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New Delhi:
Toronto is the venue for India's next mini-Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
in June to connect with its 27 million-strong diaspora in over 150
countries. It would focus on the aspirations of the new generation
of Indian youth worldwide and the universal cultural draw of
Bollywood, said Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi.
"We want youth among our vast diaspora to have the same bonding
with India that their parents and grandparents have. That's why we
will focus on reaching out to them at our next mini-Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas," the minister said.
This apart, Bollwood -- not just films but the stars, actors,
songs -- also has a very large fan following. It is an important
component of our soft power. So Bollywood will also feature very
prominently at the event, Ravi told IANS in an interview at his
residence.
The minister, who oversaw the successful conclusion of the
three-day annual diaspora conclave Jan 7-9, said Toronto was
chosen as the next venue since Canada also has a vast Indian
community estimated at around one million.
Also this Indian community in Canada is politically visible,
successful, hard working and enterprising. "By holding the event
in Canada, we can also reach out to our people in the Caribbean,
again a very vibrant community."
The previous mini-conclaves were held in New York, Singapore, The
Hague and Durban.
Ravi also made it clear that India holds events like these not for
attracting investment from people of Indian origin and
non-resident Indians. "It is more to promote our bonding, culture,
and thank them for their contributions," he said.
"If you look at foreign investment made by our diaspora, it is
just 1.3 percent of total inflows. Yes, our non-resident Indian
community remitted $54 billion last year - the largest for any
country. But that is not the point," he said.
"What we are trying to convey is that India today is a land of new
opportunities and our diaspora has a lot to gain by becoming our
partner in progress and our ambassadors. Contributions can be in
any field - health, education, industry."
Referring to demands made by non-resident Indians for voting
rights, Ravi said legislative process had concluded and the law
ministry was pushing it forward. He hoped the Election Commission
will make it happen by next general election.
"But let us be clear," Ravi told IANS. "Only non-resident Indians
will be able to vote and they can vote when they are in India. The
constituency can be the same as on their passports. We have some
ideas and we will reach a decision soon."
The minister said he was particularly happy that this year's
convention in New Delhi had focussed on the eight northeastern
states and further that youth from there participated with
enthusiasm and in large numbers.
"Focus on the northeast was a major achievement, a lot of personal
satisfaction for me," said Ravi, referring to the spotlight on
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Tripura and Sikkim.
People got to know the potential in northeast. "We have now opened
the doors for our children and youth from there to go abroad for
education, jobs. All these are efforts to mainstream our people
from the northeast."
(Arvind Padmanabhan can be contacted at arvind.p@ians.in)
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