The Indian Diaspora is a broad term for people who have migrated from territories that are now part of the Republic of India. Additionally, it alludes to their progeny. The Diaspora is estimated to number over twenty million people, made up of “NRIs” (Indian citizens who do not reside in India) and “PIOs” (Persons of Indian Origin who have acquired citizenship of some other country). India has the world’s second-largest Diaspora. Over 25 million Indians live abroad, and they are dispersed across all of the world’s major continents. The diaspora’s ability to spread Indian soft power, lobby for India’s national interests, and contribute economically to India’s rise is now well-recognized.
After the introduction of economic reforms (liberalization, privatization and globalization) in Indian economic policy in the 1990s, Indian economy integrating with the global economy led to the massive migration of Indian skilled labor to the Western countries. This was mostly due to the improvement of India’s people’s living standard, better education facilities and highly inspirational youth seeking better employment opportunities from different parts of the world. However, these young Indians had not severed their cultural roots and sense of Indianness while they sought career advancement. Therefore, the Diaspora maintained good connection with their relatives in India wherever they hailed from. Over a period of time, the Diaspora became rich in terms of their economic, political, social and cultural influence in the countries wherever they got settled and in international institutions.
It is said that the Indian Diaspora is present in around 130 countries of the world, this implies that if the Indian government can make the Indian Diaspora shift their focus towards their ancestral places, it would be a great change that they can bring to build India. And according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, by 2017, Indian nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $2.46 trillion, while the annual income of the Indian Diaspora is estimated to be $400 billion, which is around 20 percent of the Indian GDP . India is the largest recipient of migrant remittances in the world, receiving over $50 billion in 2010.
Furthermore, it said that an estimated 15 percent of these inflows or roughly $8 billion is generated by European Union countries, which is a figure of around 0.6 percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product. This figure suggests that the Indian government should mobilize and make them participate in the Indian government development strategy.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came into the helm of affairs, he has stressed the role of the Indian Diaspora in Indian foreign policy making because he had realized their importance in his development strategy.
Measures taken by the Government
1. Since 2003, the government has celebrated Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas to recognize the contribution of the Indian diaspora to the advancement of India.
2. A specific Ministry of oversees Indian affairs was also established in 2004 in order to give particular attention to the issues relating to the Indian diaspora. The diaspora receives comprehensive services from it.
3. The Overseas Citizenship of India Scheme (OCI) was introduced by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 in August 2005 in response to persistent calls for “dual citizenship,” particularly from the Diaspora in North America and other developed nations, and keeping in mind the Government’s strong commitment to meeting the aspirations and expectations of Overseas Indians. In some areas, such as the economy and education, the Scheme offers benefits comparable to those of citizens. Although it grants lifetime, multiple, and multi-entry visas with some rights, it is not truly dual citizenship.
4. The Know India Program was established as a three-week orientation programme for youth from the diaspora in order to raise awareness of the various facets of Indian culture and the advancements the nation has made in various fields. KIP offers a special platform for students and young professionals of Indian descent to travel to India, share their opinions, hopes, and experiences, and forge closer ties with modern India.
5. The Swarnapravas Yojana- New Plan Scheme: Given the large supply of labour in India, this programme has been established to increase Indian workers’ employability abroad by giving them the necessary training.
6. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is running a scheme known as “Tracing the Roots” to facilitate PIOs in tracing their roots in India.
7. In addition to all of these, the government has made social security agreements with numerous foreign nations to safeguard the Indian community in those nations.
India’s diaspora diplomacy thus consists of institutionalized engagement, Public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, economic diplomacy, Knowledge diplomacy as well as their role in shaping India’s image at the International platform along with effecting India’s bilateral relations.
Considering the gloomy situation that is prevailing in global economy, India should strategize its policies very diligently, taking the help of Indian Diaspora and designing novel policies to meet these challenges. This is because they are the primary sources for which Indian government can depend upon framing Indian policies according to the changing nature of global politics to remain as one of the fastest growing economy in the world.
Authored By
Ms. Anshika Patra
Senior Researcher at The Geojuristoday
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