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India rolls out red carpet for its
diaspora
By Siddharth
Srivastava
NEW DELHI - It began last year as a
gargantuan task to bring the Indian Diaspora back
together, to bring the Great Indian Family back home to
Mother India.
The second annual Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) under way on Friday is an attempt
- and more than symbolic - to bring the 20
million-strong Great Indian family spread across the
globe back to their native land, physically, emotionally
- and financially.
More than 1,200 people of
Indian origin from 55 countries are expected to attend
the three-day PBD - a combination of seminars,
consciousness-raising and problem-solving. And while
financial investment from Indians abroad is important
and sought after, organizers emphasize that what is most
important is not riches - but the richness of the
experience of Indians living abroad.
Indicating
the importance of the event, among those attending are
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, fresh from his
successful visit to Pakistan, and Deputy Prime Minister
L K Advani, who has been at the forefront of granting
dual citizenship to Indians abroad.
Over 2,000
people of Indian origin worldwide are converging on the
capital. They include Noble Prize laureate Sir V S
Naipaul, management Guru C K Prahalad, economist Jagdish
Bhagwati, entrepreneur and philanthropist Lord Raj Bagri
and business magnate L N Mittal, both of Britain, and
veteran West Indies cricketer Rohan Kanhai. Leaders of
Indian industry will address the assembly, including
Mukesh Ambani, chairman of India's largest conglomerate,
Reliance Industries, and Sunil Mittal, chairman of
Bharti Telecom.
Highlights include a session
with Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha on policies for
productive engagement among Indians worldwide and a
discussion with opposition leader Sonia Gandhi,
president of the Congress Party. Finance Minister
Jaswant Singh speaks on globalization, the Indian
economy and the Indian Diaspora; Advani speaks on "India
and the Diaspora: Vision for 2020".
Other
subjects of discussion include personal international
law and the Indian diaspora, international trade -
diaspora hubs and the global market, knowledge-based
industries, networking for global leadership and tourism
and branding strategies for India. Round table
discussions on making India a competitive destination in
healthcare, voluntary sector and development and finance
are on the agenda.
"The first PBD last year set
into motion the task of bringing Indians from every
corner of the globe under one roof and for the first
time created awareness about the achievements of the
Great Indian Family. The second will take this effort
further and not only enhance the belief and power that
this family possesses but also deal with the issues and
concerns faced by them," said J C Sharma, secretary in
the Ministry of External Affairs, a member of the
organizing committee. The Indian government is closely
involved, since the event is being hosted by India's
foreign ministry in association with the leading
industry body, the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry.
More than airing
grievances
Indeed, as the past year after the
first get-together has proved, the event has turned out
to be much more than just an occasion of plenty of talk
and airing of grievances. There has been follow-up
action.
Dual citizenship, a long-standing demand
and main concern of the Indian diaspora in developed
countries, has been made a reality. The draft bill was
introduced in parliament on May 9 last year, to amend
the Citizenship Act of 1955, and the act stands amended.
This was a response to calls made by the first PBD in
January last year.
For those Indians with
foreign passports, the granting of dual citizenship will
remove the obstacles in travel to and from India,
removing the multiple visa requirements. The move will
foster cooperation with powerful elements of the People
of Indian Origin (PIO) settled in industrialized
countries. While strengthening emotional bonds, it
should also facilitate contributions to India's social
development and buttress links with the younger
generation keen to keep in touch with their roots.
"The fervor and passion elicited at the first
PBD was very heart-warming and marked the beginning of a
new chapter," says former diplomat L M Singhvi, who
heads the organizing committee.
Based on
feedback from the previous gathering, the Gulf nations
insurance scheme, which had been pending for quite some
time, is expected to be formalized. In order to protect
the interests of blue-collar Indian workers in the Gulf
region, a compulsory insurance program will be put in
place, a plan that can be extended to other countries as
long as the system of recruitment is through proper
channels. A welfare fund for Indian workers in the Gulf
is also expected to be established.
Another
major amendment set in motion by the first PBD was the
Foreign Contribution Act, an attempt to ease or remove
the bureaucratic, financial and other impediments
encountered by people and institutions in undertaking
voluntary work in India. The act is expected to be
amended soon.
Taking the process of systemic
changes further this year, a special forum has been
dedicated to air grievances and propose possible
solutions.The gathering is attempting to engage the
younger generation of the Indian diaspora by offering
conference internships. There will be a session on the
ethnic media, which plays an important role in keeping
Indian communities connected and informed of India. A
handbook is being published for Non-Resident Indians and
PIOs, which will give them rules and guidelines on
taxation, property rights, special programs offered by
state governments and other issues.
Seeking
riches - and richness
Indeed, the great Indian
get-together is now being seen not only as a dip into an
investment-centric relationship with the powerful Indian
community abroad, but also an attempt to leverage the
abundant talent and abilities of their diaspora in
various fields. As Vajpayee said at the inaugural
gathering last year: "We do not want your [Indians
abroad] riches, we want the richness of your
experience."
The financial power and influence
of Indians abroad is significant. Their money-power
speaks for itself. The US Census Bureau has pegged the
Indian American median family's annual income at
US$60,000, compared with the national average of
$38,885. Despite the recent recession, the dotcom bubble
burst and the tech meltdown, the estimated annual buying
power of Indian Americans still stands at $20 billion.
However, observers maintain that the event is not only
about money.
"Today investment is not
quantifiable in money terms only. There is a realization
among Indians living abroad that our destinies are
inter-linked even now. If India is seen as the emerging
country, or as the growing economy, people will pay much
more attention to people of Indian origin in various
parts of the world. On the other hand if our diaspora
are seen to be doing well, it only goes to enhance
India's prestige,'' says organizer Sharma of ministry of
external affairs.
The sentiment is echoed by
others. When the Indian economy performed well in the
1990s, despite recession elsewhere, there was more
attention to Indian communities aboard. They were seen
as links to reach India's emerging markets. Another
example of this change is the information technology
sector. Indians excelling in Silicon Valley have
revolutionized India's image within five years in the
US.
Indians began to be associated with software
and computers rather than elephants and snake charmers.
Indians now want this success replicated in sectors like
healthcare and biotechnology through a technology and
knowledge leap so that the world sees India and Indians
as a superior source for human capital. The Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas is a another way to send this message.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New
Delhi-based journalist.
(Copyright 2004 Asia
Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact content@atimes.com for
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