Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday inaugurated the 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in New Delhi. Following is the text of the Prime Minister's speech on the occasion:
"I am very happy to join you once again in this wonderful annual homecoming of Pravasi Bharatiyas. I extend a very warm welcome to each one of you.
I extend a very special welcome to His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, the Governor General of New Zealand, who is our honoured Chief Guest this year. He has taken keen interest in revitalising relations between India and New Zealand and has been a source of great encouragement for the expansion of our bilateral relations in all fields. His achievements in the fields of law, jurisprudence, public service and international relations, and his deep knowledge of several languages are a matter of inspiration for the entire overseas Indian community.
I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of a very accomplished global Indian who is no longer with us I am referring to Professor CK Prahalad, one of the foremost management gurus of our time. We will solely miss his vast knowledge and experience in the Prime Minister's Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians and other bodies where he made valuable contributions to the evolution of public policies particularly directed at raising the living standards for the poorest section of our community. We honour Professor CK Prahalad by dedicating the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Oration to his memory this year.
The year gone by has been a busy year for Indian diplomacy. We had the honour of receiving leaders from all countries which are permanent members of the UN Security Council in India. The world expects India to play a more important role in the management of global polity and economy. India's rise as an emerging nation is welcomed as a positive factor in international relations. Our contributions whether in the G 20 or in the Climate Change conference held recently in Cancun were noteworthy and derived from our unique experience of tackling the challenge of developmental challenges, our emphasis on values and our tradition of building consensus among different sections and interests.
We have this year become a member of the United Nations Security Council for a period of two years. We will play our due and commensurate role in international bodies and we will seek to promote what is good for India and good for the world at large.
Last year I had the opportunity of visiting many countries with large Indian communities, to renew our contacts and bonds of affections. I visited Saudi Arabia, Canada and Malaysia. In Malaysia I had the privilege of inaugurating the Little India district in Kuala Lumpur with Prime Minister Dr Najib.
It was a very emotional experience for me. It was a symbolic acknowledgement of the contributions that have been made by many other 'little Indias' to local communities across the world. I felt very proud when leaders of these countries praised and appreciated the role of Indian communities in their nation building efforts and processes.
India's soft power is an increasingly important element in our expanding global footprint. This is a matter which came up yesterday in Prime Minister's Advisory Council and several distinguished members led emphasis on the more effective use of India's soft power. The richness of India's classical traditions and the colour and vibrancy of contemporary Indian culture are making waves around the world. The Government of India has decided to establish new Indian cultural centres in US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, France and Australia. I urge the Indian communities in these countries to support and patronise these centres so that they become effective instruments for projecting the diversity and splendour of composite Indian culture.
The welfare of the large number of workers that emigrate from India is a matter of special concern to us. To improve the conditions for migration overseas we have signed Social Security Agreements with twelve countries and finalised Labour Mobility Partnerships with two others. We are negotiating a generic arrangement with the European Union. As a further measure we have now extended the facility of the Indian Community Welfare Fund to all Indian Missions. I take this opportunity to commend the efforts of my colleague Mr Vayalar Ravi in this matter.
Our Government had introduced the Overseas Citizen of India card and the People of Indian Origin card to facilitate visa-free travel to India as well as to provide the rights of residency and participation in business and educational activities in India. We have recently reviewed the functioning of these schemes, and have decided to merge the OCI and PIO cards into a single facility. We hope to iron out some of the problems that have arisen in the implementation of these schemes.
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