(Image source from: Ordinance for merging PIO and OCI)

The government promulgated an ordinance to launch or establish "Indian Overseas Cardholder" scheme by merging Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes.

According to a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official, President Pranab Mukharjee has signed the Citizenship Ordinance to provide benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station for PIOs.

This promulgation has taken place to woo the NRIs before the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, 2015. This 13th edition of PBD is expecting huge number of NRIs participation and investments from the NRIs. With this ordinance PIOs are exempted from appearing a local police station even after the stay of over 180 days.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced at Madison Square Garden in New York last year, to extend lifelong entry to the NRIs holding PIO card. He also expressed the confidence in NRIs role to empower India.

According to MHA, now PIO and OCI schemes will be merged and the combined scheme will be called as “Indian Overseas Cardholder”. Subsequently, the Home Ministry had invited suggestions from the public to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955.

PIOs earlier used to have limited time period visa to stay in India and appearing before police station, whereas OCI card holders were exempted from all these. OCI card holders had very friendly system in India. Now more user (NRI) friendly scheme is launched to impress the NRIs and Indian-origin fellows to invest in India and to stay in India.

AW: Kannamsai