New Delhi: All PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cards are now valid for the lifetime of the cardholder, instead of 15 years, as promised by PM Narendra Modi during his address at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on September 28, 2014.
The government notified the decision last week itself. It has also issued instructions that the PIO card holders would not be required to report to a police station even if their visit to India exceeds 180 days.
All these announcements had been made by Mr Modi during his address to the Indian community at Madison Square Garden in New York on September 28. A large number of Indian living in the US had thrown up a grand reception for the Prime Minister and his promise to fulfil their long standing demands had brought cheers to them.
Systems are in place to introduce visa on arrival for US tourists in October itself.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on a new scheme that will merge the PIO and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes.
Bureau report
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