26,000 Goans surrendered Indian passports in 10 years: CM Sawant

Panaji: Nearly 26,000 Goans surrendered their Indian passports in Goa in the last one decade and applied for a "new visa/exit permit", Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said.

Sawant provided the information in a written reply tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question from Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao during the ongoing monsoon session.

"As per information provided by Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), total 25,939 people surrendered their Indian passports in the state of Goa between January 1, 2014 and March 31, 2024," the CM said.

In 2014, 2,037 persons applied for "new visa/exit services" upon surrendering their Indian passports and this number shot up to 4,121 in 2016, before reducing to 3,623 in 2017 and 2,958 in 2019, as per the data submitted in House.

In 2021, the number reduced further to 954, before increasing to 2,094 in 2023, the CM stated.