Education, the pillar of development where Indian Diaspora can contribute significantly. –Kapil Sibal at PBD

How to engage the Indian Diaspora so that they too can be part of India's development which is now on a fast growth trajectory was the key question being asked at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas starting from January 8 and 9 in the capital. And the Indian Diaspora is very keen to contribute back to its home country not just by facilitating investment but also by contributing back through their rich international experience and exposure that they have accumulated over years . They are keen to pitch in, engage and contribute in as many ways as possible. This is what emerged out of deliberations where pre event seminars on Education and Healthcare were being held.

Speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs along with Ministry of DoNEAR and CII ,Mr Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Affairs said that education is the centre stage of development and more interaction with the international community will lead to faster development. Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development emphasized that a critical mass of skilled workforce was required for India to achieve its growth potential and for which colleges, universities, vocational colleges will be required spread all over the country and the Indian Diaspora could make a big contribution by engaging actively with initiatives in this field. He said that within a span of four weeks recently, four heads of state—American President Barrack Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao had visited India—a testimony to the place India had come to occupy in the new world order. Mr. Sam Pitroda, Advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that mentoring by the Diaspora of small groups and institutions on policy matters could be another area where they could make an active contribution.

Lord Bhikhu Parekh, member of PM's Global Advisory Council said that the Diaspora could help in policy change as they had a rich global experience and could learn from good governance in other parts of the world.

A parallel session on, "Diaspora Role Models from the North East: Success Stories" had interesting experiences of people who had moved from the North East and they had been successful. Though they all came from similar background-- small place, simple circumstances—they seized the opportunities and overcame obstacles and were now keen to give back so that others could benefit. PBD 2011 is focusing on the North East as an area of interaction of development.

To showcase the present India to the 1,500 delegates who have come from 51 countries, an exhibition is being held concurrently with special focus on North Eastern states. The exhibition was inaugurated by Mr Vayalar Ravi.