Renouncing Indian citizenship is increasing these days. Union Minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said that according to details provided by the Ministry of External Affairs, in the last 3 years 3.92 lakh Indian have renounced their citizenship & took citizenship in over 120 countries. The top choices for Indians settling in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Italy, Germany, etc. We are dealing with the affective and sensitive matter of India why do people renounce Indian citizenship and migrating other countries? read further to know more.
What is Citizenship?
- It signifies the relationship between individual and state.
- Citizens are full members of the Indian state and owe allegiance to the Indian constitution.
- Citizens enjoy all Political, Civil, and Fundamental Rights.
- It is an idea of exclusion as it excludes non-citizens.
- Citizenship is listed in the Union list of schedules so the parliament is the only body that can make law on citizenship.
- Constitution does not define the term ‘CITIZEN'(articles 5 to 11 give details of various categories of persons who are entitled to citizenship)
- Article related to citizenship ‘article 5 to 11’ which mention in part 2nd of the constitution enforced on 26 November 1949 itself when the constitution was adopted.
- Parliament had made Citizenship Act 1955, and this act has been amended 6 times(1986, 2003,2005,2015 & 2019)
Ways to acquire Indian Citizenship
As per the citizenship amendment Act 1955 Indian Citizenship can be acquired in 5 ways:-
- By Birth
- By Registration
- By Descent
- By Naturalisation
- By incorporation of territory
Ways to renouncing Indian citizenship
According to the citizenship act 1955 one can lose citizenship in India in 3 ways:
- Renunciation
- Termination
- Deprivation
Why people of India renouncing citizenship
- India does not allow dual citizenship like Pakistan, Bahrain, Australia, etc.
- In general, people leave their countries for better jobs and better living conditions.
- As the Indian diaspora around the world has increased in numbers with the newer generation holding passports of other countries &some older Indians are choosing to leave to be with family settled overseas.
According to Global migration Review -The reasons listed for migration include
- Safety of women and children
- Lifestyle factors like climate and pollution.
- Financial concerns including taxes.
- Better healthcare for families and educational opportunities.
- To escape oppressive governments.
migration before independence
Migration is not new for India, in the pre-independence era diasporic movement was mostly driven by forced and contractual labor contracts.
During the 19th century, large numbers of individuals were forced and tricked into bonded labor and slavery and shipped by the colonial government to places like Mauritius, La reunion, Fiji, British Guiana, etc.
Way forward
It’s something to think about because the migration of Indians To other countries is the loss of assets to the government as well as loss of wealth or revenue. They can change India’s future, so government should take steps to stop migration and try to solve the problems of the Indian diaspora.
