PTI 
 
London, Oct 2: In an effort to further strengthen the bond between NRIs with their motherland, India plans to set up a University for the People of Indian Origin (PIOs) and extend voting rights to NRIs holding Indian passports, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said on Sunday.

"I am proposing the setting up of the PIO University and I am confident that it will be established in India with the help of NRIs for the higher education of their children," Ravi told PTI in an interview here.

The Minister, who is here on a three-day visit to address a series of meetings of NRIs, said a decision on the location of the University would be finalised shortly.

He said a legislation to provide voting rights to NRIs holding Indian passports was currently before the Rajya Sabha and it would be passed shortly.

Instead of making any Constitutional Amendments, he said, the Government plans to bring about the change with a simple amendment to The Peoples' Representation Act to ensure that names of NRIs are not deleted even if they are not residing in the country.

"Discussions are on with the Election Commission to facilitate such NRIs to vote either with an ID card or their passports when they are in India," he said, adding the measure would greatly help about 5 million NRIs working specially in the Gulf.

Ravi also said there was persistent demand from NRIs to reserve seats for their children for higher education in India.

The Minister later addressed an NRI gathering at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here. He would meet NRIs in Manchester on Monday and Birmingham on Oct 3.