Declaring India as an educational hub for Indian diaspora living across the world as it was the land limitless opportunites, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj cited examples of highly-reputed IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management) and other institutions apart from government programmes aimed at rapid development.
Swaraj, in her inaugural address at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to mark the rousing start of three-day 15th edition of PBD at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre) on Monday morning, said the Indian diaspora had dramatically changed the world’s perception of Indians and the country.
Swaraj, in her remarks, said the success of each and every Indian emigrant was a testimonial to their indefatigable spirit, dedication and patience in the face of extreme hardships. “While the Indian diaspora started migrating centuries ago, it is the migration of the educated, highly-skilled and dynamic young Indians that has brought laurels to India,” she said, noting that many of the multi-national corporations are headed by young Indian-origin CEOs such as Sundar Pichai of Google and Satya Nadella of Microsoft. Swaraj highlighted that by 2020, the average age in India would be 29, making it the world’s youngest country with 64 per cent of the population in the working age group.
“While countries like the US, Western Europe, Japan and even China are ageing rapidly, India is getting younger and younger. By 2022, these ageing countries will become super-aged with over one-third of their population over 65 years of age, while India will have the world’s largest working population. “This demographic prospective offers India an unprecedented edge, which could further contribute to building a New Young India by 2022. It is projected that India will be the source of skilled manpower to the world by 2022,” she said.
The government’s Skill India initiative is aimed at making the county the skill capital of the world by 2022. “Our aim is to not just export ‘man-power’ to the world, but to export ‘skills’. Exporting ‘skilled’ manpower will not only garner a better image for India on the global space, but also will lead to better salaries and better remittances, thus raising India’s GDP further,” the minister said. Asserting that India is now a land of innovation and start-ups, Swaraj said contribution of Indian diaspora in technical field was exemplary with nearly 16 per cent of startups in the Silicon Valley having an Indian co-founder. In the last four-and-a-half years, the government has dismantled lots of rules and regulations and further opened up India’s investment regime, Swaraj said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said he had made a lot of efforts to change the investment scenario in the state. He also invited all NRIs to invest in the land of their forefathers. “Our diaspora has always championed Indian culture in faraway lands and contributed tremendously to India’s success story,” Rathore said on the occassion. Chief guests for the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas were Member of Parliament from New Zealand Kanwaljeet Bakshi and MP from Norway Himanshu Gulati. Later, the first plenary session on ‘Engagement with younger members of Indian Diaspora’, was co-chaired by Rathore and Singh. Uttar Pradesh Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was also held where renowned NRIs with family roots in the state took part. The theme for this year Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is ‘Role of Indian diaspora in building New India’.
