The decision of the Indian government to ease the coronavirus-linked global travel restrictions imposed on those having OCI cards has given a big relief to many stranded overseas citizens of India across the world.
OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin globally which gives them almost all the privileges of an Indian national except for the right to vote, government service and buying agricultural land. The OCI card gives them a visa-free travel to India.
On Friday, the central government allowed certain categories of OCI card holders, who are stranded abroad, to come to the country. Earlier, according to the regulations issued by the Indian government in April, visas of foreign nationals and OCI cards were suspended as part of the new international travel restrictions following the COVID-19 pandemic.
This privilege of visa free travel to India was causing distress among a large number of people of Indian-origin and Indian citizens in countries like the US whose children were OCI card holders as they were born in this country.
Many Indian parents, several of whom lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis due to coronavirus pandemic, but were not allowed to take the special evacuation flights of Air India from various US cities, took to social media and urged the Indian leaders to allow them to travel to India.
“This is a big relief for the OCI card holders. It was a humanitarian crisis in the making. I am pleased that the Indian Government listened to their voices,” said social activist Prem Bhandari, chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, who has been taking up the cause of the OCI card holders.
Dr Arathi Krishna, former deputy chairperson of NRI Forum of Karnataka government, who had been demanding this relaxation, many of the thousands of stranded OCI card holders in defferent parts of the world were in pursuading her to exert pressure on the authorities concerned for this much needed relaxation.
The restrictions on traveling of OCI card holders to India was issued by govt of India on March 13 in the wake of global outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
She said: "Many parents who are Indian nationals could not travel for emergency purpose to India after repatriation flights started due to their minor children being OCI card holders. Many children who were OCI card holders could not travel to India to perform last rites when there was death in their family due to these restrictions"
"I was constantly pressurising and bringing these issues to the attention of ministry officials in External Affairs and Home Affairs departments. I was following up with Mr Dammu Ravi who is heading the COVID task force task firce in the ministry of overseas Indian affairs who took interest in solving this problem through his consistent efforts with MHA. Iam thankful to Fireign Secretary too for his efforts and concern and to MHA for making it easier now for OCI card holders to travel in repatriation flights with emergency reasons," she said.
Comments
who knows with immense pressure from policticans he might have been framed ..becoz ruling party needs one particular community votes and we know how murders of prashanth poojari and vaman poojari ( witness in murder ) got closed .vaman poojaris death shown as suicide .prashanth poojari murder cases all accused are getting acquitted .one jihadi who shouted islamic war cry while butchering our prashant poojari was standing next to abhaya chandra jain ... so conspiracy theory cannot be ruled out ... ankit is just accused and he is not proven guilty , so let our court decide who is culprit ... we dont talk in rubbish language like hang him , shoot him ... as we are not living in third rated countries , which asks proof from males if rape has hapened ...such a pathetic rules ...long live sangh parivar ... jaio sri ram
Narianna....are you not aware that the bloody goon has admitted his criminal deeds... Are u still in the influence of snake food ??? ....
If he comes out within 10 days, I will be not surprised, since we know the DNA of Indians .... as it happened in the case of Sadvi and Akshamdam cases....
I dont think he has stabbed ..if proved , let him be punished for murder ... but certainly not for silly silly cases ...
comment #16 , first ninna community members ge lecture kodu mama ... no need to advise billawa leaders ... third rated kelasa maaadtha irodu nimma jana maarre ... Mr Kazi , we are not living in third rated country to hang anyone without trial and he has not done any major mistake ... anyways he will come out within 10 days ...love to see many one particular community guys using hindu names and posting their frustration .:) hahaha ...
before punishing this culprit, find which VHP criminal is behind this idiot fellow and put him in the jail forever
These Billava boys are brain washed by RSS leaders. Why can't they brain wash their own children for such criminal act? No they will send their children to abroad for higher studies and for job.
Billava leaders must open their mind and guide their youngsters the real motto of these RSS leaders and keep them away from their bhakthi. etc.
baddy maga, i am waiting for him to get in case like this, he s flying all the time in our colony, police should break his leg again he should not enter our place.
Viren, right is right and wrong is wrong....where is the proof for your allegation against minorities....totally rubbish.....This criminal has been thought to do this by Sanghis to promote communal disharmony around.....
Good job police, specially the mosque for installing CCTV camera, otherwise this criminal would have went scott free. Give him harshest punishment so that others should learn good lesson from it....
Viren ..........No killing justfied .....as far as Nationalism concern no one need your Help...thay all know who you are and your dirty RSS and its wings....so keep your Brahmanism with you at home ....we all know who killed RTI Activists that too being a HINDU....OK ...adella OK neevu ee deshadalli dwesha YAKE ...saaka ?
Elli Nyaya illavo allide ....karya...
send him out of india, hang him to death,,,very dangerous people....
lets pray for his family, god bless u all.
this is a serious issue, should consider him as a main suspect of all the crime and should investigate properly all the goons should be caught and punished properly, my big suggestion is to cut the legs of these type of goons and let them sit on streets for begging,
Very Sad news rickshaw driver, \let his soul rest in peace\" but killing in Hindustan, stone pelting in Hindustan all these doing are really condemnable, but this Criminal does not look like Poojary Family definitely I belong too but his Nature his body language looks like \"Cross Breed\" you readers must have understood that means must Illegal!!!!!!! so you Understand our Local language says for that type of Goons, he never ever can become a good Human, if you punish or put in Jail whatever you do Tail of \"DOG\" can never become straight
Jai hoo Modianna"
guilty must be punished.
Every crime is condemnable. but, we all know that you are a nationalist. If compared to the crime of those who back stab our motherland what u did is nothing.
totally Brain washed by the RSS goons.
lets kill this dog in street by stone.
Should be put on Lie detector, to get the details of his masters / brain washers / supporters .... Afterwords should be hanged in a public place .... as a lesson for the other goons of the coastal districts ...
hang him to death, these type of creatures are creating trouble to the society.
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