Foreigners would get exemption from reporting to FRO.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
With a view to making India the center point of Yoga, the central government is planning to introduce a new visa to promote it.
As the third International Day of Yoga is to be celebrated on June 21, the government is likely to introduce the new visa to attract more foreigners, reported The Hindu.
In 2014, the government started issuing a special student visa to foreigners for learning yoga in India. Though it was designated as a yoga visa, technically it was a student visa.
The issuance of yoga visa gives exemption to foreigners in visiting and reporting themselves at the Foreigners’ Registration Office (FRO), at the city police headquarters, which is a formality they must fulfill.
The United Nations declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga in 2014.
It was India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took the initiative to raise the status of Yoga during his address to UN General Assembly in September 2014. He asked world leaders to adopt an international Yoga Day, saying “Yoga embodies the unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being.”
Following the request, On December 11, 2014, the UN passed a resolution designating June 21 as International Day of Yoga.