OCI card for PIOs to boost India-Mauritius ties: Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth has said that Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card facility for Indian origin people in Mauritius will further strengthen bilateral ties and will give them chance to know the land of their ancestors closely.

“OCI card facility to the people of Indian origin living in Mauritius will further strengthen ties between the two countries,” the chief minister, who is on an official visit to Mauritius, said.

OCI is a scheme that was introduced in response to demands for dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora.

Addressing a function at Port Louis organised by the Indian High Commission yesterday, the chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mauritius in 2015 brought a new high in relations between the two countries and hoped Modi’s initiative will open new doors of development in Mauritius.

A senior state government official, quoting the chief minister, said the OCI card facility will help them know the land of their ancestors closely.

The chief minister, who also issued OCI cards to some of the NRIs on the occasion, highlighted in detail facilities like lifetime visa and exemption from taking work permit that the card holders will be entitled to.

Referring to the “discover your roots” scheme of the UP tourism department, the chief minister said it can help anyone of Indian origin to contact the department for getting information about the village of their forefathers.

The tourism department will contact the district officials of the area and gather information for them, he said.

Highlighting the tourism potential of the state, the chief minister mentioned Ram Janmbhoomi and Krishna Janmbhoomi besides other historical monuments and places of natural beauty and stressed that Uttar Pradesh has places of interests for all types of tourists.

PTI