Ministry of External Affairs of Republic of In : Transcript of Media Briefing by MOS(VKS)and Dr. R V Deshpandey, Minister, Government of Karnataka on PBD 2017, Bengaluru (January 09, 2017)

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Good afternoon friends. We are privileged to have with us today Dr. R V Deshpande, Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka and of course Gen Dr. V K Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Shri Dnyaneshwar Mulay, Secretary Overseas Indian Affairs and Consular & Passport Visa division.

As you know the Government of Karnataka has been a very close partner for the Ministry of External Affairs in organizing this mammoth event, the largest ever participation in the history of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. So the way we will structure it is first we will have Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh brief you on the MEA perspective on this very significant occasion. And then we will have the Government of Karnataka perspective from Dr. R V Deshpande. With that I give the floor to MOS.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:Good afternoon to everybody. I would like to start by saying that we are really thankful to our partner State Karnataka and specially Minister R V Deshpande for all the assistance that we have got. The venue, their availability, the sorting out of problems and ensuring that this event becomes a success is greatly facilitated by the Government of Karnataka and specially the Minister who is sitting with me here.

This Pravasi Divas came after we change the format a little bit. In 2015 we decided that we were not going to have a large event every year and we said a large event we will only do every alternate year and in the intervening year we will discuss issues concerning our Pravasis and anything connected with them in great detail, so that we can achieve better results. Therefore in 2016 we discussed 10 different issues, we had panels in which we incorporated people from the Pravasi community as well as Indian experts. We devoted a full day and ensured that we ended up with recommendations.

In this event, the plenary session that we have had we have presented these recommendations to the house and asked them for any more suggestions to it so that then we finalize these recommendations and convert them into executable points. We have also as part of our effort of being a Government that reports back to people, we have given the action taken report on all the recommendations that were made by the panels.

We find that this was a very good initiative in which we had full support of the Prime Minister and thinking of our External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj. She personally took interest in all the sessions that were done in 2016. This year we have had a very large gathering, we have had more than 7200 people who were registered. We have had more than 2000 people who came from abroad and the general impression that we get after talking to people is that this time we were able to attract much larger crowds, whether they were present for the various sessions or they were present in the exhibitions that were done.

For the first time all our space for exhibitions was sold out. I'm quite sure that with this as our marker we will have to work very hard when we hold our Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in 2019. I would also say that in the awardees this time, one of the awardees who is true personification of the type of thing that you look for in a Pravasi, it is Nisha Biswal Desai who is the also getting the award and she will give the acceptance speech as a mark for everybody who is getting the award.

I think this format, this cooperation has taken the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to a greater height. With this I request Minister Deshpande to say a few words.

Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka, Dr. R V Deshpande: Respected Hon'ble Gen VK Singh Ji, Minister for State for External Affairs, Mr. Mulay Ji, Secretary, Swarup Ji and friends, I have nothing more to add to what the respected General has said. At the outset I thank the External Affairs Ministry, Government of India and most to the Prime Minister and Sushmaji, I said it in my address yesterday, I was witness to the PPD in Ahmedabad. I had the opportunity to meet the Hon'ble Prime Minister and also the EAM Sushmaji and I requested them that the next PBD should be held in Bengaluru and then the Prime Minister immediately reacted, 'Kyon Nahin.'Even Sushmaji said, why not, definitely we will have it.

In a way we were mentally prepared that this will come to us, officially wrote to them and we have got the fullest cooperation and support from Government of India and the External Affairs Ministry. If this PBD, according to everybody is a success, I request you also to interact with the delegates who have come and find out what they feel, we have found out what they feel, but it is better that you judge independently. It is a teamwork and the teamwork has paid its dividend. We are proud that this is the largest PBD held after starting in 2003, as respected General said that more than 7200 delegates, more than 2000+ overseas Indians.

Karnataka should be really thankful to the External Affairs Ministry, for the first time because I have attended the PBD in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the Chief Minister's session and some other sessions were common but they agreed to give us two specific sessions on our strengths. One was on 7th January on Startups and Innovations, you know they are our strengths, we are the leaders not in the country but in the world. So I requested the Hon'ble Prime Minister yesterday that today in innovation as we are the leaders in Asia, to make Bengaluru, Karnataka the leader of the world, we require support.

The second important session, which is going on today - I just came out to meet you friends - is Make in India i.e. Invent, Innovate and Invest in Karnataka. Because according to us the future India is going to be created from Karnataka because of its strengths. So these two sessions, they agreed and it has given us a lot of mileage, a lot of strength. We could display our strengths to the overseas friends who have come here and also to other delegates. And it may not be there immediately but in the long run it will help Karnataka in investments.

Some friends met me also, just now somebody met and said I would like to invest in aviation, likewise it will take time but whatever it is, I should be thankful and especially our Hon'ble General has been of help 24/7, not only that he had visited many times but for the last 4 or 5 days he is camping here. Mr. MJ Akbar also had visited, I am thankful to him also. The only thing we missed was Sushmaji. She had been a great source of strength to us and she was always helpful. My Chief Minister Respected Siddaramaiahji and Madam Sushmaji signed the MoU, sometime in August 2016 in Delhi and from that time all the entire team of External Affairs Ministry and the State Government has been working.

They have constituted a number of sub-committees under very senior officers and we have got results. Mr. Mulay, Vani, Swarup Ji and entire team, everybody on the team worked very hard day and night otherwise this would not have been possible. And lastly I would be failing in my duty if I don't thank you also because be it electronic media or print media, everybody has helped us to reach the entire world. I am thankful to you. Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka.

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:I thank both the ministers for their statements. The floor is now open for questions.

Question:First of all I appreciate all the efforts. I don't know whether you can call it a Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Apravasi Bharatiya Divas because out of the 7000+ delegates, only 2000 of them are real pravasis, so practically it became a non-pravasi meet. What do you want to say about that?
Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:I think that impression is wrong. There are a lot of pravasis who come on holidays and they come for this particular event, their families come for this event. So when a person registers, it is it is taken that way. In fact in all Pravasi meetings we have found that people who immediately come only for this event from abroad, the number will always be smaller. There is a larger number of people who are already here for the last month or so on holidays or something like that.

Question:The last Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that happened in 2015, a commemorative stamp of Mahatma Gandhi was released. This time around I think a book is being released, could you elaborate more on it and the rationale behind it?

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Basically we had done a compilation of Prime Minister's select speeches on foreign policy during 2014 and 15. Hon'ble Rashtrapati Ji had very kindly written the foreword to that book, so today utilizing his presence here in Bengaluru for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Samman Awards, we are just releasing the book in the presence of the president. The President will officially release the book. It's not a book for sale.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:Where the stamp is concerned, 2015 was the hundredth year of landing of Mahatma Gandhi in India and that is why the stamp was released.

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:So this is the background of the book. Basically it is a collection of Prime Minister's speeches in 2014 and 15, select speeches which is devoted only to foreign policy which he has given abroad, all the speeches are the speeches that he has given outside India. So that was the rationale of releasing it here at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, because this is an event which celebrates Pravasi Bharatiya i.e. the people who are living and working outside India.

Question:Mere do sawal hain. Pahla, is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas mein 7200 registrations hue jo pichhale sabhi PBD se sabse adhik hai, toh kya is number se kisi rajya ko kuch nivesh ka laabh prapt hua ya nahi? Doosra, Mukhyamantriyon ke jo sammelan hua karte they, woh alag-alag hua karte they, chahe who Delhi ya Ahmedabad PBD ho, toh is baar sabhi rajyon ka ek hi sammelan karne ki wajah se sabhi rajyon ko apni baat kahne ka samay nahi mil paya, kya aisa nahi lagta hai?

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:Dekhiye jab hum Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ka sammelan rakhte hain, hum sabko ek hi jagah par bulate hain, ek hi state ke andar bulate hain. Pichhali baar Gujarat mein tha, is baar Karnataka mein hai, agle se agle saal kaun sa state aage badhkar aayega, mujhe nahi pata.

Dekhiye jab hum nivesh ki baat karte hain, log aate hain, dekhate hain, baatcheet karte hain, nivesh ekdum se nahi ho jata hai, nivesh ke liye baatein aage badhati hain. Jis prakar se Karnataka Sarkar ne apni cheezen logon ke saamne rakhi hain, mujhe poorn aasha hai ki Karnataka ke andar nivesh karne ke liye bahut log saamne aayenge.

Doosra aapka sawal tha Mukhyamantriyon ke liye. Pichhale saal bhi jab humne Mukhyamantri Sammelan kiya tha jo ki Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ka hissa tha, ek hi manch se sab ne baat ki, uske baat unke liye alag-alag kamre rakhe gaye jismein woh gaye aur log-baag wahan par aaye. Usmein faayda sirf kuch hi logon ko milta hai, isliye humne abki baar ye rakha ki sab log rahen aur uske baad unke liye jo chambers banaye hain, wahan jakar log apni baat alag se kar sakte hain.

Minister for Large and Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, Government of Karnataka, Dr. R V Deshpande: Dekho ek baat aapne samajhani hai, ye Pravasi Bharatiya Divas hai, investment summit nahi hai. Ye jo oversease Indian aate hain, unke saath connect hona, unki samasya samajhna, Bharat Sarkar aur Rajya Sarkar ne kya kya kiya hai jaise humne abhi nai policy laai hai, Karnataka ke NRIs ke liye, to ye sammelan iske liye hota hai. Jo youngsters hain in the diaspora, unko bhi connect karna hai unke roots ke saath, hamari sanskriti ke saath, ye karte hue humko Government of India ne ek advantage diya, aap investment summit kar lo aur bahut se log mujhe miley. Kal main dopahar mein CM lodge mein kaafi der baitha tha, aur kai aur log bhi jaise CM Fadnavis saab bhi baithe they, unhone bhi kai logon se mulakaat ki.

Kya hai ki aaj duniya bahut chhoti ho gai, the globe has become a small village. Competition severe ho gaya hai, har ek country, har ek rajya chahta hai ki mere yahan jyada se jyada investment aaye. Investment nahi aayegi to prosperity kaise aayegi. Pradhan Mantri videsho mei jaate hain investment laane ke liye.

Only when investments come, prosperity can come. Jobs could be created, exchequer to the Government and State Governments will come.

Iske liye har ek state ko ab professional hona hai, toh ye ek marketing hai. Vyapari jaise apna marketing karte hain toh hamare state ko marketing karne ka ek bada mauka mila. Aur ek baat main bolta hoon, humne ek naya kaam kiya hai, humare desh mein pahli baar humne ek nayi company form ki hai, Invest Karnataka. It's a section 8 company, non-profit one. Ismein 8 directors hain aur unmein 5 industrialists hain aur ek CEO hai. Humare saamne jo bhi investment aayenge, they will be driven along with the government more by the industry. So this is an opportunity.

Question:For the last two days a lot of countries were represented and more than 7200 delegates have taken participation. Normally Sri Lanka used to have a major delegation other than Malaysia. Now this current year we could hardly see any Sri Lankan participation in this current PBD. Since the Karnataka minister mentioned that Pravasi Bharat is not meant for investment but to find solutions to the problem of overseas Indians. Has the Government of India taken any major step for the problems being faced by Tamilians living in Sri Lanka?

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:People have come from Sri Lanka. People have come, there are people who have brought problems also, they have come and discussed these issues with us and let me assure you that this is a big event where a lot of people come. Some of the people who don't come, they interact with us otherwise. It is not that this is the only forum where people will interact and tell us the problem.

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Minister Deshpande Ji has to leave because he has another session. Sir, Thank you very much for participating in the press conference and sharing your thoughts with us and we are very grateful for Government of Karnataka for all the support for this event. We will continue with the press conference in the presence of General VK Singh.
Question from Matrubhumi News Channel:In the morning session there was a discussion on ECR workers. There was a suggestion for having a comprehensive labour agreement with ECR and GCC countries. I think the previous Government had already put in labour agreement with the Saudi Arabia. Has the NDA Government done anything on that?
Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:We have got an e-migrate system which is functioning for the last year and a half. It's fully functional and we experimented with it for almost 6 months before that to capture all the data. The problem is that this data will remain incomplete because a large number of people go through informal routes. Neither do we know nor does our consulate know or our embassy know in that country. Till the time they don't get into any trouble, they do not approach us.

So to get this data correctly updated, it requires a great amount of work for the Ministry of Home to ensure that everybody who is going out of the country, all their issues are analyzed and they are put into a particular format so that the data is then available to us. At the moment there are lacunae in this. We are trying our best but if you are to ask anybody, is your data complete? The answer is no, it cannot be complete. A person who goes to USA by following a route from Malaysia to Indonesia to South America and then Mexico and then crosses throgh some tunnel, I don't have his data. So it's a very complicated problem, it is not a simple problem. Same is true for GCC countries.

Question from BTVi: I would just like to congratulate you for organizing such a wonderful conference. I am Pravasi and I also had the chance to interact with so many other pravasis that I wouldn't have had the chance to be able to otherwise. I just wanted to ask what feedback have you received this year and how will you do things differently in 2019?

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:The event is still going on, we'll get the feedback after this. Feedback from media, feedback from people, feedback from the Government of Karnataka, feedback from our own teams which have been working and let me assure you that this is what we did when we had the event in Gujarat, we decided to do things in a particular manner. Like yesterday we found that the session overshot the time and therefore people were not able to come to the cultural program. Maybe next time I'll do it differently.

Question: I am an NRI and staying in China for last seven years. Yesterday, I heard from our Karnataka CM, and whoever were speaking, it was 'Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka'. It is totally wrong and it shows something different. It shows we are not in India. On 4th and 5th, UP also had Pravasi Bharatiya Divas,; but it is not a State Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, it is National Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:I have got the spirit of your question. All that I can say is this a diverse country which has great unity in diversity. Let's not unnecessarily become emotional about it. When it comes to nation, let me assure you 1.25 billion people, 125 crore sab ke sab ek saath ekatthe hain. There is not difference whether they say, Jai Karnataka, Jai Bengal, Jai Maharashtra. All that is okay, but in their heart's it is Jai Hind, Jai Bharatvarsh.

Question from News Nation: Jo Rashtrapatiji abhi release karenge us Kitaab ke baare mein thoda vistaar se bataiye. Kitne speeches ismein honge, kisne compile kiya hai, aur kya woh market mein uplabdh hogi?
Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Ye Pradhan Mantri Ji ki speeches hain jo ki website par already available hain. Ye speeches ho chuki hain, hone wali nahin hain. Pradhanmantri anek deshon mein jaate hain, jahan jaate hain wahan par ke seminal speech unki jaroor hoti hai, ya to community ko hoti hai ya kisi think-tank ke saamne hoti hai ya kisi badi gathering mein hoti hai. Ye sab foreign policy ke different muddon ke upar Prakash daalati hain. Jaise Central Asia gaye, to Central Asia mein hamari kya vision thi wahan ke liye, toh uski speech hai. Singapore gaye, Bharat-Singapore relations kis tarah ke hone chahiye us par hai. Toh uska ye compilation hai. Rashtrapati Ji ne iska foreword likha hai aur unke kar-kamlo dwara iska aaj lokaarpan ho raha hai. Total lagbhat 20-25 speeches hain usmein, 2014-15 ke.

Question: Bahut hi badhiya prabandh kiye gaye, yah mera 6th Bhartiya Pravasi Divas hai jo main attend kar raha hoon. Is baar NRIs ko jo takleef aai hai, Airport per utarte hi na toh unke pass Indian currency thi, na unki currency Airport pe badli gai. Agar unke paise badle gaye to sirf $100 i.e. 5000 ke baraabar. Agar currency rate Rs. 51 ya Rs. 52 tha, to sirf Rs. 46 ya Rs. 47 mile. Koi bhi NRI ye 5000 ya 4000 lekar ghar nahi jana chahta, usko raaste mein taxi karni hai ya aur kharche hain, Iske liye Sarkar ne koi bhi prabandh nahi kiya jo hamae liye rasta khole ki hum agar yahan aaye hain to hamari currency change ki jaye. Na to un logon ne jo hamare pass puraani currency thi woh change ki, aur hamein kewal $100 ka exchange diya. Agar hum market mein gaye to jo money changers hain woh kehte hain ki Rs. 45 le lo ya Rs. 46 le lo for 1 Canadian Dollar, nahin to aur kahin chale jao. Itne bade prabandh jo kiye gaye, usmein is baat ka koi bhi khayal nahi rakha gaya ki NRI bahar se aayenge aur unko kharchane ke liye paise bhi Chahiye honge? Kisi bhi ATM se paise nahi nikalte, koi bhi bank line mein lagne ke baad bhi paise nahi deta, bolte hain sirf Rs. 2000 milega aur woh bhi lambi line mein lagne ke baad. Kya koi NRI 2000 se ya 4000 se yahan par survive kar sakta hai?

Secretary (OIA & CPV), Shri Dyaneshwar Mulay:Humne is campus ke andar ATM ka prabandh kiya hai aur kai logon ne uska upyog bhi kiya hai. Ab hum ye nahi kah sakte ki airport par hai ya nahi hai, par ye jo aap vishay prastut kar rahe hain, ye Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ke vishyaon mein nahi hai.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:Aapne ye bahut achhi baat highlight ki hai, is point ko lekar hum Finance Ministry se baat karenge taaki aage ke liye kabhi aisi dikkat na aaye.
Question: Pichhale Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ke liye koi bhi helpline nahi thi, it was with invitation only. Is saal logon ko website mein register karna tha, toh future mein kya hoga?

Secretary (OIA & CPV), Shri Dyaneshwar Mulay: PBD is open to everybody. Registration methodology might have been different but PBD is an open event. Ultimately, what will be the engagement without the Indians being present for the engagement? It is an engagement between India and its diaspora, so this is appropriate that both are present in equal and good numbers.

Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Isn't this a better format that anybody can come. Of course we do invite certain speakers but they are for a specific session but its an open event. Any PIO or NRI can register and come.
Question: One important thing is what were the two or three major concerns expressed by the NRIs? If you can just share that information with us and other what are the key takeaways from here that you would want to share with us?

Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:Like I said, the format was such in which we presented to them what the panels and the experts had discussed. Nevertheless, you'll always find that some of us who come from abroad, we bring our own problems also and these problems are given out. Most of the problems we have seen concern the Gulf countries and Malaysia because a large labour force is there. And that's why we call their Heads of Mission.

Our aim has been that if somebody has some issue on which they want to give suggestion, on which they want certain improvement, those they can discuss with the Ambassadors or they can tell us; a lot of things came up which were generic. Solutions were already given but what certainly happens is that probably it is our fault that we have not been able to pass this information to everybody. So a take away that we have is that in the next coming year we will ensure that a greater emphasis is placed on ensuring that the Government schemes and the Government programs, the outreach program of the Ministry of External Affairs, it goes out in a bigger manner to all the countries where our diaspora lives.

Secretary (OIA & CPV), Shri Dnyaneshwar Mulay: I would like to say a few words about the takeaway. Number one, I think this particular engagement has been extremely substantive. It has discussed wide-ranging issues and it is outcome oriented, very clearly. Prime Minister set the tone and he said two things which I think is very very important. One is, 'Hum passport ka rang nahi dekhate, hum khoon ka rishta pehchante hain' and that set the tone. Then he further added that 'Surakshit Jao, Prasikshi Jao' which is our motto, he added another line to that, 'Vishwas ke saath Jao' which really means that Government of India and India cares for every person who goes abroad for work, for tourism, for business, whatever it might be. Now as Hon'ble MOS said, this has been a different format altogether and the feedback so far we have received, I have received. I have actually spoken to lots of people at different level, response has been extremely positive and I have no hesitation in saying that people have an extremely positive view about the format that we have done. The attendance has been extremely good.

Economic engagement has been one of the important aspects of this particular PBD because we are going beyond culture, going beyond the normal exchange, it has taken economic engagement, whether it is start-ups, whether it is innovation, whether it is human resource development, it has been discussed very thoroughly. It also sets a new precedent in terms of how Centre and State can work in tandem for diaspora engagement because without the States, this engagement cannot be substantive. This is another message.

Prime Minister very clearly said that diaspora engagement is a priority policy area, which really means that now it's one of the cornerstones of our foreign policy and that I think is an important takeaway. Last but not the least, the youth engagement has been very solid in this particular PBD. It is not only that we devoted a day to it but each of these sessions that we had including the inaugural session, focused on a particular topic and the sessions went almost like a brainstorming where participation of every member in the of the audience was also welcomed. I think these are, I would say, a few are takeaways. Thank you.

Question:What are the other states who came forward for the next PBD, like Kerala or Andhra Pradesh? And second what about the participation from Tamil Nadu. It appears that it is zero?
Minister of State for External Affairs, Gen Dr. V K Singh:All states are competing, we will see who competes better, who is able to ensure that the they can work in tandem with us and create an engagement which is much better.

Secretary (OIA & CPV), Shri Dnyaneshwar Mulay:I would say that while all the Chief Ministers may not have participated, a large number of States put their stalls in the exhibition. Number two, we also had a number of ministers other than the CM's who were not on the podium but they did participate in this particular event. And lastly, first time we had a Portuguese Prime Minister coming here and actually openly splashing his OCI card and the Vice President of Suriname, a young 36-year-old man, who was the chief guest for the Youth PBD. Again I would say it is an important development that we are now engaging with the younger political leadership. In fact, one of the participants rightly described this as particular outcome. He said the Indian community now overseas is acting almost like a forward deployed force.
Official Spokesperson, Shri Vikas Swarup:Just one announcement before we conclude, the list of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awardees has now been uploaded on our website. The Gazette notification is issued, so you can look at the list of the 30 individuals who have been awarded the PBSA of this year.

With that this concludes the press conference. I would like to thank Hon'ble Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh, Secretary OIA for gracing this with their presence. Thank you very much.

(Concludes)