Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced to extend the deadline for converting PIO (People of Indian Origin) cards into OCI (Overseas Indian Citizens) cards till June 30, 2017.
Mr Modi made the announcement during his address to the non-resident Indians during the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru.
The earlier deadline for this was December 31, 2016.
“I would again encourage all PIO card holders to convert it into OCI cards. I keep saying this, and I know you all are very busy. Perhaps that’s the reason it’s not done yet. Keeping it in mind, I am happy to announce that we have extended the deadline for such conversion from 31st December until June 30,2017 without any penalty,” announced Mr Modi.
Mr Modi thanked the overseas Indians for their support to his government’s efforts against the black money.
Highlighting the steps taken to make services more prompt, Prime Minister Modi said there were 24-hour helplines, open house meetings, consular camps, Twitter service for passports and use of social media platforms to address the needs of the diaspora overseas.
He also said the security of the Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to the Indian government.
“In situations of distress faced by Indian nationals, we have reached out to ensure their safety, rescue and repatriation. Our External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj ji, has particularly been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad using social media.”
Mr Modi lauded the 30 million Indians living abroad as "role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries".
"The Indian diaspora have contributed their best towards progress in that country... They take our values and culture wherever they go," he added.
The overseas Indians, he also added, contribute $69 billion annually in remittances to the Indian economy.
For more news and updates, follow SBS Punjabi on Facebook.
