GOPIO CONFERENCE - 2005

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS  2005

INDIA AND NRIs/PIOs – ROLE, RELATIONSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY

Place: Taj Mahal Hotel and Taj President Hotel, Mumbai

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 5th and Thursday, January 6th, 2005.

The following resolutions were passed unanimously

Resolution 1

HELPING TSUNAMI VICTIMS

 

WHEREAS the devastating Tsunami that swept through South East and South Asia on the 26th. December has taken tens of thousands of lives and continues to cause human miseries of unimaginable magnitude unheard of in the recent memory; the death toll is  close to 150,000 and still rising and many more still missing. In India alone more than 20,000 have been killed and thousands displaced;

 

WHEREAS few disasters in the living memory have resulted in such a scale of intensity  and spread the devastation, death and destruction in ten countries.

 

WHEREAS as a result of this the economic damage is estimated to be more than 13 billion US dollar, the relief and rehabilitation would require massive engagement, our heart goes out to the victims and their families.

 

GOPIO thanks the governments who have already pledged their support and contribution and appeals to the governments all around the world to come forward to help in the rehabilitation work.  

 

GOPIO appeals to the global Indian community to come forward and help these victims by generously donating funds.

 

Resolution 2

 

PERMANANT MEMBERSHIP OF INDIA IN THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

 

WHEREAS GOPIO welcomes the reforms being discussed in the United Nations for making this august body truly representative;

 

WHEREAS the United Nations Security Council was constituted five decades ago. the political and economic conditions have gone through significant changes that require appropriate representation in the United Nations; 

 

WHEREAS India, as a founder member of the United Nations, has played an important role in peace, security and disarmament and also being the largest democracy in the world and the second largest country in population, deserves to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council with Veto rights.

Resolution 3

RAJYA SABHA SEATS FOR NON RESIDENT INDIANS

WHEREAS, the 8.8 million Non-Resident Indians living outside India constitute an important force and represent a tremendous resource in intellectual, technical, scientific, professional, economic, trade, and entrepreneurial excellence with high potential and interest to contribute to the well-being and prosperity of their motherland;

WHEREAS, the NRI community has emerged as a important factor in promoting India’s interest, in shaping relations between “host” and the “home” countries and in steering a dynamic shift in India’s economic and political advantage in the world affairs; 

GOPIO URGES the Government of India to nominate a few prominent NRIs as members of the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) so as to reinforce and further integrate the bonds between India and the overseas NRI/PIO community.

Resolution 4

VOTING RIGHTS FOR INDIAN CITIZENS LIVING OUTSIDE INDIA

WHEREAS, more than 40% of the Indians living outside India are still citizens of India;

WHERAS, most of the countries provide opportunities for their citizens living outside their countries to participate in the election process of their countries;

WHEREAS, India is yet to establish a mechanism to provide such an opportunity for it’s citizens numbering about 8.8 million of the 22 million Indian Diaspora;

WHEREAS, the NRIs are building country's image and enthusiastically contributing to the economic development of India, they should be allowed to exercise their rights of franchise as enshrined in the Constitution of India and should be able to vote on elections for Members of Parliament; 

GOPIO URGES the Government of India to allow availing the NRIs right to cast the absentee vote and urges Government of India to initiate the process of providing voting rights, through a constitutional amendment, to Indian citizens living outside India.

Resolution 5

POLITICAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF NRIs/PIOs

WHEREAS in some countries with large NRI/PIO population, there are instances of extraordinary level of infringement of human and political rights including racial discrimination and unconstitutional means to suppress rights of the persons of Indian origin, GOPIO urges Govt. of India to evolve an effective and comprehensive policy and take proactive stand in accordance with the UN Charter on Human Rights, where ever and whenever such violations occur.

Resolution 6

RESTORE "NOT ORDINARILY A RESIDENT (NOR)" STATUS FROM TWO YEARS TO NINE ON GLOBAL TAX OF RETURNING NRIs/PIOs

WHEREAS GOPIO urges that the NOR global tax (under section-6-6) exemption of two years be restored back to the original nine years, as was the case before the change brought out in the Finance Bill 2003. Even earlier Finance Minister had withdrawn a very similar change in 1998.

WHEREAS the NRIs, have remarkably contributed to the economic progress &  growth by way of remittances and investment in bank deposits upon their return although the industrial and stock market investments are ruled by MNCs & financial  institutions; 

WHEREAS the interest rate on deposit is being reduced and the Indian Rupee getting  weaker against all major international currencies resulting in wiping out the investment benefit;  

WHEREAS GOPIO continues to feel Government is justified taxing any and all incomes generated within India by returning NRIs/PIOs, the tax exemption on global income should be reverted back to the 2002 period and earlier. This would encourage greater cooperation of 22 million NRIs/PIOs, who form a considerable national resource of global network for India's growth and development.

Resolution 7

REPEAL THE NEW VCA CLEARANCE RULES FOR ADOPTION OF ORPHANED CHILDREN FROM INDIA

WHEREAS India is a country of over 1.1 billion people with 44 million destitute children and over 12 million orphan children yet there are only 5000  adoptions every year;

WHEREAS GOPIO understands and respects the intent behind the VCA clearance for inter-country adoption requirements which is to ensure that Indians residing in India have the priority and opportunity to adopt children;

WHEREAS the implementation of the new rule may not significantly increase the pool of local Indian potential adoptive parents and will have a significant and potentially negative impact on the health and long-term development of the children, enforcement of this rule could greatly increase the amount of time children will spend in orphanages instead of being available for adoption by waiting NRI families.

WHEREAS the NRI community is commited in its efforts to adopt orphan children from India in order to give them a better life in their adopted countries;

GOPIO urges the concerned Ministry of the Government of India & CARA to reconsider and revoke the new mandatory VCA clearance rules which came into effect in November 2003 because they not only make adoption from India significantly harder for NRIs but they also are counter-productive to the interests of the orphan children in India.