Two Trinis get India citizenship cards

Sapra presented the cards to Rinu Birla-Totla and Rajendra Kumar Rastogi in a small ceremony at the office of the High Commission of India at Victoria Avenue, Port-of-Spain.

Sapra said the OCI was a scheme launched with a view to facilitate persons of Indian origin living abroad to maintain close ties with India and obtain the benefits of financial investments and education for their children in India.

The High Commissioner stated that foreign nationals who were eligible to become citizens of India on January 26, 1950, or were citizens of India on or at any time after that date, or who belonged to a territory that became a part of India after August 15, 1947, and his/her children and grandchildren, were eligible, providing that his/her country of nationality allows dual-citizenship in order to make them eligible for registration for the OCI.

Sapra said OCI benefits included the grant of multiple entry, life-long visa to visit India, exemption from registration with Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for any length of stay in India, and parity with non-resident Indians in economic, financial and technical fields, except in matters relating to the acquisition of agriculture or plantation properties.

He added that persons of Indian origin (PIO) who were not eligible for OCI cards can apply for PIO cards providing that they have proof that their forefathers were from India.

Persons using the PIO cards for entry into India must, after 180 days in India, register with the FRRO and should thereafter be allowed to continue their stay for up to 15 years.

The cost of an application for the OCI card is US$275 and can be downloaded from the website of the High Commission of India in Port-of-Spain, www.hcipos.org, which is carded to be launched by August 10, 2006.