Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greets Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
S. Jayakumar during the inauguration of the fifth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi on Sunday.
— AFP photo |
New Delhi, January 7
In an emotional appeal to the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today urged the 25 million people spread across the globe to invest in the country of origin “not just financially, but intellectually, socially, culturally and above all, emotionally.”
Inaugurating the fifth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2007, the annual conclave of the Indian diaspora here, he said efforts were underway to set up an overseas facilitation centre to serve as a source of investment advisory for Indian investors settled abroad.
Proposals to constitute a Central council for promotion of overseas employment and a university for persons of Indian origin (PIOs) here are under consideration, he told the gathering of about 1200 PIOs and NRIs.
Terming the enactment of law by the US on civil nuclear cooperation as an important step forward in bilateral ties, Prime Minister said it was vital for enlarging India’s developmental options and thanked the Indian-American community for playing a role in this endeavour.
He said the US action would enable the country to engage in civil nuclear cooperation with India as also other members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
He said the people in India could work together with the diaspora to create an environment in which the best of every Indian could find its fullest expression.
“I want every Indian living and working in India to aspire for the global recognition that a Zubin Mehta, a Lakshmi Mittal, an Indra Nooyi, an Amartya Sen or a Kalpana Chawla when they go overseas,” he added.
Recalling that when he was in Mauritius, he asked some Mauritian people whose ancestors hailed from Bihar to “make a Mauritius out of Bihar”.
“I could say the same thing about other parts of the country. When we see Sikh farmers creating agricultural wealth in the trying climates of Canada, we wonder how much more our farmers from Punjab are capable of,” he said.
Ahead of the ASEAN-India Summit, Manmohan Singh said his government was committed to working for forging closer multi-faceted links with South-East Asia and East Asia.
He particularly referred to Singapore as a special friend and said India's engagement with South-East Asia was largely because of its support.
Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, who is the chief guest at the three-day event, said India was poised to be an essential part of East Asia and that strength of the South Asian country would strengthen ASEAN and other multilateral bodies of the region.
