Leveraging on NRI Knowledge

INDIA SOUGHT THE DIASPORA'S KNOWLEDGE, NOT JUST DOLLARS:
The Times of India

Held against the backdrop of the killer tsunami, India's annual event to engage with its vast and increasingly influential Diaspora sent a clear signal that the country seeks not just their riches but also the richness of their expertise.

Wooing investments from the successful and affluent Indian Diaspora was just one aspect of the series of interactive sessions at the third edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or commemoration of Indian Diaspora Day, which concluded in Mumbai on Sunday.

India tried to gauge how the knowledge base of its 25 million Diaspora, spread over 110 countries, can be leveraged to tackle some fundamental impediments that inhibits the country's resolve to emerge as a global economic giant.

“There is more to the Indian Diaspora than the dollars they can remit or the investments they can make,” said Chicago-based Sam Pitroda, credited with heralding the telecom revolution in India.

“What India needs is the knowledge of its talented Diaspora in addressing some basic issues like disaster mitigation, healthcare, drinking water, sanitation, and administrative, judicial and political reforms,” Pitroda said.

Today, 38 percent of doctors in the US are of Indian origin. Thirty-four percent of Microsoft employees are Indians and 36 percent of the staff at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration trace their roots to India.

With India carving out a niche for itself in the global tech market, some delegates eyed the country's booming software, IT and biotechnology sectors.

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