Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President Jyoti Mayal said, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has launched a transformational program to reform and strengthen its tendering and evaluation process in a holistic manner in selecting the right outsourced service provider .
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has tightened rules for selection of partner visa and consular service for Indian expatriates and foreign visitors, in order to reduce price-fixing. In a statement, the MEA said, ‘The Ministry of External Affairs is committed to serve the Indian diaspora and foreigners visiting India with a comprehensive vision of strengthening India’s image and reputation, making the service more robust, seamless and reliable. .’
Notably, the Indian Missions of the Ministry of External Affairs are the first point of contact for any international traveler arriving in India – Indian Citizen or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreign nationals (visiting India). Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President Jyoti Mayal said, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has launched a transformational program to reform and strengthen its tendering and evaluation process in a holistic manner in selecting the right outsourced service provider .
While the focus of MEA is on L1 pricing, the emphasis is on the 4 pillars of quality services, sustainable and viable pricing, data protection and security, ethics and integrity. He said that the first impression of anyone traveling to India is determined by their interactions with Indian Missions, the Ministry of External Affairs should focus on providing better, efficient and cost-effective services.
Commenting on this initiative, Jyoti Mayal said, ‘It is important that the first impression of anyone traveling to India or working with any Indian Mission anywhere in the world should be a good one, as the government of the new India Committed to working towards fulfilling its promise. Therefore, as the true representative of the Government of India in the world, the Ministry of External Affairs and its Missions should perhaps focus on providing better, efficient and cost-effective services as a first step in that direction.
The President of Travel Agents Association of India concluded by saying that India is establishing itself as a global leader in many areas like trade, cross border services, citizen services etc. As India moves towards high-speed development, it will be important to plan for factors that may hinder progress. This can reduce the reputation and image risk for the Government of India. Therefore it has become imperative for the government to focus on the quality, reliability and credibility of its service providers to ensure that the services are delivered effectively, efficiently and in accordance with the established standards.
