Gandhinagar: India reached out to its global youth with the message of “come, connect, celebrate and contribute” to be part of the “momentous transformation taking place in the country” as the three-day 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the world’s largest annual gathering of people of Indian origin, kicked off here yesterday.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is also minister for overseas Indian affairs, inaugurated the Youth PBD, being attended by hundreds of diaspora youth from across the world. Attired in a blue silk sari, she lighted the ceremonial lamp as part of the inaugural ceremony. Speaking at the inauguration of the 2015 Youth PBD, Sushma Swaraj urged the diaspora youth to contribute to the country’s development. “We want you, the Pravasis, to contribute to the development of India. We want you to participate in the vision that Prime Minister Modi has for India’s future,” she said and enumerated the programmes launched by the government, including Make in India, Smart Cities, Swachch Bharat, and Skill India.
She said the government “has been working in mission mode to implement all these programmes. You can contribute to them and become an active partner in these ventures. Our Government is fully committed to good governance, efficiency, accountability, transparency, and speedy decision making”.
The minister, addressing the diaspora youth at the Mahatma Mandir complex, said there are “tremendous opportunities today for you to join us, especially in the fields of manufacturing, infrastructure development, education, health, skills development, science and technology, research and innovation, knowledge economy and youth development as part of our effort to realise India’s full potential”.
She described the diaspora as “the most significant example of India’s soft power”.
She said the diaspora has “retained a bit of India in your hearts” though living thousands of miles away and have “kept the spirit of Bharat alive”.
The minister said the PBD is “an occasion to reflect upon your heritage, and to touch base with a country which will always consider you as one of its own, regardless of the colour of your passport or the land of your citizenship”.IANS
