Indian-origin persons with military background will not be given Overseas Citizens of India card after a high-level committee recommending to the government that any move to grant OCI cards to such people will be against the country's interests.
The inter-ministerial committee's recommendation came after careful examination of all aspects of granting OCI cards to Indian origin people who had served the armed forces of any foreign country.
"The committee felt that any person with military background should not have uninterrupted access to Indian territories. If such a person is granted OCI card, he or she could enter India without visa and the facility is offered for life," a senior government official privy to the development said.
The move came after the government received several applications of Indian origin persons who had served in militaries of foreign countries.
An OCI card holder gets benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit.
Government in January 2015 had declared that all Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders are deemed to be Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders.
The decision to merge PIO card with OCI card was taken after a large number of complaints were received from PIO card holders who often complained of visits to local police stations and stringent visa norms that debarred them from buying property in India, in comparison to those holding OCI cards.
