The 6th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas came to an end on Wednesday.
The event, which hosted over a 1,500 NRIs at New Delhi, had five plenary and a similar number of working sessions.
There was a mixed reaction to the entire event.
While the youth complained about the lack of programmes, several others termed the event as a wonderful opportunity to invest in India.
The Indian government was, however, eager to please the Diaspora and promised to roll out several schemes for them.
The government also took into consideration several considerations made at the various plenary sessions and promised to implement each of them. High up on the agenda of the government at present was to link the rural Indian woman with the NRIs.
This initiative was taken following a suggestion at one of the sessions. The Indian government will now set up a non-profitable foundation, which will act as an entry for funds by the NRIs.
Vayalar Ravi, minister for overseas Indian affairs, said this is the most ambitious programmes of his ministry. Once the foundation is instituted, the funds will roll in and will be utilized for the betterment of the rural Indian woman.
The Diaspora also suggested to the Indian government to ensure that there is gender equality in the country.
The NRIs felt that there was a need for more legal protection for women in the country and India should sign the Hague convention. Ravi said that talks are being held and there is a need to amend the law to increase protection for women in India.
Regarding business and trade, the suggestion was to open more doors to invest in India. Several members felt that India was a land of opportunity in terms of investment and the government should give them more opportunities in the future.
The NRIs, who are ready to invest, said more infrastructure ought to be provided in the country.
Top on the priority was better roads across the country. The Union government has assured of better infrastructure and also added that several 6 lane expressways across the country are in the pipeline.
Overall for the Indian government it was a satisfactory session, Vayalar Ravi said.
This PBD has seen more people from across the seas when compared to the five events in the past. So excited was the minister that he wished to hold mini-PBDs in different countries in the future.
Just call us and we shall be there, he said.
