The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) is returning to its physical format in 2023 after a brief gap since the last physical convention held in Varanasi in January 2019. It also comes at the back of 75 years of Indian independence celebrated as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. 2023 is also a landmark year for outreach and cementing India’s diplomatic capital as it holds the Presidencies of two multilateral groups -the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It is against these developments that the 17th PBD is being organized at Indore in Madhya Pradesh from 8-10 January 2023.
It is an opportunity to take Indian culture and heritage overseas and to drive investments into India and in moving forward in this endeavour, our diaspora is our strategic asset. Indians have a presence in practically all countries of the world comprising of both Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs). There is significant NRI presence in Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, UK and USA. In addition to these countries, the PIO community is also very significant in Fiji, France (Reunion Island) Guyana, Indonesia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Netherlands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago as can be seen in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Countries with significant presence of Indian diaspora
|
NRI |
PIO |
Overseas Indian |
Australia |
2,41,000 |
2,55,000 |
4,96,000 |
Bahrain |
3,23,292 |
3,366 |
3,26,658 |
Canada |
1,78,410 |
15,10,645 |
16,89,055 |
Fiji |
1,400 |
3,13,798 |
3,15,198 |
France |
19,000 |
90,000 |
1,09,000 |
France (Reunion Island) |
300 |
2,97,000 |
2,97,300 |
France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin) |
420 |
66,800 |
67,220 |
Germany |
1,42,585 |
42,500 |
1,85,085 |
Guyana |
600 |
2,98,782 |
2,99,382 |
Kuwait |
10,28,274 |
1,587 |
10,29,861 |
|
1,57,695 |
45,357 |
2,03,052 |
Malaysia |
2,27,950 |
27,60,000 |
29,87,950 |
Mauritius |
10,500 |
8,84,000 |
8,94,500 |
Myanmar |
9,207 |
20,00,000 |
20,09,207 |
Netherlands |
40,000 |
2,00,000 |
2,40,000 |
New Zealand |
80,000 |
1,60,000 |
2,40,000 |
Oman |
7,79,351 |
1,790 |
7,81,141 |
Philippines |
1,05,000 |
15,000 |
1,20,000 |
Portugal |
11,393 |
70,000 |
81,393 |
Qatar |
7,45,775 |
775 |
7,46,550 |
Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of) |
25,92,166 |
2,781 |
25,94,947 |
Singapore |
3,50,000 |
3,00,000 |
6,50,000 |
South Africa |
60,000 |
15,00,000 |
15,60,000 |
Sri Lanka |
14,000 |
16,00,000 |
16,14,000 |
Suriname |
205 |
2,37,000 |
2,37,205 |
Thailand |
20,000 |
1,75,000 |
1,95,000 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
1,800 |
5,55,000 |
5,56,800 |
UAE |
34,19,875 |
5,269 |
34,25,144 |
UK |
3,51,000 |
14,13,000 |
17,64,000 |
USA |
12,80,000 |
31,80,000 |
44,60,000 |
(Source: MEA Estimates) [i]
Out of the 32 million Indian diaspora, approximately 9 million are in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries alone.[ii] UAE (3.5 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million) have second and third largest Indian community presence after the United States of America (4.46 million). Given that GCC countries i.e UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain Oman, and Kuwait together account for close to 30% of Indian presence globally, it is no surprise that the GCC region remains a focus area for Indian emigrant workers and businesses even though certain shifts are being observed. The India-Gulf region corridor is the second largest migration corridor in the world. The 1970s oil boom led to the migration of Indian migrant workers to the Gulf economies. These migratory flows were mainly characterized by the flow of blue-collar workers, but in future this demand for foreign workers is expected to saturate.[iii]The GCC economies are undergoing a transformation whereby in the coming years the labour markets in these countries are predicted to undergo drastic change driven by automation and technological advancement, a change in policy landscape towards nationalization, demand for employment among the domestic youth and a sluggish economic growth hovering around 3%. [iv] However, there is an increasing demand for foreign workers in many countries in Europe fueled by ageing, inadequate supply of workers within the domestic economy, need for high skilled workers in specialized occupations etc. This is the time when the balance of opportunities is tilted towards India and given the requirements in destination economies it can prove to be a mutually beneficial scenario. Hence, there is a need to diversify the potential opportunities for migrant workers from India by exploring other destination economies.
A beginning in this direction has already been made by the Government through a number of migration and mobility agreements that have materialized especially in the past two years such as the Migration and Mobility Agreement with the United Kingdom (2021), Memorandum of Understanding on Specified Skilled Workers with Japan (2021) Agreement on Recruitment of Indian Citizens to work in the Portuguese Republic (2021) and the most recent Migration and Mobility Agreement with Germany (2022). However, operationalizing these agreements would require employer connect in the destination economies, familiarizing the ecosystem in destination countries about the availability of skilled manpower in India and helping bridge the gap in skill certification and accreditation in line with destination country requirements. In building this connect with the destination economies the diaspora can be very helpful. Firstly, they have knowledge of the local requirements. They can help forge local-global connect. Secondly, many prominent global companies have India born CEOs or have Indian origin individuals in prominent positions. They can help drive investment and knowledge transfer in India that helps in enhancing the skill profile of Indian workers.
Further, many startups which are driven by NRIs are also gathering momentum in this space whereby there is a desire among the diasporic community to connect businesses to their motherland. The business environment in India is also conducive to the growth of startups. By August 2022, India had emerged as the world’s third largest startup ecosystem[v] and has seen a rise of 15,400% in the number of startups in the country from 471 in 2016 to 72,993 as on 30th June 2022. In 2021 alone, 40 new unicorns (private firms valued at $1 billion or more) came into being.[vi] It has also been estimated that the startup ecosystem has generated about 1.6-1.7 lakh jobs so far with 40,000 in the current year alone according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade figures.[vii] Thirdly, the demand generated for Indian goods as a result of Indian/Indian origin settlements in various countries of residence also has potential for driving growth in India.
In the policy making circles as well there is recognition of this business-diaspora linkage. As a nod to their contribution, 52 Pravasis have been given the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award till 2021 in the field of Business.[viii] Out of the 27 individuals who are being honoured with Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards at the upcoming 17th PBD, 8 are in the field of business.[ix]All five plenary sessions of the 17th PBD have business linkage whether in the form of plugging the role of youth in driving innovation and new technology or through exploring the potential of women diaspora entrepreneurs towards inclusive approach to nation building. There is an exclusive panel devoted to discussing the role of diaspora in enabling the global mobility of Indian workforce. The preexisting network of our diaspora, familiarity with local systems, ability to navigate the domestic policy prerequisites in the destination economies and a grip on local requirements can complement the efforts of the government to diversify the opportunity base for Indian workers.
The PBD event will also see an interaction with the G20 Sherpa and the G20 Chief Coordinator which will give the diaspora an overview of activities being planned in India’s presidency of the G20. Further, cognizant of the need to tap into diaspora potential, Madhya Pradesh which is the partner state for the 17th PBD is organizing the Invest Madhya Pradesh -Global Investors Summit at Indore from 11 and 12 January 2023, immediately after the PBD.
To sum up, the importance of the 17th PBD lies in the fact that it coincides with many avenues of opportunities for our country. Even though Covid-19 pandemic severely affected the global economy, India is poised to be the second fastest growing economy in the G20 in FY 2022-23 according to the economic outlook projections for India released by the OECD in November 2022.[x] Amid expected global economic slowdown, India is also the only major economy that will grow at above 5.5% during FY 2023 and FY 2024.[xi] Given the scale of growth India is expected to witness, the 17th PBD shall be an important forum to drive forward the growth and development agenda by strengthening old and forging new bonds with our diaspora entrepreneurs and business community. Many agreements on migration and mobility signed by the Government of India especially in the last few years can benefit from diaspora connect by translating potential into opportunities. India has a reservoir of young and talented individuals who can benefit from the opportunities that have opened up as a result of these agreements. In his recent visit to Cyprus, the Honorable External Affairs Minister highlighted how India is a source of talent and skill and the need to address migration and mobility flows in a more globalized and knowledge driven economy.[xii] The diaspora can act as enablers in facilitating this global mobility of talent of Indian workforce. Lastly, with the PBD coinciding with the G20 presidency of India, it is also an opportunity to project India’s growth story among our diaspora entrepreneurs and potential investors alike, invite them to experience the richness of India and join hands in India’s growth and development.
*****
*Dr. Surabhi Singh, Senior Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
Endnotes
[i] Ministry of External Affairs (2022), “Population of Overseas Indians”, Accessed on 26 December 2022, URL: https://mea.gov.in/population-of-overseas-indians.htm
[ii] GCC countries comprise of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait
[iii] Calabrese John (2020), “India Gulf Migration- A Testing Time”, The Middle East Institute, Accessed on 2 January 2022, URL: https://www.mei.edu/publications/india-gulf-migration-testing-time
[iv] World Bank (2022), “GCC Economies Expected to Expand by 6.9% in 2022”, Accessed on 2 January 2022, URL: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2022/10/31/gcc-economies-expected-to-expand-by-6-9-in-2022
[v]“ Role of Startups in the growth of the economy in India”, Accessed on 26 December 2022, URL https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/role-of-start-ups-in-the-growth-of-the-economy-in-india/
[vi] “Startups New Year Mantra”, The Economic Times, Accessed on 27 December 2022 https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/epaper/delhicapital/2022/dec/27/et-front/startups-new-year-mantra-cut-cash-burn-turn-profitable/articleshow/96527538.cms
[vii] “Indian Startup ecosystem”, Accessed on 27 December 2022, URL: https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/international/go-to-market-guide/indian-startup-ecosystem.html
[viii] “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (2003 to 2021),” Accessed on 28 December 2022, URL: https://pbdindia.gov.in/pbsa-awardees
[ix] Ministry of External Affairs (2022), “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023”, Press Release 2 January 2022, Accessed on 2 January 2022, https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/36078/Pravasi_Bharatiya_Samman_Awards2023
[x] OECD (2022), “Economy Outlook Note India- November 2022” Accessed on 3 January 2022, URL: https://issuu.com/oecd.publishing/docs/india-oecd-economic-outlook-projection-note-novemb
[xi] RBI Bulletin (2022), “State of Economy” Accessed on 3 January 2022, URL: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_ViewBulletin.aspx?Id=21467
[xii] Ministry of External Affairs (2022), “Address by External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar at the business event in Cyprus”, Accessed on 2 January 2022, URL: https://mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/36072/Address_by_External_Affairs_Minister_Dr_S_Jaishankar_at_the_Business_Event__in_Cyprus