Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs


The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs was a ministry of the Government of India. It was dedicated to all matters relating to the Indian diaspora around the world.

History

Ministry was established in May 2004 as the Ministry of Non-Resident Indians' Affairs. It was renamed as the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in September 2004.
Positioned as a ‘Services’ Ministry, it provided information, partnerships and facilitations for all matters related to Overseas Indians: Non-Resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin.
The Ministry was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs on 7 January 2016. The government said that the decision was taken in line with government's "overall objective of minimising government and maximising governance" and that it will help the government address duplication as well as unnecessary delays.

Structure

The Ministry had four functional service divisions to handle its services:
First two divisions were headed by Joint Secretaries. The Protector General of Emigrants headed the Overseas Employment Services Division. The Social Services Unit and the Management Services Unit were staffed with officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary. The Information Services Unit was headed by Senior Technical Director.
The ministry also sponsored the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas established in 2003, when it also instituted the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

Ministers of Overseas Indian Affairs

The ministry has been headed by 4 ministers.