India drags its feet on MoU with London over return of illegal immigrants |
New Delhi is dragging its feet to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with London over the return of illegal immigrants, despite Indian cabinet giving an approval to the proposal. UK minister of state for counter-terrorism Baroness Williams on Monday took up the issue with Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju, asking New Delhi to formalise the agreement, officials said. The pact with the Britain and Northern Ireland was cleared by the Union Cabinet on April 11. It was to be signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to UK in April this year. However, the external affairs ministry headed by Sushma Swaraj raised objection with terms and conditions of the MoU. The officials at MEA and Indian agencies learnt to have conveyed that they were not consulted before finalising the agreement. The pact would have helped in streamlining the procedure of return, in a specified time-frame, of nationals caught to be staying illegally in the other country. According to information shared by UK authorities with their Indian counterparts, there are nearly 40,000 illegal Indian immigrants in different parts of Europe. London conveyed that there is an urgent need to deport these people.
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