Indian couples rushing for C-Section deliveries to meet Trump’s citizenship deadline is extraordinary.
Just imagine. They want the American citizenship so bad that they’re willing to risk the life of their unborn children for it. One can’t help but wonder how strong the lure of US citizenship must be. Man, they must really love America!
Another way to look at this could be that they must really hate India. So much that they’d rather die than come back here. Quite literally.
Now I understand that India is not for beginners. Life in India is constantly in the “hard mode”. US has a population density of 38 persons/Sq Km. China has that set at 151, while India has 492 persons/Sq Km. That changes a lot of things. And to add to that, India is a $3.5 Trillion economy. While China is at $18 Trillion, and US at $29 Trillion. Clearly, India is not for beginners.
But preponing the birth of your child for US citizenship?
And it’s not just this. Just last year, about 50,000 Indians got US citizenship, and over 3,30,000 Indian students got enrolled in US schools. Of course, almost all the folks in latter group would dream to be counted as citizens (as the current events so clearly suggest). And that number is only for US. In just 2023, 750,000 students left India to study overseas.
Basically, almost a million rich people from privileged families leave India every year. A number which is only growing with time.
A lot of people think it’s actually good for the nation. All these people leaving the country and sending remittance money back home. They make space for people to breathe and work, and also send dollars. After all, India got over $129 Billion in remittances in 2024. That’s straight cash coming home.
Well, that’s true. But what’s also true is that Indian students spent over $60 Billion on overseas education during the same year. And then Indians also spent almost $20 Billion on overseas tourism. A lot of which is a precursor to long term stays.
So essentially, India is netting only $50 Billion in exchange of one million rich and privileged people going out every year. That’s roughly $50,000/head. ₹40 Lakhs. Is that a lot or little? I don’t know.
Whatever it is, it raises some serious questions about the present and future of the country. Many people say that India has no dearth of people, and no matter how many people leave India, it’s good news. More the merrier. But the kind of people leaving also matters. A nation losing its rich at such pace can not be good news.
It’s all about per capita income, at the end of the day.
If the rich stay, India’s per capita income (which is currently at about $2600, ranked 125th in the world, adjusting for PPP), stays up, and has a chance of growing. Because the rich hire many people, creating opportunities.
But if the rich leave, they take away the wind beneath a lot of sails.
I’m actually curious why so many Indians want to leave. Please vote on this poll & share your thoughts: http://bit.ly/3E6LdAx
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