INDORE: Indians living outside the country have always kept a live connect with their homeland; their role has widened under the Modi Government.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out in his inaugural address to the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, “Pravasi Bharatiyas are brand ambassadors of India and their role is diverse. India has entered Amrit kaal of next 25 years and our Pravasi Bharatiyas have a significant place in this journey.”
He said today India is being looked at with hope and curiosity. India’s voice is being heard on the global stage. India is also the host for this year’s G20 Summit as the President of the group of the world’s richest countries. “We do not want to make it only a diplomatic event, but an event of people’s participation,” the Prime Minister observed.
Knowledge centre
He pointed out that India not only has the capability of becoming a knowledge centre but also a skilled capital. “Our youth has skills, values, honesty and determination toward work. Our skilled capital can become the world’s growth engine,” he added.
The Prime Minister released a commemorative postal stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ and also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle’.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the flagship event of the Government of India that provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and enable the diaspora to interact with each other.
Reliable partners
The theme of this year’s PBD convention was ‘Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal’. Over 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries registered for the convention.
The Prime Minister remarked that this convention was special in numerous ways as India completed 75 years of its independence only recently. He also informed that the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition had also been organised to bring the glorious era to the fore once again. Highlighting the significant role of Pravasi Bhartiyas in the next 25 years of the journey of Amrit Kaal, PM Modi said India’s unique global vision and its role in the global order would be strengthened by people of the Indian diaspora Mentioning the Indian philosophy of treating the entire world as one’s own country and considering humanity as our brothers and sisters, the Prime Minister said our ancestors laid the foundations of India’s cultural expansion.
Largest NRI gathering
The PM reminded the largest-ever gathering of Non Resident Indians (NRIs) that they had another important role to play in addressing the world’s desire to know more about India. “The world is watching India keenly with great curiosity and you must highlight the extraordinary achievements of the nation in recent years,” he said.
He referred to India being the vaccine development and manufacturing hub of the world and the record inoculation figures of more than 220 crore free doses to Indians. He also gave examples of the rising startup ecosystem and ‘Make in India’ in the electronics manufacturing sector.
Interests and hopes
The Prime Minister also mentioned India’s cashless economy and fintech and said that 40 per cent of the world’s real-time digital transactions are being done in India.
Speaking about space technology, PM Modi said that India had created multiple records of launching hundreds of satellites at once. He also threw light on the software and digital technology industry of India and said its capability is only increasing with time.
PM Modi summed his Government’s approach towards the Indian diaspora by saying, “It is India’s commitment today that wherever you are, the country is for your interests and expectations.”
Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Republic of Guyana, and Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname, were the special Guests of Honour at the event. Apart from Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, several Union ministers, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; Minister for Health and Family Mansukh Mandavi; Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur; and Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the convention.
