Seventeen million Indians had left the country in 2017 according to an Asian Development Bank report. That makes the number of emigrants from India the highest in the world. International migrants from India doubled in number in the last two and a half decades according to the UN. One of the causes of the migration is reunification of families. In India, the reason however is distress and discrimination, economic and social. The UAE and the US offer an El Dorado to them. A large number of Indian emigrants are Christian and Muslims. Ethnic and religious discrimination therefore trigger a substantial part of the exodus. Governments in New Delhi run by different political parties should have taken note of the phenomenon. New Delhi does not much care. It is happy with the remittances from the Indian Diaspora. India receives more money from its emigrants than any other country in the world.
Emigrants come from varied social strata. They comprise students, families, skilled employees as well as manual labourers. Their needs differ, so do the odds they face abroad. The government also takes a variable attitude. Indians with social status and economic resources have a good time abroad. But unskilled migrant workers get a raw deal. The BJP government takes a lenient view of Indians emigrating overseas. But when it comes to even offering temporary sanctuary to a small number of Rohingyas, it can get awfully sticky. Perhaps the reason lies in the religion of the Rohingyas because the same BJP-led Government is considering pushing in the Citizenship Bill 2016 ostensibly to accommodate and give citizenship status to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs et al who are persecuted in Muslim countries – meaning Pakistan and Bangladesh. While it can be argued that India is already bursting at the seams as far as population is concerned and hence allowing the Rohingyas citizenship rights or even treating them as refugees is not tenable when millions of Indians have no access to basic needs such as shelter, food and toilets.. Its a tough call for any Government to make considering the economic stress. The flip side, however, is that India is losing some of its best brains that could have helped provide this country the much needed technocratic, economic and medical support. Today all these jewels in the crown are adorning other countries which easily accept them as citizens because of their sterling contributions. It’s time that India creates the ecosystem where the best Indian minds can flourish irrespective of their caste or creed and add value to this country.