Crafting Comfort: The Future of Footwear in India
An article by Gagandeep Kohli, CEO of NoStrain India is the world’s second-largest footwear producer, after China, as was previously…
Inaugurating the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention through virtual mode, Mr Modi said that India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators and testing kits from outside but “today our nation is self-reliant.ÂÂ
Prime Minister ModiÂs remarks gain significance as the global efforts are directed towards vaccination to curb the spread of the viral disease.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs and provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas India, according to an official release. Speaking about ongoing efforts and campaign in India to empower the poor in the country, the Prime Minister said that it was being talked about globally now.
With an obvious reference to the violence in the U.S. where the process of transition of power is underway after the defeat of President Donald Trump, Mr Modi said that people had said that India will break and democracy is impossible in the country.
“But the truth is that India stand together with a strong and vibrant democracy today,ÂÂ said Prime Minister Modi.
Dwelling upon his governmentÂs efforts to eliminate corruption, the Prime Minister said: “Today, India is using technology and end corruption. Money worth lakhs and crores are directly being credited to account of beneficiaries.ÂÂ
In his remarks at the inaugural session of the convention, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar recalled that the convention was part of a tradition that began two decades ago when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee envisioned a comprehensive framework for Pravasi outread. “In the years that have passed, these initiatives have been strengthened by a range of other activities. And even more, transformed by the very unique bonding that Prime Minister Modi has established with the diaspora,ÂÂ he said.
Noting that this yearÂs convention is taking place against the backdrop of the devastating Covid pandemic, the Minister said that these unprecedented difficulties have only further strengthened IndiaÂs bonds with Pravasis.
“This was expressed in the Vande Bharat Mission that brought more than 3.5 million of our people home. It was equally visible in the support we provided for the return from India of those of other nationalities, to 120 countries. And not least, it was seen in the medicines that we sent to 150 nations, many with large Pravasi communities,ÂÂ he said.
Advertisement