India's Diaspora Initiative
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Girmitiya Community Database:
- Creation announced by PM Modi (July 2025) . These are Indentured laborers (1834-1920) sent from India to British colonies (Caribbean, Africa, Pacific) under exploitative contracts..
- Includes mapping ancestral villages (Bihar/Eastern UP), preserving legacy, and organizing World Girmitiya Conferences.
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OCI Card Expansion:
- 6th-generation Indian-origin citizens of Trinidad & Tobago made eligible (previously capped at 4th gen).
- Significance: First Caribbean nation to receive this outreach; strengthens cultural ties.
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Demographic Insight:
- Indian-origin people constitute >40% of Trinidad & Tobago's population.
OCI vs. NRI:
- NRI: Citizens living abroad → Retain citizenship rights.
- OCI: Introduced in 2006 - Foreign nationals of Indian origin → No political rightsLifelong visa, work/study rights, Property ownership (non-agricultural).
Current Affairs (2023-25):
- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2025 (Bhubaneswar).
- 180th anniversary of Girmitiya arrival (1845-2025).
- UPI Internationalization (adopted by France, UAE, Singapore, Trinidad).
Controversy
- Order of Republic Trinidad & Tobago (ORTT) awarded to PM Modi faced criticism from Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association citing Article 370 abrogation.