OCI (OVERSEAS CITIZEN OF INDIA)

OCI (OVERSEAS CITIZEN OF INDIA)

TOPIC: Polity

Context- The Supreme Court directed the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) to charge a student belonging to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) category the same fee paid by an Indian citizen for the 2021-2022 academic year.

• The OCI students are also permitted to be treated at par with Indian students and are allowed to apply to any course/courses for the academic year 2021-2022

Concept-

Overseas Citizenship of India:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs defines an OCI as a person who:
  • Was a citizen of India on or after 26th January 1950; or Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or
  • Is a child or grandchild of such a person, among other eligibility criteria.
  • According to Section 7A of the OCI card rules, an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh.
• The category was introduced by the government in 2005. The Government of India via Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2015 merged the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) category with OCI category in 2015.

Benefits to OCI Cardholders:

• OCI cardholders can enter India multiple times, get a multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India, and are exempt from registering with Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
• If an individual is registered as an OCI for a period of five years, he/she is eligible to apply for Indian citizenship.
• OCI cardholders can open special bank accounts in India, buy the non-farm property and exercise ownership rights and can also apply for a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card.

Limitations:

• OCI cardholders do not get voting rights, cannot hold a government job and purchase agricultural or farmland.
• They cannot travel to restricted areas without government permission.