President Murmu announces relaxation in OCI norms for Indian diaspora in Suriname
Paramaribo, Suriname(PTI) – President Droupadi Murmu has announced that India had decided to extend the eligibility criteria for obtaining an Overseas Citizen Of India card for Indian-origin immigrants in Suriname from the fourth generation to the sixth generation, marking their importance in the 150-year-old bilateral relationship.
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Murmu made the announcement on Monday while addressing a gathering at the Independence Square here where she along with Suriname counterpart Chandrikapersad Santokhi witnessed a cultural event on the occasion of the commemoration of 150 years of the arrival of Indians in Suriname.
The first ship – Lalla Rookh – carrying 452 Indian labourers arrived in Suriname’s capital Paramaribo on June 5, 1873. Most of the labourers hailed from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.