during monsoons. Warmer wear for winter. Weather can change
rapidly in mountains and it is therefore important to be
suitably equipped.
Photography
Tourists should seek permission from the authorities
concerned before taking photographs of places of military
importance, railway stations, bridges, airports, military
installations, metro trains, tribal areas and sensitive
border regions. It is prohibited to take photographs in some
of the temples, historical monuments, forts, palaces, tombs
and monasteries. Visitors are required to take special
permits from the Archaeological Survey of India for
photographing monuments with tripods and artificial lights.
Camera fee is charged extra in some historical monuments.
Protected Areas in India
There are certain places in India where entry is restricted.
Tourists are required to take special permits from the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), New Delhi for visiting these
places. These places include certain areas of Assam, North
Eastern Frontier States (Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and
Arunachal Pradesh) border areas of Jammu & Kashmir, selected
areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Union Territories of
Andaman and Lakshadweep Islands.
Language
There are 22 National Languages recognized by the
Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the Official Union
Language. Besides these, there are 844 different dialects
that are practiced in various parts of the Country.
The official language is Hindi in the Devanagri script. The
States are free to decide their own regional languages for
internal administration and education. English is widely
spoken.
Guides
Trained English speaking guides are available at fixed
charges at all important tourist centres. The Govt. of India
Tourist Offices can be contacted by tourists for the
services of approved guides. French, Italian, Spanish,
German, Russian and Japanese speaking guides are available
at some cities. Please consult the nearest Govt. of India
Tourist Office. Unapproved guides are not permitted to enter
protected monuments, and tourists are, therefore, advised to
ask the guides for the identity card issued by the
Department of Tourism, Govt. of India.
Time
GMT + 5 1/2 hours.
Electricity
Voltage in most places is 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, although
some areas also have DC supplies.
Communications
The Indian telecommunications Network is the fifth largest
in the world and is the second largest among the emerging
economies of Asia.
Today it is the fastest growing market in the world. Private
operators like vodafone, Reliance, Tataindicom have made
mobile telephony the fastest growing industry (over 164%
p.a.) in India.
Wireless and Broadband
internet is among the fastest growing communication sectors.
The international direct dialing code for India is +91.
Currency
Currency of India is Rupee. 1 Rupee = 100 Paise.The Reserve
Bank has the sole authority to issue banknotes in India. The
Reserve Bank has introduced banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi
Series since 1996 and has so far issued notes in the
denominations of Rs.5, Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100, Rs.500
and Rs.1000 in this series. Coins in India are presently
being issued in denominations of 10 paise, 20 paise, 25
paise, 50 paise, one rupee, two rupees and five rupees.
Coins upto 50 paise are called 'small coins' and coins of
Rupee one and above are called 'Rupee Coins'.
There are 24 hour exchange facilities available at all big
cites and international airports. All Credit cards are
accepted in Major cities of India. All major Banks in India
have a facility of 24hr International ATMs.
Customs and
Currency Regulations
Al personal objects which are required in India are free
from duty. Professional material and articles which have a
high value can only be imported duty free if the traveler
gives a written undertaking that these articles will be
re-exported.
For the purpose of Customs clearance of arriving passengers,
a two channel system has been adopted
(i) Green Channel for passengers not having any dutiable
goods.
(ii) Red Channel for passengers having dutiable goods.
However,
(i) All the passengers shall ensure to file correct
declaration of their baggage.
(ii) Green channel passengers must deposit the customs
portion of the disembarkation card to the custom official at
the gate before leaving the terminal.
(iii) Declaration of foreign exchange/currency has be made
before the custom officers in the following cases :
(a) where the value of foreign currency notes exceed US $
5000 or equivalent
(b) where the aggregate value of foreign exchange including
currency exceeds US $ 10,000 or equivalent |
