Andhra gears up for NRI fest

Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who on Monday reviewed the arrangements for the forthcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Hyderabad from January 7-9, said sharing of knowledge and experience of non-resident Indians for the development of the state and the country was more important than investments the event would yield.

"Any investments coming in from NRIs on account of the event would only be incidental," he said.

The success or otherwise of the event should not be gauged merely by the quantum of investments, he said, and suggested that the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas should focus more on addressing the issues and problems facing NRIs in the country of their residence as also in the country of their birth.

According to the chief minister, Andhra Pradesh will partner with the ministry of overseas Indian affairs to establish a Diaspora Knowledge Network.

"This will be an ICT-driven platform seeking to leverage the knowledge resources of the overseas Indian community in the social sector," he said.

He directed the officials to showcase the initiatives of the state government on the infrastructure development front during the three-day event.

The state government is also proposing to showcase the potential of the state to foreign investors in such sectors as IT, biotechnology, pharma, tourism, medical education, among others.

Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Gurucharan over 1,260 NRIs have enrolled so far and the final figure of overseas delegates may touch 1,500 through spot registrations.

Almost 600 of the delegates are expected to be of Andhra origin.

Though, delegates from over 50 countries are coming, the majority of them will be from Europe, North America and the Gulf, according to an official of the Government of India.

While the opening day will have a plenary on topics like defining a diaspora agenda, diaspora partnership in healthcare, and an inaugural address by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,  the second day will have an interactive session with states followed by parallel sessions with states.

Besides Andhra Pradesh, 11 other states have confirmed their participation.

Delegations from these states will be led by the respective chief ministers or industry ministers, the official said.

The other issues to be discussed during the event include knowledge network, philanthropy, culture, communal harmony, and secularism.

President A P J Abdul Kalam is scheduled to address the valedictory and awards ceremony on January 9.

Meanwhile, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin has proposed to undertake a pilot project in healthcare in the country.

Andhra Pradesh will be one of the states chosen for this initiative, said a press release.