2 min readNew DelhiApr 20, 2026 05:02 AM IST
First published on: Apr 20, 2026 at 05:02 AM IST
ON A two-day official visit to Sri Lanka, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday announced the extension of the eligibility for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card for the Indian community in the island nation till the sixth generation. Until now, this was limited to the fourth generation.
“In the case of Sri Lanka, this will now be extended to the fifth and sixth generations of the diaspora,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri at a press briefing in Colombo on Sunday evening. “OCI cards would now be issued on the basis of documents that, in several cases, are issued by the government of Sri Lanka.”
Earlier in the day, Radhakrishnan met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss the multifaceted bilateral ties, housing projects and fishermen issues between the two South Asian neighbours.
The two leaders also discussed the ongoing Indian project implementation in Sri Lanka with emphasis on the $450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid offered by India, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The two sides also discussed addressing fishermen issues in a humanitarian manner, considering the livelihoods of fishing communities on both sides. The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka.
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Not just as a big outreach to the Indian-origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka, which forms 7 per cent of the population, the Vice-President’s visit is an effort towards recalibration of New Delhi-Colombo ties, based on civilisational roots and cementing India’s position as first responder in the neighbourhood.
The discussions, Misri said, underscored India’s evolution from a traditional neighbour to a reliable “first responder” during regional crises. Dissanayake expressed deep gratitude for India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, citing three critical interventions that have stabilised the island nation: Economic Crisis in 2022: India’s financial lifelines during Sri Lanka’s debt crisis; and Cyclone Ditwah last year, as per the MEA.
The Vice-President also met leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil parties and Indian Origin Tamil parties.
Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo on Sunday. (ANI) 
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