The Union Cabinet on Thursday gave its approval for amending the Citizenship Act 1955 to enable all persons of Indian origin who migrated to other countries after January 26, 1950 to acquire overseas citizenship of India.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images], also gave its approval to amend the Allocation of Business Rules and to allow Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to issue notifications under Section 7B (1) of the Citizenship Act and issue smart cards to registered Overseas Citizens of India.

However, the amendment would not be applicable to all persons of Indian origin, their children and grand children, who migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh after January 26, 1950.

It will benefit people who were eligible to become citizens on this date or belonged to the territories, which became part of India after August 15, 1947 to acquire overseas citizenship "as long as their home countries allow dual citizenship in some form or the other".

These were among the various proposals approved by the cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy told reporters after the meeting.