First PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) Parliamentary Conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
- The conference was inaugurated on the occasion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) which is celebrated on 9th January. PBD is celebrated to mark the contribution of overseas persons of Indian origin towards their homeland.
- As many as 124 members of Parliament 17 Mayors from 23 countries are participating in this conference.
- This is the first PIO Parliamentary Conference to reach out to the Indians overseas.
- To commemorate 25 years of partnership between India and ASEAN (Association of South East Nations, a special regional PBD is being held in Singapore.
- The event commenced with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s speech and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the keynote speaker.
- In order to celebrate the spirit of the conference, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also organized an open competition to design a logo that would best reflect the spirit of the First PIO Parliamentarian Conference.
Persons of Indian Origin
Earlier PIO card was a form of identification issued to a Person of Indian Origin who held a passport in a country other than Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan< China, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. On 9 January 2015, the Person of Indian Origin card scheme was withdrawn by the Government of India and was merged with the Overseas Citizen of India card scheme. An Overseas Citizen of India is a lifetime visa status. It is the closest thing to dual citizenship that India offers.Who can be an OCI?
- A person who used to be an Indian citizen
- A person with at least one parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent who is/was an Indian citizen
- A person married to an Indian citizen or an existing OCI for at least two continuous years
