Citizenship Exodus: The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Parliament that approximately 9 lakh people have given up their Indian citizenship in the last 5 years.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 11, 89,194 Indians gave up their citizenship between 2011 and 2019. According to data shared in the Indian Parliament, more than 20 lakh people gave up their citizenship over the last 14 years.
The MEA said approximately half of this happened in the last 5 years, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding Citizenship Renunciation
A citizen of India can legally renounce the country’s citizenship for different reasons, including but not limited to family reunification, better economic prospects and pursuit of global opportunities.
India does not allow dual citizenship. Therefore, those who have successfully undergone Indian citizenship renunciation receive an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card as a lifelong residency and travel document.
Those who surrender their Indian citizenship forfeit certain rights such as holding public office in India and voting. However, they gain full legal rights in their new adopted country.
Recent Indian Citizenship Renunciation Controversy
A few days back, a post on X by Pranay Maheshwari suggested that Indians would do better if they decide to move to other countries of the world for a better quality of life. The statement by this self-admitted lawyer became a topic of debate and many people reacted sharply online.
Many online users disagreed with him, saying that leaving the country was neither possible nor easy for everyone.
