New Delhi, Aug 31(IANS): The Rajya Sabha Monday passed a bill that seeks to amend the representation of the people Act to provide special provisions for citizens of India residing outside the country.

The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks to provide that every citizen of India whose name is not included in the electoral roll and who has not acquired the citizenship of any other country and who is absenting from his place of ordinary residence in India owing to his conditions such as employment, education, shall be entitled to have his name registered in the electoral roll in the constituency in which his place of residence is mentioned in his passport.

The bill says that the central government, after consulting the Election Commission of India, will specify the time within which non-resident Indians shall be registered in the electoral rolls and the procedure to do so.

The bill fulfills a long standing demand of NRIs and an assurance by the government to provide voting rights to Indian citizens living abroad. The bill was moved by Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily.