Goa is set to become the first state in India to appoint non-resident Indians (NRIs) to various boards and corporations. Eduardo Faleiro, former minister of state for external affairs and currently Goa’s commissioner for NRI affairs, told, “Putting Goan expatriates on state boards and corporation is one of our various steps to reconnect them with their roots. When this happens, Goa will be the first Indian state to accord this honour to expatriates”.
Faleiro, who is here to attend the annual Global Goans Convention, said the state government was wooing back expatriates with a variety of schemes.
Faleiro said, “In view of their often-heard complaints about property disputes, we are amending the tenancy Act next month for a summary trial of property-related cases filed by NRIs. These people cannot stay in India for a long time to fight such cases”.
He said about 500,000 people of Goan origin live abroad. Further he said, “Almost one third of Goa’s total population of 1.4 million lives abroad. The Global Gaons Convention is our effort to reconnect with our expatriate community scattered all over the world”.
Faleiro said that Goa was also the first state to have started a scheme to issue ‘Goa Cards’ to NRIs to give them unhindered access to government departments. He said, “We will also be the first state in India to put NRI representatives from countries with a large Goan expatriate population on a high-powered committee to address their grievances. This committee, headed by me, will have high-ranking state officials, including district collectors”.
To expedite NRI investment proposals, he said that the Goan government has appointed a nodal officer in the industry department.
“To reconnect second and third generation Goans abroad with their roots, the state government has launched a programme called `Know Goa’.
“Under this programme, we will invite 15 youngsters (in the age group of 18 to 26) who have distinguished themselves academically or professionally, to visit Goa for 15 days as guests of the state. We will pay all their expenses,” the former Indian minister said.
Faleiro said that the state government has also initiated a study to monitor migration from Goa. Further he said, “As part of this study, we will visit people in their homes to know how many of their family members live abroad and how much money they send back home. We have also asked the Reserve bank of India to help us know how much remittances are coming into the state”.
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With the Goa state government ‘banning foreigners from buying properties in the state’, local builders have fine tuned their strategies and are promoting five-year leases among tourists. There are no official figures to prove the trend, but lawyers and builders agree that this is definitely increasing, with several builders from the state organizing road shows and exhibitions in UK to attract customers to Goa. But something needs to be done as houses are being leased to foreigners at a huge price, making it difficult for Goans to invest in homes. Purchasing of property by foreigners has come to a standstill and it’s difficult to execute any deed of sale as the procedure is no longer simple, thus forcing them to seek options like lease, if they intend to stay for long periods in the state. Non-residents require permission from Reserve Bank of India to purchase a house or property in Goa. “But if the foreigner stays 182 days in India and shows the intention to reside for indefinite period, then they are considered a resident of India and they don’t require RBI permission to acquire property in India. The risks for the foreigner are high, as there is a possibility of being cheated and some do complain of fraud. In case a foreigner pays a high amount of security deposit then the safety of that deposit is at a high risk as the foreigner doesn’t have any legal sanction to occupy the house for more than five years.For more view- realtydigest.blogspot.com