WHILE addressing
the Indian Diaspora at Indian Community Reception in the Malaysian Capital,
the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, said that ''Today
India is on the move. We are in the midst of a major transformation
in addressing our developmental challenges within a democratic framework
... India
offers a growing and vibrant market, young work force, and an attractive
destination for foreign investors. We are already a trillion dollar economy.
We are aspiring for a growth rate of 9-10% per annum. As our economy expands
and creates more opportunities, it provides a new platform for collaboration
between India and overseas Indian communities. I invite you to make use of
these new investment and business opportunities in India in the best manner
that you can.''
Dr
Singh said that the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is now a full-fledged mechanism
for reaching out to our overseas community. The Indian Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs runs a Diaspora Scholarship Scheme that offers scholarships
to PIO and NRI students studying in Indian universities. About one
third of practicing Malaysian doctors have obtained medical degrees from India.
Some Malaysian Universities have now begun collaborating with Indian Universities
to develop twinning programmes, particularly in medicine and engineering.
The
PM announced a
contribution of Rs 5 crore to augment the Indian Scholarship Trust Fund,
which will raise the corpus to Rs. 7.55 cr. The Fund was set up by Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946 to provide assistance to Malaysian Indian students.
At the request of the Indian community in Malaysia, Dr Singh
announced 20 scholarships for Malaysian students to pursue courses in traditional
system of medicine in India.
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