In pursuit of greener pastures

NEW DELHI: In the Rajya Sabha this week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar offered some significant statistics pertaining to emigration from India. Per government data, more than 16.63 lakh Indians had renounced their Indian citizenship since the year 2011, which included 2,25,620 last year. In 2018, this number was estimated to be 1,34,561 people, while 1,44,017 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2019, followed by 85,256 in 2020 and 1,63,370 in 2021.

The US emerged as the top destination for emigration, followed by Australia and Canada. The destinations already attract students who relocate to pursue higher education, or professionals in pursuit of better opportunities. But the aforementioned metrics also point to the exodus of high net-worth individuals (HNIs) for whom overseas destinations hold the promise of a better tomorrow.

A research paper released last year by a UK-based citizenship adviser said over 8,000 HNIs were expected to leave India in 2022. The nation has the third largest number of HNIs keen on heading for the exits trailing behind Russia and China with 15,000 and 10,000 HNIs respectively, who plan on settling abroad. UAE emerged numero uno on the HNI inflow index with 4,000 individuals expected in 2022, followed by Australia with 3,500 persons and Singapore with 2,800.

These nations exhibit a few traits that attract the affluent, chief among them being a better standard of life. Things most people take for granted in first world nations – like clean water and air, safe public transport networks, high quality urban infrastructure, dependable and corruption free law and order, are considered luxuries in India. India is also a nation bound by dogmas and diktats of all kinds.

Meritorious individuals are often pitted against a system where they miss out on campus admissions or job appointments on account of falling outside the ambit of reservation. The taxes we pay are not being utilised in the most appropriate manner, a case in point being the state of public amenities like roads, transport systems, recreational spaces. On the corporate front, we adopt a strategy of ‘slog till you drop’ which ensures employees are stuck in a thankless rut of debts, mortgages and bill payments with next to nil options for personal growth or actualisation.

There is also an alarming political climate that makes scapegoats out of journalists, religious minorities, underserved communities, and sexual minorities. The government even has rules determining who is eligible to be in a relationship with who, thanks to legislations on love jihad.

But this piece is not an excuse to call out India for everything that’s wrong with us. We are still a democracy struggling to get our act together. Healthcare is a pain point here, but one doesn’t have to wait for many months before being granted an appointment by a specialist. Even in the absence of social security or welfare coupons, the cost of living is not so prohibitively high that a middle-class family is rendered homeless in the blink of an eye.

It’s something that even trickles down to the education system where obtaining a non-professional degree does not require parents to go bankrupt. Yes, there are challenges aplenty, and it might look like things might not change for the better in our lifetimes. However, it is a potent reminder that there is work to be done to reverse the brain drain and prevent the loss of precious human and intellectual capital from the country.