E-Paper
Indian diaspora may get exclusive university
An exclusive university and steps to protect Indians married to NRIs are some of measures mooted by Govt.
An exclusive university for overseas Indians and steps to protect Indians married to them are some of the welfare measures mooted by the central government for its 25-million strong diaspora.
The measures are in addition to dual citizenship and introduction of smart cards for People of Indian Origin (PIO) announced last week.
Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs Jagdish Tytler on Monday said the launch of budget airlines to the Middle East was one of the steps to make life easier for Indians abroad.
He said the Government was contemplating setting up an university exclusively for persons of Indian origin (PIO), keeping in mind their need for quality higher education.
"Most countries where PIO are based have good primary and secondary education. But when it comes to higher education, Indians are often left out," Tytler said during a media interaction here.
The proposed university, which would be privately financed but certified by the Indian government, would take care of this shortfall.
"Though it's still in the conceptual stage, I have spoken to the Human Resource Development Ministry and got a favourable response."
Tytler said an estimated 25 million PIO lived across the world. According to the latest balance of payments data of the Reserve Bank of India, remittances by non-resident Indians in 2003-04 alone were $33.27 billion.
Steps would be taken to address the problems faced by Indian citizens, especially the women, married to PIO, he said.
Another initiative meant to safeguard the interests of Indians who go abroad for work would be the smart card, which would contain details of the migrant, the name and address of the overseas employer, the remuneration promised, a health record and information about the recruiting agency, the minister said.
Tytler said land had been acquired for setting up a Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in the diplomatic enclave of the capital. This would serve as a focal point for interaction with overseas Indians.
Earlier, dual citizenship was open to PIO in 16 countries - Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the US.
The facility would now be open to PIO in all countries that allowed dual citizenship.
"We cannot discriminate between PIO of one country and another. They all have their roots in India. Dual citizenship will be open to all and we have now simplified the application forms too," Tytler said.
