External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday told the Parliament that 2,25,620 Indian nationals have renounced their citizenship last year.
Jaishankar, in a statement before the Rajya Sabha, said that the numbers in the previous years were: 1,63,370 in 2021; 85,256 in 2020; 1,44,017 in 2019 and 1,34,561 in 2018.
“As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indians who renounced their Indian citizenship was 1,31,489 in 2015; 1,41,603 in 2016; 1,33,049 in 2017; 1,34,561 in 2018; 1,44,017 in 2019; 85,256 in 2020; 1,63,370 in 2021 and 2,25,620 in 2022,” the ministry said in a statement.
He further said that 5 Indian nationals obtained citizenship of the UAE during the last three years.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told the Parliament that 83 Indian defence personnel, including prisoners of war, are believed to be in Pakistan’s custody.
V Murleedharan, Minister of State in MEA, said that the government is consistently taking up the matter of their release and added that their presence has not been acknowledged by Pakistan so far.
“The Government has been consistently taking up the matter of release and repatriation of the missing defence personnel with Pakistan through diplomatic channels. The matter was again raised by the High Commission of India in Islamabad with the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its communication dated 01 January 2023,” a government statement said.
The MEA also informed that 58 Indian civilian prisoners, 2,160 fishermen and 57 fishing boats have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014.
The figure includes 5 Indian civilian prisoners and 40 Indian fishermen who have been repatriated from Pakistan in 2022, it added.
No Restriction on Travel
The MEA said that there are no restrictions on Indian nationals travelling to any foreign country for tourism or employment.
V Murleedharan also said that the government has brought about a transformational change in its engagement with the Indian diaspora.
“India stands to gain a lot from tapping its diaspora networks and productive utilization of the soft power that comes from having such a flourishing diaspora. The Government’s efforts are also aimed at harnessing the diaspora potential to its fullest including through transfer of technology and expertise,” Murleedharan added.
He further informed the parliament that the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra did not take place for three years since 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
(With Inputs from Shailendra Wangu)
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