Campaign highlights rising citizenship surrenders and urges a policy-driven review aligned with global mobility trends

New Delhi: Indian Diaspora Global marked Pravasi Bharatiya Divas by amplifying the voice of overseas Indians and urging policymakers to reconsider India’s approach to dual citizenship. Against the backdrop of increasing global mobility, the organisation’s “Keep The Door Open” campaign calls for a structured dialogue that aligns policy with present-day realities.

Indian Diaspora Global is an international initiative founded to bring together people of Indian origin from across the world on a common platform. Conceived as a non-partisan, thought-leadership driven organisation, it focuses on advocacy, policy engagement, and constructive dialogue around issues impacting the global Indian community. The initiative was envisioned by Mr. Chirayath to create a unified voice for overseas Indians while strengthening their long-term engagement with India beyond symbolic or transactional frameworks.

The “Keep The Door Open” campaign is central to this mission. It seeks a re-examination of India’s long-standing prohibition on dual citizenship and argues that the current framework no longer aligns with the realities of a globalised Indian workforce, investor base, and intellectual community. The campaign does not challenge national sovereignty; rather, it calls for a modern, safeguarded approach that allows overseas Indians to retain formal citizenship ties with India even after acquiring foreign nationality. Plus, it addresses the ‘Brain Drain’ & ‘Nation Building’ for our country Bharat.

At present, the Indian Constitution does not permit dual citizenship. Section 9 of the Citizenship Act explicitly prohibits holding Indian citizenship alongside that of another country. Further, under the Passports Act, 1967, Indian passport holders are required to surrender their passports immediately upon acquiring foreign citizenship. While these provisions were framed in a different geopolitical context, their implications today merit urgent reconsideration.

Recent data highlights the seriousness of this disconnect. According to figures compiled by the Ministry of External Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs, approximately 1.63 lakh individuals surrendered Indian citizenship in 2021, compared to 85,236 in 2020 and 1.44 lakh in 2019. Between 2019 and 2021 alone, nearly 3.92 lakh people renounced Indian citizenship, with over 43 percent acquiring United States citizenship and the remainder spread across several other countries.

“Dual citizenship is not about divided loyalty; it is about recognising how identity, contribution, and belonging have evolved in a globalised world,” said Melwyn Chirayath, Chairman and Founder of Indian Diaspora Global. “When overseas Indians are compelled to give up Indian citizenship, India risks losing enduring connections that go far beyond sentiment. ‘Keep The Door Open’ is a call for policies that reflect global realities without compromising national interest.”

The campaign stresses that dual citizenship can be implemented with well-defined safeguards. Many democracies permit dual citizenship while protecting national security, constitutional values, and public office integrity. A calibrated Indian framework can define eligibility, exclusions, and compliance mechanisms while ensuring accountability.

“Pravasi Bharatiya Divas should encourage substantive policy reflection, not just celebration,” said Mr. Manoj Sharma, President, Communications & Outreach of the Indian Diaspora Global. “The rising number of citizenship surrenders is a data-backed signal that the existing framework is misaligned with global trends. Dual citizenship deserves a serious, non-partisan examination rooted in India’s long-term interests.”

The “Keep The Door Open” campaign does not oppose global mobility or individual choice. It questions whether acquiring foreign citizenship should automatically result in a complete and irreversible severance of legal and civic ties with India—especially when the diaspora continues to invest in the country, promote its interests abroad, and contribute to its global standing.