Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday exhorted the Indian diaspora to increase their use of India-made products and services to give a fillip to the economic progress of their motherland.
Speaking at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Sammelan at Indore, Madhya Pradesh, she said the Indian diaspora is the country’s real ambassador. They must use Indian products and services for promotion and innovation to help the country achieve “wholesome growth” for the next 25 years, the media reported.
“In the process of using the brand, you will also, where possible, make sure to use India-produced products. So that, even as you promote Indian brand, you are also seen around possessing, using and dispensing India-made goods and services.”
Sitharaman said that, for the next 25 years, India will focus on the four ‘I’s – infrastructure, investment, innovation, and inclusion. The diaspora should partner and collaborate with Indian businesses.
“Even as you promote an Indian brand, I would invite you to partner with Indian businesses. So that India in the next 25 years gets your potential for the entrepreneurial skills you may have. So Indian businesses here get that advantage from you and together we build India that can be developed by 2047,” she said.
For partnering with India, the diaspora may offer technical advice to small Indian businesses and provide ideas for promoting hand-made products through better packaging and marketing. Technology in India is made at an affordable price and can be improved with the participation of the diaspora.
At the inauguration of the convention on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Pravasi Bhartiya was the “brand ambassador” of the country.
“I consider Pravasi Bharatiyas as brand ambassadors and “Rashtradoot” of India on foreign soil. Your role is diverse. You are the brand ambassador for yoga, Ayurveda, cottage industry, handicrafts, and also millets,” Modi said.
“The nation has entered the Amrit Kaal of the next 25 years. Our Pravasi Bharatiyas have a significant place in this journey. India’s unique global vision and its important role in the global order will be strengthened by you,” he said.
Migrants from India have settled across the world for many centuries and have made extraordinary contributions to nation-building. “We should document their life, struggles, and achievements.”