Namaste Sydney: Modi wows Aus with visa sop
19 Nov 2014 5:14 AM IST
‘Let’s open the windows let fresh air come in,’ he said adding, ‘I know that behind this affection lie expectations and we want to create the India you are dreaming of.’
Modi announced that his government was working towards facilitating visa on arrival for Australian tourists and said the PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status which will be merged ahead of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held on 7 January next year in Ahmedabad. Modi had announced merger of PIO and OCI during his visit to the US in September but had not given a specific date then.
In a major announcement he also talked about the opening of Indian Cultural Centre in Sydney and be made functional by February 2015.
The PM said that he feels a greater sense of responsibility as he is the first PM born in independent India. ‘We did not have the fortune to fight for the country’s independence. We could not die for India. But we can live for India. So we will live and struggle for India. Today 125 crore Indians share that dream. It took 28 years for an Indian PM to make the few hours journey to Australia. Now you will not have to wait 28 years,’ he said.
Modi said that on the basis of his experience during the past six months, he could see no reason why the aspirations of millions of Indians could not be fulfilled. He highlighted the work done by his Government and the new policies and schemes he had launched including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Make in India initiative, Swachh Bharat, and Shramev Jayate. 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. Modi also talked about the decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in Railways.
Modi announced that his government was working towards facilitating visa on arrival for Australian tourists and said the PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status which will be merged ahead of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held on 7 January next year in Ahmedabad. Modi had announced merger of PIO and OCI during his visit to the US in September but had not given a specific date then.
In a major announcement he also talked about the opening of Indian Cultural Centre in Sydney and be made functional by February 2015.
The PM said that he feels a greater sense of responsibility as he is the first PM born in independent India. ‘We did not have the fortune to fight for the country’s independence. We could not die for India. But we can live for India. So we will live and struggle for India. Today 125 crore Indians share that dream. It took 28 years for an Indian PM to make the few hours journey to Australia. Now you will not have to wait 28 years,’ he said.
Modi said that on the basis of his experience during the past six months, he could see no reason why the aspirations of millions of Indians could not be fulfilled. He highlighted the work done by his Government and the new policies and schemes he had launched including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Make in India initiative, Swachh Bharat, and Shramev Jayate. 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. Modi also talked about the decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in Railways.
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