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Ground Report | New Delhi: Why some Indians give up their citizenship; More than 600,000 Indians have given up Indian citizenship for a different country between 2017 and 30 September 2021, the government told Parliament on Tuesday.
Over 6 lakh Indians
According to Union Home Minister Nityanand Rai, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, 1.33 lakh Indians have quit their citizenship in 2017, 1.34 lakh in 2018, 1.44 lakh in 2019, 85,248 in 2020, and 1.11 lakh in 2021. According to data available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 1,33,83,718 Indians are living abroad.
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Rai said that between 2016 and 2020, 4,177 people were also granted Indian citizenship. A total of 10,645 people applied for Indian citizenship during the same period, he said.
Pakistan (7,782), Afghanistan (795), US (227), Sri Lanka (205), Bangladesh (184), Nepal (167), and Kenya (185). A total of 2,262 people applied for Indian citizenship in 2016, 855 in 2017, 1,758 in 2018, 4,224 in 2019, and 1,546 in 2020, according to statistics from the Union Home Ministry.
| Year | Number of people who gave up Indian citizenship |
| 2017 | 1,33,049 |
| 2018 | 1,34,561 |
| 2019 | 1,44,017 |
| 2020 | 85,248 |
| 2021(Up till Sept 10) | 1,11,287 |
Citizenship of India
Indian citizenship rules and regulations are primarily governed by the Citizenship Act of 1955 ('Citizenship Act'). The Citizenship Act has been amended several times, most recently in 2019 when new rules for migrants from oppressed communities were introduced.
After Indians renounce their citizenship, it is necessary for them to apply for a surrender or relinquishment certificate.
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Under this form of citizenship, the eligible person has to make an application to the central government, which will then grant citizenship based on whether they meet the criteria laid down therein. Ordinarily resident under this section means a person who has been residing in India for the preceding 12 months from the date of application for citizenship and has been in India for 8 years before that.
Why some Indians give up their citizenship
Most Indians do this because they have the privilege of using passports from other countries. According to the World Passport Index, India is ranked 69th on the Passport Power Rank. When compared with other countries - Australia is ranked 3rd, USA 5th, Singapore 6th, and Canada 7th. UAE is at number one and New Zealand at number two.
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