By IANS,
New Delhi: Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi Tuesday interacted with a delegation of people of Indian origin who have come to India to learn more about their ancestral homeland.
Expressing their desire to know more about their roots, members of the delegation, mainly in the age group 18 to 26, said: “We want to know more about the country, its freedom movement, life in urban and rural areas and its centuries-old civilizaton.”
They said they were “proud to be the citizens of the world” and that they are able to find a common ground in India.
Ravi said the overseas Indian affairs ministry “has arranged various programmes for the people of Indian origin” and that the People of Indian Origin (PIO) card and Overseas Citizenship of India card has been provided to Indians living in different countries.
The 37 People of Indian Origin who are visiting the country are mainly from Australia, Canada, France, Fiji, Ghana, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Suriname, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and the United Kingdom.
The delegation is visiting the country as part of the ‘Know India Programme’ being organised by the ministry in partnership with the government of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh and the Confederation of Indian Industry.