PM announces a slew of measures for NRIs

HYDERABAD, Jan 8 (2006): Announcing a slew of measures to benefit overseas Indians, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday invited them to make use of the investment and business opportunities offered by the Central and state governments in finding new pathways of development and progress.

Inaugurating the fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), an annual convention of the Indian Diaspora, the Prime Minister also announced launch of Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards that confer a hassle-free, life-long multiple entry visa for overseas Indians, a liberal insurance scheme and updatation of the process of emigration besides granting voting rights to them.

He handed over the first set of OCI documents to two NRIs - Nivruti Rai and Ifthekar A Shareef - fulfilling a long-cherished dream of overseas Indians. “Of the three categories of NRIs, overseas Indians in Gulf are unique. They will never become naturalised citizens of those countries. Their demand seeking voting rights at home has a convincing political basis,” he said.

The Prime Minister also announced that a liberal PBD Bima Yojana (insurance scheme) would be launched from Feb 1 to provide enhanced benefits to Indian workers abroad. “We will work with international and other agencies to streamline the process of emigration,” he said.

To enable NRIs send their earnings back home, the Centre would develop an integrated electronic remittances gateway in collaboration with the UTI Bank. “The remittances have increased from US $ 13 billion in 2001 to US $ 20.7 billion in 2005,” he pointed out.

The Centre was also planning to set up Diaspora Knowledge Network for improved connectivity between People of Indian Origin (PIO) across the world. "It will also support initiatives to develop the skills of workers and set up credible mechanisms of certification of those skills so that over the years we are able to re-position India as a source of skilled, rather than unskilled labour," he said.

With the NRIs demanding a secured access to educational opportunities in India, Singh suggested creation of a University for PIOs and a policy to deal with proposals from abroad to partner educational institutions in the country. “The Centre will create an institutional interface in this area,” he said.

He also sought suggestions from the delegates on replicating the British Council model for promoting educational opportunities for wards of NRIs in India.

Chief guest of the event and senior leader of the African National Congress Ahmed Kathrada recalled the age-old ties between India and South Africa. Union Minister of State for Overseas Indian Afairs Oscar Fernandes said that the convention would help forge business partnerships and build the country’s brand image.

With the theme ‘Coming together, working together,’ the government intends to make a paradigm shift in the PBD. “We will seek to transform this from a mere event into a global forum that will target specific outcomes,” Fernandes said.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, secretary (Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs) S Krishna Kumar also spoke. FICCI president S K Poddar proposed a vote of thanks.