“This Free SIM Card initiative will boost international tourism. Foreign tourists face problems while procuring a SIM card, making them dependent on telephone booths. The pre-load talk time and data will help them communicate within the country. The cards can be recharged as and when required. It will be functional from the moment they step out of the airport,” Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi said. 
The initiative has been launched in collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), wherein the government service provider would provide preloaded SIM Cards to foreign tourists arriving in India on e-Visa. This facility will be initially available at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T3 Terminal), New Delhi, and will later cover the remaining 15 international airports, where the e-Visa facility is available. The ready-to-call SIM cards will be available at international airports in Delhi, Panjim, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Kolkata, Guwahati, Trivandrum and Varanasi. In order to avail of the preloaded SIM Card, travelers need to submit to BSNL authorities a copy of the e-Visa issued and the first page of a passport from foreign tourists on arrival at the airport. The SIM cards will be pre-loaded with Rs 50 talk time and 50 MB data and will be activated on an immediate basis so as to enable them to use this facility instantly.[Now, Plan your trip to India with our tailor-made packages.]
