This paper attempts to construct   estimation of remittances to India   from abroad   for the period 1990 to 2015. It is now widely acknowledged that foreign remittances   play a crucial role   as constant source of income to developing countries than other private flows and foreign direct investment, and decisions by migrants to submit a share of their income to their country of origin are affected less by international financial and market crises than by the decisions of private investors and speculators. Two major waves of emigration   have been responsible for the bulk remittance receipts to India post 1970’s. Added to this, macroeconomic policies favoured to mobilize remittances during post liberalization   in 1991 that triggered the flow of remittances to India through official channels. Remittances form a significant share of not just national gross domestic product (GDP) around 4 per cent of the national GDP but of state domestic products (SDPs) of Kerala, Goa and Punjab.

KEYWORDS: foreign remittances, labour migration, remittance flows