BENGALURU: In a move that would give a permanent link to the descendants of indentured Indian labourers shipped abroad by the British and French, the government on Sunday announced an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card to help them visit the country without a visa. The labourers, known as Girmitiyas, were taken away by the colonisers as early as 1820s and are spread across Africa, South East Asia, Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. The government, which has started the scheme from Mauritius, is expected to expand the scheme to benefit nearly 8 million descendants.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the Pravasi Bharaitya Divas 2017, organised in Bengaluru. "We have a special bond with the Indian diaspora living in the Girmitiya countries, who are deeply and emotionally attached to their place of origin. We are aware of the difficulties faced by Persons of Indian Origin/ from these countries in obtaining an OCI Card if they moved abroad four or five generations ago. I am glad to announce that starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place new procedures and documentation requirements so that the descendants of Girmitiyas from this country could become eligible for OCI Cards,” Modi said. He further said that the government would be addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States.
The OCI scheme was started by the UPA Government and was offered till the fourth generation descendants of the Indian emigrants. However, the girmityas are a special case as they migrated over two centuries ago and most of them have travelled to 25 nations and four French islands in the Indian Ocean. OCI does not give citizenship benefits to its holders but does give a visa-free entry. The change of policy for the girmityas is in sync with Modi government’s foreign policy where Indian diaspora is the cornerstone. Modi has been harping on connecting the Indian diaspora with the “economic and social transformation” of the country.