PBD to be grandest foreign policy event in India

AHMEDABAD: This promises to be grandest ever Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) ever. The total number of Indian origin delegates signing up for the 13th edition of PDB in Gandhinagar from today have crossed over 2500, making Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grandest foreign policy event on Indian soil so far.

Beginning with a focus on youth on Day one of the show, this edition of PDB would touch on areas that have never been touched before in past 12 annual shows – sessions on Indian indentured labourers and Persons of Indian origin from Francophone countries. The PM will inaugurate the meet on Thursday with a call to NRIs for investing in several of initiatives that he had launched including Swaach Bharat mission, Make in India and Clean Ganges program.

With a back to back PBD and Vibrant Gujarat in the state that makes up for most of NRIs and PIOs globally with a presence in 129 countries across the globe, Ministers and Parliamentarians of Indian Origin from UK,Canada and other nations have come down to what was earlier the Manchester of East.

Munish Gupta, International Coordinator, South Asia of Global Organisation People of Indian Origin or GOPIO told ET that this edition of diaspora meet promises to be grander than all previous editions.

“While the previous government did take some initiatives vis-a-vis diaspora and foreign relations, it could not give the PIOs and NRIs the sense of the pride in land of their origin or their forefather’s origin. The Indian diaspora is not only catalyst for brining investments but also a tool to improve bilateral relations wherever they are based. This NDA government has given the diaspora a sense of pride,” noted Gupta, a veteran of all PBDs so far.

While several chief ministers from various states are descending on Gujarat during the occasion, temperature is already rising over the visit of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is scheduled to visit Gandhinagar on January 9.

On Wednesday, Madhukar Jetley, Advisor to the UP Government on NRI Affairs, told the media that the state has already bagged investments to the volume of Rs 20,000 crore in the MSME sector in last two years and is hoping to attract investments worth Rs 2.50 lakh crore for Metro transport facilities in five cities across the state including Varanasi, the Loksabha Constituency of the Prime Minister and state capital Lucknow

Taking a dig at the recent controversy over the removal of some kiosks put up in the city by UP Government, Jetley asked why is the UP Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is unwelcome in the state that had laid red carpet for China’s President Xi Jingping only recently.

Meanwhile, the city is all decked up with posters, hoarding and kites to welcome the diaspora and foreign investors for back to back PBD and Vibrant Gujarat meet.

Source:Economictimes

Narendra Modi