The Hindu Business Line : Overseas Indians see gains from dual citizenship offer

"I HAVE been waiting for dual citizenship for several years,'' says Dr Ravinder R. Surakanti, a doctor who has been living in the US for 28 years. He was expressing a desire that most overseas Indians have been harbouring for a long time.

Barely minutes after the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, announced dual citizenship to overseas Indians at the opening session of the Third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, some of the delegates to the conference said they were keen to opt for it.

"This time around India seems serious about offering dual citizenship,'' says Dr G.S. Sarna, consultant forensic psychiatrist, now a UK citizen. "This will open up property ownership for people like us who are of Indian origin but of adopted nationalities," he says. "Last year, the Government did speak of dual citizenship but there were too many conditions. Hopefully, this time the move seems positive,'' he said.

Dr Surakanti, a US citizen now, wants dual citizenship for a basic reason - to enable him to come to India with ease and not having to go through procedural hassles of getting an Indian visa. US citizens, Dr Rohini Rao, a paediatrician and her husband Dr Sanku S. Rao, a gastroenterologist, also believe that the ease of travel to India would be the primary reason for opting for dual citizenship.

Mr Gulab Lala, who has been living in Canada for over 40 years, wants to have the choice of retiring in his home country while maintaining his Canadian citizenship. "I will definitely go for a dual citizenship,'' he says. "But countries will have to go through negotiations with one another before such a possibility,'' he says.

For many of the Indians who have been living outside of the country for over 30 years, a dual citizenship provides a toe-hold in the country of their origin to get down to some kind of work - either business or social welfare activity or assist in project implementation. Dr Rabindra Mahapatra, an Indian citizen living in the UK, believes this will open up prospects for his wife Dr Jasbir Mahapatra, a UK citizen, to come to India and set up healthcare activities in rural Orissa once this comes through.

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