JOIN USThe merger of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) schemes by the government marks the fulfilment of a longstanding demand of the Indian diaspora. It is also in accordance with the promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Indians living abroad during his recent visits to the US and Australia, when he specifically stated that the government would act on the matter. Previous governments had also sympathetically viewed the demand. The decision would now make it easier for a large number of Indians to undertake their travel to India with less hazzle.
The government’s decision was given effect to through an ordinance just before the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations which concluded in Gujarat last week. The ordinance, as in the case of others which were promulgated by the government, would need parliament’s approval. It is less controversial than some of the others. But the sense of urgency attached to it was also less than in the case of others because it has been felt that the promulgation was done in haste to enable the Prime Minister to make the announcement at the Gujarat meet.
The amendment to the Citizenship Act will now extend greater benefits and facilities to Persons of Indian Origin. All PIO cardholders will be deemed to be OCI cardholders and there will only be one OCI card henceforth. The cardholders will be entitled to get lifelong visas as against 15-year visas to which they were earlier entitled. There will also be exemption from reporting to the police. Foreigners who marry Indians had to stay continuously in the country for a year to get Indian citizenship. They can now travel outside for 30 days in a year. OCI cards have been more attractive to overseas Indians because securing them involved less procedural difficulties. There are some issues like the kind of documents required to prove the claim of Indian origin and the type of validation necessary for it. These will now have to be addressed, when the rules to give effect to the new decision are framed, in such a way that the fair demands of overseas Indians are met without compromising national security.
Another matter to cheer for the diaspora is the submission in the Supreme Court on Monday by the Union government that it has accepted “in letter and spirit” the Election Commission recommendation to extend voting rights to NRIs through postal ballots. This addresses another demand of the Indians living abroad as the existing provision mandates NRI voter to be physically present in the constituency to exercise his/her vote.