Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012 kicks off, special pension & life insurance scheme for NRIs launched

The ministry of overseas Indian affairs kicked off the 10th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Jaipur on Saturday with the formal launch of the special pension and life insurance scheme that will be available to the 5 million semi-skilled and unskilled Indian workers who are employed in various countries around the world - particularly in the Gulf - on temporary employment or contract visas in construction, healthcare and household services sectors.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will deliver the inaugural address at the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, the annual congregation of NRIs and PIOs, here tomorrow.

Dr Singh will address the nearly 1,500 delegates from 24 countries that include top government functionaries and officials at the Birla Auditorium in the ‘pink city’, which has been spruced up and turned into a security fortress for the annual event which will see the diaspora holding discussions on ways and means of contributing to India’s inclusive growth.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Global Indian - Inclusive Growth’ and over 10 Union ministers including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will address the delegates and throw light on the country’s growth and seek further investments from the diaspora.

Indian-origin Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad Bissessar will be the chief guest in the 10th PBD.

Ms. Bissessar is on a state visit to India and is leading a high-level delegation from her country that includes the nation’s ambassador and cricketing legend Brian Lara.

It has been a custom that the prime minister inaugurates the event and the president addresses the valedictory session.

President Pratibha Patil will address the closing ceremony of the event on Monday and confer awards on NRIs and PIOs who have excelled in various fields.

Mr. Mukherjee will deliver his key note address at the session on ‘Inclusive Growth: Two Decades of Economic Liberalisation’ tomorrow which will be addressed by Transport Minister C P Joshi and Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan.

Besides discussions on economy and investments, this year’s conference is also expected to deliberate on the ways to engage the young diaspora community in the country’s growth and also creating awareness among them about the rich and diverse culture of India.