New Delhi, Sep 9, 2004
IANS

India Thursday renamed the ministry for non-resident Indian affairs as the ministry of overseas Indian affairs.

The president has issued a notification to this effect, an official statement said.

The change in the name of the ministry, created after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government assumed office in May, is aimed at avoiding a clash with the external affairs ministry, which deals with the issues relating to non-resident Indians (NRIs).

Official sources, however, said the scope of the ministry headed by Minister of State Jagdish Tytler had been widened with the name change.

The ministry of overseas Indian affairs will deal with the NRIs as well as people of Indian origin, they said.