Noting the immense influence and potential of Indias soft power,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday called upon overseas Indians to help expand Indias global footprint. Addressing the 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi,he commended the Indian diaspora for its contribution to society. The sterling achievements of our diaspora represent a triumph of the value that Indian culture places on education,he said,adding this must be harnessed to improve the education system. The richness of Indias classical traditions and the colour and vibrancy of contemporary Indian culture are making waves around the world, he said while announcing a decision to establish new Indian cultural centres in US,Canada,Saudi Arabia,France and Australia. I urge the Indian communities in these countries to support and patronise these centres so that they become effective instruments for projecting the diversity and splendour of composite Indian culture, he said. While Indias growing stature was a matter of pride,Singh underlined the need for reforms in governance. We are examining seriously how to make systemic changes that ensure more transparent procedures and safeguards in our governance processes.. We are determined to work sincerely towards this end, he said. Saying the welfare of Indian immigrants was a cause for concern,the PM pointed out that while India has signed Social Security Agreements with 12 countries and finalised Labour Mobility Partnerships with two others,negotiations were on for an arrangement with the European Union as well. He also said that the government has decided to merge the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card and the People of Indian Origin (PIO) card into a single facility to simplify visa-free entry and participation of Indian diaspora in business and other activities here. The PM released a handbook,Homeward Bound to guide overseas Indians on investing and starting up businesses in India,and laid the foundation for Indias new cultural centre. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sought to allay the concerns of the diaspora over the proposed Direct Tax Code. The concerns centre around a proposal as per which NRIs can be taxed on their global income and treated as residents of India if they spend 60 days in a financial year in India. Mukherjee clarified that the DTC was only at a formulation stage and undergoing the scrutiny of the Parliamentary Standing Committee so nothing was finalised on it. The Bill is expected to replace the Income Tax Act by 2012. Chief guest Sir Anand Satyanand,the Governor General of New Zealand,pointed out that Indians settled abroad contributed a lot to their societies while retaining an emotional connection to the land of their origin.
