India celebrated its 62nd anniversary as a Republic this week with a call to its sons and daughters in Canada to be part of the sub-continent’s spectacular growth story.
The Indian government is not reaching out to NRIs for their money but wants them to take more interest in this country, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said in New Delhi, adding that overseas Indians should send their children on holidays to discover the land of their origin.
The government is not reaching out to non-resident Indians (NRIs) because “we need your money”, Ahluwalia said while answering an audience query at the end of an interaction with chief ministers on ‘Inclusive Growth’ on the concluding day of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas – a global conclave of Indians who reside overseas.
He said that as an economist he would suggest that overseas Indians not invest in the country if they feel their money can be better invested elsewhere.
“But take interest in India. Exciting things are happening here,” Ahluwalia said.
 He said that NRIs should give a holiday package to their children.
“Let them discover what is going on in the country of their origin,” he urged.
He suggested that even if a visit to India is for pilgrimage, it should be accompanied by a “pure holiday”.
“That is the most useful thing to do,” he added.
At an event to celebrate the 62nd Republic Day, Ashok Das, the Indian Consul general in Vancouver hailed the one-million strong Indo-Canadian community as ambassadors of their homeland.
“India is a land of new opportunities and everyone is welcomed to partake in its spectacular growth,” said Das at the Bollywood laced-event which was attended by politicians and leaders of B.C.’s vibrant Indo-Canadian community.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the world expected India to play a more important role in the global polity and economy as the country’s rise as an emerging nation was seen as a positive factor in international relations.
“The world expects India to play a more important role in the management of global polity and economy. India’s rise as an emerging nation is welcomed as a positive factor in international relations,” Manmohan Singh said at the ninth edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas this month, India’s annual event to connect with its 25-million strong diaspora in 130 nations.
He said India’s contributions in the G20 or in the climate change conference held recently in Cancun were “noteworthy”.
India’s stand at the global summits, he said, was “derived from our unique experience of tackling the challenge of developmental challenges, our emphasis on values and our tradition of building consensus among different sections and interests.”
Manmohan Singh mentioned that India in 2010 had the honour of hosting leaders of five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council.
“The year gone by has been a busy year for Indian diplomacy. We had the honour of receiving leaders from all countries which are permanent members of the UN Security Council in India.
“We have this year become a member of the United Nations Security Council for a period of two years. We will play our due and commensurate role in international bodies and we will seek to promote what is good for India and good for the world at large,” he said.
At the event in New Delhi, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Toronto will be the venue for India’s next mini-Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
It would focus on the aspirations of the new generation of Indian youth worldwide and the universal cultural draw of Bollywood, he said.
“We want youth among our vast diaspora to have the same bonding with India that their parents and grandparents have. That’s why we will focus on reaching out to them at our next mini-Pravasi Bharatiya Divas,” the minister said.
This apart, Bollwood -- not just films but the stars, actors, songs -- also has a very large fan following. It is an important component of our soft power. So Bollywood will also feature very prominently at the event, Ravi told IANS in an interview at his residence.
The minister, who oversaw the successful conclusion of the three-day annual diaspora conclave Jan 7-9, said Toronto was chosen as the next venue since Canada also has a vast Indian community estimated at around one million.
Also this Indian community in Canada is politically visible, successful, hard working and enterprising. “By holding the event in Canada, we can also reach out to our people in the Caribbean, again a very vibrant community.”
The previous mini-conclaves were held in New York, Singapore, The Hague and Durban.
Ravi also made it clear that India holds events like these not for attracting investment from people of Indian origin and non-resident Indians. “It is more to promote our bonding, culture, and thank them for their contributions,” he said.
“If you look at foreign investment made by our diaspora, it is just 1.3 percent of total inflows. Yes, our non-resident Indian community remitted $54 billion last year - the largest for any country. But that is not the point,” he said.
“What we are trying to convey is that India today is a land of new opportunities and our diaspora has a lot to gain by becoming our partner in progress and our ambassadors. Contributions can be in any field - health, education, industry.”
Referring to demands made by non-resident Indians for voting rights, Ravi said legislative process had concluded and the law ministry was pushing it forward. He hoped the Election Commission will make it happen by next general election.
“But let us be clear,” Ravi told IANS. “Only non-resident Indians will be able to vote and they can vote when they are in India. The constituency can be the same as on their passports. We have some ideas and we will reach a decision soon.”
The minister said he was particularly happy that this year’s convention in New Delhi had focused on the eight northeastern states and further that youth from there participated with enthusiasm and in large numbers.
India’s supercharged economy also got a boost when the global consultancy firm of  Deloitte said Canada and India’s bilateral trade is expected to be around USD 15 billion by 2015. For the year ended March 31, 2010, their trade was worth over USD 3 billion.
Deloitte noted that Indian players are showing keen interest in Canada’s oil  and gas, clean technology and life sciences areas, among others.
Similarly, Canadian industry too is interested in the Indian market. “Companies from Canada are likely to focus on Indian players that are engaged in clean energy, agriculture and infrastructure sectors,” the report said.