NEW DELHI: The government has extended more benefits to overseas Indians holding the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said on Sunday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2007, the annual conclave of the Indian diaspora, Ravi said: "We have decided to extend a wider range of benefits to OCI cardholders. I am happy to announce three new benefits: first, parity with non-resident Indians on inter-country adoption; second, parity with resident Indian nationals in domestic airfares; and third, parity with Indian nationals in entry fees for national parks and wildlife sanctuaries."

The OCI card scheme was launched at the last PBD in Hyderabad and offers overseas Indians staying in countries allowing dual citizenship equal rights with Indian citizens in India except for some constitutional rights like election to constitutional posts and appointment as judges in Supreme Court or high courts.

The minister said that since the launch of the scheme, over 90,000 OCI cards have been issued till now.

He also added that the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) was working on a host of other benefits including allowing overseas Indian doctors to practice in the medical field in India.

PBD is the flagship event of the MOIA. For this fifth edition of the annual conclave of the Indian diaspora, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the institutional partner while the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the partner state.

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NEW DELHI: A facilitation centre for members of the Indian diaspora on investing in India and a council to promote their job prospects globally were among the measures under the government's consideration, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Sunday.

Asking the 25 million Indian diaspora in some 130 countries to not only "discover their roots" but also "extend their branches", the prime minister assured his government's support in both these areas.

"A proposal to establish an Indian Overseas Faciltation Centre is presently being developed. This is envisaged as a source of investment advisory services for overseas Indian investors," Manmohan Singh told the inaugural session of the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

"This proposal is being developed on the understanding that an Indian entity, independent of the government, though supported by us, and set up in partnership with industry, could be an effective instrument to liaise with members of the Indian diaspora on matters related to investment in India," he said.

The prime minister also said that it was also important to take a strategic view in both the medium and long term on the overseas employment opportunities for Indians, given the changing demographic profile of the country.

"It is time for the overseas Indian worker to move up the wage chain and India to be perceived increasingly as a provider of skilled manpower. A suggestion has been made that a professional body should devise an appropriate strategy to give shape to this idea."

He said the proposed Central Council for the Promotion of Overseas Employment, mooted in this regard, was also under "active consideration" of his government.

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said India was preparing to sign agreements on social security with other countries on the lines of the one with Belgium.

Under the pact, Indians working abroad for short durations of up to 60 months will be exempted from social security contributions and for those employed beyond that, such contributions will be permitted to be transferred to India.

"This agreement will serve as a model for similar bilateral agreements with other countries in the European Union and the developed world," Ravi said, and the process had already been initiated with the Netherlands, France, Sweden and Norway.

He said once in force, such pacts would go a long way in making Indian companies more competitive since exemption from social security contributions reduces the costs for employers substantially
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NEW DELHI: For 1200 people of Indian origin from around 50 countries across the world who had gathered at the Vigyan Bhavan in the Capital on Sunday for the 5th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD), it was a homecoming of sorts for the global Indian family.

Themed "Rooting for the roots", the three-day jamboree is looking at expanding the horizons already built with the 25-million strong global Indian Diaspora and announcing to the world that it is all one big family. And PBD is not looking at financial or monetary assistance from its overseas family but intellectual capital, emotional anchorage and social contribution to help make India a better place.

"I would like overseas Indians to take full advantage of India's growing economic prowess and invest in a new India. We don't need financial investment alone -- but intellectual, social, cultural and emotional investment from overseas Indians as their roots are what brings them here," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said, while inaugurating the 5th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in the Capital on Sunday.

The PM also urged the Diaspora to play a bigger role in India's great adventure of building an India free from war, want and exploitation. Calling for enhancing educational opportunities for PIOs for study in India, Singh said that Indian universities must be more receptive to kids of overseas Indians.

Expressing satisfaction that Singapore, along with china, Japan and South Korea was pitching in for the Nalanda project, the PM further stated that India's historic excellence in terms of education would help in its image equity. He also said that the Centre and the Overseas ministry was actively mulling over the proposal to establish a University for Persons of Indian Origin, which was mooted last year during the Pravasi meet in Hyderabad.

Although the focus was on overseas Indians, the contribution of the Indian-American community did not go completely unrecognized. Both the Prime Minister and the Union Minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi acknowledged the "stellar" role that the community played during the passing of the Indo-US civil nuke accord.

"The Indian community and its leaders played a key role in highlighting the importance of the Indo-US nuclear deal in the US and elsewhere," the Prime Minister said in his speech.

Harping on the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbukam - the whole world is one family, the Prime Minister reminded the congregation that unlike the end of numerous big empires of the world, the sun will never go down on the Indian Disapora.

"Across borders, the people of Indian origin are the world's most globalised community," he said to a packed audience.

Terming PBD as a celebration of the global Indianness, he reminded that January 9 was a significant date in the Indian almanac as the Mahatma, one of the world's greatest adventurers had chosen this day to return to India form South Africa and wage a war against the British.

Lakshmi Mittal, Zubin Mehta, Amartya Sen, Indra Nooyi and Kalpana Chawla, the PM said were the diverse faces of the global India success story. He said that India's pluralism, inclusiveness and "live and let live" policy will help them become famous.

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