Page 2 - Indian Citizen

Over 210,000 Indians renounced citizenship of India in 2023: Govt

More than 2.16 lakh Indians renounced their citizenship in 2023, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries on Indian citizens who have renounced their citizenship in the last five years. In his response, he also shared the corresponding data for 2011-2018. In 2023, the number of Indians who renounced their citizenship stood at 2,16,219 (2.16 lakh). The corresponding figure for 2022 was 2,25,620 (2.25 lakh); 1,63,370 (1.63 lakh) in 2021; 85,256 in 2020; and 1,44,017 (1.44 lakh) in 2019, according to the data. The query from AAP member Raghav Chadha was also on whether the government had taken steps to find the reasons for such "high number of renunciation" and "low acceptance of Indian citizenship" and, if so, the details thereof. He also sought to know whether the government had tried to determine the "financial as well as intellectual drainage" and loss to the country

Russia promises to ensure return of Indians working for Russian Army

The issue of Indians working for the Russian Army had also been raised by the opposition with the Congress questioning the government's stance on the issue

Reforms will continue to increase citizen-centricity: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said good governance reforms undertaken in the last decade will continue to increase citizen-centricity and ensure ease of living for every citizen. Assuming charge as Union Minister of State (MoS) for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions at his North Block office here, he said this third term of the NDA government would be a continuity of the work done over the last 10 years under the previous two dispensations headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. "Last 10 years have witnessed a series of revolutionary governance reforms happening under the guidance of PM Modi, which were basically inspired by the spirit of 'minimum government, maximum governance' and increasing citizen centricity to bring ease of living for every citizen of the country," Singh told reporters after taking over the charge of the ministry. He later told PTI that many people-friendly measur

Tripura govt forms state-level committee for granting citizenship under CAA

The Tripura government has constituted a six-member state-level empowered committee with Director Census Operations, as chairman to grant citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, an official said on Friday. The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. "Following directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the state-level empowered committee for granting Indian citizenship under the CAA has been formed," Director, Census Operations, Rabindra Reang told PTI. He said all District Magistrates of the state have been asked to constitute district-level empowered committees to receive applications under the CAA and undertake scrutiny before forwarding it to the state-level empowered panel. Reang said residents who are living under the areas of Sixth schedule areas (Tribal Areas Autonomous

Nearly 66,000 Indians took oath of American citizenship in 2022: CRS report

As many as 65,960 Indians officially became US citizens, making India the second-largest source country for new citizens in America after Mexico, according to a latest Congressional report. An estimated 46 million foreign-born persons resided in the United States in 2022, approximately 14 per cent of the total US population of 333 million, according to American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau. Of these, 24.5 million, about 53 per cent, reported their status as naturalised citizens. In its latest US Naturalisation Policy report of April 15, the independent Congressional Research Service in the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals became naturalised US citizens. Individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, it said. Based on the latest available data, CRS said in 2022, as many as 128,878, Mexican nationals became American citizens. They were followed by Ind

Civil servants to continue to serve citizens with nation first spirit: Prez

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday greeted civil servants on Civil Services Day, and expressed confidence that they will continue to serve fellow citizens with the spirit of "nation first". April 21 is celebrated as Civil Services Day and is an occasion for bureaucrats to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizens and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work. "Greetings to all civil servants on Civil Services Day! You have carried forward the great legacy of working for the progress of the country with indefatigable spirit. Our civil services always face the challenge to adapt quickly to the dynamic environment, while upholding the three fundamental values Sardar Patel underlined in his speech on this day in 1947 dignity, integrity and incorruptibility," she said. "I am confident you will continue to serve the fellow citizens with the spirit of Nation First. My best wishes to you in this endeavour," Murmu said in a post on X. The day commemorates the ..

Nobody will lose citizenship due to CAA, says Rajnath Singh in TN

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asserted that no Indian, irrespective of their faith, will lose citizenship with the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He charged the opposition Congress and DMK with "creating confusion" over the issue. Rajnath was speaking after taking out a roadshow here in support of the party's Namakkal candidate for the April 19 Lok Sabha elections, KP Ramalingam. The BJP always implemented what it promised and the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 and the CAA were such assurances, he said. "We promised a citizenship act, and we did it. I want to clarify that any citizen of India--whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew--nobody's citizenship will go away," he said. "The DMK and Congress are creating confusion on the matter," he alleged. On the abolition of triple Talaq, he said "mothers and sisters" from any faith are "our mothers and sisters." "Any atrocity against our mothers and sist

CAA enables refugees persecuted for religion to get Indian citizenship: VHP

The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Monday welcomed the Centre notifying the Citizenship (Amendment) Act rules and said it has paved the way for refugees "persecuted" on the basis of their religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to obtain Indian citizenship. Alok Kumar, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief, in a statement also called on the workers of the organisation and other social groups to provide all possible help to such refugees to complete the formalities of applying for Indian citizenship at the earliest. The Centre on Monday announced implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. The rules were notified days ahead of the expected announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. With this, the Narendra Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindu

Home ministry notifies rules for implementation of citizenship law CAA

The rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) are likely to be notified on Monday to facilitate the granting of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, according to sources. Once the CAA rules are issued, the Modi government will start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- who had come to India till December 31, 2014. The CAA was passed in December 2019 and subsequently got the president's assent but there were protests in several parts of the country against it. The law could not come into effect so far as rules have to be notified for its implementation.

2024 LS polls: 960 mn citizens, including 470 mn women, eligible to vote

Over 96 crore people, including 47 crore women, are eligible to cast vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, for which more than 12 lakh polling booths would be set up across India. Over 1.73 crore of those eligible to vote are in the age group of 18 to 19 years, according to Election Commission data. As many as 1.5 crore polling personnel will be deployed to ensure smooth conduct of the parliamentary elections to elect members of the 18th Lok Sabha. According to a 2023 letter sent by the EC to political parties, India had 17.32 crore registered voters in 1951, which rose to 19.37 crore in 1957. There were 91.20 crore voters in the 2019 polls. Out of the total voters registered in the electoral rolls, nearly 18 lakh are persons with disabilities. In the first Lok Sabha elections the voter turnout was recorded at 45 per cent. It was 67 per cent in the last parliamentary polls.

25 Indians from grounded plane seeking asylum in France freed: Reports

Twenty-five Indian passengers who had stayed behind seeking asylum in France after their flight from the UAE was grounded last week over suspicion of human trafficking before being allowed to take off for India have now been freed, according to local French media reports on Wednesday. These 25 passengers were not on the flight carrying 276 mostly Indian passengers which took off for Mumbai on Monday afternoon after four days of being held at Chlons-Vatry airport near Paris. The 'Le Monde' newspaper quoted prosecutors to say that the local judge had ordered their release on formal grounds, considering that the head of the border police at France's main Charles De Gaulle airport "had not referred the case to him" within the timeframe stipulated by law. "They are therefore free to do as they please, even if they are in an irregular situation on French territory," the Bobigny public prosecutor's office told the French newspaper. The 25 passengers, who had applied for political asylum i

Indian caregivers confident about safety, evacuation under govt radar

The latest data on the population of Overseas Indians maintained by the Ministry of External Affairs updated in February, 2023 shows 12,467 Non Resident Indians in Israel

Shweta Sharda, the winner of Miss Diva Universe 2023: Details inside

The Miss Diva Universe pageant was organised in Mumbai on Sunday. India's Shweta Sharda will compete in the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador later this year

Dil aur citizenship dono Hindustani: Akshay Kumar gets Indian citizenship

The Bollywood actor stated that he has renounced his Canadian passport and obtained Indian citizenship on Independence Day

Niger crisis: Govt asks Indian nationals to leave 'as soon as possible'

The central government is closely monitoring ongoing developments in Niger, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday

Focus of Modi govt has been on empowering citizens: Jitendra Singh

The administrative reforms done in the last nine years of the Modi government were aimed at bringing socio-economic transformation and empowering citizens, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Friday. Delivering the inaugural address at a webinar on administrative reforms (2014-2023) here, he also said large-scale use of technology and the "integration approach" were the twin pillars of the "revolutionary" governance reforms carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Singh, the minister of state for personnel, said as the country moves ahead towards building a self-reliant India, it is imperative that "we focus on empowering our citizens and reach the last person at the end of the line". Prime Minister Modi exhorts that "empowering our citizens means ensuring that every individual in our country has access to basic necessities such as healthcare, education, and employment", he said. "It also means creating an environment where every citizen has the opportun

Citizens have right to change their names according to personal will: HC

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that citizens have the right to keep or change their names according to personal preferences, and this comes within the ambit of the Constitution. Justice Ajay Bhanot made the observation on a writ petition filed by one Sameer Rao challenging the UP Madhyamik Siksha Parishad's rejection of his application to get his name changed in the high school and intermediate examination certificates. The high court directed the UP Madhyamik Siksha Parishad to allow the petitioner to change his name from "Shahnawaz" to "Mohammad Sameer Rao" and issue fresh high school and intermediate certificates incorporating the change. "The authorities arbitrarily rejected the application for change of name and misdirected themselves in law. The action of the authorities violates the fundamental rights of the petitioner guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a), Article 21 and Article 14 of the Constitution of India," the court said. The name of the petitioner was recorded as ...

Khartoum violence: Indian embassy in Sudan advises Indians to not move out

As Sudanese capital Khartoum continued to witness large-scale violence, the Indian embassy in Sudan issued a fresh advisory on Monday urging Indians not to venture out of their residences and stay calm. On Sunday, the embassy said an Indian national died in Khartoum after sustaining bullet injuries. "Based on the latest inputs the fighting has not subsided on day two. We sincerely request all fellow Indians to continue stay where they are and not venture outside," the mission said in its second advisory after violence broke out in Khartoum. Grieving the death of the Indian national, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the situation in Khartoum remains one of "great concern" and that India will continue to monitor the developments in that country. Explosions and clashes were reported in various areas in Khartoum in the backdrop of escalating tension between a paramilitary force and Sudan's Army. On Saturday, the Indian embassy advised Indian nationals in Sudan to

Over 1.6 million people renounced Indian citizenship since 2011: Govt data

More than 16 lakh Indians renounced their Indian citizenship since 2011 including 2,25,620 last year, according to data provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presented the details while replying to a question. He said the number of Indians who renounced their Indian citizenship in 2015 was 1,31,489, while 1,41,603 people gave it up in 2016 and 1,33,049 in 2017. In 2018, the number was 1,34,561, while 1,44,017 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2019, 85,256 in 2020 and 1,63,370 in 2021. The number in 2022 was 2,25,620, according to the minister. For reference purposes, Jaishankar said the data for 2011 was 1,22,819 while it was 1,20,923 in 2012, 1,31,405 in 2013 and 1,29,328 in 2014. The total number of Indians who gave up Indian citizenship since 2011 comes to 16,63,440. To a specific query, he said, according to information, five Indian nationals obtained the citizenship of the United Arab Emirates during the last thre

Fulfilling fundamental duties should be first priority of citizens: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said fulfilling fundamental duties should be the first priority of citizens to take the nation to greater heights as it marches ahead towards the centenary of its independence. Addressing Constitution Day celebrations at the Supreme Court, Modi said the entire world is looking at India which is witnessing rapid development and economic growth. The prime minister said the country is set to assume the G-20 presidency next week and this is a big opportunity to present its contribution to the world. "We, as Team India, should work towards enhancing India's prestige on the world stage and highlight the country's contribution to the world. This is our collective responsibility," Modi said and added that "we have to strengthen India's identity as the mother of democracy". He said he is pleased to state that the country in the form of the mother of democracy is strengthening its ancient ideals and the spirit of the Constitution, and pro-people polic