01 Pravasi Newsletter Day1

8
8/12/2019 01 Pravasi Newsletter Day1 http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/01-pravasi-newsletter-day1 1/8 PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS JANUARY 7, 2013  1  JANUARY 7, 2013, K OCHI FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013  Engaging Diaspora: The Indian Growth Story ochi, popularly known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, is all dressed up and ready to welcome thousands of distin- guished overseas guests from all over the world, as the 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (Non-resident Indian Day) gets underway. During this event, the nation gets to commemorate and cherish the contribution of the Overseas Indian community to the building of modern India. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the flagship event of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, introduced in 2003 to interact with the Indian Diaspora in matters relating to knowledge, trade and invest- ment, and social engagement. The Government of Kerala, being Partner State, is hosting the celebratory event on behalf of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.  This edition is poised to grow bigger, with a 3-day event where more than 2,000 delegates and over 120 speakers are expected to share their knowl- edge and expertise on various issues concerning overseas Indians and their vision for India. As NRIs in the Middle-East have problems and concerns that are unique to the region, this year’s edition has a special seminar on ‘Issues of NRIs in Gulf’ to discuss and understand the concerns of the NRIs from the Gulf. There are also seminars on ‘Tourism’, ‘Pure Sciences’, and ‘Skill Development’ featuring eminent speakers from India and abroad. Shri. Oommen Chandy, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Kerala, talking about the event summed it up neatly: “ The commercial capital of Kerala awaits to enchant you with its natural beauty of backwa- ters, and mesmerizing monuments of God’s Own Country. A very hearty welcome !” Hearty Welcome ! I welcome you all to the 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, being organised by The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in partnership with the State Government of Kerala. PBD conventions provide a plat- form to the Non-Resident Indians to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions also assist them to network with the Indian community residing in vari- ous parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been successful in giving voice to the Indian Diaspora in matters relating to knowledge, trade and invest- ment, and social engagement.  The dialogue it has fostered in the past has now been translated into many concrete actions. I hope this year’s convention too carries forward the agenda set by the previous editions in deepening the relationship our nation has with our Pravasis. Shri Vayalar Ravi Hon’ble Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India Kochi All Decked Up To Celebrate And Honor Overseas Indians PBD being held for the first time in Kerala, Partner State Jan 7 Pre PBD Seminars on NRIs in the Gulf Tourism Pure Sciences Skill Development Jan 8 Plenary Sessions on India’s Growth: Greater Opportunities Heritage and Diaspora Engagin g Young Overseas Indian PBD Oration on ‘Gadar Movement’ Jan 9 Investment Opportunities in States Concurrent Sessions on Innovation and Technology Meeting of Diaspora Organizations India’s Growing Soft Power Overseas Indians and India  Valedictory Session and Conferment of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards Jan 8 Formal inauguration of the event by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India Jan 8 Speech by the Chief Guest H.E. Mr. Rajkeswur Purryag, President of Mauritius. Jan 9 Presentation of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman  Awards and Valedictory Address by Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

Transcript of 01 Pravasi Newsletter Day1

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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/01-pravasi-newsletter-day1 1/8PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS JANUARY 7, 2013 • 1

 JANUARY 7, 2013, K OCHI  FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY 

PravasiBharatiya Divas 2013 Engaging Diaspora: The Indian Growth Story

K ochi, popularly known as the Queen of

the Arabian Sea, is all dressed up and

ready to welcome thousands of distin-

guished overseas guests from all over the world,

as the 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

(Non-resident Indian Day) gets underway. During

this event, the nation gets to commemorate and

cherish the contribution of the Overseas Indian

community to the building of modern India.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the flagship event ofMinistry of Overseas Indian Affairs, introduced

in 2003 to interact with the Indian Diaspora in

matters relating to knowledge, trade and invest-

ment, and social engagement. The Government

of Kerala, being Partner State, is hosting the

celebratory event on behalf of the Ministry of

Overseas Indian Affairs.

 This edition is poised to grow bigger, with a 3-day

event where more than 2,000 delegates and over

120 speakers are expected to share their knowl-

edge and expertise on various issues concerning

overseas Indians and their vision for India. As NRIs

in the Middle-East have problems and concerns

that are unique to the region, this year’s edition

has a special seminar on ‘Issues of NRIs in Gulf’

to discuss and understand the concerns of the

NRIs from the Gulf. There are also seminars on

‘Tourism’, ‘Pure Sciences’, and ‘Skill Development’

featuring eminent speakers from India and abroad.

Shri. Oommen Chandy, Hon’ble Chief Minister

of Kerala, talking about the event summed it up

neatly: “ The commercial capital of Kerala awaits

to enchant you with its natural beauty of backwa-

ters, and mesmerizing monuments of God’s Own

Country. A very hearty welcome !”

Hearty Welcome !

I

welcome you all to the 11th

edition of Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas, being organised by TheMinistry of Overseas Indian Affairs

(MOIA) in partnership with the

State Government of Kerala.

PBD conventions provide a plat-

form to the Non-Resident Indians

to engage with the government

and people of the land of their

ancestors for mutually beneficial

activities. These conventions also

assist them to network with the

Indian community residing in vari-

ous parts of the world and enable

them to share their experiencesin various fields.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas has been

successful in giving voice to the

Indian Diaspora in matters relating

to knowledge, trade and invest-

ment, and social engagement.

 The dialogue it has fostered in the

past has now been translated into

many concrete actions. I hope

this year’s convention too carries

forward the agenda set by the

previous editions in deepening

the relationship our nation haswith our Pravasis.

Shri Vayalar Ravi

Hon’ble Minister for Overseas

Indian Affairs, Government of India

Kochi All Decked Up To Celebrate AndHonor Overseas IndiansPBD being held for the first time in Kerala, Partner State

Jan 7

Pre PBD Seminars on

• NRIs in the Gulf• Tourism

• Pure Sciences

• Skill Development

Jan 8

Plenary Sessions on

• India’s Growth: GreaterOpportunities

• Heritage and Diaspora

• Engaging Young

Overseas Indian

• PBD Oration on ‘Gadar

Movement’

Jan 9

Investment Opportunities in States

Concurrent Sessions on• Innovation and Technology

• Meeting of Diaspora Organizations

• India’s Growing Soft Power

• Overseas Indians and India

 Valedictory Session and Conferment of

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards

Jan 8

Formal inauguration of the event by

Dr. Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India

Jan 8

Speech by the Chief Guest

H.E. Mr. Rajkeswur Purryag,

President of Mauritius.

Jan 9

Presentation of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

 Awards and Valedictory Address by Shri

Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

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REFLECTIONS

PBD CHIEF GUESTS

2013

H.E. Mr. Rajkeswur Purryag 

President of Mauritius

2012

H.E. Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar

 Trinidad and Tobago

2011

Sir Anand Satyanand 

Governor General, New Zealand

2010

Dr. Khalid Hameed, Chairman 

 Alpha Hospital Group

2009

Dr. Ramdien Sardjoe 

 Vice President, Suriname

2008

Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam 

Prime Minister, Mauritius

2007

Prof. S. Jayakumar 

Dy. Prime Minister, Singapore

2006

Shri Ahmed Kathrada

Political Activist and aContemporary of Nelson Mandela

2005

Shri J.R. Ajodhia

 Vice President, Suriname

2004

Shri Bharrat Jagdeo

President, Guyana

2003

Sir Anerood Jugnauth

Prime Minister, Mauritius

THOUGHT LEADERS ON PRAVASIS

She is lovable and none of her children can forget

her wherever they go or whatever strange fatebefalls them, for she is part of them in her great-

ness as well as her feelings.

Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, in his book

Discovery of India

I wish here to place on record the great contribution of India inopening its universities and institutions of higher learning to thou-

sands of sons and daughters of the Indian diaspora to undergo

tertiary-level education. Today, thanks to India, they are accom-

plished topnotch professionals who are participating actively in

the country’s development.

Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister, Mauritius, PBD 2003

While the large Indo-Trinidadian community continues to uphold

the cultural heritage of their East Indian forefathers who travelled

to Trinidad as indentured labourers in 1845, this cultural legacy

does not only remain entrenched in the way of life, ceremonies,

dress, names, food and music of Indo-Trinidadians, but it is also

entrenched in the broader Trinbagonian culture.

H.E. Ms. Kamla Persad-Bissessar , Prime Minister, Trinidad and

 Tobago, PBD 2012

 The Indian diaspora is a rainbow and, if I may say so, my head

soars with a fond aspiration and pride and my heart leaps with

boundless joy when I behold the rainbow of India and Indians

over the globe. If globalization of India is to take place in the right

perspective, I think it should grow in the right perception and right

proportion must also take place with our Indian diaspora as the

catalyst of cross-fertilization.

Dr L M Singhvi, Chairman, Organizing Committee of the PBD 2003

 The government and people of India recognize and greatly value

the important role being played by Indian communities living

abroad. We believe that the Indian diaspora has much more to

contribute to the building of modern India. We propose to facili-

tate, encourage and promote this engagement.

Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, PBD 2012

Indian diaspora were deeply inspired by the Indian freedom

movement, and they were also at the forefront of the fight again

colonialism in their own countries. My father, Seewoosagur

Ramgoolam, known as father of modern Mauritius, had been the

president of the London branch of the Indian National Congress

and welcomed Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu to England.

It is no coincidence that a son of an indentured labourer led the

freedom struggle in Mauritius.

Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister, Mauritius, PBD 2008

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GULF CONCERNS

T he Indian Diaspora, estimated to

be close to 22 million, is spread

across more than 180 countries, with

relatively higher concentration in the Middle

East, USA, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia

and Western Europe.

For decades, the Indian Diaspora in the Gulf

Cooperation Council (GCC) - estimated at

over five million - has been a dependable

source of repatriated funds to their families

in India. The professional and economic

profile of the Indian Diaspora varies signifi-

cantly across regions, with predominantly

blue collar and contract workers in the Gulfversus a preponderance of white collar and

technically skilled workforce in the United

States and Europe.

Special Initiatives For Enhanced

Engagement

 The Government of India understands that

the concerns and issues by the Non-resi-

dent Indians in the Gulf region are unique

and they need special institutional support.

 The Government of India has signed seven

bilateral Memoranda of Understanding on

Labour with the GCC countries, and Malay-

sia to ensure better protection and welfare

of Indian migrants, In addition, an Indian

Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been

established in all Indian Missions/Posts,

which supports “on-site” welfare measures

including food, shelter, repatriation as-

sistance and emergency relief to overseas

Indians in distress.

 The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

(MOIA), under the aegis of the Government

of India (GOI), has taken several initiatives inrecent years to establish a robust institu-

tional framework to ensure safety and wel-

fare of its overseas population in the Gulf.

 The Government of India (GoI) recognises

the consistent support and contribution of

its Diaspora, and has committed additional

resources to attend to it. For instance in

2011, it facilitated the return of about 1.2

lakh people to India who had suffered in the

aftermath of the Arab uprising.

In order to further assist its Diaspora in

the Gulf, an Overseas Workers Resource

Center (OWRC) has been established in the

UAE, with similar centres already functional

in other Gulf countries. The OWRCs provide

need-based information and assistance

to emigrants in the Middle East through

toll-free helplines and counselling, besides

running shelter homes for Indian workers in

distress. India is closely coordinating with

the Gulf to expand collaboration in various

fields such as infrastructure development,

services and trade.

 This year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conven-tion has a special seminar to engage with

the Overseas Indians from the GCC region

and to understand their problems

India’s Ambassadors from the GCC coun-

tries, along with eminent thinkers from India

and abroad will participate in the panel

discussion. The seminar will begin with the

release of ‘India Migration Report 2013’

by Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas

Indian Affairs.

Engaging With The Indian Diaspora In The Gulf

Guide For Your Investments - Invest IndiaDID YOU KNOW

   The Government has

established a Migrant

Resource Centre (MRC)

to work as a walk-in

counselling centre and

to provide telephonic

helpline for informa-tion dissemination and

for grievance redressal

of the Overseas Indian

Workers.

   An Overseas Indian

Centre (OIC) has also

been set up in Abu

Dhabi to specifically

meet the needs of theIndian Diaspora in the

Gulf region.

Invest India has been set up as a joint venture between FICCI, DIPP (Department of Industrial

policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry) and State Governments of India.

Invest India is the country’s official agency dedicated to investment promotion and facilitation

and its mandate is to become the first reference point for the global investment community.

Contact: Dr. Anupam Srivastava, MD | [email protected]

Shri Dushyant Thakor , GM, 98100 30967 | [email protected]

Booth no. 49 A  

For decades, the NRIs in the Gulf Region, have always repatriated funds to India in large numbers

Day 1 - January 7, 2013 (Pre PBD Seminars)

1000 -1600 hrs

Seminar onNRIs in the Gulf 

1500 hrs

onwards

Seminar on

 Tourism

Seminar on

Pure Sciences

Seminar on

Skill Develop-

ment

1900 -

2000 hrs

Cultural Programme hosted by ICCR

2000 -

2130 hrs

Dinner hosted by

Shri Salman Khurshid

Hon’ble Minster of External Affairs

Dr. Junaid RahmanDistrict Medical Officer Mobile: 09447797331

Dr. ReshmiResident Medical Officer Mobile: 0965637732

For Emergency Medical assistance during PBD at Le Meridien

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SCHEMES GALORE

PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS

Scholarship

Programme

 The SPDC scheme is to make

higher education in India acces-

sible to the children of overseasIndians and to promote India as

a center for higher studies. The

scheme is open to NRIs/PIOs

from 40 countries.

Overseas Indian

 Youth Club

OIYC is an initiative to engage the

diaspora youth in the age group of

18 – 30 years in countries havingsubstantial diaspora population.

It has been launched in Durban,

Kuala Lumpur, Port of Spain, Co-

lombo, Melbourne and Singapore.

Tracing The Roots

 This program facilitates PIOs in

tracing their roots in India. PIOs

who intend to trace their roots

in India need to apply in a pre-

scribed form, through the IndianMission/Post in the country of

their residence.

Know India

Programme

 This is a three-week orienta-

tion programme for diaspora

youth conducted with a view topromote awareness on different

facets of life in India and the

progress made by the country in

various fields.

Here’s a brief look at schemes launched by Ministry ofOverseas Indian Affairs for the welfare of Overseas Indians

OCI Card Scheme

 A registered Overseas Citizen of

India (OCI) is granted multiple en-

try, multi-purpose, life-long visa for

visiting India and is exempted from

registration with the Foreigners Re-

gional Registration Office (FRRO)

for any length of stay in India.

Indian Community

Welfare Fund

 The ICWF provides contingency

expenditure for carrying out welfare

activities for Overseas Indian

Citizens who are in distress. Upto

June 2012, around Rs 36 crore has

been spent to benefit over 27,000

Overseas Indians in distress.

Pravasi Bhartiya

Bima Yojana

 This is an insurance scheme for

overseas Indian workers having

Emigration Check Required

(ECR) passport going to ECR

countries.

Mahatma Gandhi

Pravasi Suraksha Yojana

 The objective of MGPSY is to encourage and enable overseas

Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports

going to ECR countries, to (a) save for their return and resettle-

ment and (b) save for their pension. They are also provided Life

Insurance cover against natural death, during the period of cover-

age, without any additional payment by them.

 Study India

Programme

SIP was launched in 2012 in

Symbiosis University, Pune, India

with participation of 9 youths of

Indian origin from four countries

like Trinidad & Tobago, Malaysia,

Fiji and South Africa. The focus of

the programme is on academic

orientation and research.

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ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET

Pravasi Conclave in Kerala All roads lead to the Le Meridien in Kochi starting today, with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

(PBD) 2013 readying for a spectacular start. With the nation rolling out the red carpet tothe esteemed guests from overseas, the mood is that of togetherness. The administrative

machinery and the general public have all geared up to welcome delegations from all across

the globe, and the scene assumes significance this time as the picturesque God’s Own

Country is playing host.

Dato S Samy Velu, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of

Malaysia looks forward to another successful PBD

The Russian delegation who arrived for the first time, at

PBD, Kochi

S hri Vaya lar Ravi, Minister  f or Overseas Indian A f  f airs, arriving at t he Pravas

i B haratiya Divas 2013 venue

A scene f r om pr e-ev ent  act iv it y  at  P BD

N oy al T homas, Dir ect or  and CEO, N or ka-Root s at  t he v enue

Ar t ist  Sar a H ussain at  w or k at  t he Ar t  Cor r idor , Le M er idien, K ochi

T  P  Sr eeniv asan, Dir ect or  G ener al, K er ala I nt er na-t ional Cent r e w it h Sat ish M eht a I ndian Ambassador  t o K uw ait 

   P   h  o   t  o  s  :   K

   K

   L  a  s   k  a  r

Snapshots from the behind the scenes activity at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013

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SCIENCE FOCUS

Promoting Pure Sciences In India

Tourism – Opportunities For The Diaspora

The India Diaspora can help India gain global competence in science research

Pure Science, also known a basic or

fundamental science, is a science

discipline that describes the most

basic objects and forces as well as the

relations among them and laws governing

them. It is through the advancement in pure

sciences that the technological applications

are built which then unobtrusively invade

into the lives of common man. It can be

safely said that without science, there can

be no technology.

Government of India has given special

attention to Science and Technology since

independence, with an objective ‘to foster,promote and sustain the cultivation of sci-

ences and scientific research in the country

and to secure for the people all the benefits

that can accrue from the acquisition and

application of scientific knowledge’.

India has achieved world-class excellence

in a number of science-intensive sectors

such as nuclear power, space technology,

satellite communications and defence.

Nearly half of the Research and Develop-

ment spending is incurred in these sectors.

 A host of new opportunities is emergingacross a wide range of scientific and tech-

nological disciplines and sub-disciplines,

from the development of the latest comput-

ers to satellite launch vehicles, drugs and

pharmaceuticals. There is continued policy

thrust to make the country a key player in

the emerging global ̀ knowledge’ economy.

India, along with the newly industrialising

countries of South East Asia, Scandinavia

as well as China, is making a fast transition

from imitator to innovator.

Keeping in view the Vision 2025 of ISRO,

and the existing resources and capabilities

of the Indian R&D, there is a need to ensure

a sustainable pipeline of talented youth in

careers pertaining to scientific research

and thus at school level, schemes for earlyattraction of talent to science is a must. To

gain global competence, international col-

laborations should be initiated to encour-

age and promote research in pure science

among our youth.

 The contribution of Overseas Indians to

their host nations, whether in achieving in

scientific breakthroughs or in bringing Nobel

laurels, is well known. Our Diaspora has

wide expertise and experience in varied

ideas and systems across the world and

the Diaspora thus is ideally positioned toconnect with India’s endeavor to push for-

ward the frontier of science and technology.

DID YOU KNOW

…India has a workforce of

over 4 million technical work-

ers, and over 1,800 educa-

tional institutions?

…ISRO is producing the

world’s highest-resolution sat-

ellite imagery, and has helped

over 168,000 villages discov-er ground water resources?

…Over 380 biotech compa-

nies have placed India among

the top-twelve biotech desti-

nations in the world?

…India has launched a

unique ‘Open Source Drug

Discovery’ programme to

make drugs affordable and

available to all, including other

developing countries?

T he travel & tourism sector, in 2011,

contributed 6.4 per cent of GDP (INR

5,651 billion) and this is expected to

rise to 7.8 per cent in the coming years. Tourism is known for its linkage effects with

diverse sectors of the economy, in creating

opportunities for wealth and employment

creation. GOI believes that the tourism sec-

tor can help alleviate poverty and generate

employment opportunities and the tourism

ministry has set up a comprehensive strat-

egy to ensure cleanliness in tourist destina-

tions under the initiative ‘Campaign Clean

India’. The campaign strives for a balance

amongst persuasion, education, sensitisa-

tion, training, demonstration and regulation

for achieving this goal.

 The emerging new dimensions of tourism

include Golf Tourism, Education Tourism,

Domestic Tourism, Luxury Trains, Wedding,

Eco-Tourism and Tea Tourism.

India is becoming a preferred destination

for Healthcare Tourism as it has top-notch

medical facilities with only one-fifth cost

compared to the West. India is also offeringother medical services such as yoga, medi-

tation and ayurveda, which are increasingly

becoming popular as alternate, non-surgi-

cal treatments for various ailments. Large

numbers of medical tourists visit India from

the Middle East, USA, and Europe and also

from neighbouring countries like Bangla-

desh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to avail

high quality and low cost medical facilities.

India has immense tourism potential with

wide variety of flora, fauna and monuments.

New international and domestic campaigns

have also projected India in the right per-

spective to the global traveller be it individu-

als, groups or business travellers. Today,

India is emerging as a 365-day travel des-

tination in international markets catering to

diverse requirements of those who seek to

visit the most diverse cultures in the world.

 The domestic tourism too offers enormous

opportunities and growth prospects to theDiaspora to engage with India.

DID YOU KNOW

… GOI is planning to build nearly

200 low-cost airports in the next

20 years in Tier II and III cities?

.. Hotel and tourism related indus-

tries have been declared as high

priority, and Foreign Direct Invest-

ment up to 100 per cent underthe automatic route is permitted in

‘Hotels & Tourism Sector’, subject

to certain conditions?

BIG TICKET

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TRANSFORMING LIVES

Collaborative Leadership Can Drive Skills Agenda In India

Dilip Chenoy, CEO & MD, National Skills Development Corporation, on encouraging skills

For some time now,

discussions have

centered on a large

young population

helping India be-

come a developed

nation by 2022.

Concerns have also

been expressed

on the lack of skills

and employability of most job aspirants.

Considering the key role that skills can play

in promoting inclusive growth, several mea-

sures have been taken by the governmentover the past four years. A key initiative

has been the establishment of a National

Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) as a

Public Private Partnership to create, fund,

and enable sustainable training initiatives

by private enterprises and NGOs in 20 high

growth sectors and the unorganized seg-

ment.

 The combined efforts of the government

and NSDC have made many key stakehold-

ers realize the importance of skills. Skilling

initiatives have become more outcome-

focused, with the emphasis on jobs and

employability. Capacity augmentation has

received a fillip with skilling centers being

opened nationwide.

Many of those present at the Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas, 2013, have business

operations in India. The industry del-

egates at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

can contribute to the development of a

skills culture by accelerating the practice

of hiring skilled and certified employees

at all levels, creating an attractive salary

differential between skilled, semi-skilledand unskilled labor, and encouraging

in-service skilling to promote the skills

cause. Those of you who operate busi-

nesses overseas can look to source

people from India. You could connect

with Skill Development organisations in

India including NSDC partners. India is

also an attractive destination for setting

up skill development institutes. It has

been estimated that skill development is

a $20 billion opportunity in India.

 The Government has provided space for

leadership and action by Industry. Industry

can be the voice that would determine

how trainings should be conducted, the

standards that should prevail, besides how

the assessments and certifications should

happen by providing for the setting up of

Sector Skill Councils. Stakeholders are

looking to industry leaders to start taking

ownership of driving the SSCs and devis-

ing the National Occupational Standards

through greater involvement with the SSC.

Some of you may run training organisations

overseas or lead the transformation of hu-man resources in your companies. You can

contribute by working with the Sector Skill

Councils (SSCs) being set up in India.

 The more actively you invest, collaborate

and execute, the more chances there would

be of India being able to realize its vision of

skilling 500 million people by 2022 and this

would be your contribution to transforming

the lives of millions of Indians.

(The author is CEO & MD of National Skill

Development Corporation.) 

Some of the Initiatives from MOIA for PravasisThe Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) is the one-stop address for the overseas Indians.

Small and unconventional, the Ministry is headed by a Cabinet Minister and has four functional

service divisions: Diaspora Services, Financial Services, Emigration Services and Management

Services. A small team of eighteen officers (Under Secretaries and above) is working in the

Ministry in a de-layered and multitask mode leveraging the power of partnership and outsourcing.

Here are some of the MOIA’s policies and institutional arrangements initiated to promote sustainable and mutually

beneficial engagement between Overseas Indians and India:

n  The Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC), a not-for-profit trust to serve as a one-stop shop for economic

engagement, investment and business.

n  The India Development Foundation (IDF), a not-for-profit trust to serve as a credible single window to facilitate

Diaspora philanthropy and lead Overseas Indian philanthropic capital into India’s social development effort.

n  The Indian Council of Overseas Employment (ICOE), a not for profit society to serve as a strategic ‘thinktank’ on

matters relating to overseas employment markets for Indians and overseas Indian workers.

n  The Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global-INK), a robust electronic platform that will facilitate transfer of

knowledge with the objective of leveraging the expertise, skills and experience of overseas Indians.

n  The Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council, to serve as a high level body to draw upon the talent of the bestoverseas Indian minds wherever they might reside.

n  Overseas Indian Centres (OIC) at the Indian Missions at Washington and Abu Dhabi, to begin with, to serve as field

formations on matters relating to overseas Indians.

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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/01-pravasi-newsletter-day1 8/8PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS JANUARY 7 2013 • 8

EMERGING KERALA 

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Tourist Attractions In Partner State

 Alappuzha, known as the Venice

of the East, is famous for its

boat races, backwater holidays,

beaches, marine products

and coir industry. Tourists aver

that the houseboat cruise is a

refreshing experience.

With interesting visitor attrac-

tions such as Indo portuguese

museum,Mattancherry Palace,

St. Francis Church, Santa Cruz

Basilica and the Jewish Syna-

gogues, Fort Kochi can keep a

tourist engrossed for days.

 This is a place for those who love

bird watching,fishing,and boating.

Kerala state Government has

declared Kumarakom which is

situated by the side of Vembanad

lake as a Special Tourism Zone.

Kovalam has three internation-

ally renowned beaches which

used to highly popular with the

flower children of 70s. Kovalam is

now reinventing itself,with many

 Ayurvedic Salons coming up, as

a recuperation and regeneration

tourist spot.

 The hi ll station of Munnar i s

marked by vast expanses of tea

plantations, colonial bunga-

lows, rivulets, waterfalls and

cool weather. It is also an ideal

destination for trekking and

mountain biking.

 Alappuzha Fort Kochi Kumarakom Munnar Kovalam

Kerala, known as “God’s Own Country”, with its scenic beauty and lush greenery has never failed to provide an energising and uplift-ing experience to the tourists. Here are a few places from the list of ‘must-visit’ ones in Kerala.

Want to explore and

invest in Kerala?

Contact: Shri Noyal Thomas IFS, Director &CEO, Norka-Roots, 91-471-2332416, [email protected]

Shri Subhash John Mathew, General Manager, Norka-Roots, [email protected] | www.norkaroots.net