EMPIRE CONSULTANCY
From the Editor's Desk

October 2009


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Best Regards

Sayantan Chakravarty
Editor
 

This was the third straight year that the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs held a regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) outside India. In September, it was The Hague in Holland that hosted a day-long PBD. In 2007 and 2008 the regional PBD events had been held at New York and Singapore. Among others, PBD Europe was attended by former Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, current Minister Piet Hien Donner and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi.

Large numbers from the Indo-Surinamese community turned out in attendance, as did PIOs from elsewhere in Europe. The more recent immigrants from India—the NRIs—too were present, as were significant numbers of Dutch executives and entrepreneurs interested in establishing contacts with India.

At first, the organizers were apprehensive of getting enough numbers to attend the event, but instead of the initially estimated 300, double that number attended. We have a report, as well as an interview with Rajindre Tewari, the Netherlands president of the GOPIO—one of the main organizing partners of the MOIA.

There is also a report on the resolutions passed at the GOPIO’s 20th anniversary meet in New York in August. They pertain to a wide array of subjects, ranging from safety and security of overseas Indians in countries across the world, including Australia, Malaysia, Fiji and Uganda. Issues were raised also for giving voting rights to NRIs who number nearly 9.2 million of the estimated 25 million overseas Indians. Property related matters in India involving NRIs that drag on for decades in courtrooms also featured in the resolutions.

In September, we were commissioned by an upcoming trade journal to carry interviews of the High Commissioner of India in Port of Spain, the High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago in New Delhi and the Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago. We have carried sections of those interviews in this issue.

Happy reading.

Editor
Sayantan Chakravarty

Consulting Editor
Rakesh Krishnan

Contributing Editors
Vatsala Kaul, Dinesh Raheja, Indrani Talukdar (all India), Srikanth Beldona, Dharminder Diwan, Arnelle Hartenstein (all US), Monica Kapoor (New Zealand), Ramesh Mathew (Qatar)

Correspondent: Ummul Saba

Art & Design
Jaydev Bisht (Head - Design and Layout)
Debashish Dutta (Consultant - Design)

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