Key highlights

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is linked to 9 January in official government material. Press Information Bureau
• OCI is not dual citizenship, and India’s Constitution/legal framework does not permit dual citizenship in the way people casually claim online. MEA India+1

The diaspora is India’s soft power with a passport. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the day the Republic symbolically turns toward its global Indians—NRIs, PIO-origin communities, and OCI cardholders—and says: you’re part of the story.

But the internet keeps pushing one seductive phrase: “dual citizenship”. Official clarity is blunt:

• OCI is not to be misconstrued as dual citizenship and does not confer political rights. MEA India
• The Government has also stated in Parliament that dual citizenship is not permitted under India’s constitutional/legal provisions. MEA India

So if January 2026 chatter suggests “dual citizenship reforms”, treat it as political theatre unless backed by a formal legislative route.

If you’re an OCI/NRI reader: the real, actionable zone is usually not “citizenship”, but process reforms—consular ease, documentation, travel rules, compliance clarity, and protections that respect India’s security needs while reducing friction for genuine diaspora families.