Convert PIO Cards To OCI Cards By June 30: PM Narendra Modi At Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Bengaluru: The deadline for converting PIO (People of Indian Origin) cards into OCI (Overseas Indian Citizens) cards has been extended till June 30. Converting within this period will not attract any penalty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday in his address to the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the largest gathering so far of Indians living abroad, which is currently being held in Bengaluru.

The earlier deadline for the conversion was December 30.

The OCI card, the Prime Minister said, should become a "symbol of global migration, achievements and aspirations of the diaspora". Special counters to help the diaspora to convert the cards have been set up in Delhi and Bengaluru.

"Starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place procedures so that descendants of Girmitiyas could become eligible for OCI Cards. We remain committed to addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States," PM Modi said.

Girmityas are descendents of indentured Indian labourers who were brought to Fiji to work on sugarcane plantations in mid-1800s.

This year, more than 7,100 people have registered to attend the three-day conclave, making it the biggest in 14 years. The delegates have come from 72 nations. Ambassadors from 72 nations have also come to the meet, hoping to hear the problems Indians are facing in those countries.

PM 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 dollars annually in remittances to the Indian economy.