Chandigarh:
Punjab Government on Tuesday ordered compilation of comprehensive census data of over 20 lakh Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) hailing from the state for
initiating welfare schemes for them in a coordinated manner.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, also in-charge of NRI Affairs department, issued directions in this regard during his interaction with NRI Lord Rana, Honorary Consular of India, Northern Ireland and Executive Vice President, GOPIO International, an official spokesman said.
Sukhbir asked state commissioner NRI Affairs Gagandeep Singh Brar to issue a communiqué to all deputy commissioners in the state to conduct a door-to-door survey for compiling a detailed data bank of all the NRIs hailing from their respective districts.
He said revenue officials and officials of other departments, including Patwaris in the rural areas, could be asked to compile the data. In urban areas, this responsibility
could be assigned to Municipal Corporations/Councils and Nagar Panchayats.
The deputy chief minister said this unique data bank would have great significance as over 20 lakh Punjabi were living in different parts of the world and it would further
supplement the UID project of the Union Government, besides its Pravasi Bharti schemes.
Citing incidents like racial attacks on Indians in Australia, Sukhbir said the government found it difficult to contact their families in Punjab due to lack of any updated data.
Once fully compiled, this data would be put on a website which could be accessed by NRIs and updated regularly, he added.
He asked Lord Rana to contact other NRI bodies to become partner in this project.