The External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, informed Parliament on Thursday that a total of 2,25,620 people have renounced their Indian citizenship since 2011. The data showed a steady increase in the number of people renouncing their citizenship, with a sudden drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister also provided a list of 135 countries whose citizenship Indians have acquired.
The Minister also highlighted that since 2011, a total of 16,63,440 Indians have given up their citizenship. The highest number of people renouncing their citizenship was recorded in 2021 when 1,63,370 people surrendered their citizenship.
The Minister said that the lowest number of people renouncing their citizenship was recorded in 2020 when only 85,256 people gave up their citizenship in India.
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan informed Parliament that the government is aware of the issue of professionals being laid off by US companies and is working with various stakeholders to raise the issue of the movement of high-skilled workers, including IT professionals, with the US government.
Government raises the issue of the movement of high-skilled workers with the US government
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan stated that the government is aware of the issue of professionals being laid off by US companies and is working with various stakeholders to raise the issue of the movement of high-skilled workers, including IT professionals, with the US government. He added that the government has been consistently raising the issues relating to the movement of high-skilled workers with the US government and has been working with industry organizations and business chambers on these issues.
Renouncing citizenship on the rise after the COVID-19 pandemic
According to the data provided by the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, the number of people renouncing their citizenship has only increased since 2015, with a sudden drop in 2020, which is the year the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world. The number reached a whopping 1.63 lakhs in 2021, showing a trend of people giving up their Indian citizenship after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In conclusion, the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, informed Parliament about the upward trend in the number of people renouncing their Indian citizenship since 2011. The Minister also highlighted the government’s efforts to raise the issue of the movement of high-skilled workers with the US government. The data showed a sudden drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but a rise in the number of people renouncing their citizenship after the pandemic.