A Contested Diaspora
Context:
- Both the opposition leader and the prime minister recently announced trips to the US to engage with Indian diaspora.
Indian diaspora’s global status:
- There were 4.7 crore Indians living abroad as of December 31, 2021.
- According to the World Migration Report, 2022, China, Mexico, Russia, and India are the top four origin countries internationally, with India having the greatest population of emigrants in 2020.
- India was the biggest recipient of remittances in 2020, receiving $83 billion, according to the World Migration Report 2022.
- UN World Migration Report (2020): With little more than 17.5 million Indians living abroad, the Indian diaspora is the largest in the world.
- The largest yearly migration rate in the world, 2.5 million (25 lakh) Indians go abroad each year.
- The largest overseas diaspora in the world is made up of overseas Indians, who make up 32 million NRIs and PIOs (including OCIs) who live outside of India, according to a 2018 study from the Ministry of External Affairs.
- These include both individuals of Indian descent who have made their home in other countries as well as Indian citizens who study, live, and work overseas.
- The total comprises students, NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs. 3.22 crore, including 1.87 crore PIOs and 1.35 crore NRIs, are the total people in the country without counting students.
- United States of America (44 lakh), United Kingdom (17.6 lakh), United Arab Emirates (34 lakh), Sri Lanka (16 lakh), South Africa (15.6 lakh), Saudi Arabia (26 lakh), Myanmar (20 lakh), Malaysia (29.8 lakh), Kuwait (10.2 lakh), and Canada (16.8 lakh) are among the nations with more than a million (10 lakh) overseas Indians.
- Indian Americans, the largest group from South Asia and the highest-earning ethnic community in the country with a population of more than 4.5 million, make up roughly 1.35% of the total population of the United States.
- The third-largest bilateral migration corridor in the world, the nearly 3 million migrants from India to the United Arab Emirates are primarily work migrants.
Indian Diaspora’s Contribution to India:
- They serve as “bridge-builders” between their adoptive country and their original country.
- Rich and Powerful Class: Indian diaspora is wealthier and supports the Indian economy in many ways, including through hard currency remittances, the air travel sector, consumer spending on Indian goods, and entertainment.
- For instance, Diaspora Diplomacy convinced the lawmakers who were on the fence to support the India-U.S. nuclear accord.
- In addition, the Indian diaspora is now a completely transferrable political vote pool.
- Additionally, a large number of individuals with Indian ancestry hold prominent political posts in many nations, which strengthens India’s political influence at multilateral organisations like the United Nations. Consider the re-appointment of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice in November 2017, when it received two-thirds of the UN’s votes, or the appointment of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Vice President Kamala Harris, or both.
- In the British House of Commons in 2019, there were 15 lawmakers with Indian ancestry.
- Contribution to the economy: Remittances boost India’s Balance of Payments (BOP) and close a larger trade deficit.
- Unskilled and semi-skilled labour migration, particularly to West Asia, has contributed to a decline in India’s unemployment rate.
- Additionally, the migrant labourers aided in the introduction of technologies, economic and commercial ideas, and knowledge into India.
- Highly Skilled Professionals: Demand for Indian professionals would increase as more nations look for top talent to lead their high-tech sectors.
- Recent “Migration and Mobility” agreements will make it easier for Indian scientists, engineers, doctors, accountants, managers, and bankers to travel overseas in more substantial ways.
- India’s worldwide influence will therefore continue to grow in the coming years.
- Domestic Influence: Diaspora involvement in Indian politics has increased as well. The Indian diaspora has moved beyond the passive position of offering support to assumed collective Indian aims or personal commitments to community development at home over the last few decades.
- The leaders of the diaspora today actively participate in discussions on current events in India.
- To voice their actual and perceived grievances against Delhi, they mobilise their local political leaders and bureaucrats.
- For instance, members of the Indian-American community who contributed significantly to the financing of electronic campaigns and elections in 2014 and 2019.
- Rise of Conservatism: More concerning has been the revival of religious, ethnic, and caste solidarity that trumps the Subcontinent’s extensive common past.
Promotion of the Indian Diaspora:
- A separate Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2003, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, Overseas Citizen of India Card, NRI funds, and voting rights for Indian nationals overseas have all been introduced by the Indian government since 2000.
- In 2015, PIO and OCI cardholders were combined into OCI.
- The e-migrate system, which was introduced in 2015 by the Ministry of External Affairs, requires all foreign employers to register in the database.
- The 2016 “Know India Programme” (KIP) for diaspora engagement introduces Indian-origin youngsters (18 to 30 years old) to their Indian culture.
- One step in the right direction is the VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty) initiative, which aims to formalise a rotation programme wherein top NRI scientists, engineers, doctors, managers, and professionals serve Indian public sector organisations for a short while, offering their knowledge.
- Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY): To formalise the process of emigrant Indian workers’ skill development.
- 100 scholarships for undergraduate study are given to PIO and NRI students each year through the Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC).
- UK and India recently made the decision to begin a Young Professionals Exchange in 2023.
- The UK will provide up to two years of employment to 3000 Indians with degrees who are in the 18 to 30 age range.
- The UMANG International App will make it easier for all Indian NRIs, international students, and visitors to use government services whenever they desire.
Steps to Take:
- India must act as a catalyst to encourage the powerful Indian diaspora to advance national objectives without endangering their standing in the host countries. India’s “brand ambassadors” are Indians who reside overseas. Indians living abroad have the power to effectively and credibly present the reality of India to the globe while combating the “propaganda” that adversarial nations like Pakistan and China spread.
