He added that the number of countries eligible for e-visa to enter India has increased from 171 in 2020 to 181 in 2025, which he said was a sign of expanded efforts to promote ease of travel for international visitors.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked about its role in facilitating religious pilgrimages. Singh noted that the annual Hajj quota announced by Saudi authorities for Indian pilgrims has averaged 1,75,025 in recent years.
Addressing questions on cross-border religious travel, the minister stated that over 4,00,000 pilgrims have used the Kartarpur Corridor to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan since its inauguration. However, he confirmed that operations at the corridor remain suspended in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
“Since its inauguration, the corridor has been used by over 4,00,000 pilgrims to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan,” he said, adding, “Kartarpur Corridor operations have been suspended since Operation Sindoor.”
Singh referred to the 1974 India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, under which pilgrim visits are facilitated between the two countries. He also cited the 24 October 2019 agreement signed between India and Pakistan to operationalise the Kartarpur Corridor for the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
In response to another question regarding the number of Indian labourers working abroad, Singh said, “A total of 16,06,964 Indian workers (including those engaged in construction/labour-intensive works) holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) category passports have been issued Emigration Clearance (EC) for employment in ECR countries during the last five years from January 2020 to 30 June, 2025.”
Addressing a separate query on the classification of Indian diaspora members by skill set or academic discipline, the minister clarified that the government does not currently maintain such categorisation. However, country-wise data is maintained for three key diaspora groups: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), and Indian students studying abroad.
“As of January 2025, there are 17.17 million NRIs and 17.18 million PIOs residing across the world, including 1.88 million Indian students studying abroad,” Singh said and added, “The Government has not carried out any exercise to categorise the Indian diaspora on the basis of their discipline/subject expertise or to map their skill sets.”
