Mumbai, Dec. 01, 2004
IANS
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will
address a three-day conclave of non-resident Indians (NRIs) to be held
here in January.
The third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2005 is being organised from Jan
7-9 jointly by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs and the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Suriname's vice president Jules Ajodhia will be the chief guest at
the conclave and will address the inaugural session with Kalam and Manmohan
Singh, said a statement here.
Overseas Indians from around 70 countries are expected to lead large
delegations to Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this year, said the statement,
adding over 600 delegates have already confirmed their participation.
The event will have plenary sessions with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram,
Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Jagdish Tytler, other cabinet ministers
and leader of opposition L.K. Advani.
Sectoral issues will be discussed at parallel sessions on education,
science and technology, healthcare, rural development, ethnic media
and entertainment, non-resident Indians in Gulf, finance, and culture
and tourism.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will also have an "internship programme"
for the overseas Indian youths to strengthen their bonds with India.
This is a platform where young students and professionals of Indian
origin from different countries will gather for a three-week period,"
said Vivek Bharati, an advisor with FICCI.
"This year, around 40 interns will participate in organising the
event and will be provided an orientation to increase their awareness
of their country of origin," he added.
Some of the leading diaspora personalities who have confirmed their
participation are cabinet ministers Samy Vellu of Malaysia and Shanmugaratnam
of Singapore, Shashi Tharoor, Amitabha Ghosh, and Vijay Amritraj.
Organisations including Indian business chambers abroad like the Malaysian
Indian Congress and the Indian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong will lead
delegations to the event.