A helping hand for NRIs

Mrityunjay Ram / TNN / Dec 3, 2005, 02:08 IST

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Centre wants to set up help desks in India's embassies and high commissions across the world to attend to NRIs grievances.

HYDERABAD: With complaints pouring in about ill-treatment of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in many countries, the Centre wants to set up help desks in India's embassies and high commissions across the world to attend to NRIs grievances.
"The Centre is drafting guidelines pertaining to their formation," Union minister for overseas Indian affairs Oscar Fernandes told The Times of India on Friday.Opinions would be elicited from the delegates to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas also.
The event itself will comprise a series of plenary sessions that will offer overseas Indians the opportunity of direct interaction with the country's decision-makers from diverse sectors such as finance, banking, health, education, science and technology, culture and others. NRIs will be asked to put forth their grievances as well as the kind of help they expect.
Fernandes said some important initiatives like creation of special vehicles that facilitate NRI investment in India, a collaborative research institution and an e-based Indian diaspora knowledge network��a platform that will facilitate global information exchange and networking between overseas Indians and India are expected to be announced.

He said a hassle-free electronic remittance gateway would be launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the three-day event. The Prime Minister would also issue the first certificate under the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme.
The electronic remittance gateway will help online transfer of money to India and the OCI will provide overseas Indians holding foreign passports free access to the country by providing dual citizenship, Fernandes said.
Replying to a question, he said that though overseas remittance traffic is the highest to India, a major part of the money goes into the consumer sector and "we want these remittance to come into industrial sector as investment."
Fernandes said the NRIs have been complaining that most of their projects hit a road block particularly in areas like licensing and infrastructural facilities.

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