‘NRIs Are Our Brand Ambassadors’: PM Modi Lauds Their Achievements At 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas In Varanasi

Addressing a gathering of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) during his inauguration of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas convention in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the community India’s ‘brand ambassadors’ and said they symbolised the nation’s capabilities, reports The New Indian Express.

"People of Indian origin are in leadership roles in countries such as Mauritius, Portugal and Ireland," the Prime Minister said.

Modi also recalled former prime minister’s Rajiv Gandhi’s statement that only 15 paise per rupee reached intended beneficiaries of government programmes, and lambasted the Congress for not stopping the leakage when it was in office.

He added that his government had fixed the problem, halting the ‘85 per cent loot’ of the Congress era by plugging leakages entirely through technology.

"We have given about Rs 580,000 crore to the people, directly to their bank accounts, through various schemes. Imagine, if the country was being run on the older system? Then Rs 450,000 crore would have vanished," he stated.

The chief guest during the three-day convention is Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who lauded Modi’s efforts to transform India through programmes like Skill India and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. He also praised his Indian counterpart for promoting clean energy and being instrumental in the formation of the International Solar Alliance.

Jugnauth also stated that his island country would be holding a Bhagwad Gita Mahotsav in the coming month, with a Bhojpuri Festival in the pipeline next year.