The NRI Welfare Society of India, with chapters in various countries, was founded in 1981 by Harbhajan Singh (died 2006), member of the Press Council of India (1982-1988), editor of the English fortnightly The Indian Observer, president of the All India Small & Medium Newspapers Federation, and recipient of the 2000 UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Gold Medal. As per its own depiction, the NRI Welfare Society of India understands itself as a link organisation between the Indian diaspora and the Government of India. It claims to be the premier organisation to have first given overseas Indians and people of Indian origin a voice for the Government to hear, and to have been instrumental in effecting several changes in the way the Government of India deals with the Indian diaspora, including the setting up of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the appointment of a commissioner for overseas Indians, steps for implementing dual citizenship, and the holding of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
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