New Delhi, January 09: Europe is definitely the flavour of 8th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the conglomeration of overseas Indians here — which honoured Lord Khalid Hameed from Britain. And this came not long after Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi’s announcement that Europe was emerging as the next window of opportunity for Indian workers after the Gulf.
The minister said: “There is no doubt Gulf remains a major destination for Indian workers. But now, Europe has also become the dream target for them. We will open new windows of opportunities for them in Europe. Europeans are interested in our strong manpower, both skilled and unskilled. We are in talks with several members of the European Union to sign labour partnership agreements.”
While Ravi did not mince words in his praise for Europe as a new destination, he was silent on the Gulf region that of late has seen mass exodus of Indian workers. The event that connects over 25 million from the Indian Diaspora in 110 countries has decided to specifically discuss issues relating to Indian expatriates in the Gulf.
The event is also expected to come up with a proposal to end the harassment, if any, of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in property-related issues in India.
Besides making efforts to attract more investments, the gathering is also discussing fake NRI marriages and labour problems. Strangely enough, the most pressing issue of all — security, that’s pushed to forefront after attacks on Indians in Australia — is not on the agenda of the event.
Ravi said the event is a platform for “arousing the Indian-ness of every Indian abroad creating an emotional bond”.
Overseas Citizenship of India Card, which acts as permanent visa, promising almost all rights of citizens, was conceived as a step towards cementing this bond, he said. So far, 500,000 cards have been issued, he said.
Dr Singh, while talking of Lord Hameed, said in his address that he epitomised the spirit of the global Indian, and it was a great honour and privilege of having him as chief guest. Nearly 1,000 participants — down from last year’s 1,500 — are attending the two-day annual event that is discussing a range of subjects concerning overseas Indians.
The event is an attempt to connect with the Indian Diaspora, as January 9 is the day when Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915. A large number of delegation from European nations, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, the Middle East are attending the event.
Talking of Lord Hameed, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “Lord Hameed is not only a very distinguished professional and entrepreneur in the field of medicine and healthcare but is also an active leader in community services, including most importantly those that promote inter-faith harmony.”
Lord Hameed, a veteran in the studies of inter-faith harmony, and a distinguished leader in promotion of international understanding, was the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, where Prime Minister along with President Pratibha Patil and a host of other dignatories attended.
Lord Hameed was appointed as one of the six new non-party political peers at Britain’s Upper House in 2006 by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
Lord Hameed, 69, is a High Sheriff of Greater London, and is a hospital management expert.
Born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and after studying from Lucknow University, Lord Hameed went to Britain in 1968 and worked for three London teaching hospitals. He’s been Chairman of the UK’s Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council since 1997, and Alpha Hospitals.
Lord Hameed is involved in a number of organisations and charities which help develop harmony between diverse faiths and cultures in the UK. Lord Hameed, who was made a commander of the Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen in 2003, won the Sternberg Interfaith Award in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to furthering Christian-Muslim-Jewish relations in the UK.
–Agencies