Introduction:

“Diaspora” is an omnibus phrase which brackets people of Indian origin who have emigrated since the 19th century to all corners of the world. The Indian diaspora has been a source of remittances, technology and intellectual power. Ever since the Indian economy was liberalized and began to grow at a rapid pace, the prosperous diaspora in the developed countries and the massive number of migrant workers in the Gulf became the back bone of the Indian economy.

Today, the India-diaspora relations are on the verge of an unprecedented crisis because of the Coronavirus, which threatens the world, particularly the very countries where the people of Indian origin have worked and prospered.

Body:

Possible concerns associated with India’s Diaspora:

• There are around 30 million Indian citizens abroad. As a matter of policy, India had decided not to bring back the stranded Indians from abroad till the nation-wide lockdown ends.
• In the Gulf countries alone, 300,000 Indians have registered to return, and an estimated 10,000 have contracted the virus. This poses an unprecedented challenge, one that no other country has faced so far.
• India naturally will have to move mountains to bring them back from the Middle East and the United States, where the situation is deteriorating. One shudders to think of the great humanitarian crisis it will create if all Indians were to come back from the far corners of the globe.
• Some Indian workers in Middle East might face job losses, which will dent the annual remittances that India receives from them.
• The real danger of loss of lives among the diaspora, resulting in cases of deprivation and misery. Unless the spread of Coronavirus is halted and the world economy recovers, India will have a gigantic burden on its hands.
• Further immigration restrictions could have particularly acute consequences for India, which sends thousands of highly skilled workers to the United States every year and counts a four million strong diaspora in the country, representing one of the largest contingents of immigrants to the United States.
• The Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom has emerged as being among the worst affected minority groups in the coronavirus pandemic, according to official data on the deaths in hospitals across England.
• With the growth of nationalism in different parts of the world and diminishing international cooperation, India cannot count much on external help. The United Nations itself remains paralysed on account of the arrogant approach of China.
• Kerala will be particularly affected as many of the people who are likely to be affected will be from the state.
• A reversal of roles is likely if the majority of the 30 million people scattered all over the world turn to India for support, instead of giving generously to India.

Measures needed:

• Indian prime minister personally requested the leaders of nations to ensure wellbeing of the Indian community there
• It is necessary to request the nations to extend the validity of visa of Indian nationals who are stranded in the other countries on a quid-pro-quo basis.
• The Indian missions in the regions have to extend all possible assistance to the Indians in distress in the wake of the pandemic.
• The Indian mission could engage with some of the bigger companies to ascertain the condition of Indian employees working for such firms, who are living in labour camps.
• The mission should provide food and medicines from the Indian Community Welfare Fund for the “destitute Indians” living there.
• In a struggling Indian economy, the authorities will also have to ensure that returnees are able to reintegrate with minimum disruption.
• The economy may lose a significant amount of critical remittances, around 2% of GDP, but the return of skilled migrants may also be leveraged as an opportunity for several sectors.
• Financial instruments like diaspora bonds could generate about $50 billion a year in total for developing countries, potentially helping to offset a sharp drop in foreign direct investment that is slated to fall by 37% this year.
• The Vande Bharat Mission, coordinated by the ministry of external affairs (MEA), is likely to be the largest and most complex repatriation mission ever conducted by India, and possibly worldwide. The efforts of Indian diplomats on the ground, serving at the forefront in over 100 countries, which will determine the success of the mission.

Conclusion:

While India can take advantage of the drop in oil prices, New Delhi and the state governments will need to work closely to ensure the longer-term safety and well-being of workers. For long, the remittances of such workers have benefitted India; they cannot now be ignored. Unlike the diaspora in other countries that offer citizenship and are reasonably secure, workers in the Gulf do not have those facilities.