International Relations
The Indian Diaspora
GS Paper II
The Indian Diaspora — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of the Indian diaspora — NRI, PIO and OCI, indenture dates, institutions, evacuation operations and remittances.
SyllabusGS II · Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests; Indian diaspora
Every line here is a Prelims statement; every table a Mains paragraph.
Categories
| Category | Citizen of | Legal basis | Can vote in India? |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRI | India | FEMA, 1999; Income Tax Act | Yes — in person, as an overseas elector (Section 20A, RPA 1950) |
| PIO | Foreign country | PIO card scheme — merged into OCI, January 2015 | No |
| OCI | Foreign country | Sections 7A–7D, Citizenship Act, 1955 (2003 amendment) | No |
OCI — the lines UPSC tests
- Lifelong, multiple-entry visa; no police/FRRO registration needed.
- Parity with NRIs in most economic, financial and educational matters.
- No voting, no constitutional posts, no seat in a legislature, no agricultural land.
- Not available to anyone whose parents or grandparents were ever citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Indenture Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1834 | First indentured labourers reach Mauritius (2 November) — Aapravasi Ghat |
| 1838 | British Guiana |
| 1845 | Trinidad |
| 1860 | Natal (South Africa) |
| 1873 | Suriname |
| 1879 | Fiji |
| 1917 | Recruitment stopped |
| 1920 | System formally abolished |
Institutions
| Institution | Year |
|---|---|
| Emigration Act | 1983 |
| L.M. Singhvi High Level Committee | 2000 (report 2002) |
| First Pravasi Bharatiya Divas | 2003 |
| Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs | 2004 (merged into MEA, 2015) |
| Indian Community Welfare Fund | 2009 |
| Overseas electors (Section 20A) | 2010 amendment |
| eMigrate | 2015 |
Evacuations
| Operation | Year | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Rahat | 2015 | Yemen |
| Vande Bharat Mission | 2020 | Worldwide (COVID-19) |
| Devi Shakti | 2021 | Afghanistan |
| Ganga | 2022 | Ukraine |
| Kaveri | 2023 | Sudan |
| Ajay | 2023 | Israel |
| Sindhu | 2025 | Iran and Israel |
High-yield facts
- India: largest country of origin of international migrants (UN DESA, International Migrant Stock 2020).
- Remittances: over US$111 billion in 2022 — first country above US$100 billion (IOM, World Migration Report 2024).
- PBD on 9 January marks Gandhi’s return from South Africa in 1915.
- ECR clearance applies to work in 18 notified countries.
Traps
Do not confuse
- OCI (lifelong visa) is not dual citizenship — Article 9 rules that out.
- Operation Ajay — Israel; Devi Shakti — Afghanistan.
- NRIs vote in person, not by post.
Related Topics
- The Indian Diaspora: Categories, History and Policy
- The Indian Diaspora — practice questions
- Effect of Policies of Other Countries on India
- Elections and the Representation of People Act
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