TOI Bharat Abroad: OCI Crackdown, Dublin Attacks, and an American Teen's Jana Gana Mana Goes Viral
Hello and welcome to TOI Bharat Abroad.
This week: India tightens OCI rules, making serious charges grounds for losing long-term visa-free access.
In Dublin, racist attacks on Indians force the postponement of India Day celebrations. And a 17-year-old American goes viral for belting out Jana Gana Mana with flawless pride.
THE BIG STORY
Tightened OCI Rules
The Indian government has moved to make it easier to strip Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status from holders facing serious criminal charges. A new notification says OCI registration will be cancelled if a cardholder is convicted and sentenced to two years or more in prison, or if they are charge-sheeted for an offence carrying a potential seven-year jail term.
Why it matters: The rule change raises the stakes for Indian-origin foreign nationals living abroad, making even pending serious charges grounds for losing long-term visa-free access to India. For many, OCI status is their primary link to the country — losing it can mean restrictions on travel, property rights, and residency.
Driving the news: In a gazette notification issued under Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the move is aimed at tightening eligibility and deterring criminal activity. The OCI scheme, launched in 2005, lets qualifying Indian-origin foreign nationals visit India without a visa, but excludes current or former citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other countries specified by the government. The changes come amid heightened scrutiny of diaspora links to India and follow similar tightening of visa and residency rules in other countries.
Read article.
NRI Watch
Indians attacked in Dublin
A spate of racist attacks in Dublin has left the Indian community fearful, prompting the postponement of the annual India Day celebrations. An Indian student assaulted by teenagers said he will return home to finish his studies online, while another incident targeted a 60-year-old Indian-origin man. Community leaders have urged stronger policing, blaming far-right groups for inciting youth violence, as Ireland's leaders condemned the attacks.
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OFFBEAT
American Desi
At 17, most American teens are busy with prom playlists or football practice. But one teen has gone viral for something far rarer — belting out Jana Gana Mana with the kind of gusto usually reserved for cricket finals. The Instagram clip, now past 41,000 views, shows him singing India's national anthem with flawless pronunciation and visible pride. Comments poured in: 'Making us proud,' wrote one. 'Best thing I saw today,' said another. The teen, who knows anthems from several countries, calls India's his favourite. Composed by Rabindranath Tagore in five stanzas, the anthem celebrates unity in diversity — a fitting choice for a young American whose voice just bridged two worlds.
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Hindustan Times
a minute ago
- Hindustan Times
How to win at foreign policy
WHEN DONALD TRUMP meets Vladimir Putin in Alaska it will be the seventh time the two have talked in person. This time is different, though. Since their last sit-down, Mr Putin has launched an unprovoked war, lost perhaps a million Russian soldiers (dead and wounded) and inflicted ceaseless misery on Ukrainians in pursuit of an imperial dream. Undaunted, Mr Trump hopes to get in a room with a wily dictator, feel him out and forge a deal. It is the biggest test yet of his uniquely personal style of diplomacy. It is also a reminder of how unpredictable American foreign policy has become. Will Mr Trump be firm, making clear that America and its allies will do what it takes to guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty? Or will he be in such a rush to reopen business with Russia that he rewards its aggression and leaves Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks? As everyone clamours for the president's ear, no one knows what he will do. At the beginning of Mr Trump's second term his supporters had a theory about how he would wield American power. Rather than relying on deep relationships and expertise, he would rely on his gut. As a master negotiator with a knack for sensing what others want and fear, he would cut through the waffle and apply pressure ruthlessly. Everyone wants access to American markets. By threatening to shut them out, he would force recalcitrant foreigners to end wars and reset the terms of trade to America's advantage. Career diplomats and experts would be replaced by rainmakers. Yes, his transactional approach might foster a bit of corruption. But if it brought peace in Ukraine or Gaza, who cared? Alas, there are drawbacks to this approach. Using tariffs as a weapon hurts America, too. More fundamentally, junking universal principles for might-makes-right repels friends without necessarily cowing foes. And the substitution of presidential whim for any coherent theory of international relations makes geopolitics less predictable and more dangerous. Mr Trump is not a globalist, obviously. Nor is he an isolationist, or a believer in regional spheres of influence. He simply does what he wants, which changes frequently. One way to make sense of Trumpism is that he divides his efforts at dealmaking into three categories: high, medium and low stakes. In the first category are America's relations with unfriendly great powers, principally China and Russia. Israel is here, too, because of its importance in American domestic politics. Iran makes an appearance, because of the way it threatens its neighbours. All these relationships are complex, difficult and matter a lot to Mr Trump. If he scores a win here—if he ends the war in Ukraine, or brings peace between Israel and the Palestinians, or finds a formula for co-operating with China without endangering national security—then the pay-off is potentially staggering. In the medium-stakes category Mr Trump puts Brazil, South Africa and, oddly, giant India. These are important countries that both America and China want in their camp. In most cases, their values are far closer to America's than to China's. Ties with them ought to be win-win. But they are unwilling to be bossed around, and take offence when Mr Trump insults or tries to bully them. The small stakes, for Mr Trump, are in small or poor countries. A superpower can wield great influence over such places, sometimes to good ends. Mr Trump helped cement a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, for example, and brokered a truce between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. These are welcome achievements. Azerbaijan and Armenia had been fighting for 35 years. Mr Trump mediated a reopening of trade and transport links. The fruits may include a weakening of Russian influence in the area. The Congo-Rwanda deal is much shakier—Rwandan-backed rebels have violated it repeatedly—but not nothing. And there may be an upside for America, in the form of mineral deals. When it comes to medium-size stakes, Mr Trump's method works less well. He has started needless feuds with the leaders of Brazil (because it is prosecuting a Trumpy ex-president for allegedly attempting a coup), with South Africa (because he believes, wrongly, that it is persecuting whites) and with India (infuriating its prime minister with painful tariffs and undiplomatic boasting). The result? India will draw closer to Russia again, and be less inclined to act as a counterweight against China. Brazil and South Africa see China as a more reliable partner than America. Mr Trump has won headlines that play well with his most ardent supporters. But America has lost out. And when it comes to the highest stakes, the president is floundering. He has tried to coerce China with tariffs, but it is fighting back. This week Mr Trump blinked and extended another deadline. He also undermined his own national-security policy by lifting a ban on exports of Nvidia chips to China, while insisting that Uncle Sam gets a 15% cut. On Ukraine, he has been wildly inconsistent, one day blaming it for having been invaded and threatening to cut military aid, then accusing Mr Putin of bad faith and threatening stiffer sanctions on Russia. On Israel, he has consistently given Binyamin Netanyahu everything he wants and extracted nothing in return. If Mr Trump's bombing of Iran's nuclear sites made Israel safer, well and good. But he has failed to use his leverage to restrain Israel's unending war in Gaza. The world is flattery Other countries are learning how to play Mr Trump. A crypto deal and a nomination for a Nobel peace prize worked for Pakistan. A plane helped Qatar. The corruption is turning out to be as bad as almost anyone feared; the great deals have yet to materialise. Those who say Mr Trump is looking out for his own interests, not America's, have plenty of ammunition. All this is only a preliminary judgment. If Mr Trump stands up to Mr Putin this week, perhaps he can make his greatest-ever deal, ending Europe's worst war since 1945. Sadly, the odds are against it. For subscribers only: to see how we design each week's cover, sign up to our weekly Cover Story newsletter.
Indian Express
a minute ago
- Indian Express
Sachin Pilot writes: All that the Prime Minister didn't say in his Independence Day speech
The 79th Independence Day is a moment of great pride for every Indian. Our great nation has demonstrated how, despite tremendous socioeconomic challenges, a country as large as India can move from a democratic experiment to a model democracy. The day commemorates the unprecedented collective effort of every Indian to gain independence from colonial rule. The independence movement was not driven by a person, an ideology, or a single organisation. It encompassed the efforts of hundreds of thousands of patriots who cut across religious, caste, regional, and political lines — a unity in diversity — which till date remains our greatest strength. However, the Prime Minister's address on August 15 failed to underscore or reiterate this spirit, and the speech came across like another partisan address. The BJP's attempt to discredit previous Prime Ministers and other political parties who have served the country reared its head again when the Prime Minister incorrectly referred to a lack of technological progress in previous governments. This narrative conveniently forgets the immense contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru in establishing ISRO, IIMs, IITs, AIIMS, HAL, DRDO, and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Indira Gandhi continued those endeavours — she facilitated the mission to send India's first citizen to orbit in space (Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma), ordered underground nuclear tests, and had the foresight to initiate a national mission on seabed mining. Rajiv Gandhi was instrumental in bringing about the telecom and IT revolution, making long distance communication a reality for every Indian. Manmohan Singh's government launched the ambitious project to connect more than 2.5 lakh gram panchayats through broadband by laying optical fibre throughout the length and breadth of the country, systematically strengthening the foundation for a truly digital India. These are massive milestones in India's technological journey; discounting and underplaying the contributions of previous leaders of the nation is a disservice to the country's history. The government appears to seek credit for India becoming the fourth largest economy in the world in the last few years. But there is more to this macro-economic data. What the claim misses entirely is an analysis of the 'average'. From a per-person perspective, India as a country of about 140 crore people, still remains in the list of lower middle income countries with a per-capita GDP of $2,711. For comparison, the per capita GDP of Sri Lanka is $4,325, and Bhutan is $3,913. We have overtaken Japan's GDP and are now eyeing Germany's GDP in order to become the third largest economy. But it is important to note that both these countries have a population of approximately 12 crore and 8 crore, respectively. That is roughly the size of two states in India. Japan's per capita GDP is about $33,767 and Germany's is $54,343. India's closest country in terms of population is China with a per capita GDP of $12,614. A true measure of India's economic success must be tested on the per-person data point. It is the surest indicator to assess whether we are punching above our weight or not. The BJP has also been incessantly trying to draw political mileage from Operation Sindoor. Today's address by the PM was no different. Importantly, this was another instance where the issue of whether the claim by the President of the United States that he ensured a ceasefire between India and Pakistan is true, was completely ducked. The US President continues to claim credit for the ceasefire and so far, the PM has not denied Trump's role publicly. This is a serious departure from India's time-tested stand that resolving issues between India and Pakistan is a bilateral matter and no foreign interference shall be permitted. The other aspect of the Pahalgam terrorist attacks and Operation Sindoor that remains unanswered is accountability. The security lapse exposed a failure of the Government's intelligence and security machinery. This failure is compounded by the lack of meaningful international support in unequivocally castigating Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Prime Minister spoke of 'picchde ko praathmikta' (priority to the backward) but has allowed an environment of fear to fester where backward communities remain concerned about their existing constitutional protections and guarantees. This legitimate fear was reinforced during the recent Lok Sabha elections where BJP campaigned on its aim to secure 400 seats — a brute majority which might have allowed sweeping constitutional amendments. It is therefore no surprise that the people of India have reduced them to relying on a delicately strung coalition government at the centre. Despite their electoral drubbing, the BJP has systematically attacked the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs, for example by drastically reducing their scholarships, and delaying appointments in university posts to candidates from backward communities. According to the government's own figures, 83 per cent of professor-level posts reserved for STs, 80 per cent for OBCs, and 64 per cent for SCs are unfilled in central universities. There is a lack of balanced regional growth in the country with several states severely lagging. The BJP government has also caused an unhealthy amount of strain in centre-state relations by creating budget allocations ridden with political biases and manipulating government levies to deny economic benefits to states. If the government truly wants to secure the rights and interests of the backward communities and regions, it must move beyond rhetoric and politics to do real work on the ground. Independence Day is a day to revere our motherland and the generations who came before us who gave their lives to provide us this precious freedom. It is a day to recommit ourselves to the ongoing cause of nation building and remember that strengthening the country is our highest duty, our moral calling. Let us hope that the government imbibes that spirit and works towards a more united, a more developed, and a more progressive India. The writer is the MLA from Tonk and AICC general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh
India.com
a minute ago
- India.com
Project Kusha: India's long-range missile system to eliminate Pakistani and Chinese stealth planes, missiles, and drones from 500 km away
New Delhi: India faces constant threats from Pakistan and China. China expansionist nature is a real danger, as is evident from Tibet, Xinjiang and a part of Mongolia. Now its eyes are set on Taiwan, South China Sea and India's Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. To fulfill its evil intentions, it is strengthening Pakistan as a pawn. For this, it is giving it weapons, ammunition, missiles and planes in large quantities. In the face of this, India has understood that it may have to face a big war shortly. What is Project Kusha? India is continually developing new weapons to counter the threats from these two countries. In the same direction, the government is working on developing a big missile defence system. The name of this system is Project Kusha, which is named after Lord Rama's younger son, Kush. According to sources, DRDO is preparing to test the M1 interceptor in September this year. This system, being developed with indigenous technology, will act as an impenetrable shield against enemy missiles coming from long distances and will shoot them down before they enter the Indian border. It is believed that this system will be at par with the S-500 being developed by Russia and, in many cases, even ahead of it. What makes Project Kusha a game-changer? According to the report, this missile defence system bridges the gap between 80 km and 400 km. It is a long-range defence shield designed to counter stealth aircraft, UAVs, cruise missiles and ASBMs. It will be a long-range missile defence system being developed with completely indigenous technology and parts. The importance of Project Kusha has increased after the way India's Akash system and Russia's S-400 system showed their prowess in Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May. It has become clear that if future wars are to be won, then long-range missile defence systems will have to be developed. How will Kusha daunt Pakistan and China? Project Kusha will be a big deterrent against Pakistan and China. In this, such arrangements are being made that any missile, drone or plane of both enemy countries will be shot down before it enters Indian airspace. This system will have 3 types of interceptor missiles, which will rush towards their target at lightning speed as soon as they get a signal from the radar and turn it into a heap of fire in a few moments. What are the features of Project Kusha? M1: 150 km range, to target short-range threats like drones, cruise missiles and stealth aircraft. M2: 250 km range, to destroy medium-range threats such as airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) and anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM). M3: 350-400 km range, to target large aircraft and some short and medium-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs and IRBMs). This system has a long-range state-of-the-art radar system which will immediately identify any aerial threat moving towards India, even from a distance of 500 km. Once the project is successful, then 5 squadrons of it will be purchased for the Indian Air Force.
