02 Soft Power & Diaspora

Diaspora

• 37M NRI/PIO, global force shaping india’s economic strategic & cultural ties
• contributions in remittance, tech, diplomacy & softpower elevate india’s global standing

Desc	Data
Diaspora Size	37M (Jan 2026)
Remittance	$144.79B in 2025-26
Top Destinations	USA, West Asia
% of USA Population	1.3%
Contribution to UK GDP	6%

Significance of Indian Diaspora

• Economic
  • remittance - income src for rural india
  • investments - startups, VC/angel funding, FDI
  • tech, knowledge transfer eg managerial practices
  • trade networks
  • philanthropy, education eg. Shiv Nadar
  • Export promotion
  • reverse migration: human capital circulation
• Strategic/political
  • political influence - Kamala Harris, Rishi Sunak
  • Track II Diplomacy: informal bridges in foreign relations
  • Cultural diplomacy: global celebration of indian festival
  • lobbying & advocacy
• Diaspora excellence
  • Politics: Kamala Harris, Rishi Sunak
  • Tech: Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella
  • Business: Rajat Gupta, Indira Nooyi
  • Science: Fareed Zakaria, Sanjay Gupta
  • Literature: Jhumpa Lahiri (Pulitzer winner)

Issues

Issue	Details
Economic instability	reverse migration, global slowdown
Political participation	voting restrictions abroad
brain drain	skilled professionals lost to other nations
Safety, security	hate crimes, west asian conflict zones
labour exploitation	Kafala / Nitaqat laws in West Asia

Govt measures

• social security arrangements
  • UK India FTA 2025: dual insurance exemption
  • India Poland SSA 2024: better pension portability
• eMigrate Portal 2.0: digital document storage, BHASHINI support
• Unified ministry setup: MEA handles all diaspora matters post merger
• Helpline & Welfare Cells: real time grievance & legal aid
• Know India Programme: 82nd edition launched in May 2025

Recent initiatives

• Madad Portal: diaspora grievance redressal
• Vaibhav Summit: overseas experts connect w/ Indian scientists
• Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
• Rescue missions: Rahat, Sankat Mochan, Vande Bharat

Way forward

• formalize agreements ensuring diaspora protection, rights
• events & cultural engagement, exchange
• healthcare, emergency aid, financial safety nets
• ease of service: visa, passport, OCI services
• involve diaspora in policymaking via structured forums

Geopolitics of Technology

• how nations use tech advancements to gain economic, military and diplomatic leverage
• AI, cybersec

India’s tech influence

• IT sector: $254B FY24 revenue
  • Exports: $194B
• Semiconductor: $300B market by 2026, focus on chip design, foreign investment via ISM
• National Supercomputing Mission
• PLI for manufacturing of IT Hardware

International collaborations

• GPAI: founting member, co leads on responsible AI & data governance
• Quad CET & semiconductor supply chains: collab w/ USA, Japan, Australia on critical tech & chip manufacturing
• iCET 2023: indo us initiative os AI, Quantum, 6G, space, defence

Challenges in India’s tech rise

Challenge	details
Digital divide	rural urban dividie
data security	breaches, cambridge analytica
misinformation	fake news during covid 19, elections
e-commerce	monopoly concerns, weak consumer protection
low R&D spend	0.6% GDP
	USA: 2.7%; China: 2.4%
Infra gaps	NE, remote villages

Way forward

• bridge digital divide, last mile connectivity, digital infra
• elevate tech diplomacy, make tech access central to foreign policy
• strengthen data laws, eg. DPDPL
• Fair e-commerce ecosystem for level playing field
• comprehensive AI Ethics framework

Soft Power

• ability to influence global outcomes through culture, values, diplomacy rather than coercion
• civilizational depth, diaspora, ayurveda, cinema, yoga, cuisine

5 pillars of soft power

• Samman
• Samvaad
• Samriddhi
• Suraksha
• Sanskriti & Sabhyata

Instruments of soft power

• diaspora
• wellness exports: yoga, ayurveda, traditional medicine
• bollywood
• humanitarian aid eg. Vaccine Maitri
• cultural outreach eg. ICCR led performances
• multilateral engagement: G20, BRICS, SCO
• parliamentary goodwill: exchange visits

Recent highlights

• International Yoga day: 180countries
• Buddhist diplomacy: Swadesh darshan 2.0: Kushinagar pilgrimage circuit
• ICCR events: 100+ events
• DD india: 190+ countries
• Islamic world engagement: cultural MoU w/ UAE, Saudi Arabia
• Project Mausam
• Space Diplomacy: GSAT-9

Challenges

Challenge	Details
Religious tourism lag	fewer buddhist pilgrims than Thailand, Myanmar
funding constraints	underfunded
ICCR ambiguity	lack of clarity in mandate
-ve perceptions	global media coverage of social issues
underutilized heritage	eg. Bodh Gaya

Way forward

• diaspora moilization
• revive ancient learning: indic studies, budhhism via Nalanda
• Tourism promotion, cultural circuits
• Infra & Branding: improve cultural site amenities & marketing
• Global benchmarking eg. Japan anime diplomacy

Soft Power in India - Pakistan

• cricket diplomacy: eg. 2004 series thawed tensions
• bollywood
• religious initiatives eg kartarpur corridor
• track II diplomacy eg. Aman ki Asha
• Joint Cultural Ventures: films, music

Energy Diplomacy

• dilpomatic efforts te secure energy needs while creating business & geopolitical advantages
• securing reliable energy & energy partnerships to advance foreign policy goals

Initiatives

• leads Intl. Solar Alliance and OSOWOG, 4th largest renewable capacity
• power exports: bangladesh, nepal, bhutan
• Hydro projects: import from Bhutan, builds plants in Nepal eg. Upper Karnali
• Pipeline diplomacy: TAPI
• Nuclear agreements: strategic deals with US & Japan
• diversified oil sources: russia, US, Latin
• strategic reserves & LNG - long term LNG contract w/ Qatar
  • Joint storage with UAE, SA
• Green energy partnerships: w/ Germany, Australia, EU

Challenges

Challenge	Details
Tech dependence	cybersec risk, limited cutting edge tech w/ India
coal dominance	50% energy mix
infra gaps	difficulty building pipelines & regional transmission netorks
price volatility	global shocks affect energy costs
import dependence	60% oil/gas from Gulf
	85% crude oil
Fair pricing issues	complex pricing for cross border electricity trade
Green tech gaps	lag in battery storage, hydrogen tech, grid modernization
Geopolitical limits	sanctions on Iran/ Venezuela
	china’s mineral dominance

Way Forward

• gride governance, collaboration on cross border power systems
• clean energy systems
• improt diversification
• strategic location: use india’s proximity to energy hubs for secure sourcing