Ansari asks expats to play role in changing country

With the two-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) coming to an end, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Friday claimed that it was the most successful among all the 13 annual conclaves of expatriates held so far since 2003.

The PBD 2015 saw over 4,000 expats from around the world assembling at the Mahatma Mandir at the capital of Gujarat and the government said that such an overwhelming response from Indian Diaspora had never been seen in any of the earlier conclaves.

The annual congregation came to its end with Vice-President M Hamid Ansari presenting this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award to 15 distinguished expat Indians, including Indian-origin President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella was also among the awardees, although he was not present to personally receive the award.

Noting that India at present is on “the cusp of change” and “in the process of actualizing expectations of its vast population for a better life”, Ansari called upon overseas Indians to play a role in the transformation.

“They (overseas Indians) have knowledge and resources to reinforce the effort in niche areas; they also have the experience of other lands where similar efforts were pursued successfully. We welcome such initiatives, which will replicate these valuable experiences here and save us from reinventing the wheel,” he said.

The government pulled out all the stops to make the PBD a huge success, not only because it was the first such conclave after the new government led by Bharatiya Janata Party took over in the Centre, but also because it was being held at the home state of Modi, who – after taking over as prime minister – made it a point to step up New Delhi’s engagements with Indian Diaspora.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is primarily responsible to hold the annual conclave of the overseas Indians.

Sushma Swaraj, who holds Overseas Indian and External Affairs portfolios, however, left no stone unturned and deputed officials of her both ministries to make it a grand success this year. She, herself, travelled to Gandhinagar days before the PBD started on January 7 to oversee arrangements.