NRIs | India Writes

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs merged with MEA

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016 - by India Writes Network

Sticking to one of the poll promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2014 elections of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, the government has decided to merge the …

Cooperative federalism at diaspora meet: CMs court NRIs with hardsell

January 10, 2015January 10, 2015 - by India Writes Network

GANDHINAGAR: Cooperative federalism, not competitive federalism – this was the picture that emerged from the hardsell of chief ministers of different states who tried to entice overseas Indians with new …

Modi to overseas Indians: Embrace new opportunities in India

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015 - by India Writes Network

It’s a song of India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows how to chant, and enchant the captive audience of overseas Indians with his projection of India as the land of opportunity and a beacon of hope in the world.
“India awaits you with opportunities,” Mr Modi told around 4,000 overseas Indians in his inaugural speech at the 13th annual get-together of the Indian diaspora in Gujarat’s capital on January 8.
“I welcome all of you and say that there are several opportunities waiting for you in India. Times have changed very quickly. The world is looking at India with hope and anticipation,” he said in eloquent Hindi.
Modi exhorted NRIs and PIOs to return to the country, and leverage their formidable talent, experience and expertise to transform India into a self-assured, powerful nation.
“From the world’s richest countries to the poorest of the lot, the whole world has its eye turned on India. They want to embrace India. They want to walk together with India,” he said to applause from the audience.
“There was a time when professionals in India went to distant lands to explore new possibilities. Now India awaits you with opportunities. I want to tell you that India is full of opportunities now,” he told the delegates.

PBD 2015: Serenading NRIs, on home turf, Modi-style

December 22, 2014December 23, 2014 - by Manish Chand

Madison Square Garden, New York. Allphones Arena, Sydney. After dazzling and ravishing NRIs in high visibility rock-star like shows in foreign lands, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to turn on all his charm to serenade over 3,000 NRIs and PIOs on home turf in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. On January 8, Mr Modi is expected to perform a new improvisation of his ‘Song of NRIs’ and will seek to enlist them as proactive stakeholders in the reignited India growth story.
The annual jamboree of overseas Indians looks set to have a new shine next year as India toasts the centenary of the homecoming of Mahatma Gandhi, the most famous NRI, and seek to leverage myriad talents and resources of expat Indians for the larger project of national resurgence. The Modi government, which has made a proactive engagement with the 25-million strong Indian diaspora scattered across countries and continents a key feature of its foreign policy, is bursting with ideas to put its own stamp over the 13th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) that will be held in Gandhinagar January 7-9.
In the age of visuals, the PBD promises to be a captivating show. It will be a 3D performance in ways more than one. Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s historic salt march, a new high-tech museum built inside a giant salt mound will illumine the father of the nation in a 3D image. Prime Minister Modi, on his part, will have his own 3D mantra of Democracy, Demographic Dividend and Demand, with which he charmed the rapturous crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York on a bright Sunday morning.
Get ready for the 3D show in Gandhinagar.

Modi at Madison Square Garden: It will be a coming-out party for Indian-Americans

September 24, 2014September 25, 2014 - by Manish Chand

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US will put the spotlight on the growing profile of the about 3-million strong Indian-American community. Cutting across castes, provinces and religions, around 20,000-odd Indian-Americans will be travelling from all over America for the largest-ever civic reception in honour of the Indian leader at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

In this interview with Mr Manish Chand, Editor-in-Chief, India Writes Network, Ronen Sen, India’s former ambassador to the US, speaks glowingly about the multifarious success stories of Indian-Americans in their adopted homeland and their role as bridge-builders in bringing the two vibrant democracies together in an arc of intersecting national interests.

‘Modi’s Madison Square Garden address will be historic’

September 19, 2014September 19, 2014 - by India Writes Network

All eyes will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he addresses 20,000-plus strong Indian-American community at Madison Square Garden in the heart of Manhattan on September 28. This will be the first time an Indian prime minister will be accorded a public reception by NRIs on such a grand scale. In this interview with Manish Chand, Editor-in-Chief, India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org), Vijay Jolly, a senior BJP leader and global convenor of BJP Overseas Affairs, speaks about ongoing preparations for making Modi’s visit a grand success, the role of NRIs in enriching their adopted homeland and the growing public image of Prime Minister Modi in the US as a leader who can walk the talk.