Recalling Netaji

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Indian Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur will be named after freedom fighter and commander of the Indian National Army Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. “Thousands of your forefathers came forward to join Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army,” he said as he made his by-now trademark address to the Indian diaspora on the second day of his visit to Malaysia. “Independent India owes a debt of gratitude to Malay-Indians,” he said. “We will name our cultural centre here after Subhas Chandra Bose.”

A cultural extravaganza showcasing the best of Indian and Malaysian talent preceded Modi's speech. The event was organised by the Welcome Partners, comprising Indian expatriates and around 90 cultural and community organisations from across the country. Of the nearly 30 million population of Malaysia, around two million people are of Indian origin. Mr Modi on his visit to Malaysia attended the 13th Asean-India Summit and the 10th East Asia Summit.

 PM’s Singapore visit

PM Modi and the Prime Minister of Singapore Mr Lee Hsien Loong at Komala Vilas Restaurant, Little India, Singapore on November 23, 2015

Addressing the Singaporean business community at the India-Singapore Economic Convention, Modi admitted there were still a number of regulatory and taxation issues in India and tried to hard sell the country's business potential to Singapore's corporate community, - and assured that he will do the hand-holding when they come to India.

"In the past few months, the interest of foreign investors in India has gone up tremendously. However, there were a number of regulatory and taxation issues which were adversely impacting on their sentiments. We have taken very decisive steps to remove many of the long-pending concerns," Mr Modi said. He expressed hope that the much-awaited goods and service tax regime would roll out from 2016. India's growth rate was 7.3 percent last year and the World Bank has projected even better growth this year, he added. Mr Modi observed Singapore has emerged as the second largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in India. "Outward Indian FDI to Singapore has also increased in recent times. Singapore is now one of the top destinations for Indian investments. We are working hard to make sure that our tax regime is transparent and predictable. We are also keen to see that genuine investors and honest tax payers get quick and fair decisions on tax matters," he said.