India beckons young diaspora for social projects

Bengaluru, Jan 7 (IANS) India on Saturday invited its young diaspora globally to take up social projects as part of its contribution to the motherland.

"The government will encourage the young Indian diaspora to undertake social projects anywhere in the country, including states, cities or towns they originally belong to," Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel said here on Saturday.

In a keynote address on the 'Role of Diaspora in the Transformation of India' at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) or Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day, Goel said his ministry would open single-window clearance to allow the diaspora implement social projects in any state or city at the earliest.

"The young diaspora will be allowed to take up renovation of heritage sites, including monuments and historical places and adopt them to serve the country better," Goel told about 400 young diaspora at the inaugural session of the 'Yuva PBD', being held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre on the city's outskirts.

There are about 1,000 heritage sites, including 36 declared by Unesco as world heritage across the country with rich social and cultural background, noted Goel.

Admitting that children of the diaspora face problems when they come to India to study, be an entrepreneur or invest, Goel said the concerned ministries, including the Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs would address them to ensure they are solved in a time-bound manner.

Noting that the young diaspora has many opportunities to engage with its country of origin, Goel said the government had launched many initiatives such as 'Make in India', 'Digital India', 'Start-up India' and 'Skill India' to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

"The young Indian diaspora can play an important role in building a modern and prosperous India. We have taken steps to facilitate this process by simplifying rules and procedures for the overseas Indians," asserted Goel.

A number of initiatives, including smart cities project, have also been launched for developing infrastructure across the country.

Claiming that India was one of the youngest nations, with 65 per cent population under 35 years of age, the minister said the country would have a median age of 28 years by 2020 as against 38 years in the US, 42 years in China and 48 years in Japan.

Observing that a large number of young Indians had gone to various parts of the world and earned a good name for themselves and the country of their origin, the minister said a sizeable section of the overseas Indian community comprises skilled young professionals, who have been successful in their work.