The Year End - 2005 marks a lot of excitement and activity in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs as the Ministry positions itself to play an active role as a facilitator for all the proposals and problems of the Overseas Indian community comprising the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non-Resident Indians (NRI).

Some of the important initiatives and decisions taken by the Ministry, are as under:

GRANT OF OVERSEAS INDIAN CITIZENSHIP (OIC)

The promulgation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2005 on 28^th June this year was a significant step.  Later, the Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which replaced this Ordinance.  It has now been duly notified and is being implemented.  According to this Act, all the people of Indian origin in various countries, except Pakistan and Bangladesh, whose parents/grandparents migrated from India after 26^th January 1950 or were eligible to become Indian citizen on 26^th January 1950, or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15^th August 1947, will become eligible to be registered as the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).  Now, all legal steps in this direction have been completed.  All Indian Missions in the foreign countries have been notified about the Act and its various provisions.  The facility is all set to formally roll out in January, 2006.

PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIWAS-2006

The Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas-2006 will reflect a fresh business oriented agenda.  With positive signals from the economy and rapidly growing global investments in different sectors in the country, the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas is designed to focus on business, investments and implementation of ideas that overseas Indians will bring to the table besides strengthening traditional bonds.

The PBD-2006 may come out with certain important decisions including the creation of special purpose vehicles that facilitate Overseas Indians’ investments in India; a collaborative research institution; and an e-based Indian Diaspora knowledge network which will serve as a platform to facilitate global information exchange and networking between Overseas Indians and India.  Around 3000 delegates including 2000 from Overseas are expected to come to Hyderabad for the PBD-2006. 

A special website for the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas – 2006 www.pbd2006.org, together with the event brochures and its logo has been launched. Besides information on the event, the website allows delegates to register online, book hotel rooms and stay arrangements and even book airline tickets and local sight-seeing tours at a click in one go.

PROTECTION AND WELFARE OF MIGRANT INDIAN WORKERS ABROAD

The Ministry is currently in the process of initiating action on issues like streamlining the procedures for migration, better control and supervision of the Recruiting Agents, expanding the scope of the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana, providing legal assistance to migrant workers, introducing pre-departure training etc.  

Overseas Indian Workers (OIW) often face exploitation and abuse at worst and ‘benign neglect’ at best. Although precise data is not available for the Overseas Indian Workers, it is estimated at 4-5 million with annual gross flow of one million workers excluding returnees. These workers are mostly semi-and-unskilled and appreciated for their sincerity, hard work and non-interference abroad.  The OIW remittances into India is $ 21 Billion annually.

While the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the top destination countries for Overseas Indian Workers; Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are the top sending States. The vast manpower that India has, makes this is a key of opportunity area. As the competition is eating into low wage jobs and localization is reducing the number of  un-skilled jobs. Therefore, there is urgent need for a proactive policy that enables the following key interventions:

·         Positioning of potential Overseas Indian Workers as “consumers” of employment services provided by the private recruitment industry.

·         Organizing pre-employment orientation and pre-departure training programmes for them through professionals, NGOs & the private sectors.

·         Adapting training material developed by ILO/IOM for specific State/country and gender.

CODIFICATION & PUBLICATION OF BENEFITS/FACILITIES FOR OVERSEAS INDIANS

The Ministry has had intra-Ministerial meetings with Ministries like Finance, Commerce, Industry, Health etc. to codify the facilities available to Overseas Indians and notify them for implementation by the concerned agencies in the form of a Compendium.

ADOPTION BY OVERSEAS INDIAN PARENTS

The Ministry has been actively pursuing the concerns of NRIs/PIOs with the Central Adoption Resources Agency (CARA) of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment regarding inter-country adoptions.  CARA is presently revising guidelines on inter-country adoptions and proposing NRI/PIOs to be deemed on parity with resident Indians in all cases concerning adoption.  Once the guidelines are revised and finalized, MOIA will arrange to give this wide publicity in India and Overseas.

PRAVASI BHARTIYA BIMA YOJANA

The Ministry reviewed the implementation of the Pravasi Bhartiya Bima Yojana, which was introduced on 25^th December, 2003 for the migrant workers obtaining emigration clearance from the Protectors of Emigrants (POE).  The Ministry is looking into the streamlining of the claim settlement procedures and provision of additional benefits to the emigrant workers.  The possibility of providing legal assistance to migrant workers in distress as a part of the insurance package is also being examined.

SMART CARDS TO WORKERS & COMPUTERISATION OF POE OFFICE

The Ministry has taken an initiative to computerize the offices of the Protectors of Emigrants and issuing of Employment Smart Cards to workers going abroad.  These measures are expected to bring about greater transparency and ensuring protection to the vulnerable categories of workers from exploitation by foreign employers and unscrupulous agents. 

SAFEGUARDING THE INTERESTS OF INDIAN WOMEN MARRIED TO NRIs

The Ministry is working on a two-pronged strategy – preventive and curative - to safeguard the interests of Indian women proposing to marry or already married to NRIs.    As a preventive measure  it is planned to undertake a widely publicized awareness campaign about the need to verify the antecedents of prospective NRI bridegrooms and their parents, their employment/marital status, earlier marriage/divorce and financial position etc.  The curative measures would include legal assistance, counseling through our Missions/NGOs etc. An information booklet is also proposed to be published, in consultation with NGOs working in this field.

HELPING PIOs  IN TRACING THEIR ROOTS

Persistent keen interest in tracing their roots has been evinced by a large section of Indian Diaspora, particularly those whose forefathers had migrated as indentured labour to the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.  Keeping this in view, the Ministry is planning to undertake a pilot project on Tracing the Roots in two districts – Balia in UP and Bhojpur in Bihar.  The basic document used in the project will be the Immigration Pass issued to the immigrants.  The operational details in implementing the scheme will be worked out by the concerned States.  Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs will oversee the project in cooperation with the Indian Missions and Posts as well as with the concerned authorities in India. 

SETTING UP OF PRAVASI  BHARTIYA KENDRA

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has revived the proposal to set up a Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra at New Delhi to serve as a focal point for interaction with overseas Indians and, in course of time, to be the hub of various activities aimed at creating pride in the achievements of India and its Diaspora.  The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation have allocated land at Chankyapuri, New Delhi  in favour of M/o Overseas Indian Affairs.  But the land is considered inadequate and the M/o Urban Development have been requested to allot additional land.

THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME FOR DIASPORA YOUTH (IPDY)

The Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY) of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs aims at associating closely the younger generation of the Indian Diaspora with India.  It provides a unique forum for students and young professional of Indian origin to share their views, expectations and experience.  Its Objectives are: to create awareness about the phenomenal transformation taking place in India and the country’s progress from just a destination for culture, heritage and art to an emerging force in the Global economic system; to build linkages to bridge the information gap; and to prepare a blueprint for creating a sustained mechanism for engaging among the Diaspora youth with India. 

A group of 25 Diaspora youths from different countries was in India from 22nd August to 11th Sept., 2005 on a 3-week internship.  The programme has now been made an on-going activity of the M/o Overseas Indian Affairs.  

A group of 29 Diaspora youths from 10 countries is currently visiting India for a three-week internship programme from 19^th December, 2005 to 9^th January, 2006.  The interns will be interacting with delegates participating in the 4^th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas - 2006.

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