The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference today. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister commended the diaspora in their respective countries for their role during the Corona epidemic. He said that during discussions with state heads, he always took pride in the diaspora, when Hades praised the Indian for his contribution as doctors, paramedics and ordinary citizens in his countries. He also noted the contribution of the diaspora in India’s fight against COVID.
Keeping in mind India’s role in dealing with the Y2K crisis and the progress made by the Indian pharma industry, the Prime Minister said that India’s capabilities always benefit humanity. India is always at the forefront of mitigating global challenges. India’s leadership in the fight against colonialism and terrorism gave the world the strength to face these threats.
The Prime Minister said that much of the credit for the trust of the world lies in India, its food, fashion, family value and business value goes to foreign Indians. The conduct of the diaspora created interest in the Indian way and values and what started as a curiosity turned into a convention. The Prime Minister said that as India is moving forward with the goal of self-reliant India, overseas Indians have a major role as their use in India’s products will create greater confidence in Indian products.
The Prime Minister also told the Indian diaspora about India’s competent response to the epidemic. He said that globally, there is no other example of such democratic unity against the virus. Despite its dependence in important things like PPE kits, masks, ventilators or test kits, India not only developed its capabilities to become self-sufficient but also started exporting many things. Today, India is among the countries with the lowest mortality and fastest recovery rate. As the world’s pharmacy, India is helping the world and the whole world is looking at India as the country prepares to adopt the world’s largest vaccination program with two indigenously developed vaccines.
The Prime Minister underlined the progress made by the country in curbing corruption through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), which came to global acclaim during the epidemic. Similarly, the empowerment of the poor and progress in renewable energy is praising the country.
The Prime Minister informed that today’s India’s space program, the Tech Start-up ecosystem, its ‘Unicorns’ are presenting an age-old narrative of India’s illiteracy. He invited NRIs to take advantage of the reforms taken during recent months in fields ranging from education to enterprise. He specifically referred to the Production Linked Subsidy Scheme to popularize manufacturing in this regard.
The Prime Minister assured the expatriate of all assistance from his motherland. He referred to the Vande Bharat Mission in which more than 45 lakh Indians were saved during the time of Corona. He also informed about the efforts being made to protect the employment of overseas Indians. The ‘Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support’ (SWADES) has been initiated to return immigrants from the Gulf and other areas. He also spoke about the Global Pravasi Sage Portal for better connectivity and communication with overseas Indians.
Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Chandrikaprasad Santokhi, Honorable President of the Republic of Suriname for his leadership and keynote address. He hoped to meet them soon. Shri Modi also congratulated the winners of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and the winners of the quiz competition.
The Prime Minister asked the diaspora to participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence. He asked the diaspora and people of Indian missions to prepare a portal where the contribution of diaspora in the freedom struggle of India can be documented.