BENGALURU: The 32-million strong global overseas Indian community is reeling under a sudden change: New rules introduced by the Indian government have stripped Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) of many of their privileges. Once enjoying near-equal status with Indian citizens, they are now dismayed to find themselves reclassified as “foreign nationals”.
Gone are the days of hassle-free access to their homeland. They now need permission to visit Jammu and Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh, just like any other foreigner. Their once seamless connection to India has become entangled in red tape.
There is outrage across the NRI diaspora, with many feeling blindsided by changes to OCI rules. Raja Naik, an NRI based in Canada, said, “This is ridiculous, it sounds like something out of North Korea.” While some argue that the restrictions aim to control security threats, many believe they are excessive, throwing honest NRIs and OCIs into a bureaucratic quagmire.
Aditya Arora, an NRI in Germany, is grappling with the fallout. His wife and children recently became foreign nationals, and he now finds himself stuck. “I had to renounce my Indian citizenship, but with these changes, I’m in limbo. How do I undo this?” he lamented, echoing the fears of many in his position.
Sudhir J, an OCI who lived in the US and has now returned to Bengaluru, expressed his frustration with the sweeping changes. “Reclassifying us as foreign nationals has created bureaucratic hurdles. Simple things like travel, business or religious activities now require permits. Real estate transactions are restricted. It feels like the government is pushing us away when it should be welcoming our investments.”
Subhas Balappanavar, coordinator of the NRI Grievances Forum in Arizona, USA, called for legal safeguards to protect NRI investments in India. “Indians are globally recognised for their contributions to tech and medicine. These new restrictions are an insult. Instead of restricting us, the government should pass an NRI/OCI Investment Protection Bill,” he argued.
The economic implications are staggering. Sandeep S, an NRI in California, pointed out that OCIs are major contributors to India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). “We send billions in white money back home. This isn’t just about security, it’s about trust. If the government keeps changing the rules, investors will be driven away. We’re seeing currency devaluation, land-grabbing issues, now this. We invest because we still feel India is ours.”
Amit Gupta, an NRI influencer based in the US and founder of an Indian community group, took to his platform to rally the diaspora. “As the founder of Indian. Community, I urge the Indian government to reconsider the recent OCI cardholder restrictions and engage diaspora leaders in a collaborative dialogue. The Indian Community has been a strong asset to the country, and policies that impact their connection with India should reflect their unique contributions. By inviting input from leaders across the diaspora, the government can develop solutions that balance security with the ability for NRIs to continue contributing to India’s growth and maintain strong, meaningful ties.”
As the ripple effects of the new rules become clear, the OCI community feels deeply betrayed. From business investments to personal ties, NRIs and OCIs have long been a vital bridge between India and the world. Immanuel Gollapudi, an NRI based in Germany, voiced his concerns: “These restrictions have placed an additional burden on OCI cardholders. An OCI is an important part of India’s economy. Reducing our privileges may lead to fewer visits and could have economic consequences. This reflects India’s evolving stance on balancing its diaspora relations with domestic policies.”
Former Indian diplomat CP Ravindran, who has served as ambassador to several nations, noted: “The most important issue for OCIs is visa procedures for entry. The previous OCI rules were far more generous.”
Stop working like political party, Union minister Nitin Gadkari tells IRC
BENGALURU: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has criticised the Indian Road Congress (IRC) — the apex body of highway engineers in India — stating that it is functioning like a political party instead of being an independent and impartial body.
He offered to provide grants, both from the Union and state governments and land in Delhi to IRC, to set up a permanent management and research institution to make Indian roads better.
Gadkari was speaking at an international seminar on Advances in Bridge Management, organised by the Indian Roads Congress in association with the World Road Association (PIARC) and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) with the support from the Karnataka government held in Bengaluru on Thursday.
“We need an independent, impartial and quality conscious approach,” the Union Minister elaborated.
Giving an example of Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, Gadkari said, “Even after 26 years, the expansion joints are in perfect condition. However, I do not see such perfection in other projects. Like how a spark neglected can burn a house, engineers and contractors are making compromises.”
Stating that there were many complaints about the poor quality roads, Gadkari stressed that quality is the priority and he will not compromise on it. “For some reason which I do not know, lot of compromises are made. I will create a world record by suspending people and blacklist contractors,” he said.
He opined that he doesn’t understand why engineers take so much time to take decisions about projects. Time has come to make bridge construction mandatory in pre-cast and that white topped roads are the solutions to heavy rain problems, he said, advising IRC to adopt new technology and build better roads in India.
Karnataka PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said that recent rains and floods have created a problem in road infrastructure, especially in the Western Ghats where bridges have collapsed
Karnataka forest department yet to decide on sending jumbos to Andhra Pradesh
BENGALURU: A team of Karnataka Forest Department officials, lead by Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre, will visit Vijayawada to meet Andhra Pradesh DyCM Pawan Kalyan on Friday to discuss sending trained camp elephants from Karnataka to the neighbouring state and also train mahouts there. Senior forest officials, however, said no decision has been taken on handing over the elephants.
“We are going to Andhra to sign an MoU on training mahouts to train camp elephants and in capturing wild elephants,” an official said. He said multiple discussions on improving and strengthening wildlife corridors, reducing conflict and other issues will be held.
During the visit, agreements will be signed between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on elephant capture operations, taming and knowledge exchange on forest resources and conservation initiatives. “We have also decided that henceforth we will not hand over any of our camp elephants unless our criterion are met.
We cannot be giving our trained elephants and mahouts to other states. We will also send elephants in groups as they are social animals and share a bond. We do not want our elephants to suffer depression, anxiety and other issues,” the official added.
Another Karnataka forest official said that there is one elephant camp in Vijayawada that houses three elephants. “The camp area is also small. They also do not have sufficient trained mahouts. Our department mahouts and staffers will help in this regard,” the official added.
BENGALURU: The cabinet on Thursday decided that any query or information sought from the state government by the governor’s office will be first discussed in the cabinet, which will decide on the response to be sent to the Raj Bhavan. A direction has been issued to the chief secretary and secretaries in this regard, said Law Minister HK Patil.
Speaking to mediapersons after a cabinet meeting on Thursday, the minister pointed out that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has been relentlessly seeking information on various topics and wants the state government to send the responses immediately.
“It seems like he loses patience. We discussed this, and decided that henceforth, any information sought from the chief secretary or secretaries by the governor has to be placed before the cabinet and get it approved. We have directed the chief secretary to reply as per the cabinet decision,” he said.
Asked about the governor’s earlier queries, Patil said this decision will be applicable for anything that has not been sent as of Thursday.
Patil said the governor had questioned the leak of the Lokayukta report, and claimed that this happened from the governor’s office itself. “All these papers were at the governor’s office for the past nine months, that too illegally. But he has been blaming the leak on the state government,” he said.
It may be noted that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had alleged that the governor had been seeking information on petty issues. Home Minister G Parameshwara accused Gehlot of intervening in governance and seeking reports on a daily basis. “There is no obligation to answer all his (governor’s) questions. Whatever needs to be answered, we will answer,” he had stated.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders slammed the state government for taking the decision in the cabinet. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said the governor has been seeking information and questioning the government on various scams. “But with this cabinet decision, the government seems to be trying to control the Raj Bhavan. It is acting like Hitler,” he said.
Ashoka dares CM to dissolve assembly
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday dared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dissolve the Assembly and prove that he enjoys the support of the people.
On Thursday, BJP staged a protest at Vidhana Soudha, demanding the CM’s resignation to ensure a free and impartial probe into the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case against him. The Special Court in Bengaluru directed Lokayukta police to probe the case and submit a report within three months.
Ashoka said if Siddaramaiah decides to dissolve the state assembly, 135 of 136 Congress MLAs will not support him, and he will be left with no option but to resign. “The High Court and Special Court orders have come. FIR will be registered against him. What is he waiting for?” the BJP leader asked.
Opposition leader in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said the Congress high command has become weak. “Corruption is rampant in the state and Congress has converted Karnataka into its ATM,” he said.
BJP MLC CT Ravi said Siddaramaiah has denotified 880 acres of land in Bengaluru to benefit realtors. During the protest, BJP leaders raised slogans against the CM and state government, and tried to lay siege to the Vidhana Soudha.
Muda case row: Senior Congress leader Koliwad wants Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to resign
The Congress leadership, however, was unfazed by Koliwad’s statement, as he is not a legislator. Leaders, including Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, reiterated that Siddaramaiah will continue as CM.
“There is no question of me resigning. Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Gujarat CM, resign in the Godhra riots case? Has Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is out on bail, resigned? I too will not resign,” Siddaramaiah hit back at BJP leaders demanding his resignation.
Seventy-nine-year-old Koliwad, speaking to a private TV channel, lauded Siddaramaiah as a good leader, but suggested that he should resign in the interests of the party.
“Let Siddaramaiah resign in the party’s interest, no matter how untainted he is. Let him become CM again after coming out clean after the investigation. The 136 MLAs of the party are with CM Siddaramaiah,” he said. “Assembly elections are going on in different states and the BJP is trying to embarrass the Congress. Siddaramaiah is causing embarrassment to the party.”
Responding to Koliwad’s statement, Shivakumar said, “I am the president of the Congress in the state. I am saying that there is no reason for the chief minister to resign. This is all part of a BJP-JDS conspiracy.”
Senior Congress leader R V Deshpande said Siddaramaiah will remain the CM for five years as the cabinet, high command and legislators are on his side.
Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna, a staunch loyalist of Siddaramaiah, hit out at Koliwad, saying that the latter is “old enough to lose his memory”.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said there is a possibility of revolt in the Congress as many leaders have already thrown their hat in the ring to become the CM and have been visiting their Delhi bosses.
BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, pointing fingers at his bete noire Shivakumar, said it was the DCM who hatched a plot to remove Siddaramaiah.
Source: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2024/Sep/25/nris-disappointed-with-tighter-overseas-citizens-of-india-rules
