Modi promises visa on arrival to NRIs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured a visa on arrival facility for Australian tourists and announced a two-month deadline for the long-pending merger of OCI and PIO status to woo the Indian diaspora from whom he sought support for his ambitious Clean India campaign.

Addressing a frenzied crowd of around 20,000 in the packed Allphones Arena in Sydney, Modi took a dig at the previous governments saying while they were happy to make laws he was happier to remove them.
Touched by the grand reception, Modi said he was honoured and humbled and will never forget this day. "I know that behind this affection lies expectations. Yes. We want to create the India you are dreaming of. This welcome, this respect, this enthusiasm I dedicate it to the people of India," said Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia in 28 years.
Modi announced that his government was working on to facilitate visa on arrival for Australian tourists and said the PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status will be merged ahead of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held from January 7 in Ahmedabad.
The Prime Minister also referred to economic reforms unveiled by his government and said India has become an attractive destination for investment. He also said FDI in Railways has been hiked to 100 per cent and hoped that Australian companies will invest in creating rail infrastructure in the country.
The Prime Minister called upon Indians across the world to convert the atmosphere of hope and optimism into a reality of meeting the expectations and aspirations of people in India. Modi said on the basis of his experience of the last six months, he could see no reason why the aspirations of millions of Indians could not be fulfilled.
The Prime Minister also stressed on the Clean India campaign saying that more tourists would come if the country was cleaner. He also asked the Indian diaspora to extend their support to the campaign and said they can contribute significantly in developing the villages they come from.
Speaking about Jan Dhan scheme, he said 70 million bank accounts have been opened in the last 10 weeks under the scheme and a total of Rs 5,000 crore has been deposited by the account holders. He also spoke of the need to improve access to clean water, electricity and invited the Indian-Australian community to give back to the Motherland in whatever way they could. He spoke of his vision for skill development, and India meeting the skilled manpower requirement of the whole world.
Modi also complimented Australia for its concept of dignity of labour. "I have always admired the concept of dignity of labour in Australia. Here, a research scientist can also drive a cab. Cleaning up or removing litter. This is not a job that lacks dignity...this is a job that must be respected, he said. He also announced a Sydney Cultural Center would be established by India and it will be made functional by February 2015.