Speech By Her Excellency The President Of India Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil At The Valedictory Of The 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention And Conferment Of The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards

Distinguished Ladies And Gentlemen,

We Are Gathered Here Today From All Parts Of The World To Celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, On This 96th Anniversary Of The Homecoming Of Mahatma Gandhi Back To Indian Shores. He Returned To India, Providing Leadership To Our Freedom Struggle And Inspiring A Whole Generation Of Indians To Follow His Path Of Non-violence, And To Adhere To The Highest Values Of Truth, Integrity And Respect For All. Gandhiji's Thinking Had A Tremendous Impact In India And Globally, Making Him One Of The Greatest Personalities Of Our Times. I Am Happy To Know That Ela Gandhi, The Grand Daughter Of Mahatma Gandhi Has Also Participated In The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas In New Delhi. This Gathering Of "Global Indians" Should Pledge To Work Actively For Upholding Gandhian Philosophy And Values, Which Will Promote Peace And Understanding So Essential In The World Today.

We Are Especially Honoured To Have With Us The Governor General Of New Zealand, His Excellency The Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand. We Are Proud Of His Achievements And I Thank Him For Being With Us Today. I Have Had The Opportunity To Interact With Him On Two Earlier Occasions, When He Paid A State Visit To India In September 2008, And When He Came Here During The Commonwealth Games. In Discussions About Gandhiji, He Mentioned That A Statue Of Gandhiji Has Been Installed In A Prominent Location In Wellington. Indeed, Gandhiji's Statues Have Been Established In Many Countries Across The World. He Belongs To The Whole World. His Birthday Is Observed As The International Day Of Non-violence, As He Was A True Apostle Of Peace.

India Has Had A Long And Ancient History Of Contacts With The Outside World. In The 19th Century, Like Gandhiji, Many Indians Who Went Overseas Followed The Imprint Of The British Empire. After India Became Independent In 1947, Indian Emigrants Settled In The Americas And The Asia-pacific, Or Closer Home In The Gulf. At The Same Time, Like Gandhiji, They Have Carried With Them And Nurtured Indian Traditions And Values Wherever They Have Settled. Overseas Indians Have Shown Outstanding Capabilities In Professional, Academic, Social, Cultural And Political Fields. They Are Known For Determination In The Face Of Adversity, Fortitude In Difficult Circumstances, And The Spirit Of Never Giving Up. They Have Thus Endeared Themselves To Their Fellow Citizens In Their Adopted Home Countries.

We Are Gathered Here Today Not Only Because We Share Common Bonds Of Ethnicity, Language, Culture And Tradition, But Also Because We Are Part Of A Global Village - A Society And An Economy In Which, As It Rapidly Changes Due To Technological Advances, We All Have To Constantly Redefine Our Roles And Positions, While At The Same Time Retain Our Central Values And Rich Heritage. There Are Indeed, Very Few Conventions Of The Kind That We Have Here Today, In Which The Delegates Are So Diverse, And Yet Have So Much In Common. Looking Into The Future, We Must Identify The Interests That Will Continue To Hold Us Together, And Explore The Common Activities That Will Benefit All Of Us.

I Am Informed That Deliberations Held Over These Three Days Of The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention Have Dwelt On Many Issues Pertaining To The Growth And Development Of India. At The Same Time, Issues Pertaining To The Welfare And Interests Of The Indian Diaspora Have Been Discussed. Our Attempt Is To Engage With The Indian Community Overseas In A Mutually Beneficial Manner, In All Spheres Of Life And Nation Building.

We Have A Gigantic Task Of Nation Building That Lies Ahead Of Us. Government Of India Is Focusing On Rapidly Expanding The Coverage And Improving The Quality Of Education, Health Services And Infrastructure, Combined With Conserving And Improving The Environment And Maintaining Macro-economic Stability. As India Grows Rapidly, It Holds Out Immense Opportunities To The World.

Our Economy Has Been Robust In The Recent Turbulent Times, Because Of The Contribution Of Services And Manufacturing Sectors, As Also Of The Traditional Sectors Including, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry And Informal Services. Government's Efforts At Reducing Poverty, Imparting Schooling And Skills, Improving Health And Habitats, And Increasing Participation Of Women And Socially Disadvantage Groups In Economic Activity, Can Only Succeed With The Help And Co-operation Of Private Initiatives And Civil Society.

The Seminars And Interactions You Have Participated On Topics Pertaining To Education, Health, And Inclusive Growth, Would Have Brought To Your Attention, The Increasingly Large Number Of Successful Initiatives In The Social Development Sector In India, As Well As Policies And Institutions Put In Place By Government To Facilitate Public - Private Partnerships. Last Year, I Had Mentioned That Overseas Indians Have Come To Be Recognised As The "Knowledge Diaspora". Your Expertise And Skills Will Be A Vital Resource For India's Efforts To Forge Inclusive Growth For All Its Citizens. Your Immense Capacity In Talent, Skills, Experience And Finances Are Known To All. I Hope That We Will See A Rapid Increase In The Number, Size And Scope Of Developmental Activities In India By Overseas Indians. I Am Sure That We Will Also See These Initiatives Evolving Into More Comprehensive And Long-term Projects That Will Have A Significant Positive Impact On Many Lives. We Would Like To Measure Such Projects Not In Terms Of The Money Spent On Them, But In Terms Of The Humans Touched And Improved By Them. Therefore, I Call Upon Each And Every One Of You To Participate To The Best Of Your Ability, In At Least One Endeavour In India For Building A Better Future For The Disadvantaged Sections Of Society. Your Contribution In The Health And Education Sectors, In Efforts To Make India Slum-free, As Well As Your Participation In Infrastructure Development Projects Would Be Most Welcome.

For Close Interaction With Overseas Indians, We Now Have Made It A Practice To Hold A Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Every Year In One Of The Countries Which Have A Significant Number Of Indians. The Last Such Regional Convention Was Held At Durban, South Africa, On 1st And 2nd October 2010. It Was Attended By About 500 Delegates From 12 Countries In Africa And Was Graced By President Jacob Zuma Of South Africa. The Next Meeting Will Be Held In Toronto This Year.

I Congratulate Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister For Overseas Indian Affairs, For Initiatives That Have Benefited Our Diaspora Overseas And Especially The Workers. Just Of Couple Of Months Ago, I Had The Occasion To Inaugurate The First Indian Workers Resource Centre At Dubai. The Ministry Of Overseas Indian Affairs Has Also Piloted The Efforts Of The Government Of India To Provide Voting Rights For Non Resident Indians. It Has Taken Steps To Set Up A Memorial For Indentured Workers At Kolkata Port. This Memorial Marks The Indomitable Spirit Of Indian Emigrants, Reminding Me Of A Quotation By Rabindra Nath Tagore:-

"Let Us Not Pray To Be Sheltered From Dangers But To Be Fearless When Facing Them".

I Would Like To Appreciate The Work And The Outstanding Qualities Of Individuals And Institutions That Have Been Conferred The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards This Year. I Wish All Present Here Success In Their Endeavours, As Well As A Happy And A Prosperous New Year.

Thank You.

Jai Hind!