By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday announced a new advisory council to draw upon the knowledge and wisdom of the Indian diaspora that today numbers over 25 million in some 130 countries.
The Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for People of Indian Origin will serve as a high-level platform to advise on how the vast talent of the Indian diaspora can be tapped for mutual benefit, Manmohan Singh told the sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
“This will help us to draw on the knowledge, experience and wisdom of successful overseas Indians,” he told the annual conclave during which India’s seeks to engage with its diaspora.
The prime minister also said the government would set up a multilingual centre to address the grievances of Indians working overseas. The centre, he said, would also serve as a resource centre for migrant workers in distress.
The centre would be set up under the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, a separate ministry that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had formed in 2004 to engage better with its vast diaspora.