Outreach to Diaspora and Statesmanship

26 Jun 2023

Context:

Recently, while addressing the Tamil diaspora in Tokyo, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that the Government of Tamil Nadu would protect the Tamil diaspora that has spread far and wide in search of education, business, and employment.

Indian Diaspora:

It is a generic term used for addressing people who have migrated from the territories that are currently within the borders of the Republic of India.
It constitutes NRIs (Non-resident Indians) and PIOs (Persons of Indian origins).
The Indian Diaspora is estimated to be over 30 million.
The World Bank published the World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees & Societies.
- The report estimated a 120% income gain for Indians who migrate to another country for work, compared to a 40% rise in the case of internal migration.
The Government of India recognises the importance of Indian Diaspora as it has brought economic, financial, and global benefits to India.

Tamil Diaspora:

Among the Indian diaspora, Tamils constitute a substantial number.
They form the overwhelming majority of the Indian population in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka, are in good numbers in Myanmar, Mauritius, South Africa, the Seychelles, the Reunion Islands, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Australia, New Zealand, the Gulf countries, the United States and Canada, Britain and the European countries.
These dynamic groups have three identities:
- The Tamil identity
- The Indian identity
- The identity of the countries in which they have settled
The Tamil diaspora has excelled in politics, economics, literature, the fine arts, sports, and science.
- A few names that shine include Dr. Chandrasekhar, Janaki Thevar, T.S. Maniam, Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman, Muthiah Muralitharan, Nagamattoo, Indira Nooyi, Sundar Pichai, Raghuram Rajan and Kamala Harris.

Problems Facing:

The nature of their migration
Numerical numbers
Educational and professional attainments
Economic clout
The majority-minority syndrome in the host countries
Global Inequalities
Lack of Citizenship
Distressed Migration
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), could have used the term ‘persecuted minorities’.
- The CAA also does not include Sri Lanka.

Steps Need to be Taken:

Improvement of Relations: The first is to improve relations with governments, politically, economically, and culturally.
Protection of Interests: The second is to protect and foster the interests of Indian minority groups.
Protection of Culture: The necessity to protect and promote the Tamil language. But the sad fact remains is that in many countries, the Tamil community has forgotten the Tamil language, one of the key elements of Tamil culture.

Way Forward:

Citizenship Rules Amendment: Those refugees who want to attain citizenship and who fulfill the residential qualifications laid down in the Indian Citizenship Act should be allowed such positive steps.
Collaboration: The policy towards the Indian diaspora comes under the exclusive jurisdiction of the central government. State governments can influence policies by building public opinion. Hence, collaboration of both units are required.
Statesmanship: The need of the hour is for the state and central government to come together and arrive at an amicable solution. This calls for statesmanship.

Additional Information:

Classifications:

Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are Indians who are:
- Not in India for 182 days or more during the financial year
- If one is in India for less than 365 days during the 4 years preceding that year
- Less than 60 days in that year.
Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) are foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) who at any time held an Indian passport, or who or either of their parents/ grandparents/great grandparents was born and permanently resided in India as defined in the Government of India Act, 1935 or who is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.
- But this category was abolished in 2015 and merged with the OCI category.
Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) category was carved out in 2005. It is the person who:
- Was eligible to be a citizen of India on the day from Constitution Enforcement i.e., 26th January, 1950.
- Was a citizen of India on or at any time after 26th January, 1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947.
- Are the minor children of such individuals, except those who were a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, were also eligible for OCI cards.

Related Schemes:

Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY) to institutionalize the process of skill development of emigrant Indian workers.
- It also aims at capacity building in the country in the area of development of standards, learning material, assessment standards, testing and certification on par with global standards.
The Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) provides 100 scholarships per annum to Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Non-Resident Indians (NRI) students for undergraduate courses.
Know India Program (KIP) is for Diaspora engagement which familiarizes Indian-origin youth (18-30 years) with India.
The E-migrate system requires all foreign employers to register in the database, which ensures the welfare and check on exploitation met to emigrants.
The Madad Portal to take timely and speedy action on grievances addressed by people living abroad.
The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2017 provides the provision for non-resident Indians (NRIs) to participate in the electoral process. It extends the facility of ‘proxy voting’ to overseas Indians, like service voters.

Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas:

Celebrated on 9th January to mark the contribution of the OCIs to Indian development.
9th January was chosen as the day to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.
The theme of this year is “Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.

News Source: The Hindu