The Indian diaspora is the largest in the world and increasingly a lever of foreign policy. With reference to the policy frameworks that engage it, comment.
Subtopic: IR · Indian Diaspora
How to structure your answer
Introduction: The Ministry of External Affairs estimates an Indian diaspora of about 35.4 million as of 2024 — 19.5 million NRIs and 15.9 million OCIs; UN International Migrant Stock 2024 ranks India first globally on remittances at over USD 125 billion.
Body: Three dimensions — (i) institutional — PBSAS, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, Madad portal, eMigrate system; (ii) statutory — Emigration Act 1983 (overdue Emigration Bill 2021 to replace it), Citizenship Act 1955 sections 7A-7D on OCI; (iii) strategic use — evacuations such as Operation Kaveri (Sudan 2023), Operation Ajay (Israel 2023), Operation Sindhu (Iran 2026); diaspora-led tech ecosystem with Indian-origin CEOs.
Way forward / Conclusion: Pass an Emigration Management Bill, sign social-security totalisation agreements with the US and Gulf, and protect blue-collar workers in West Asia with binding labour MoUs.
Written within the word limit
129 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: The Ministry of External Affairs estimates the Indian diaspora at about 35.4 million in 2024 — 19.5 million NRIs and 15.9 million OCIs — with India ranked first globally on remittances at over USD 125 billion (World Bank, 2024).
Body: Three dimensions describe the engagement architecture. First, institutional — the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas observed every 9 January, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards, the Madad portal and eMigrate system. Second, statutory — the Emigration Act 1983 (the long-pending Emigration Bill 2021 awaits passage) and Sections 7A-7D of the Citizenship Act 1955 on the OCI scheme. Third, strategic use — Operation Kaveri (Sudan, April 2023), Operation Ajay (Israel, October 2023) and Operation Sindhu (Iran, 2026) demonstrate evacuation capacity, while Indian-origin CEOs anchor a tech-ecosystem soft-power lever.
Conclusion: Pass the Emigration Management Bill, sign totalisation agreements with the US and Gulf, and protect blue-collar workers through binding labour MoUs.
What an examiner expects to see
- Indian diaspora about 35.4 million in 2024 (MEA): 19.5 million NRIs and 15.9 million OCIs
- India remittances over USD 125 billion in 2024 (World Bank)
- Emigration Act 1983 — due for replacement
- Citizenship Act 1955 Sections 7A–7D — OCI scheme
- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas observed annually on 9 January
- Operation Kaveri (Sudan, April 2023), Operation Ajay (Israel, October 2023)
- Operation Sindhu (Iran, 2026)
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Operation Kaveri (Sudan, 2023)
- Operation Ajay (Israel, 2023)
- Operation Sindhu (Iran, 2026)
- Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Bhubaneswar 2025
- India-Gulf MoUs on domestic workers