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PM
inaugurates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
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Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh lighting the traditional
lamp to inaugurate the 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
in Chennai on January 8, 2009. Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M Karunanidhi and Union Minister of Overseas
Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi are also seen.
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Chennai:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas 2009 in Chennai on Thursday. Launching
a new initiative called ‘The Global Indian Knowledge Network’
on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the initiative
will connect people of Indian origin from a variety of
disciplines to users at the national, state and local
levels in India. He said the Network will facilitate transfer
of knowledge and serve as a ‘virtual think tank’ to generate
new ideas on issues such as development, education and
healthcare.
The
following is the text of the Prime Minister’s address
to the people of Indian origin: “I am delighted to be
here in the presence of such a distinguished gathering
of overseas Indians. I wish you and your families a very
happy, peaceful, prosperous and purposeful new year. While
you are in our country, I wish you all a very pleasant
stay in our country.
We
have congregated in the southern most state of India and
in a city where traditions and culture blend with modernity
and technology with great ease.. I am sure many of you
will be visiting the great temples at Mahabalipuram. They
stand testimony to our sea-faring history. The ancient
Tamil people, the ancient Telugu people, the people of
Bengal and Orissa, have all sailed through the sea to
our East, not to conquer lands but to conquer the hearts
and minds of the people they came in contact with. This
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is our contemporary tribute to
that great spirit, to that great heritage and to the excellent
work you all continue to do as people of Indian origin
in your respective countries. It is a tribute to your
spirit of adventure and enterprise which have transformed
you and the Indian Overseas community into powerful agents
of social and economic change and the world admiration
in distinct lands.
You
come to this Conference from distant lands from all around
the world. Our Chief Guest today, His Excellency Mr. Ramdien
Sardjoe, the Vice President of Suriname, comes from the
other side of our planet. Yet, he has inside him the blood
of his Indian ancestors. His leadership and contribution
to public life are a testimony to the achievements of
the sons and daughters of India who have travelled to
distant lands, and excelled in their respective professions.
We take great pride in their achievements. I welcome you,
Mr. Vice President, to this ancient land of Bharat. I
am sure your heart beats faster on this soil. Let me assure
you, our hearts too beat for you and for the millions
of Pravasis, every moment of our lives.
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Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurating the Global
Indian Knowledge Network at the opening of the 7th
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Chennai on January 8,
2009. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and
Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar
Ravi are also seen.
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We
feel proud of the great achievements of the people of
Indian origin around the world. More than any other people,
the people of India and of Indian origin know the meaning
of tolerance and the art of living together regardless
of caste, creed, religion or language. Pluralism and the
willingness to live with each other despite our differences
is a deeply embedded trait of Indian culture. That is
why I have often said that those who pursue the politics
of exclusion, of monotheism, who divide people between
“us” and “them”, betray the very idea of India. Our civilization
was built on reason; on the willingness to engage in dialogue.
As my friend Prof. Amartya Sen has reminded us, we Indian
people have been over the centuries, an argumentative
people. But I also say that we have been a consensual
civilization. The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai were
a grim reminder of the grave threat posed by extremism
and terrorism to our pluralistic and liberal traditions.
There are some who would not like to see India succeed.
But we have shown, over and over again, that we will not
allow the forces of terrorism and extremism to destabilize
our polity, our economy and our society. We have taken
several measures to strengthen national security, to promote
national cohesion and we will continue to work with the
international community to ensure that there are no safe
havens and launching pads for terrorists. Despite the
global economic downturn, the fundamentals of Indian economy
continue to remain strong. We expect to achieve a growth
rate of about 7% this year, which will be among the highest
in the world. Much of India’s growth is internally driven
and I expect we can maintain a strong pace of growth in
the coming years. That certainly will be our ambition.
India is actively involved in the meetings of the global
G-20 countries, which are deliberating on the creation
of a new global financial structure. We need to ensure
that any new architecture that emerges is suited to the
new challenges and vulnerabilities facing the world economy
and simultaneously it must be reflective of the changes
that have taken place in the economic structure over the
years. Countries like India have a right to be given their
due place in the evolving scheme of things.
A
few months ago the international community lifted restrictions
to end our nuclear isolation of the last thirty four years.
The overseas Indian community, specially in the United
States, played a key role in ensuring this outcome and
in mobilizing congressional support for it in the United
States. For this we are truly grateful to all of you.
But much more importantly, this is a sign of the growing
role that Indian origin communities are now playing in
public policy and opinion making across the world. We
applaud you for that contribution. I am sure that each
one of you would have sensed the growing respect with
which India is today regarded in the world. India’s rise
is increasingly being regarded as an important dimension
of the emerging international world order. Our counsels
on key global challenges are not just being heard, but
are being actively sought and in this enterprise of changing
the image of India, the overseas Indian community have
played a magnificent role and I thank you for that.
The
Overseas Indian Citizenship Scheme which we had announced
in 2006 has elicited an overwhelming response. I am therefore
happy to announce that henceforth OCI card holders who
are qualified professionals – doctors, dentists, pharmacists,
engineers, architects and chartered accountants - will
have the benefit of practicing their professions here
in our country. Further details to operationalize this
benefit are being worked out. I am happy to launch today
a new initiative called ‘The Global Indian Knowledge Network’.
This Network will connect people of Indian origin from
a variety of disciplines to users at the national, state
and local levels in India. My hope is that the Network
will facilitate transfer of knowledge and serve as a ‘virtual
think tank’ to generate new ideas on issues such as development,
education and health-care. I would like to say a few words
about the five million Indian workers working in the Gulf.
I have seen their contributions first-hand when I recently
visited Oman and Qatar. I was amazed to see their grit,
their determination, and how they are contributing magnificiently
to processes of wealth creation in these countries. We
are therefore concerned at the rise in tensions in the
region as a result of the attack in Gaza that has led
to the needless loss of lives of many innocent men, women
and children. India has strongly condemned these incidents
and it is our hope that the international community would
get together and help restore peace in the region as soon
as possible. I wish to reiterate our unstinted and unwavering
support for the just Palestinian cause. We have put in
place several measures for better protection and welfare
of our workers overseas, including by entering into inter-governmental
agreements. I am happy to inform you that we have launched
a comprehensive e-governance project on migration. Under
this project, every worker will be issued a ‘Smart Card’
that will contain all details of the worker, his work
contract, his employer, his insurance etc. This data will
also be available to the Government of India as well as
our missions overseas. The objective of this project is
to transform emigration process into a simple, transparent,
orderly and humane process.
Till
now, at these gatherings, we have celebrated the spirit
of adventure and enterprise of the global Indians. This
year, let me add, that we have made contact with a distant
pravasi that you have all grown up hearing about – Chanda-mama!
When Chandrayaan-I soared into the skies last October,
it was not just a display of India’s technological achievements.
It was the fulfilment of an ancient dream, to meet Chandamama!
I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that one day an Indian,
desi or pravasi, will complete that journey and we will
be able to land a man on the moon from India. It is this
sense of confidence in our future that defines the India
of today. I urge you all to come and participate in this
great adventure of human development within the framework
of a free and open society and an open economy. I have
often said nowhere else a billion people are trying to
seek their economic and social salvation in the framework
of a functioning democracy committed to respect for all
fundamental human rights, commitment to the rule of law
and if India succeeds it will have profound implication
for the development of the rest of the country of the
third world. India welcomes your participation in our
social and economic development. Modern science and technology
have created many new frontiers of knowledge to be harnessed
for human development and well being. I hope your conference
gives us more ideas on how we can work together for India’s
progress and your welfare. With these words, I once again
welcome you all to this magnificent Conference.”
-Jan
8, 2009
