The Hindu : Front Page : Plan to rope in overseas Indians

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Wednesday, Jan 09, 2008
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Plan to rope in overseas Indians

Special Correspondent

Mechanism to canalise their donations for development projects

NEW DELHI: The government will appeal to the heart of the overseas Indians and tap their mind by setting up a mechanism to canalise their donations into development projects and forming a think-tank to pick their brains.

This was stated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the inaugural session of the sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here on Tuesday.

An India Development Foundation to serve as a “credible institutional mechanism to direct overseas Indian philanthropic propensities into human development efforts” was planned.

The proposed foundation — an autonomous non-profitable trust — would assist the overseas Indians in contributing for the development of education, health and infrastructure in their native villages, districts or States. It would partner with credible NGOs and philanthropic organisations to provide a strong public-private partnership bridge between the overseas Indians and the beneficiaries.

Dr. Singh announced the establishment of a Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin. It would comprise those recognised as leaders in their fields not only in their countries of residence but also globally. It would serve as a high-level platform for the Prime Minister to draw upon the experience and knowledge of the best Indian minds based anywhere in the world.

He, however, pointed out that the bulk of resources for the country’s development must come from within.

Describing the overseas Indians as “global citizens” of an inter-dependent and inter-connected world, he thanked the Indians in the U.S. for their efforts in mobilising the support of the political leadership there for cooperation in civilian nuclear energy.

Dr. Singh made a special mention of the Gulf Indian workers, who account nearly 50 per cent of the $26 billion that came to the country in 2006 by way of remittances from the overseas Indians.

He said the security and welfare of Indians abroad was the priority of the country’s diplomatic missions. Community leaders must have better coordination with the missions to make them more responsive to the needs of the overseas Indians. The Indian diaspora was a pluralistic community and they should inspire the world to live in peacewith each other, despite diversities.

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