Calling the 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas an event where the host and the guests are one and the same people, PM Narendra Modi along with Portugal PM António Costa welcomed the gathering in Bengaluru on Sunday.
"About 30 million Indians who stay abroad are valued not just for strength in numbers but respected for contributions to India & countries where they live. The Indian diaspora represents the best of Indian culture, ethos, and values," the PM said. He also said that for the govt and for him personally engagement with overseas Indian community has been a priority.
Indian diaspora is our valuable partner in India's journey of development: We want to turn 'brain-drain' into 'brain-gain' and your support in this is very important, Modi said.
Remittance of close to sixty nine billion dollars annually by overseas Indians makes an invaluable contribution to the Indian economy. The directed embassies will be proactive towards needs and problems of Indian community abroad.
"Security of all Indians abroad is a top priority. We don't see the colour of the passport, but the blood ties," PM said while adding that Sushma Swaraj the external affairs minister has particularly been proactive and prompt in reaching out to distressed Indians abroad using social media. In thee last two and a half years, 80,000 Indian nationals have been rescued.
He said, a skill development program, Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna for Indian youth who are seeking employment overseas will soon be launched. He urged all the PIO card holders to convert their PIO (Person of Indian origin) Cards to OCI (Overseas citizen of India) Cards.
He welcomed the first batch of Know India Program' groups of young Indians from abroad who visited the programme. He also said that FDI stands for 'First Developed India' and not just Foreign Direct Investment alone.
In conclusion, while drawing focus on the ongoing demonetisation, PM extended his gratitude to the overseas Indians to support his fight against black money and corruption. "The 21st century belongs to India," PM said.