Indian Diaspora

WHY IN NEWS:

• The Prime Minister recently inaugurated the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• The 17th PBD Convention holds significance as it is being organised as a physical event after a gap of four years and the first after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The last PBD Convention in 2021 was held virtually during the Pandemic.

MORE ON NEWS:

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other.
• The theme of this PBD Convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.
• A Commemorative Postal Stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ was also released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration.
• The Prime Minister also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” to highlight the contribution of our diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence.

INDIAN DIASPORA:

• Indian diaspora refers to people whose origins can be traced to India or are Indian citizens living abroad. 
• This includes Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).

STATISTICS:

• According to a report by the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, there were 4.7 crore Indians living abroad as of December 31, 2021. The number includes NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, and students.
• Excluding students, the number stands at 3.22 crore, including 1.87 crore PIOs and 1.35 crore NRIs.
• According to World Migration Report 2022, in 2020, India, China, Mexico, the Philippines and Egypt were (in descending order) the top five remittance recipient countries, although India and China were well above the rest, with total inward remittances exceeding $83 billion and $59 billion, respectively.

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SIGNIFICANCE:

• Economic:
  • Remittances:
    • Remittances exceeding 83 billion US dollars (World Migration Report 2022) make an invaluable contribution by aiding in socio-economic development, poverty reduction, and changes in consumption behaviour in rural areas.
  • Acts a catalyst of economic development:
    • For example India’s trade relations are strong where Indian diaspora resides – Singapore, U.S etc
  • Bring down unemployment:
    • The migration of less-skilled labour (especially to West Asia) has also helped in bringing down disguised unemployment in India.
• Diaspora diplomacy:
  • An important advantage in having a large emigrant group is “diaspora diplomacy” and they act as “bridge-builders” between their home and adopted countries.
  • Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal is a case in point, as ethnic Indians in United States successfully lobbied for clinching of the N-deal.
• Building image of the nation:
  • Indian diaspora in foreign countries have played an influential role in building a global perception of India
  • Indian diaspora holds powerful position (eg. Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,  Kamala Harris as Vice President of U.S), corporate heads ( Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella etc.) who potentially influence the policy matters.

CHALLENGES:

• Heterogeneous nature with different needs:
  • Diaspora in the Middle east look for welfare support.
  • Diaspora in western developed nations look for avenue for investment.
  • Indian communities in Fiji and Mauritius desire to connect with country on cultural ground.
• Rising incidence of hate speech and crimes against Indian Diaspora:
  • by the locals due to racism, communalism emboldened by coming of nationalist and ultra nationalist governments to power in many countries.
• Increasing anti-globalization:
  • Fear of losing jobs and educational opportunities to outsiders has resulted in stricter visa rules in USA, Nitaqat Law of Saudi Arabia etc.
• Rising instability and terrorism:
  • Sectarian crisis, increasing terrorist activities and war in the Middle East countries (Yemen, Oman, Libya, Syria etc) leave our diaspora vulnerable to attacks.
• Challenges from diaspora:
  • India had problem with negative campaigning and foreign funding, coming from abroad, for separatist movements like Khalistan movement
• Impact of COVID:
  • Job losses, health issues, ravel restrictions etc.
• Exploitation from local employer:
  • There have been numerous cases of harassment, exploitation etc. For example kafala system in middle east

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES:

• Global Pravasi Rishta Portal:
  • The Government of India has launched the “Global Pravasi Rishta Portal” as a dynamic portal to establish an effective communication channel to connect with the Indian diaspora worldwide. It will work as a three-way communication between the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions, and the Diaspora.
• Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support (SWADES):
  • The Government of India has launched SWADES to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission.
• Know India Programme (KIP):
  • The objective of the Know India Programme is to help familiarize Indian Diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years, with developments and achievements made by the country and bringing them closer to the land of their ancestors.
• Study India Programme (SIP):
  • The SIP enables Overseas Indian youth to undergo short term course in an Indian University to familiarize them with the history, heritage, art, culture, socio-political, economic developments etc. of India.
• India Centre for Migration (ICM)
  • It is the only research institution of its kind in India dedicated exclusively to examine and to undertake research issues pertaining to international migrants from India, including their welfare and protection.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA)
• Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC)

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON EXTERNAL AFFAIRS:

The Standing Committee on External Affairs (Chair: Mr. P.P. Chaudhary) presented its report on "Welfare of Indian Diaspora: Policies/Schemes" in August 2022.Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include the following:

• Policy for diaspora:
  • The Ministry of External Affairs engages with the diaspora through various programmes and schemes. The Committee observed that no clear policy on the diaspora is in place, despite their socio-economic contributions to the development of the country.
  • The committee recommended that the ministry draft a clear policy document on the diaspora that would serve as a guiding principle for engagement with the community.
• Database on Indian diaspora:
  • The Committee observed that the MEA does not have updated data on the Indian diaspora, as registration with Indian embassies is voluntary. In the absence of such a database, welfare schemes may not be implemented properly.
  • The committee recommended that Indian embassies encourage the diaspora to register themselves, which would allow the ministry to effectively implement welfare schemes.
• Emigration Management Bill:
  • The Committee observed that the Emigration Management Bill, 2022, has been under consultation and vetting for a long time. It seeks to establish an emigration framework, liberalise clearances, and strengthen welfare for overseas migrants. The committee recommended that the ministry introduce the bill at the earliest.
• Rehabilitation of workers:
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers, including Gulf returnees, lost their jobs. As the pandemic eased, few workers returned to their places of employment abroad.
  • The Committee noted that a rehabilitation scheme to ensure livelihood security for workers who lost their jobs or were unable to return to their place of employment is required.
  • It recommended that the Ministry draft a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme in coordination with the concerned Ministries, Departments, state governments, and stakeholders.
• Skilling of migrant workers:
  • The Committee noted that the international labour market has now become demand driven, compared to the earlier supply driven system. With new labour markets emerging in east-Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, the skilling of potential migrant workers is a challenge.
  • The Committee noted that providing skills that match the destination country’s requirements is an important challenge, especially in the post-COVID era.
  • It recommended improving the quality of domestic skilling and standardising curricula across the country to ensure that migrant workers are able to go abroad and secure employment with better wages.
• Multiple portals for grievance redressal:
  • Several portals, such as e-Migrate and the Centralised Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) are in place to resolve the grievances of Indian nationals abroad.
  • The Committee noted that multiple portals may delay grievance resolution and recommended that the Ministry ensure it does not lead to duplication of work.
  • In most cases, resolving grievances may necessitate a connection at the local level. The Committee noted that the CPGRAMS portal is the quickest way to interact with state governments or the district police, but it is not popular overseas. It recommended that the Ministry publicise the portal so it can be used to resolve grievances effectively.
• NRI Marriages:
  • The Committee observed increasing cases of women being deserted in NRI marriages.  The Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019 was examined by the Committee and a report was presented in March, 2020.  
  • The Committee recommended that the Ministry complete its consultation and enact a law for the benefit of NRI women.
• One-Stop Centers:
  • The Committee observed that the Ministry had decided to establish overseas centres to help distressed NRI women.  It recommended that the scheme be launched without delay.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. Analyze the significance of the diaspora community in improving India’s image on the international stage and discuss the difficulties they are experiencing.?