Vice President of India’s Visit to Sri Lanka:
The Vice President of India, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, embarked on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian Vice President to the island nation.India announced the extension of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) eligibility, along with discussions on key bilateral issues such as energy cooperation, trade, and fishermen’s concerns. India has extended the OCI scheme to the fifth and sixth generations of the Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka.Previously limited to the fourth generation, this move will specifically benefit the Indian Origin Tamil (Malaiyaha Tamil) community.To ease administrative hurdles, the application process will be simplified. OCI cards will now be issued based on documents and certificates provided directly by the Sri Lankan government. Discussions highlighted the handover of the final tranche of houses under Phase III of the Indian Housing Project, which is part of India’s commitment announced in 2010 to construct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka.
