They set out to find gold and were forgotten. Then India turned around and looked at them again and discovered that they now had the Midas touch. Fifty-five years after independence, and over 150 years after the first migrants left Indian shores, the country has suddenly rediscovered its 20-million strong diaspora.
"The Indian diaspora is an important force to reckon with in many countries of the world and should be given pride of place in our cultural and economic policies and in diplomacy," says L. M. Singhvi, Member of Parliament, who is also chairperson of the HLC.
In a report presented to the Government and yet to be made public, the HLC has proposed ways to bridge the gap with the highly successful overseas Indian community which has an annual income of $300 billion (Rs 14,40,000 crore)- about three times the GDP of India.
The panel notes how starting from manual labour Indian immigrants worked their way up, building businesses and industries and eventually playing major roles in the economies of their adopted homelands. They educated their children and established themselves as professionals and, in some countries, rose to the highest political office.
They may have been forgotten, but the diaspora itself protected and nurtured its Indian identity and greatly valued its India link. Yet, a number of issues bother them, especially in their relationship with India. Through its travels, the HLC has identified the problems the diaspora face and has offered the means to address them.
While the report has now to be accepted and implemented by the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs, the proposals put forward in the interim reports were accepted a few months ago by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee.
These are: that January 9 will be celebrated every year as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, and on that day 10 achievers from the diaspora will be honoured by the Government with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards; that the PIO (persons of Indian origin) card fee structure would be reviewed; and that the issue of dual citizenship was accepted in principle.
This was perhaps the first tangible step in recognising the overseas Indian. In fact, so blatant had been the neglect that when Mahendra Chaudhry was ousted as prime minister in Fiji two years ago, India turned a blind eye. "The Government must have a proactive policy on people of Indian origin," Chaudhry had insisted at the time.
For the HLC, the acceptance of its interim report is a major achievement and an indication of how serious the Government is about addressing the concerns of the diaspora. "The recommendations will bring about a sea change if they are implemented in good time," says Singhvi, clarifying that "good time" means six months to a year.
Since he took charge six months ago, ambassador at large Bhisma Agnihotri, too, has been reiterating the need to draw the diaspora into a global Indian family. "Once the environment of a big family is there, other things also follow, such as investments. Look at the China story (overseas Chinese invest a large amount in the mainland). In India, it will take time, but things are moving and will bear fruit down the road."
J.C. Sharma, member secretary of the HLC, too cites the case of China. "The overseas Chinese have put $45 billion back into China," he says. "The contribution of the diaspora to India can also be sizeable. Fund inflows of $5-10 billion a year are well within its capacity," he says. Sharma stresses, however, that the biggest asset of the Indian diaspora is its intellectual capital and the market reach it can give for Indian products.
Much of the diaspora feels that it is payback time now. Many times, however, good intentions and investment decisions have come up against a wall of red tape, which the HLC proposes to remove through certain measures. An oft-repeated request by overseas Indians has been on a single window to address their concerns - be it to deal with the authorities, investment bureaus or local administration.
The HLC proposes the setting up of an autonomous, empowered body on the lines of the Planning Commission and headed by the prime minister as its ex-officio chairperson. The organisation would have a full-time deputy chairperson of the rank of a cabinet minister. Overseas Indians would be eligible to be members of its governing body and advisory council.
To facilitate investment in India, the report proposes special economic zones (SEZs) for projects by NRIs and PIOs. This would also ostensibly help to curb petty corruption. "A governing board that exercises all authority on behalf of the Government at such SEZs will ensure that the NRI has to deal with only one accountable authority and not 20 different people," says Sharma.
To grant dual citizenship to Indians living in the West, the HLC proposes a change in the Citizenship Act of 1955, and stresses guidelines to address national security concerns. The HLC has also drafted a legislation to allow those who have renounced their passport to regain Indian nationality.
Immigrant labour from India faces special problems, especially in the Gulf countries. The HLC suggests: a welfare fund for repatriated workers, monitoring of employment contracts, insurance schemes for workers and Standard Labour Export Agreements with host countries.
The report also recommends a special cell of fering free legal counselling to families marrying their daughters to NRIs/PIOs. For the diaspora, it has been a long journey. But now it looks as if the people who set out to find gold but found they could spin it instead could well receive a golden homecoming.