The Indian diaspora contributes to the growth of the country’s economy in a big way, but its role in this vital area is often overlooked. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quick to acknowledge the part played by Indians settled abroad in the economic development of their motherland. He never misses an opportunity to praise them as he considers them to be a ‘strategic asset’ as far as the all-round growth of the nation is concerned.
His attitude towards the Indian diaspora has been entirely different from his predecessors who, almost without exception, used to interact with the Indian community abroad only on national days or other important occasions. Problems of the diaspora were never given importance. There was some change in the Indian government’s attitude towards the diaspora under the regime of Rajiv Gandhi. There were sincere attempts at reaching out to the Indian diaspora during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was under NDA-I that Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was first launched in 2003.
But it is Prime Minister Modi who ensured a proper and strong linkage between the Indian diasporic community and development of the country. Modi, who as the chief minister of Gujarat had organized ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ with an eye to harnessing the potential of Pravasi Bharatiya in the development of their home state, is now seeking to exploit the full potential of Indians settled abroad in the economic development of the country.
Since Modi considers diaspora to be an ‘asset’ and India’s intellectual power beyond borders to be a ‘brain gain’ he made it a point to interact with members of the Indian community during his visits to different countries, including the US, where he received a rousing reception from the diaspora. He realizes that the Indian diaspora can help stimulate the economic growth of India in the same manner as the Chinese diaspora has helped its parent country.
The Chinese diaspora facilitated the globalization of Chinese trade through its global network. Modi wants to transform the Indian diaspora into a ‘strategic asset’ and expects them to play the role of a facilitator in globalizing the Indian trade through their connections and bringing the much-needed investments. During the PBD celebrations last year, Prime Minister Modi had called for a decisive role from Indians settled abroad in the building of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
The strength of the Indian diaspora can be gauged from the fact that it has 18 million members spread across 136 countries. That makes it the largest diaspora community in the world, which brings in the highest amount of remittance, estimated at $87 billion in 2021. In other words, Indians contribute 13% of global remittances and the remittance sent by Indians back to India amounts to approximately 3.2% of the Indian GDP. So, the Prime Minister is right in attaching this kind of importance to the diaspora and the Indian government should continue to have a positive policy towards Indians living abroad.
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