++ The Ministry, in coordination with other ministries/agencies prepared an action plan for facilitating the departure of the stranded Indians in Iraq, Libya to their respective destination. Repatriation of stranded Indian nationals in Iraq was started in the month of July, 2014 and continued during August, 2014. A total of 6,977 workers have been evacuated from Iraq and 3,200 workers have been evacuated from Libya.

++ From 1 st April to 31 st November 2014, Emigration clearance was granted to 497424 emigrants going for overseas employment to 18 Emigration Check Required countries.

++ Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) held two Diaspora Engagement Meets in 2014 one in Manama, Bahrain and other in London, United Kingdom

++ OIFC signed four MoUs - two with Bahrain and two with United Kingdom.

++ UP has become Partner State of OIFC.

++ Plan Scheme on Skill Development for overseas employment was introduced during this year. Seven states namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been identified for implementation of the Plan Scheme.

++ One Social Security Agreement with Australia has been signed on 18 th November, 2014 in Canberra (Australia)

++ Fresh registration certificate were issued to 24 Recruiting Agents under the Emigration Act, 1983,

++ Emigration clearance process had been completely computerized. Process of ISO certification of all 10 offices of Protector of Emigrants is under way.

++ Ministry of Overseas India Affairs has rolled out eMigrate project in all 10 POE offices in last six months in a phased manner. eMigrate is a comprehensive on-line web-based system covering entire spectrum of emigration ecosystem, i.e., Emigrants, MOIA, Indian Mission, OWRC, Recruiting Agents and Foreign Employers. Till date more than 1.90 lakh Emigration Clearances have been granted under eMigrate system.

DIASPORA SERVICES

The Diaspora Services Division deals with all matters relating to Overseas Indians comprising Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizenship of India matters, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, Scholarships to NRI/PIO students in India and new initiatives to promote interaction of overseas Indians with India in tourism, media, youth affairs, education, culture among other areas.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)

To connect India to its vast overseas diaspora and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform, the PBD Convention – the annual flagship event of MOIA is organized from 7 th -9 th January every year since 2003. Twelve PBDs have been held earlier in various places of India so far since 2013.

The 12 th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi in January, 2014 with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports as the Partner Ministry. The theme was ‘Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Aacross Generations'. The 13 th edition of PBD being held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 7 January, 2015, coinciding with the 100 th Anniversary of return of the Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India.

Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD)

This Ministry organizes Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) to engage with the Indian diaspora who are unable to attend annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India. So far, 8 successful RPBD have been held at New York, Singapore, The Hague, Durban, Toronto, Mauritius, Sydney and London respectively eliciting enthusiastic support from the Indian diaspora and the local Government. 8 th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) Convention was organized in London, in October, 2014. Compared with the past several RPBDs, RPBD London marked a significant and positive departure in attendance and the variety of subjects on which the Diaspora was engaged. The Government's initiatives – Mission to Clean Ganga, Smart Cities, Skill Development, Solid Waste Management and overall infrastructure development were also discussed. RPBD London has set the stage for enhancing the engagement to renew partnership with the Diaspora.

Know India Programme (KIP)

The objective of the Ministry's Know India Programme is to help familiarize Indian Diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years, project the developments and achievements made by the country and strengthening their bonds with their homeland. KIP provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to visit India, share their views, expectations and experiences and to know contemporary India. The Ministry has conducted 29 editions of KIPs so far and a total of 903 overseas Indian youth participated in these programmes. The 30 th KIP was held in 2014. The participants are selected based on nominations received from Indian Missions/Posts abroad. They are provided hospitality and reimbursed 90% of their economy class return airfare from their respective countries to India.

Study India Programme (SIP)

Like KIP, Study India Programme (SIP) connects with the youth of Indian diaspora through educational institutions. Its enables Overseas Indian youth to undergo short term courses in an Indian University to familiarize them with the history, heritage, art, culture, socio-political, economic developments etc. of India. The focus of the programme is on academic orientation and research. Cost of boarding, lodging, local transportation, course fee during the programme and 90% of the cost of air-ticket by economy class is borne by Govt. of India. Gratis Visas by Indian Missions are granted to the participants.

While this University the first (SIP) was organized in October, 2012 in Symbiosis University, Pune, Maharashtra with participation of 9 youths of Indian origin from four countries like Trinidad & Tobago, Malaysia, Fiji and South Africa. Conducted 2 nd SIP in November, 2013, 14 youths of Indian origin.

Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC)

Launched in 2006-07 the `Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC)` grants 100 scholarships upto US$ 4000 per annum to PIO and NRI students for undergraduate courses. The scheme is being implemented by Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed. CIL), a Government of India Enterprise under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The scheme is open to NRIs / PIOs/OCIs from 40 countries. A total of 760 candidates have availed the scholarship since the inception of the scheme.

SPDC has been modified to do away with the "Common Entrance Test (CET)" for selecting PIO/OCI and NRI students for award of scholarships.