Is India a Signatory of the UN Refugee Convention?

India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Status Convention. India is also not a signatory to the 1967 Refugee Status Protocol. 1951 Refugee Status Convention is also called as the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951. It is a United Nations Multilateral Treaty that defines refugees and the rights of these refugees who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of the nations that grants asylum to them.

Aspirants would find this topic very helpful in the IAS Exam.

When did India face Huge Influx of Refugees?

India faced a huge influx of refugees at various points in history. More details on the occasions are listed below.

1. Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 – The scale of the problem was unprecedented to the newly formed Government of India. The city of Faridabad had to be rebuilt to rehabilitate the refugees. Social reformers like Kamaldevi Chattopadhyay and many others played an important role in the rehabilitation of refugees.
2. Tibetan Refugees in 1959 – Dalai Lama and his 1 lakh followers were granted asylum in India when they were persecuted by Chinese authorities.
3. Bangladesh War – This crisis happened in 1971 when million migrated to India to flee the conflict in Bangladesh
4. Sri Lankan Civil War – It resulted in the migration of huge numbers of refugees from Sri Lanka who settled in Tamil Nadu.
5. Afghan Refugees – As per UNHCR report more than 2,00,000 Afghan refugees are living in India.
6. Rohingya Refugees – The recent conflict in Myanmar resulted in a huge influx of Rohingya refugees in India.

What is the Impact of Refugees on India?

The impact of refugees on any country is multi-fold.

1. Economic Impact – It leads to fight for a resource such as land, water, housing, food, health care facilities, transportation, employment etc
2. Impact on Ecology and Infrastructure.

What is the Meaning of Illegal Immigrants?

Illegal Immigrants are those people residing in India but do not have a valid visa or valid Indian Citizenship. They are subjected to the Foreigners Act 1946. Such people are deported back to their own country.

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.

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