India Abroad is a presence that cannot be ignored, both in its size and spirit. An influential chunk of the community that has come to be known as non-resident Indians (NRIs) still keeps its Indianness, its national identity, without the strength of an Indian passport. Now, Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, after going through the report of the Committee on the Indian Diaspora, says, "We are in favour of dual citizenship ... There were problems in sorting out the issue but it has been resolved now." Good news, especially since dual citizenship is an old promise in the BJP's poll manifesto. Indians settled in the US, UK, Canada, the European mainland, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, countries that have a system of dual citizenship, have the immediate chance of getting Indian citizenship with limited national rights-"no dual loyalty", as the prime minister says. This is a much belated acknowledgement of the contributions of the Indian diaspora, no matter what passport they are holding at the moment. After all, an average NRI is only an economic refugee. He has not fled India, he has only fled the Indian situation. He has not disowned India, he has only sought out a place of better living. So India can't disown him. Particularly in the age of globalisation where the distance between national identity of the individual and the territorial identity of the nation is getting shorter.

Today, there are 15-20 million Indians living outside the country, and the Indian diaspora's annual remittances are estimated at about $10 billion (Rs 48,000 crore.) The NRI deposits in Indian banks currently amount to $23 billion. This is national wealth, which may not be as big as China's gain from the 55 million overseas Chinese-an investment capital of $30 billion-but the homeland is obliged to reward. The contribution is not economical alone. It is political as well. The NRIs, especially in the US and the UK, have become a pressure group that can to a great extent influence the policy of the country of domicile towards the country of origin. The diaspora's economic interest is not in conflict with its national interest. Rather, it is the interest of the homeland to tell them: India will always be home, officially. That is why the prime minister's green signal to dual citizenship is a gesture of gratitude as well as pride. India Abroad, at the end of the day, is a celebration of the nation-it reaches out to enrich.