1500 delegates from 48 countries registered for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will formally open the 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Chennai tomorrow. The annual convention for engaging overseas Indians is being held at the Chennai Trade Centre, and for the first time in the city. It is organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in partnership with the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry. More than 1,500 delegates and speakers from almost 50 countries are registered for the PBD, the highest number in recent years. The President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, will present the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards on the 9th January.

The Vice President of Surinam Mr. Ramdien Saredjoe is the Chief Guest at the Convention. Mr. Angidi Chettiar, Vice President of Mauritius, Ministers from Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Africa and Canada are among the prominent PIOs attending the meet. Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhury from Fiji and former Minister Samy Vellu from Malaysia are also taking part. The highest number of delegates are from Malaysia. The overall theme of the convention is 'Engaging the Diaspora: The Way forward'. It carries forward the agenda of strengthening the symbiotic relationship between India and its valued diaspora, which at about 25 million represents the second largest such community of any country.

Several Union Ministers will address the convention. They include External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Mr. T.R. Balu, Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Praful Patel, Minister for Panchyati Raj Mr. Manishankar Aiyar, Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Minister for Power Mr. Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Mr. A. Raja, Minister of State for External Affairs Mr. E. Ahmed, Minister of State for Statistics & Programme Implementation Mr. G.K. Vasan, Minister of State for Women & Child Development Mrs. Renuka Chaudhury, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Mrs. Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, Minister of State for Human Resources Development Mrs. D. Purandeswari and Minister of State for Industrial Policy & Promotion Dr. Ashwini Kumar. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia will address a key session of the conference. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. Y.S. Rajasekara Reddy, the Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Narendra Modi and many ministers from the state governments will also address the gathering.

Various sessions have been scheduled in this annual event covering topics such as "India as an emerging power: The diaspora factor", "Reflections on current economic crisis-Diaspora concerns", "Trade and investments", "Diaspora Philanthropy", "Media and Entertainment", "Increased interaction with diaspora Women", "Interaction with States". The recommendations that will be made at the end of the panel discussions would be considered by the centre for formulating policies and programmes for the welfare of Overseas Indians.

Several key initiatives are expected to be launched during the convention. The Global-Indian Network of Knowledge, or Global-INK, an interactive web portal, is envisaged as a next generation knowledge exchange with the diaspora. This technology bridge will connect overseas Indians through a virtual think tank and enable them to contribute to India's social and economic progress. The Global-INK is managed by the Overseas Indian facilitation Centre (OIFC), a venture of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs managed by the Confederation of India Industry.

The India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians is also expected to take shape during the convention. Being set up as a 'not for profit' trust, the Foundation will help channelize diaspora philanthropy into geographical and social sectors of their choice. It will serve as a single window to facilitate partnerships, develop a base of credible institutions and programs and help promote accountability.

Several books will also be launched at the PBD, including the colorful 'At Home in the World' and two manuals on investment and taxation regulation in India for overseas Indians. These have been put together under the OIFC aegis. Another initiative of MOIA is the project 'E-Governance in Emigration' which proposes to use ICT for the offices of Protector of Emigrants and Protector General of Emigrants. This will reengineer the emigration process via e-governance for workers going overseas and for management of the recruiting agent system.

As part of PBD, a Trade and Industry Exhibition was inaugurated today by Mr. V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning. A cultural presentation by the South Zone Cultural Centre was inaugurated by the dignitaries along with the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Vayalar Ravi. The exhibition, with colorful and informative booths showcase the progress of the states, particularly their industrial and economic development, to highlight investment and business opportunities for overseas Indian visitors. Banks, corporate and social service agencies have also put up stalls to attract the attention of overseas Indians and disseminate information. Cultural programs by top artistic groups will entertain delegates in the next two days.

PBD was first launched in 2003 to commemorate the return to India of the first Pravasi, Mahatma Gandhi. It has now evolved into an outcome-drive platform for sustainable engagement between India and its diaspora and attracts great attention from the overseas Indian community.

Source : Press Information Bureau

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