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Prime
Minister's inaugural speech at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Mumbai I recall that speaking to a
reporter of the Bombay Chronicle on his arrival here in 1915 Mahatma
Gandhiji had said “Both my wife and I are exceedingly glad to see again
the dear old Motherland, and the kind and hearty reception which the public
gave us has added to the joy, and overwhelmed us. I can only hope that by
our future conduct we shall have deserved this welcome.” Gandhiji could
not have realized at the time how true these first words of his would prove
to be. History has recorded in golden letters the glory of his “future
conduct” which has altered all our futures. Perhaps there will never be a
greater Pravasi than the Mahatma, but our ancient and gracious Motherland
welcomes each one of you with the same affection and kindness with which it
welcomed Mahatma Gandhiji. In return, it expects nothing but your
unquestioned love. I am confident that through your “future conduct”
each one of you will also do our Nation proud as did Bapu and Kasturba. It used to be said of the
British Empire, from whose yoke Gandhiji freed us, that the sun would never
set on it. If there is an Empire today on which the sun truly cannot set, it
is the empire of our minds, that of the children of Mother India, who live
today in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Americas and, indeed, on the
icy reaches of Antarctica. Our honoured Chief Guest today, His Excellency
Jules Rattankoemar Ajodhia is the Vice President of distant Surinam, that
lies half the globe away! The idea of ‘Pravasi
Bharatiya’ has been in the making throughout the 19th and 20th Century.
Today, at the dawn of the 21st century it is an idea whose time has truly
come. We speak different languages, we practice different religions, our
cuisine is varied and so is our costume. We are over a billion Indians and
over 25 million overseas Indians, living in 110 different countries. Yet,
there is a unifying idea that binds us all together, which is the idea of
“Indian-ness”. At home, ours is a unique
experiment in social, economic and political transformation. Never in human
history have a billion people, mostly poor, sought, secured and succeeded in
building a democratic Republic that has doubled per capita income within one
generation. We have done that. We have a long distance to travel in
regaining the full glory of our ancient civilization, but the journey so far
has been forward, though with its ups and downs, and it is a journey in
which the Pravasi Bharatiya now proudly joins us as a partner and a friend.
Globally, you have all done us proud despite the trying history of your
migration and the hardships of your progress. People of Indian Origin
worldwide represent four waves of migration in the past. The first, and
probably the longest wave, was of Indians going forth in search of knowledge
and opportunity as travellers, as teachers and as traders. The second wave
was one of enforced migration of indentured labour, a legacy of colonialism.
The third wave was a product of partition. The fourth and the most recent
wave has been that of skilled Indians seeking opportunity and challenge,
knowledge and adventure and the excitement of discovering a whole new world.
There are among those of you gathered here today representatives of each of
these four waves of migration. What is common to all of us is our innate
Indian-ness. It is a complex mix of values and beliefs bound together by
deeply emotional roots. It is a unique phenomenon in world history, but it
is there for the world to see and, as I stand here, it is so much visible in
your eyes ! There is, of course,
something more tangible than emotion that brings us closer today. This is
the opportunity we are creating at home for overseas Indians to once again
relate in a meaningful way to their ancient motherland. The process began
with the measures we took in 1991 to liberalise and modernize the Indian
economy. The many subsequent steps taken by successive Governments have
enabled Indians abroad to invest at home and to travel freely to and from
India. More recently it has also become possible for many to simultaneously
pursue professional careers and businesses both in their host country and in
their home country. The number of Indians with two homes is increasing. Some
pursue parallel careers, others just visit us for a holiday. Either way, our
airports are getting increasingly clogged with traffic. That is why our
Government has unveiled a new civil aviation policy to meet the requirements
of modern times. We have already opened up our skies in the peak season. We
have allowed Indian private airlines to fly abroad. We are building new
international airports in major metros, and will soon modernize 30 other
airports across the country. Our Government has also
decided to give substance to a longstanding demand of overseas Indians,
namely, the granting of dual citizenship. I am aware that this was promised
in the previous two editions of this event and I regret that little has
happened to implement this declaration of intent. The Government has
received several representations against the original approach of notifying
some selected countries for this facility. I am happy to announce that we
have decided to extend the facility of dual citizenship to all overseas
Indians who migrated from India after 26th January 1950, as long as their
home countries allow dual citizenship under their local laws. I do hope that
a day will come when every single overseas Indian who wishes to secure
Indian citizenship will actually be able to do so. I pledge to you that I
will work in that direction. Our Government will also
simplify the application forms for citizenship for overseas Indians. A new
user-friendly form combining the three forms prescribed earlier has also
been evolved and will be notified soon. Finally, we will simplify the format
of the certificate of registration of overseas citizens of India. Various
options, including the possibility of smart cards, are being considered. I
hope the security, operational and other aspects of issuing this document
will be completed soon without any further loss of time. I have asked the concerned
ministries to spell out the benefits of registering overseas citizens so
that there is clarity on our policy. I am aware that the Government has
taken far too much time in moving forward on this and we will soon be able
to complete the relevant procedures without any further loss of time. Indian immigrants have gone
to many countries to seek a livelihood in distant lands, or in search of
knowledge, skills, training and professional opportunities. The psyche of
the migrant is a complex one. I understand and appreciate this, having
myself migrated from my place of birth under difficult circumstances and in
times of crisis. As migrants in search of a home and a living, my family and
many other families like mine had to work harder. We had to have hope to
transform, to translate our living present to a productive future. This was
true of many migrant communities the world over. However, you, ladies and
gentlemen, overseas Indians have succeeded thanks to the foundation in
education and skills your home country gave you, and due to the
opportunities that your host country has given you. It is for this reason
that I have always been impressed by the optimism that characterizes the
overseas Indian. It is also for this reason that you continue to look back
at India with love, affection and longing, though with an understandable
degree of impatience with our many bureaucratic procedures. I feel particularly happy
that the economic policies we initiated at home in the past decade have
enabled us to connect with you more vigorously and to engage you in
meaningful ways in the reconstruction of our Motherland. These policies have
significantly contributed to the emergence of India as a major global player
in the economic world. Together with the tremendous strides our country has
been making in the knowledge based sector, there is no doubt that the 21st
century is going to be an Indian century. I assure you that the
reform process which we started may be carried forward in the economic field
and may be extended to administration and the polity so that India’s vast
latent potential is unchained. There is much that you can contribute, both
through the inspiration of your example and through investment in our
future. Investment, as Lord Keynes once said, is an act of faith. I invite
you to have faith in India. We are going to take the future ahead. Our
Government is committed to renew the people’s faith in good governance and
in a socially just and equitable process of development. We are committed to
strengthening the sinews of our plural, multi-cultural, multi-religious and
multi-ethnic democracy. We are committed to building an open society and an
open economy, based on just and equitable foundations. I am personally committed
to a closer and wide-ranging interaction between India and overseas Indians.
That is why our Government created a new and separate Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs. This is a nodal ministry that will function as a
“one-stop-shop” on all matters pertaining to overseas and non-resident
Indians. This is still a new Ministry and we will welcome suggestions on its
mandate and priorities. It is my intention to make this Ministry a friendly
and helping in all matters relating to overseas Indians. India owes a lot to the
people of Indian origin in the Persian Gulf region whose regular financial
remittances home have played an important role in building our foreign
exchange reserves that now amount to over $130 billion. There are many
issues of concern for these non-resident Indians, from the Gulf countries
including issues pertaining to their work contracts and conditions. I
promise our Government will work hard and these matters will engage the
attention of the new Ministry on priority basis. The issue of protecting
returns on the savings of NRIs is a legitimate concern that the Government
will try and address to find appropriate solutions. Ideally we should try
and wean away NRIs in the Gulf from bank deposits to investment, to debt or
even equity-oriented savings. The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana introduced
last year is an encouraging first step. Our insurance providers will be
encouraged to come up with some more innovative policies to make them more
attractive. One of the defining
characteristics of the overseas Indian is the high investments you have
traditionally made in the education of your children. Interestingly, while
many young Indians like to go abroad in search of higher education, many
overseas Indians are coming here! This is quite natural. Young Indians,
young people like to travel and live away from home as students. I have
myself benefited from this experience and so have my daughters. I would like
to encourage young overseas Indians to come and study in institutions in our
own country. I know that in the past Governments here have not always
delivered on promises in this area, but I hope the new Ministry will take
special interest in encouraging Indian universities and institutions to
implement existing commitments and increase support for overseas Indian
students wanting to study in India. Apart from higher
education, NRIs can meaningfully participate in extending primary education
to our vast population. The Programmes for Overseas Indians to Support
Elementary Education in India, as outlined by the Ministry of HRD, will be
discussed with you in these Sessions. Now that we have made the right to
elementary education a fundamental right of every Indian child, we require
resources and the necessary wherewithal to realize it in practice.
Contributions need not go only to Government. There are many NGOs which are
active in the social sectors, whom you could help. Many of them may be
working in villages from where your forefathers first migrated. By helping
them you would pay tribute to the sacred memories of our ancestors. We need massive investments
in infrastructure, both social and economic, rural and urban, to step up the
rate of economic growth to 7% - 8% per annum, so that we can generate more
employment and eradicate poverty in our life time. I believe the economy
must absorb up to $150 billion of investment in infrastructure over the next
decade for us to be able to increase our growth rate. Much of this must come
in as foreign direct investment, and in substantial part, from overseas
Indians. India needs your investment. We are committed to make India
attractive enough for you to invest here. I commit our Government to work to
creating an environment conducive to the growth of the spirit of adventure
and enterprise. Your meeting takes place
against the backdrop of the Tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004. Thousands
of families in India and our neighbourhood have been devastated by this
calamity. I have travelled to many coastal villages, and will tomorrow be
visiting the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. I am touched by the overwhelming
generosity of people at home and abroad and the manner in which they are
coming forward to help. While the initial rescue, relief and immediate
rehabilitation work will perforce have to be performed by local authorities
and our security forces, we will be happy to receive the support and
assistance of all in the medium and long term rehabilitation of victims and
reconstruction of the affected economies. Those of you who wish to help the
relief work could contribute to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
I recall that when appealing for relief for victims of a natural disaster,
Mahatma Gandhi once said “he gives twice who quickly gives”. I am sure
you share that sense of urgency and will be generous with your support. I know that it is in times
of need that one’s friends come forward to lend their support. But I also
know that our country is fortunate to have the affection of overseas Indians
at all times. If today you are doing us proud by your achievements and by
your attainments, I can assure you that tomorrow we will do you proud by the
record of our performance in economic and social reconstruction of our
country. I am convinced as I said a moment ago, that the 21st Century will
be an Indian Century. The world will once again look at us with regard and
respect, not just for the economic progress we make but for the democratic
values we cherish and uphold and the principles of pluralism and
inclusiveness we have come to represent which is India’s heritage. The path free India chose
for itself will be the one that the entire world will come to walk upon as
societies realize that social harmony, peace, economic progress and
prosperity are best defended by inclusive societies and open economies that
is the message India has for the world. I wish this meeting all
success in its deliberations. Jai Hind ! |