Govt reaches out to diaspora youth at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas

Making a strong pitch for greater connectivity with the diaspora youth, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi today said partnerships between young Indians in the country and those residing overseas in industry and social sectors would create jobs and bring prosperity.
He was speaking after inuagarating the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), India's flagship annual event to connect with its diaspora spread across the globe, which kicked off today with special focus on "engagement with the youth".
Referring to the opportunities for growth and development that India's growing economy presents today, he said "the interactions should foster greater connectivity between Indian and diaspora youth, which should eventually result in economic cooperation leading to the creation of wealth, livelihoods and prosperity."

Ravi said that in this age of globalisation, there are greater trade and business links between nations.
"Indian youth and their diaspora counterparts should come together in developing strong networks, which would lead to partnerships in trade, industry, entrepreneurship and social work," he said.
"This will lead to the creation of wealth and employment, which will benefit the masses at large. Our goal should be to build a strong global connect of youth for this purpose," he said.

This year's theme is "Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations" and this is the first time that the Youth PBD is being held on the first day of event.

"It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of our working population is between the age group of 18-35 years and are contributing immensely to the growth and development of our great country India," Ravi said.
The PBD will be formly inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tommorrow while Malaysia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Y B Datuk Seri Palanivel will be the chief guest.
More than a thousand delegates are participating in the three-day event which is expected to open up horizons of a strong network of young overseas Indians to contribute to India's engagement with youth in all sectors.

Meanwhile, in his address, Youth Affairs and Sports minister Jitendra Singh while talking about the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) schemes run by the government urged overseas Indians to connect with the volunteers of these programmes and said that the government also will promote social entrepreneurship.