The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched a revised portal for foreign citizens of India (OCI), which is a special status for Indian nationals resident in another country, providing a user -friendly experience for access to OCI services. Interior Minister AMIT Shah, on Tuesday, stressed in the post of social media that Indian soil citizens resided in different countries “when visiting or staying in India must not face inconvenience”.
By the way, the opening took place only two days after Nisha Kaul, the British professor of politics and international relations in London, the University of Westminster, claimed that her Indian authorities had canceled her OCI over the alleged “anti-Indian activity”.
According to the PTI report, Kaul was accused of “numerous enemy writings, manifestations and journalistic activities in various international forums and social media platforms” that focus on “India and her institutions on Indian sovereignty”.
Also read | Great relief for academic ashok Swain: High Court in Delhi reserves aside Govt’s order that cancels the OCI card
What is in India overseas citizenship?
OCI, or overseas citizenship of India, is a special status provided to individuals of Indian origin who are citizens of another country. It allows them to travel and remain in India without restrictions and offer a lifelong visa with multiple inputs, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
The OCI scheme was introduced in 2005 through a change in the 1955 Citizenship Act. It allows for persons of Indian origin (PIO) to register as OCI holders if they were 26 January 1950 citizens or later, or became citizens at that date. Those who are or have been or have been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh – or whose parents, grandparents or grandparents were – they were not eligible.
How will the overworked OCI portal help?
The new OCI portal aims to solve past problems and facilitate the process of users. It includes the latest technology and feedback from OCI card holders over the years. The portal offers several useful features such as account registration, automatic profile details in OCI applications, online payment system, and clear instructions on which the application documents based on the application type.
The current Services OCI portal, developed in 2013, is active in more than 180 Indian missions around the world and 12 frro in India and is engaged in about 2,000 applications every day.
Almost half of the Cancellation of OCI over the last decade in 2024
MHA canceled 57 OCI registrations in 2024, which is almost half of the total of such cancellations carried out in the last 10 years, according to Hinda report.
From 2014 to mid -2023, MHA carried out an OCI registration 122 times according to section 7D of the Citizenship Act of 1955.
Recently, Kaul received a notice of cancellation from the Indian government according to Section 7D. The academic described this step as a “vengeful, cruel example of multinational repression” and accused the central government of “targeting” her views of her views.
Who is Nitasha Kaul?
Professor Nisha Kaul is a British citizen of Indian origin who works as a scholar in the UK. Professor of politics, international relations and critical interdisciplinary studies at the University of Westminster in London is also described as a “Kashmir writer”. Its areas focused include “right -wing policy, post -colonial neoliberal nationalism, Hindutva project in India and History and Kashmir Politics”.
(Tagstotranslate) OCI console
