Thiruvananthapuram, July 30, 2004
IANS
India will observe its next Diaspora Day in the commercial capital
of Mumbai during Jan 7-10, 2005, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is
expected to make an important announcement to benefit non-resident Indians
during the meet.
Announcing this here Friday, Minister for Non-Resident Indians Jagdish
Tytler said the government had decided in principle to give dual citizenship
to people of Indian origins in 16 countries.
He did not give details of the announcement to be made by the prime
minister at next year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Diaspora Day.
The countries where people of Indian origin would be given dual citizenship
are Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Britain,
Israel, Italy, Holland, New Zealand, Portugal, Cyprus, Sweden and the
US.
"All these countries have been cleared and the formal announcement
will come soon," Tytler told reporters here.
"In the pipeline are another 72 countries but it would be cleared
when these countries give the same benefits that we would give. We are
particular that there should be parity at all levels.
The demand for dual citizenship has been a longstanding one from several
non-resident Indian organizations and had been raised at several meetings
of the Indian diaspora.