Resolve complaints from NRIs to avoid embarrassment during Pravasi Bhartiya Divas: Yogi Adityanath government

NEW DELHI: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from Uttar Pradesh are facing problems such as property-grab and harassment of their families back home, the Yogi Adityanath government has admitted, instructing all district magistrates and police chiefs to now resolve such complaints within seven days, on a priority basis.

The urgency comes out of the fact that UP for the first time will be hosting the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) in Varanasi from January 21-23 where nearly 2000 NRIs have been invited, and the event will also see the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind.

“All pending complaints from NRIs should be resolved on priority within a week so that any embarrassing, or unpleasant, situation can be avoided during the function,” UP chief secretary Anoop Chandra Pandey wrote to all DMs and SPs on January 15.


The letter states that UP has the highest number of NRIs abroad. “These NRIs from UP face various problems -- like harassment of their parents or relatives staying at their native places or illegal grab of their property or possession of flats not being given to them despite the full amount being paid. Such complaints are pending in various districts at various levels,” the chief secretary has written.

He also mentioned that UP government had recently activated an online portal for receiving such complaints from NRIs.

The PBD in Varanasi is being billed as a major event over three days from where the NRIs will be taken in luxury buses to the Kumbh in Prayagraj on January 24 and subsequently brought to Delhi by special trains to attend the Republic Day event.

A scheme of special promotional airfare has been launched for the PBD delegates flying by Air India and Jet Airways to Varanasi. Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, will be the chief guest for the event.