Hamid Ansari presents Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to 15 people

GANDHINAGAR: Vice President Hamid Ansari on Friday presented Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to 15 people, including the President of Guyana Donald Rabindernauth Ramotar, at the valedictory function of the 13 th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, here on Friday.

Ansari said that “India today is on the cusp of change, in the process of actualising the expectations of its vast population for a better life.” “India aspires for a better place in the comity of nations. Both of these require rapid economic development, accompanied by better educational, health and social parameters. This requires a massive collective effort by all segments of our population.

The governments at central and state levels need to provide visionary leadership and are determined to do so,” he added. He urged NRIs to play an important role in this connection and said that “they have knowledge and resources to reinforce the effort in niche areas; they also have the experience of other lands where similar efforts were pursued successfully.” “We welcome initiatives which will replicate these valuable experiences here and save us from reinventing the wheel,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion earlier, Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said that “This is a time of unprecedented hope for India.”