Madison Modified
30 Sept 2014 5:24 AM IST
Addressing a rapturous crowd of more than 20,000 cheering NRIs in New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed that the 21st century belonged to India. Modi announced that PIO card holders who have faced visa issues will get life-long visas, while he also said that PIO and OCI categories would be merged to make it simpler for Indian-Americans to visit and do business in India.
‘I have been told that due to differences between PIO and OCI people face difficulties, especially those who have spouses who are not Indians. I am happy to announce that we will merge the PIO and OCI schemes and make it into one,’ Modi said to thunderous applauds. Modi’s livecast speech came after a cultural gala that included performances by top Indian artistes.
Attired in a saffron Nehru jacket and yellow kurta, Modi held the packed indoor stadium spellbound, asserting, ‘Our attempt is to make development a peoples’ movement.’ In his over hour-long speech in Hindi which he began with ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ while extending greetings for Navratri festival, Modi promised good governance.
Speaking on sanitation, Modi said: ‘Gandhiji freed India from the shackles of slavery. Is it not our responsibility to clean India? If everyone in the country decides that we won’t dirty our country, then no one can dirty it.’ He also invited the world to invest in the country. ‘My call to the world is Make in India.’ Speaking of the highly successful Mars Orbiter Mission, Modi said, ‘We reached Mars in a smaller budget than that of a Hollywood film. That is the talent of our country.’
Stressing on India’s skill gap and human resource potential, the PM said: ‘One of the three things that India should be proud of is democracy, our biggest strength.
The second strength is demographic dividend. The country has 35 per cent of youngsters. The third thing is demand. The whole world is looking at India.
A stable business environment and investment in human resources are some of the issues highlighted by a group of Indian-American corporate leaders during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who invited them to come to India and teach business and entrepreneurship.
In the over one hour-long meeting at a hotel where Modi is staying, the distinguished Indian-Americans discussed with him ways to enhance their contribution in human resource development and research activities. The group of around 10 top Indian-Americans including Chairman and CEO of Symphony Technology group Romesh Wadhwani, Cognizant CEO Francisco D’Souza, President and CEO of Adobe System Shantanu Narayen, President, University of President Houston Renu Khator, Harvard Business school Dean Nitin Nohria, CEO Harman International Inc Dinesh Paliwal, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Developer Division S Somasegar and President of Carneig Mellon University Subra Suresh.
Official sources said they were very upbeat about opportunities for growth in India and made various suggestions about possible avenues for consideration. They also spoke about usual requirements for stable business environment and need for investing in human resources in India.
Emphasising on his ambitious ‘Make in India’ as well as the ‘My Govt Digital Platform’ projects, Modi spoke about the importance he places on the digital initiatives and innovations as well as research. He invited them to come to India and teach during their vacations.
Before he embarked on the US trip, Modi launched the ‘Make in India’ campaign rolling out a red carpet to industrialists, both domestic and international, inviting them to make India a manufacturing hub that will help boost jobs and growth.
The ‘My Government Digital’ Platform initiative was launched in July with an aim to help citizens contribute in governance by giving their opinions and views on important issues.
There are multiple theme-based discussions on ‘MyGov’ where a wide range of people can share their thoughts and ideas.
Keen to attract investment to India, Modi would be meeting as many as 11 top corporate honchos over breakfast on Monday.
They include Google Executive Chairman Eric E Schmidt, Carlyle Group, Co-Founder and Co-CEO David M Rubenstein, Cargill President and CEO David W MacLennan, Merck & Co CEO Kenneth C Frazier Hospira Chairman John C Staley Citigroup CEO Michael L Corbat, Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Dough Oberhelman, MasterCard President and CEO Ajay Banga, Pepsico Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi.
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