From Our Indian Correspondent

What the PIO card is all about :  Starting the 31st of March, 1999 the Government of India announced the issuance of a Person of Indian Origin card for foreign citizens who have held an Indian passport at some point of time or who have one or more Indian parents up to four generations behind them (that is, up to their great-grandparents). The intent is to bring the beneficiaries closer to their roots, to make it easier for them to travel to India and to allow them the same advantages that a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) has. Fifteen million people living outside India are expected to benefit from this plan.

The Advantages :

1) The holder is allowed visa free entry.

2) The holder is given all the rights, which an NRI has - including the acquisition/holding/transfer/disposal of non-agricultural land. 

3) The holder's children can study in Indian institutions (under the NRI category) including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).

4) The holder need not report his presence to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office upon landing in India - though he has to do so if his stay extends beyond the stipulated 180 days. 

5) The holder can benefit from the housing opportunities announced by the LICs, the State Governments or other Government Agencies.

6) Any other benefits extended to NRIs will also be automatically extended to the PIO cardholders.

Other Points Worth Noting :

1) The card is issued to eligible applicants through the concerned Indian Embassies / High Commissions / Consulates. For those staying in India on long- term visas it is issued through the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, and Chennai - addresses appear further down in the article). 

2) The fee for the card, which will have a validity of 20 years, is US $1000.  Should the application be rejected (no cause need be assigned) only US $750 will be refunded.

3) Citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh (and such other countries, which may be notified from time to time) are not allowed to participate in the scheme.

4) Like the NRIs, PIO cardholders will not be allowed to purchase agricultural / plantation land or land in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

5) Within 30 days of the lapse of the said 180 days of visa free entry, one will have to register with the Foreigners Registration Office at the district headquarters [addresses given as follows: (a) Delhi Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Hans Bhavan, I.P. Estate New Delhi - 110002. (b) Mumbai Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Annex II, Commissioner of Police, Craw Ford Market, Mumbai - 400001. (c) Calcutta Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, 237, Acharya Jagdish Calcutta - 700020 (d) Chennai Chief Immigration Officer, Bureau of Immigration, Shastri Bhavan Annex, No.26, Haddows Road, Chennai- 600006. (B) Those residing in areas other than (A) above:- Joint Secretary (Foreigners). Ministry of Home Affairs, 1st floor, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market New Delhi-110003.]

6) PIO cardholders are not given any political/voting rights.

How and Where to Apply :

You have to apply for issue of a PIO Card to an Indian Mission in the country where you are presiding, for example, those in the DC area should contact the Consular Wing, 2536 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008  Tel: (202) 939-9839/9806 or Fax: (202) 797-4693. You will be required to fill in the prescribed form available with the concerned authorities closest to you (some embassies allow the download of forms from their websites). You will also have to submit the relevant documentary evidence mentioned therein.

Why it is Laudable and Why it Isn't :

The PIOs have been asking for some sort of an improved status for a while now but the government ruled out dual citizenship as a far too impractical option. This set of PIO card rules hopes to satisfy a long-felt demand besides garnering a substantial sum of money for the Indian Government.  At the cost of US $1000 per card the government expects to generate revenue to the tune of US $2 billion from the 2.35 lakh people who are estimated to apply for this status through the Indian missions abroad (the Indian ex-patriot population is calculated to be about 6.7 million NRIs and 15 million PIOs).

The government has been variously criticized for charging such an unwarrantedly large sum of money (beyond the reach of some of the second-generation unskilled immigrants, according to the strident objections of the Global Organization of Persons of Indian Origin, GOPIO). At the same time the press in India has reported concern over allowing the card holders a variety of benefits which has turned the entire exercise into a money-making device for all the parties concerned - and for not paying enough attention to the developmental responsibilities the card holders should ideally be participating in. It is also worth noting the urgently felt need to open a single window for dealing with PIO related issues as has been done for the NRIs (via the Commissioner of NRIs).

A greater transparency is perceived to be required in the procedural segment too for, at the moment, the government reserves the unconditional right to reject applications without allocating a reason. But all said and objected to, it remains a very positive step forward in cementing the relationship of a people to their origin - by allowing them hassle-free entry, by giving them the most attractive incentives for participation in urban property deals and by opening up excellent avenues for higher education. Yes, it could be construed as a money-spinning bureaucratic exercise but even the most pessimistic of observers will agree that here's a very nice win-win situation.

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