Though the PBD was apparently meant to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's return to India in 1915, actually the Government seemed anxious that the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) businessmen should come forward to make direct investment in developing various spheres of economy, education and so on.

The NRIs are prosperous Indian businessmen who have powerful multi-national corporate (MNCs) relations; but there are millions of migrants working hard in foreign lands. The two-day deliberations at PBD conclave did bring out both the aspects of the NRIs.

The fact that the Prime Minister inaugurated the PBD conclave and President Pratibha Patil delivered the valedictory address showed the importance the Government attached to the NRIs. A couple of Central Ministers too were present to see through the NRI deliberations. Both the leaders took note of the fact that there were 25 million NRIs. Their remittances to India were estimated at over $50 billion. Moreover, 40 per cent of them are in the Gulf where they face harsh living and working conditions, overseas Indians in the Gulf consist of temporary and contractual skilled and semi-skilled workers, they noted.

In his inaugural address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh positively responded to the pleas of members of the Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians (GACOI) for voting right to NRIs. He assured them that the Government was working on this issue and he hoped that by the time of the next general election they would get their chance to vote. He went a step further and wanted them “to join politics and public life as they are increasingly doing in business and academia.” Dr. Singh pointed out to PBD delegates that “foreign direct investment in India by overseas Indians was far short of the potential. I would urge overseas Indians to take a careful look at long-term investment opportunities now on the horizon in our country”. He even reminded them of their obligation to the motherland.

When the PM told the PBD that the security of skilled and unskilled Indian workers abroad as that of the students abroad was Government's priority, he was obviously conscious of the huge remittances to India by the former from Gulf and the daily physical attacks on the latter taking place in Australia. Intensive discussions at the two-day PBD session however brought out the divergence between the Government's profession and practice in the matter of security of overseas Indians.

President Pratibha Patil chose to describe the 250 lakh overseas Indians as “Knowledge diaspora”. She said it was time this Indian community with its knowledge, expertise, skills and resources became an important input in India's march to becoming a “developed country”. She even outlined India's investment needs to be at $ 500 billion in social and infrastructure sectors and said that the country was looking at investments increasingly in public-private partnerships ((PPP) model. She appreciated the contributions being made to Indian economy through remittances and showed special concern for their harsh living and working conditions.

“I take this opportunity to salute Indian workers in Gulf,” she recalled with some feeling. She told the PBD audience that the Government was alive to their contributions and was trying to make life easier for them “by setting up Indian community welfare funds in 18 countries to provide timely succour to overseas Indians in distress.”

Observers at the two-day deliberations also revealed the painful side of the overseas Indians. It could be seen that the global crisis and slowdown was hitting them hard in most countries, both West and Gulf. The Government measures were obviously falling far short of what needed to be done to salvage the situation even temporarily.

Problems posed could be categorized separately. For instance, issues like wife-beating, fraudulent marriages formed one set of problems - a perennial one. Stranded migrant workers and weeks of delay in repatriating the bodies of cash-strapped overseas Indians in various regions formed another set. At the diaspora women session, speakers said one in four NRI women faced various kinds of abuses - mental, physical or societal. References were made to the illegal recruiting agents sending abroad “house maids”, many of whom were ruthlessly abused and exploited.

People representing Indian community in Gulf for instance, pressed for Government's rehabilitation plan for thousands of Indians left stranded by unscrupulous agents or others who faced retrenchment because of recession. There was nobody to explain the why and wherefore of such a situation.

Indian Government, on the other hand, seemed to believe that by setting up Indian Community Welfare Funds in various countries and having concluded bilateral Social Security Agreements with various countries, it had done its duty. The PBD deliberations, however, did not leave that impression.

Actually, the first UPA Government did take a right step by shifting the Emigration Department from the Labour Ministry to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA). This was done in recognition of the urgent need for “pro-active preventive measure to improve the system and strengthen the welfare of emigrants by appropriate interventions at various levels”. A note presented by the Labour Ministry before the 42nd Indian Standing Labour Committee meeting in 2008 said that the new set-up had initiated action at three levels - national, bilateral and multi-lateral.

At the national level, the process of comprehensively amending the Emigration Act 1983 was initiated “to provide for a legislative basis for promotion of overseas employment for Indian workers, better protection and welfare of emigrants, more rigorous regulation of recruiting agents, enhancement of penalties for violation of the Act's provisions and providing an effective grievance redressal mechanism.” Another committee was set up to streamline the Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) Department. The Ministry was also of the view that “ultimate protection of workers depends upon their empowerment through skills and awareness.” Therefore, the Ministry launched a programme for “skill upgradation of potential emigrants.” There were other schemes in the UPA Government's kitty for the Indian workers abroad.

But those were different days and different times. The global crisis and slowdown drums were not yet loud enough for the Indian authorities to take note of. The thinking was that India was a “young nation” compared to most developed and developing countries and therefore could take big strides in the “world” of labour if it extensively makes ready availability of skilled labour force. That perspective, however, vanished soon when crisis and slowdown spread across the world and figures of unemployment started upping everywhere.

If the Government really wants to help overseas Indian workers with its welfare schemes, it must ensure bureaucratic lethargy and statistical manipulations do not stand in the way as demanded by delegates at the PBD conclave.

As desired by the PM, direct investment by NRI businessmen should be welcome provided they too do not seek to act like SEZs for exploiting the poor domestic migrant workers. (IPA Service)