New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday called upon overseas Indians to invest in their country of origin, not just financially, but intellectually, socially, culturally and emotionally as well.

Inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2007, the annual conclave of the Indian diaspora at the Vigyan Bhavan convention centre here Sunday, the prime minister said: "We in India wish to see you engaged in India's great adventure of building an India free from the fear of war, want and exploitation."

Stating that India has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, he called upon overseas Indians to take full advantage of the opportunities arising out of the country' growth process.

Lauding the overseas Indians for their achievements in their respective countries, Manmohan Singh said: "When I meet heads of government and business leaders in distant lands, they tell me very proudly that the Indian community is a great asset, that people of Indian origin are highly creative, productive, enterprising, peace-loving and devoted to their families, their communities and their neighbourhoods."

The prime minister had a special word of praise for the Indian American community for their role in clinching the landmark US-India civilian nuclear deal.

"This is an important step not just in India-US bilateral relations but also an essential first step with other countries that are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group."

Turning to education, the prime minister said that the proposal to establish a university for persons of Indian origin (PIOs) has been under active consideration in the past year.

"We envisage the proposed university as oriented to meeting the needs of the overseas Indian community in the most sought after disciplines including engineering and management."

The prime minister also called upon Indian universities to be more open to children of overseas Indians.

He expressed delight at the fact that Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea and other countries are supporting India in its bid to revive the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar as a centre of Buddhist learning.

Coming to investments by overseas Indians in India, he said that a proposal to establish an Indian overseas facilitation centre is being developed.

"This is envisaged as a source of investment advisory services for overseas Indian investors."

Calling upon overseas Indians to inspire Indians at home to take a broader view of the world, Singh said, "I want every Indian living and working in India to aspire for the global recognition that a Zubin Mehta, a Lakshmi Mittal, an Indra Nooyi, an Amartya Sen, or a Kalpana Chawla gets when they go overseas."

"Even as you discover and nurture your roots, I urge you to extend your branches," the prime minister told the august gathering that included a large number of Indians who have made their mark all over the world in various fields.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi announced three additional benefits for the holders of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.

These include parity with non-resident Indians on inter-country adoption, parity with resident Indian nationals in domestic airfares and parity with Indian nationals in entry fees for national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India.

The minister also capped the achievements of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in the past one year, including the signing of the social security agreement with Belgium and the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the United Arab Emirates, which grants protection of the rights of Indian workers in that country.

"Over the next few months I am confident that we will conclude and sign similar agreements with Kuwait, Bahrain and the other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries," he said.

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar, who is the chief guest in this year's PBD, spoke about the need for India's strategic role in East Asia's future.

"I am convinced that India will be an essential part of the emerging East Asian pattern and that India's future will be increasingly bound up with that of East Asia," he said.

PBD is MOIA's flagship event and is aimed at connecting the 25-million-strong Indian diaspora spread across 130 countries with India. This year, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the institutional partner for the event while the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi is the partner state.

Over 1,200 delegates from around 50 countries are participating in the event, the fifth edition of PBD.

There will be around 30 sessions on a variety of topics in the course of the three-day event, in which a large number of speakers from overseas as well as from India will be participating. 

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