OVERSEAS INDIAN FACILITATION CENTRE

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has set up an Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) as a not-for-profit-Trust under the Indian Trust Act, 1882 in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The Centre will be a one-stop-shop for serving the interests of the Overseas Indian Community and has the mandate to cover two broad areas viz: Investment Facilitation and knowledge Networking.

2.The objectives of the Centre are:-

(i) Promote Overseas Indian Investment into India and facilitate business partnership by giving authentic and real time information;

(ii) Function as clearinghouse for all investment related information. This would be done by processing information on a real time basis through ICT platform;

(iii) Establish and maintain a Diaspora Knowledge Network (DKN) by creating a database of Overseas Indians, who would act as Knowledge Diaspora and whose knowledge resources could be using ICT platform;

(iv) The objectives of the OIFC will be to bring the Indian States, Indian Business and potential Overseas Indian Investors on the same platform and to facilitate the investors to identify the investment opportunities;

(v) Provide a host of advisory services to PIO and NRIs. These could include matters such as consular questions, stay in India, investment and financial issues etc.

3.The OIFC was formally launched on 28th May, 2007 with the signing of MoU between the MOIA and CII. The Centre is being managed by the CII. Further details for the CII may be obtained from Ms. Subha Rajan, CEO, OIFC, Plot No. 249-F, Sector 18, Udyog Vihar, Phase-IV, Gurgaon-122015, Haryana, India. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meeting held at New York on 23rd September, 2007 was held under the aegis of OIFC. Recently, OIFC also successfully organized the Market Place during PBD 2008, at New Delhi.