PM Encourages NRIs to Invest in India

Inaugurating the sixth Prasar Bharti Divas, The Prime Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh, appealed to India’s vast NRI population, estimated to
be 25 million spread over 130 countries, to make an investment of their
varied knowledge in India.
Inviting them to be a part of the "Prime Minister’s Global Advisory
Council of People of Indian Origin," he said that the council aims
to draw upon the experience and knowledge of the "best Indian minds".

Addressing a gathering of around 1500 delegates from 15 countries,
the Prime Minister said that the council would comprise People of Indian
Origin (PIO) from a variety of disciplines and who are recognised as
leaders in their respective fields, not only in their country of residence
but also at the global level.

He also talked about women achievers like Indira Nooyi, Sunita Williams,
Kalpana Chawla and Jhumpa Lahiri who have made the country proud and
are seen as role models for society to give women a rightful place.
In an allusion to recent incidents of attacks and harassment of Indians
in some countries, he identified security and welfare of Indian residents
living abroad as a top priority for India’s diplomatic missions and
asked community leaders to develop better liaison with Indian missions
to serve them better. He also acknowledged the contribution of the Indian
community in the USA in gathering support for the political leadership
of that country for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

Dr Singh informed the NRIs of the overseas Indian affairs ministry’s
proposal to set up the India Development Foundation as a non-profit
trust to serve as a credible institutional mechanism that would "direct
overseas Indian philanthropic propensities into human development in
the country". He said the government has approved the policy framework
for setting up a PIO university in India for the benefit of children
of Indians from across the globe, a proposal he had announced last year.

Dr Singh also announced the launch of an "Overseas Workers Resource
Centre" which would provide relevant information and assistance
to potential migrant workers and operate a multi-lingual help line for
grievance redress and intervention for overseas Indian workers in distress.
"Estimated at about five million, they are mostly located in the
Gulf and South East Asia and play an important role in India’s economy,"
he said, acknowledging the $26 billion the overseas workers remit to
India every year.

The minister for overseas Indian affairs, Mr Vayalar Ravi, said the
government would allow qualified NRI professionals to work in India
as part of its efforts to use the diaspora’s expertise in different
fields. "Our approach is to permit overseas Indian professionals
like doctors, dentists, architects and chartered accountants the opportunity
to work in India."

The Mauritius Prime Minister, Mr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the chief
guest, said: "There is a new vibrancy, vitality, confidence and
hope in this country and it is palpable to everyone visiting India.
My plea to Indian diaspora is to grab this opportunity and get involved
with India and one another. We owe it to this country."

Photo: Chennai Central Railway Station by Ganesh Mohan T, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.