When a Canadian news service sends one of its best reporters half way across the world to a country that was once considered 'third world,' you know something has changed. And indeed, it has.

As India ascends the global ladder, more Canadian institutions are incorporating strategies that put the South Asian nation at the forefront of their agendas. From banks to network TV, everyone is looking to the rising star.

Most recently, Global National announced it will be sending B.C. correspondent Jas Johal to New Delhi this week to man its first ever South Asian desk. In charge of covering Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and of course, India, Johal has his work cut out for him.

"Providing daily mainstream coverage from that part of the world will be a tremendous move on Global National's part, but at the same time it is a recognition on the size, clout and importance of the South Asian community in Canada as well," Johal said from his home in Vancouver.

"We wanted to recognize that and the best way to do that is to actually have someone on the ground reporting from that region."

Johal, 38, who was most recently in Pakistan after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, will be accompanied by former Fox News photographer Chris Jackson. Together, they will contribute daily reports for Global National and Global News affiliates across the country, as well as for Global National's new weekly current affairs series, 16:9 (named after the aspect ratio of wide screen TVs).

The veteran reporter, who was with Global BC for 11 years before joining Global National in 2005, sees his new assignment as indicative of the West's changing priorities as India and China transform themselves into fierce, global competitors.

"The most important story in this first half of the century is not terrorists; it's not Al-Qaeda. It is the rise of China and India and the incredible impact it's going to have on the West," said Johal, who was born in Punjab before moving to Williams Lake in 1972.

"We're going through a tremendous shift. There's going to be some winners and some losers."

Preparing for that shift, Canada has been strategically positioning its key players on the world's new economic playing field. Globalization has improved the lives of millions of Indians, expanding the nation's middle class and opening a new market for foreign investment — one the West is eager to tap into.

In the financial sector, Canada’s banks view India as the next logical place to set up shop. Recently, Scotiabank signed a deal with HDFC Bank in India creating a strategic partnership that will leverage the regional dominance of both banks. The arrangement will enable Scotiabank to reach out to Indians who are immigrating to Canada and, at the same time, provide clients in Canada with a referral to HDFC.

The announcement comes on the heels of Royal Bank of Canada's latest venture — its first office in the financial hub of Bandra Kurla, Mumbai.

As its economy continues to swell, India's government has been avidly courting overseas investors in an attempt to ramp up the country's weak infrastructure, which has been criticized for impeding growth. Under a new initiative outlined by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) will be able to directly invest remittances in to sectors such as real estate, education, health management and general construction projects.

The Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC), a public-private investment centre, is holding conferences around the world to outline the new plan in cities with high NRI populations, including Vancouver and Toronto. OIFC chief executive Harmit Singh Sethi said overseas Indians offer a substantial source of wealth especially as their population is expected to grow to 50 million in the near future.

Although India's economy has been steadily growing over the last decade, the government's top policy czar, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, announced that a Chinese-style 10 per cent annual growth was only "achievable" if India creates the bulk of its jobs in factories, construction sites and warehouses.

Although widely successful, capital-intensive sectors like information technology only employ 1.5 million people, out of a labour pool of 470 million, according to The Guardian.

That has left millions of Indians behind, says Johal, who is eager to focus his stories on the majority who have not been touched by globalization.

"I'm very interested in telling the story of those who are still struggling to make a dollar or two dollars a day," he said. "The economic changes there have reduced poverty by significant levels but there have been some losers along the way like small family farms that must rely on shady dealers who charge an incredible amount of interest on loans.

"So many farmers can't compete. That's the real issue. They can't keep up."

Both Johal and the vice-president of Global National, Kenton Boston, expressed their intent to cover stories that put India into a context that better represents the continent's diversity. The goal, they say, is not to pander to one Canadian group, but to portray India in ways everyone can relate to.

"Many still view India as this exotic, mythical place," said Johal. "But that's just one facet of India. There's so much more. My frustration as a journalist and as a viewer, more importantly, is that when you watch stories about India, it's mostly stories about poverty, floods and weather. You don't get a better context like the social or cultural or entertainment side of things."

Perhaps the biggest challenge Johal faces during his three-year stint covering South Asia is the sheer magnitude of stories waiting to be told.

"My problem isn't going to be where do I look for stories," he said. "It's going to be that there are so many stories which ones do I focus on?"