lawmakersNew Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind todayasked parliamentarians of Indian origin to link the prioritiesof their countries with India's development and see how thetwo can intersect.
Addressing the inaugural session of the internationalconference of PIO (persons of Indian origin) Parliamentarianshere, the president said India offers opportunities for hugeinvestment, trade and development.
The conference is being attended by parliamentarians from23 nations.
"...it is important for you to link your individualcountry's priorities to India's development. And to see howthese can intersect," he said.
The president called the parliamentarians "livingbridges" who play an important role in enhancing understandingbetween their countries and the country of their parents andancestors.
"Indians are proud of our democracy, fabric of pluralismand diversity. This is our greatest strength. And the Indiandiaspora has carried such liberal and civic-minded values withit.
"Instinctively, this has made members of the Indiandiaspora contribute to public life in countries that they arecitizens of," he said.
For the Indian government, engagement with PIOparliamentarians or with the wider Indian diaspora communityis not a transactional relationship or a zero-sum game, Kovindsaid.
"Rather, we look upon the community and look upon you,the PIO parliamentarians and elected and publicrepresentatives, as a living bridge," he said.
They can help build "economic, people-to-people andstrategic connections that will be of benefit to bothcountries and to all of us", the president said.
Describing India as one of the fastest growing economiesin the world, he said the economy will gallop ahead in thenext few decades.
We are also at the cusp of a new India that will achievecertain milestones for our people by 2022, also a year when wewill celebrate the 75th year of its Independence, thepresident said.
"At such a juncture, India offers huge investment, tradeand developmental opportunities. And the development of Indiawill be of benefit to not just the 1.3 billion people of Indiabut will be a voice of hope and prosperity and of peace andstability for our shared world and for all the countries yourepresent," he said.
He praised the Indian diaspora saying they have risen to"appreciable heights" in almost all countries where theyfound a home.
The president gave some examples of the work done bymembers of the Indian diaspora, like farmers in countries asfar apart as Italy, Bolivia and Tanzania.
"They (Indian diaspora) are instrumental to the techstart-up ecosystem of Silicon Valley. They form the backboneof the economy of Dubai and other major business cities in theGulf region. The global financial centres of New York, Londonand Singapore would simply not be the same without the Indiandiaspora," he said.
Kovind lauded the achievements made by the PIOs and otherIndians living overseas.
"As a country, we are very proud of what our PravasiBharatiya brothers and sisters have done. They haveembellished the identity of India and of the Indian people allover the world," he said.
They, he said, have remained true to Indian culture andretained a strong and commendable bond with their roots, evenwhen living thousands of miles away.
"I would go to the extent of saying that if Indiancuisine and Indian films have a global market today, it isbecause the diaspora has taken them to distant lands," thepresident said.
The conference is being hosted by the Antar RashtriyaSahayog Parishad-Bharat along with the PIO Chamber ofCommerce and Industry and the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA). PTI NESMIN.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.