The Union cabinet is likely to decide grant of dual citizenship to Indian expatriates living in seven countries at its meeting on Tuesday, according to a report in The Times of India.
The seven countries include the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. This move follows a promise by Prime Minister Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas celebration in January this year.
Once the cabinet takes the decision, certain provisions of the Foreigners Act will have to be amended to confer on people of Indian origin living abroad the right of dual citizenship. This would imply they would be able to keep two passports: one of the resident country and the other Indian. Thereafter, a Bill providing for dual citizenship, incorporating an appropriate amendment to the Citizenship Act, will have to be introduced in Parliament. However, it is unlikely that this Bill will be passed in the current budget session which concludes this week.
The report also said that persons holding dual citizenship will not have voting right and cannot stand for public office in India. They will, however, have all other rights that Indian citizens enjoy.
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