Single card for diaspora: PM

Jan 09, 2011 - AGE CORRESPONDENT |

New Delhi

Inaugurating the ninth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the overseas citizen of India (OCI) and the person of Indian origin (PIO) cards would be merged into a single facility to simplify visa-free entry and participation of Indian diaspora in business and other activities in India.
In his speech, he also announced that the government had decided to extend the facility of the Indian Community Welfare Fund to all the Indian missions from the existing 42.
“We have reviewed the functioning of these schemes and have decided to merge the OCI and PIO cards into a single facility. We hope to iron out some of the problems that have arisen in the implementation of these schemes,” Prime Minister Singh said.
A PIO card holder does not require a visa to visit India and the card is valid for 15 years. A PIO card holder enjoys several economic and educational benefits. On the other hand, the OCI card is a kind of lifelong visa and any India origin person can apply for it if his host country allows dual citizenship.
The government has also decided to establish new Indian cultural centres in the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, France and Australia.
Prime Minister Singh invited the Indian diaspora to invest in the Northeast and contribute in accelerating the pace of development in the region.
“I represent Assam in Parliament (and) I encourage the diaspora to join hands with local and national efforts to accelerate the pace of development of this region,” he said.
The ministry of overseas Indian affairs, which organises the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, has partnered this time with the eight North-eastern states and ministry of development of North-eastern region to project the region as an attractive destination for investment.
The Prime Minister said India has signed social security agreements with 12 countries and finalised labour mobility partnerships with two others in order to improve the conditions for migration. A generic arrangement is also being negotiated with the European Union.
“As a further measure, we have now extended the facility of the Indian Community Welfare Fund to all Indian missions,” he said.
At present, such funds are available in 42 missions.

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