Union minister invites PIOs to partner in country's development

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Ananth Kumar today invited Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) to partner in the development of their motherland and said the Center's programmes and schemes provide a great opportunity for them to forge this partnership.

Addressing a session at the 1st PIO-Parliamentarian conference here, Kumar called the gathering a mini world parliament of PIOs and said, "All of you here are members of our extended family and bound by ties of history, emotional attachment, cultural affinities and kinship."

He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India and its diaspora have found greater recognition and popularity in the comity of nations.


"The minister invited the august gathering of PIOs to partner in the development of their motherland India," Kumar was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry.

The Modi government's flagship schemes such as Skill India, Start up India Stand up India, Make in India etc. provide a great opportunity for PIOs to partner in the country's resurgence as a global power, it added.

The minister also appreciated that languages like Hindi, Bhojpuri and folklores such as Ramayana, literature from India, traditional cuisine etc. have not only survived but are flourishing in the countries which host PIOs.

Speaking earlier at the same event, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said that the Indian diaspora is "our most -valued asset" and the country has immensely benefited from their contribution in various fields.

Stating that the Indian diaspora is the second largest in the world now at around 31 million, Kurien said it has been observed that PIOs are enthusiastic towards sustaining democratic ethos of the country they live in and