Sydney Pravasis celebrate
The Indian Consulate in Sydney organised a Bharatiya Pravasi Divas (PBD) meet on January 10 in a gesture to acknowledge the main festivities in Bengaluru where Indians from around the globe had gathered together to connect with their motherland. Nearly 80 people attended the event in Sydney.
It was an occasion to celebrate the success of the Indian community in Australia, commend and congratulate them for their economic and social contribution in Australia, The Indian Consul General Mr Vanlalvawna said.
He quoted from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Pravasi Divas delegates earlier, “There are over 30 million Indian living abroad; their footprint is all over the world. They are respected not only for their numbers but also for the contribution they have made in foreign lands, being peace loving and presenting the best of Indian values and ethos.”
Last year, the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Consulate now facilitating the relevant matters for NRIs with several new initiatives, building partnerships with the Diaspora in the fields of business as well as education, science and technology.
“Besides business ventures, the overseas community can now participate in other programmes like Digital India, Make in India, Swatch Bharat, Namani Ganga with renewed vigour and focus,” the Consul General said. There are various grants available for Indian youth to connect with their Indian roots, culture and heritage, he said.
Security of Indian nationals is a priority of the Government, Mr Vanlalvawna said. Last year, the Government assisted in repatriation of 90,000 Indian nationals, also helping 80,000 people in contingent situations through welfare fund.
The occasion was also to celebrate Vishwa Hindi Diwas, embellished by poetry recitation by Rekha Rajvanshi and felicitation of Indian student Rishab Malhotra who topped in 2-unit Hindi in NSW.
The programme included a panel discussion which, instead, turned into presentations, leaving little time for any discussion to take place.The first two presenters, Neville Roach and Mala Mehta were relevant on the occasion of Pravasi Divas, having received the Samman and relating their experiences. But the last presentation by Pawan Luthra was merely self-serving, rather disappointing that a public platform was allowed to market a commercial product.
Short URL: https://indiandownunder.com.au/?p=8239