Rajya Sabha on Monday passed a bill providing voting rights to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

The bill is aimed at providing Indians, who have not acquired the citizenship of any other country but stay abroad, entitlements to have their names registered in electoral rolls. "We are not doing them any charity," law minister Veerappa Moily said.

Referring to proposed electoral reforms, Moily said national consultations would be held in October-November. Government, he said, would bring a bill in this regard after consultations were completed and the report of an expert committee was received.