16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

-


Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address at the 16th Pravasi Bharitya Divas 2021 virtually. Prime Minister extended his best wishes to all for 2021! Mr. Modi said, today, the Internet might have connected the Indian Diaspora from every nook and corner of the world, but we all are attached to Mother Bharati and towards each other with affection.

He said, there is a tradition to honour all the colleagues who have enhanced the pride of Mother Bharati all over the world with the “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman” every year. About 240 dignitaries spread over 60 different countries have been honoured since the journey, which began under the guidance of Bharat Ratna late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Similarly, thousands of colleagues from all over the world have participated in the Bharat Ko Janiye (Know India) Quiz competition. These numbers show that they may be away from the roots, but the new generation’s attachment is growing as much. The 15 winners of this quiz competition were also present in the virtual event.

Prime Minister congratulated and extended his best wishes to all the winners. He said, all of them deserve accolades for taking part in the quiz competition. He requested all the participants of this quiz competition that they should try to connect 10 more people when the next quiz competition is held. Mr. Modi observed that technology is the easiest way to awaken the curiosity of the new generation to know India so that they can create an identity of India in the world. He urged the diaspora to take this idea forward.

Prime Minister said, the past year has been a year of many challenges for all of us. But amidst these challenges, the way our Indian Diaspora has worked and discharged its duty around the world is a matter of pride for India as well. This is our tradition and these are the custom of this land. There is a strong trust in Indian-origin colleagues all over the world for social and political leadership from here.

The Chief Guest of the event was the President of Suriname Mr. Chandrika Parasad Santokhi. He is a shining example of the spirit of service. Prime Minister Modi said the President of Suriname’s affection for India have touched the hearts of all of us. Mr. Modi said Indians will also have the opportunity to accord a grand welcome to the President of Suriname in India. In the past year, overseas Indians have further strengthened their identity in every sphere.

Addressing the virtual conference in Bhojpuri dialect, the Suriname President Mr. Santoki said, Suriname is prepared to take the first step in doing so by ending visa permits for visitors from India to Suriname. He added that the Suriname diaspora is an integral part of India’s soft power and vice versa India was also an important part of Suriname’s soft power. He said that the free movement between the two nations without the hassles of visa issuance would enable prosperity in key areas of opportunities such as education, information technology, and science. The importance of the Indian diaspora can and must be one of the mutual benefits. If we approach the opportunities in this way, we can achieve great things for our countries. President Santokhi said, in this interconnected world we all live in, we value international relationships based on respect and mutual benefits.

President Ram Nath Kovind delivering the valedictory address said, our Diaspora is our face to the world, and champions India’s cause on the global stage. It has always come to India’s aid, whether it is for advocacy regarding international issues of concern to India, or contributing to the Indian economy by way of investments and remittances. The President said that it was on this very day in the year 1915, that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi Bharatiya, returned to India to give a much wider base to our social reforms and freedom movement. During the next decades, Bapuji changed India in many fundamental ways. Before that, during his two decades of stay abroad, Bapu had identified the basic principles underlying the approach India should adopt for its growth and development. The President said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is also an occasion to recall Gandhiji’s ideals for individual and collective life. Gandhiji’s emphasis on Indian-ness, nonviolence, ethics, simplicity and sustainable development remain our guiding principles, he added. President Kovind also conferred the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards to 30 individuals and organisations.

Script: Kaushik Roy, AIR: News Analyst

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Data Darbar Suicide Attack

-
The deadly attack on the famous Sufi shrine Data Darbar in Lahore on the second day of the holy month of Ramadan that killed 10 and injured more than 25 people is yet another ghastly reminder that Pakistan still shelters terrorist groups that have now come to haunt its own State. The suicide bombing was apparently targeted towards the elite security force that was assigned to guard the Shrine as the inflow of devotees increase during Ramadan. This is not the first time a Sufi Shrine was targeted by terrorists in Pakistan. Many Shrines like Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Baba Farid in Pakpattan and Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi were attacked in the past. The Sufi nature of these shrines has made them an easy target of the terrorist groups that consider Sufis to be heretics. The terror organisations within Pakistan such as the Pakistan Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Hizbul Ahrar (said to be a splinter faction of the local Taliban) that took responsibility for the latest bombings in
Read more

US Needs To Relook Into Talks With The Taliban

-
The US has deviated from its resolve to root out terrorism in any form. From July last year it has entered into a dialogue with Taliban. The sixth round of these talks began in Doha, Qatar last week and is still underway. The talks have not yielded any result so far. US Special Envoy for the talks, Zalmay Khalilzad is reported to have said that the talks revolve around withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, guarantees against terrorism, ensuring negotiations between Taliban and Afghanistan government for initiation of political settlement and a lasting cease fire. Direct involvement of US in Afghanistan dates back seventeen years to September 2001; when terrorists attacked twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York. Following this, America had declared a war against terrorism. It vowed to punish Al Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden, whom it considered to be behind the attacks on American soil. It also declared to root out Taliban from Afghanistan for providing safe
Read more

India To Roll Out The World’s Biggest Covid19 Vaccination Drive

-
India will begin inoculating its 1.3 billion population against coronavirus starting January 16, in one of the world’s massive rollouts. The first phase of this daunting and complex task will cover 30 million frontline and health workers. This will be followed by the vaccination of 270 million people above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities or with high risk of infection. The aim is to vaccinate 300 million, equal almost to the entire US population, by July. This will be an unprecedented scale of immunisation. From developing, manufacturing to becoming a key supplier, India will play a crucial role in the global immunisation programme with two “Made in India” vaccines—Covaxin and Covishield. Covaxin, India’s first indigenous vaccine against Covid 19, is manufactured by the Hyderabad-based pharma company Bharat Biotech. The second, Covishield, was developed jointly by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and is manufactured by the Serum Institute of Ind
Read more