141 MPs, mayors from Indian diaspora to join 1st PIO event

Over 140 MPs and mayors of Indian-origin from 23 nations will converge here as part of a conference which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week, seeking to boost ties with these countries by leveraging the diaspora links.
The first 'PIO Parliamentarian Conference' will be held on January 9 at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra at Chanakyapuri, Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) in MEA, Dnyaneshwar M Mulay told reporters.
He said invitations were sent to 30 countries after getting feedback on diaspora presence there from various Indian missions and "23 have confirmed their participation".
"A total of 141 public representatives from these countries are scheduled to participate. 124 MPs from the UK, Canada, Fiji, Kenya, Mauritius, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and other countries are slated to take part.

"Besides, 17 mayors, including from the US, Malaysia, Switzerland, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago are also scheduled to join the day-long event here," he said.
When asked why no MPs were participating from the US, the MEA official said it was because of the ongoing session of its Senate.

"Except Sri Lanka, no invitation was sent to any other SAARC country," he said, when asked about SAARC countries' participation, indicating, essentially countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan were part of India only.
Asked if the conference could provide a platform in furthering the government's efforts towards making Hindi as one of the official languages of the UN, Mulay said, "We do give a lot of priority to Hindi. And, when participants from countries like Fiji and Mauritius will come and speak in Hindi, it will, on its own give it the right push."

The event will have two thematic sessions, the first one will have as special guest senior Congress leader and chairman of the parliamentary committee on external affairs, Shashi Tharoor. The session will be presided over by Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The second session will have Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar as a special guest which will be chaired by Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The Secretary (CPV and OIA) said the idea of this event is essentially to "break the barriers" that may have existed due to the lack of communication between us and any of the other country".

"It will also be an occasion for those countries to upgrade their idea and image about India. Many people outside may still carry the image of slums and other such images of the country. It will tell them the journey of India and its growth story," he said.
"Also, many of these PIOs (Persons of India Origin) would be coming to India for the first time. We want to help them reconnect with the land of their ancestors in the true spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbukam'. And, this would also give us an assessment about the size of the Indian diaspora globally," Mulay added.

There will be some tourism, cultural and sightseeing activities also for the visiting members.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will close the conference during the valedictory session along side Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.