The Pravasi Bharathiya Divas, a day to celebrate & remind ourselves of the democratic principles of our great nation, the Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic of India. The Government of the Indian State of Karnataka, which is hosting this edition of the PBD, is keen to do all its mite to revitalize the very idea of Indian-ness that underpins the event, during this 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, that is on in Bengaluru between the 7th and 9th of January 2017.
Speaking at a recently held press briefing in the national capital New Delhi, the newly appointed Deputy Chairperson of the ‘NRI Forum Karnataka,’ Ms. Arathi Krishna said: “Karnataka has taken several leadership initiatives in bringing-in NRI Investors into Karnataka. The Karnataka Government has been a role model for other states on how to engage with NRI investors and strengthen our relationship with our Diaspora. The key success of Karnataka State in attracting the investors is exemplified by being innovative in creating investment opportunities, and nurturing investors by giving them all that is required for faster and scalable growth. We will continue to be innovative and will showcase several new avenues for investing into the state to the NRI community at this PBD 2017 event, which will give one more opportunity for Kannadigas to actively participate in Karnataka’s development.
“Talking of our Diaspora, about 25 million people of Indian descent live on foreign soil, and the World Bank says that remittances by this Indian Diaspora community worldwide amounted to some US$ 69 Billion in 2015 – constituting the highest in the world. As dispersed as they are across the world carving out a niche for themselves and earning name, fame and fortunes for themselves, our diaspora is to this day firmly bound by the idea of “Indian-ness”. And out of this 25 million, Kannadigas – the people of our state, are an estimated four lakh, and represent Karnataka all over the world. They are known for their high skills and their qualitative contributions to the respective countries where they live.
“The Government of Karnataka is working to proactively leverage our inherent strengths, by providing just the right ecosystem for individuals and industries to grow and prosper here. DIPP figures show that out of the total investment intentions of INR 3.11 lakh crore that India received in the first six months of 2016, Karnataka has a lion’s share – 38.34% – amounting to INR 68,000 Crore. Karnataka, with this figure, tops the list of maximum investment intentions received. The same DIPP’s FDI statistics show that Karnataka has attracted more than 5.2 billion US dollars in FDI over the last one year, which has made it the 2nd best State in terms of attracting FDI into the country.”
Talking about the initiative that has seen the formation of the ‘NRI Forum Karnataka,’ she said: “It’s a major initiative of Karnataka State. The forum is dedicated to serve the NRIs and NRKs – to bring them home via many avenues. The forum is currently at work on releasing a ‘NRI Policy,’ meant to cover many aspects of providing innovative services to NRI communities. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka and the Congress leadership, for their faith they have deposed in me, and appoint me as a Deputy Chairman of the NRI Forum of the Government of Karnataka. I take this responsibility given to me as an indication of the extent of trust which the CM has put in me, to steer the NRI Forum towards greater enhancement of the Government of Karnataka’s engagement with NRIs and PIOs in various countries.”