The Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi inaugurated the plenary session of the 15th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas at Deendayal Hastkala Sankul in Varanasi today. Chief Guest of PBD 2019, Prime Minister of Mauritius, PravindJugnauth, ,Governor of Uttar Pradesh Ram Naik, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj along with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of UttarakhandTrivendra Singh Rawat, Union Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs Retd.General V K Singh and several other dignitaries graced the occasion.
In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is the love and affection of the diaspora for the land of their forefathers which has brought them to India. He called upon the NRI community to join hands for building a new India.
PM lauded the role of Indian diaspora in keeping alive the tradition of VasudhaivaKutumbakam. He said the NRIs are not only the Brand Ambassadors of India but also represent its strength, capabilities and characteristics. He urged the diaspora to participate in building a New India specially in research and innovation.
PM said that with its rapid progress, India is being seen on a high pedestal across the world and is in a position to lead the global community. International Solar Alliance is one such example. Mr. Modi added that local solution and global application is our mantra. He termed International Solar Alliance as a step in the direction of One World, One Sun, One Grid.
Prime Minister said that India is on course to become a global economic powerhouse. It has one of the largest start-up ecosystems and world’s largest healthcare scheme to its credit. We have moved on with great strides in Make in India. A bumper harvest production has been our major achievement.
PM lamented that due to lack of will power and proper policies of the previous Government, a large chunk of funds earmarked for them was not available for the Beneficiaries. However today, he said we have plugged the loopholes in the system with the help of technology. The loot of public money has been stopped and 85 percent of the lost money has been made available and transferred directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. PM said that now Rs. 5,80000 crores has transferred directly into people’s accounts over the past four and a half years.PM narrated how 7 crore fake names have been struck off the list of beneficiaries, which is almost equal to the population of Britain, France and, Italy.