NRIs irked as interactions take a backseat at B2B event

Not everyone was happy with the way the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) has been organised. Many delegates had a reason to feel unhappy as they could not even move when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the stalls after his speech.

The complaints then started pouring in. “The city’s infrastructure is not up to the mark. We are staying in the Lalit Ashok hotel and while commuting we could see the IT city’s badly planned facilities. With garbage strewn all over, we couldn’t help but draw comparisons of places that we visited like China, Vietnam and Turkey,” said Kazi Ek ball Hossain and Linus Gomes from Kuwait.

Another delegate from Kuwait, Jatinder Suri, who has been attending every edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said the event had gone out of focus. “The very purpose of PBD is to interact and that’s missing. Though I booked my meetings online, I couldn’t meet anyone, as either the server crashed or is not working,” said Suri and other delegates who waited close to an hour near Hall No 1, as it was cordoned off due to security reasons.

A delegate from Singapore who didn’t want to be named said, “It’s supposed to be for us (NRIs), but look what’s happening. What are students and politicians doing here? Why we have to wait for an hour here, we can’t even have lunch, and a washroom here is the worst one that I have ever seen. I have attended quite a few PBDs, and the last one in Gujarat was not this bad. I am planning not to attend PBD at all,” he said.

The delegate, who has been living in Singapore for over two decades now, added, “Our team has developed a technology that could be used for Swachh Bharat. When I met the Urban Development department, they took a card from me and said they would contact me. The very purpose of Divas is to interact and talk about investments, and what’s the point if they contact me later?”

However, Yagou Louis from France and his team had no grievance. “We are waiting here for PM’s security reasons, and I completely understand it. This is the first time I am attending the PBD, and I am happy with the way it has been organised. It’s good to connect with your roots. I am looking forward to such events,” he said.