- Preliminaries: News of national and international importance (Diaspora, NRI, OCI, PIO etc.)
- GS III paper: Bilateral, regional and global grouping involving India, Inclusive growth and related issues, etc.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- THE Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said in Tokyo that the Government of Tamil Nadu would protect the Tamil Diaspora who spread everywhere in search of education, business and employment.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Diaspora:
- It has its roots in the Greek diaspeiro, which means dispersion.
- The Indian DiasporaThis culture has multiplied since the first group of Indians were taken to counties in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean islands under the “Girmitiya” agreement as indentured labourers.
Ranking:
- Non-Resident Indians (NRI): NRIs are Indians residing in foreign countries. A person is considered an NRI if:
- She/he is not in India for 182 days or more during the fiscal year Or;
- If he is in India for less than 365 days in the 4 years preceding that year and less than 60 days that year.
- People of Indian Origin (PIO): PIO refers to a foreign citizen (except a national of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal) who:
- Anytime held an Indian passport
- or who or one of their parents/grandparents/great-grandparents was born and permanently resided in India as defined in the Indian Government Act, 1935
- or who is a spouse of an Indian citizen or a PIO.
- The PIO category was removed in 2015 and merged with the OCI category.
- Overseas Indian Citizens (OCI): A separate category of OCI was created in 2005. An OCI card was issued to a foreign national:
- Who was eligible to become an Indian citizen on January 26, 1950
- Was a citizen of India on or at any time after January 26, 1950
- or belonged to a territory which became part of India after August 15, 1947.
- Minor children of such persons, for exampleExcept those who were citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, were also eligible for OCI cards.
Diaspora Facts:
- Among the Indian diaspora, Tamils constitute a significant number.
- They constitute the majority of the Indian population Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
- They are numerous in Myanmar, Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, Reunion Islands, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Australia, New Zealand, Gulf countries, United States and Canada, Great Britain and European countries.
These dynamic groups have three identities:
- Tamil identity
- Indian identity
- Identity of the countries in which they settled.
Diaspora phenomenon:
- From Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore, the Indian diaspora is migrating to greener pastures like Australia, Canada and the United States
- Bharati Mukherjee (diasporic writer): “I am a woman with a series of countries. It is necessary for me to put down roots where I land and where I choose to stay.
Reasons for the problems they face:
- Nature of their migration
- Their digital numbers
- Their educational and professional achievements
- Their economic weight
- Majority-minority syndrome in host countries.
The Tamil Diaspora:
- They excelled in politics, economics, literature, fine arts, sports and science.
- A few names that shine include Chandrasekhar, Monty Naicker, Sambandan, Janaki Thevar, TS Maniam, Saumiyamoorthy Thondaman, SR Nathan, Muthiah Muralitharan, Nagamattoo, Indira Nooyi, Sundar Pichai, Raghuram Rajan and Kamala Harris.
Host country policies, their impact:
- Ceylon’s first piece of legislation, soon after independence, was to send Indian Tamils (brought to Ceylon under the protective aegis of the British government to provide labor in the tea plantations).
- Nehru’s position of principle: WThose who called Ceylon home and stayed there for a long time should be granted citizenship.
- Ceylon supported that it was his sovereign right to introduce regulations on citizenship.
- The Burmese government never granted citizenship to thousands of Indian Tamils and did not deport them.
- On the eve of their departure, the Burmese currency is demonetized.
India’s policy towards Sri Lanka:
- Improving political relations India has sometimes been ready to sacrifice the interests of the Indian diaspora.
- The Sirimavo-Shastri Pact of 1964: India has adopted a give-and-take policy and has converted the Indian Tamil community into a commodity to be shared between the two countries.
- All important leaders of the Madras Presidency, Rajagopalachari, Kamaraj Nadar, CN Annadurai, P. Ramamurti and Krishna Menon were opposed to the deal.
What measures should be taken to protect the Indian diaspora?
- Improve relationships with governments, politically, economically and culturally.
- Protect and promote the interests of Indian minority groups.
The path to follow
- The policy towards the Indian diaspora falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the central government.
- State governments can influence policy by building public opinion.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), could have used the term “persecuted minorities”.
- The CAA also does not include Sri Lanka, where ethnic fratricide forced many Tamils to come to Tamil Nadu as refugees.
- India welcomes Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka as illegal immigrants and asserts that they should return to Sri Lanka.
- Instead of trying to have cordial relations with the central government, a confrontational policy of Tamil Nadu would be doomed to failure.
- The time has come for the need for a rapprochement between the State and the central government. and reach an amicable solution.
- This requires political savvy, not political expediency.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
The Indian diaspora has an important role to play in the economy and society of Southeast Asian countries. Assess the role of the Indian diaspora in Southeast Asia in this context. (UPSC 2017) (200 WORDS, 10 BRANDS)
