Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Boosting EV Manufacturing Key to India’s Success

India is already bubbling over with joy as the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is all set to be held in Odisha where the Grand celebrate of Indian diaspora and their importance to the building nation will happen. At a time the theme was India to be developed by 2047 and democracy decided to gather leaders, leaders & changemakers from across the world under “Diaspora #leading2ViksitBharat”. India has over 36 million people abroad- the largest diaspora in the world, so when you include Indians who call this country home, this is a massive convergence centered on India and its global conglomeration.

With over 36 million Indians abroad, the event is a demonstration of the durable relationship that India has with the world and overseas is a must not miss for definitely.

The evening kicked off with a call of Mr. S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister urging overseas Indians to occupy a constructive stake in India’s growth story. In the congregation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrated a brief historical account of Indian diaspora and listed down government initiatives to skill the Indian youth for succed in the global market. Celebrations included PM Modi on Virtual Inaugurating Pravasi Bharatiya Express– a tourist train being run on special lines to keep the visiting members of diaspora informed on our beautiful culture and religious heritage. Traveling out of Delhi for three weeks, promises to give a full immersion of diversity and history in India.

Well beyond the celebration Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a space for important conversations on how India should use her diaspora to tackle global challenges and taking advantage of new opportunities. So lets get into the key insights from experts that were shared this year during the event.

Strengthening India Malaysia relations in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: A Common Future

Malaysian MP of Indian origin, Prabakaran Parameswaran who was elated to hear about the jam and hoped that it would help further consolidate Indo Malaysia relations said. He also referred to his recent visit to Delhi with Malaysian delegation headed by Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim, that brought down the curtain for a new task force to drive trade, technology and education, renewable energy collaboration.

Malaysia as a different type with Malaysia and India… has its wide news groups, religions too… like India. “India has done a great job in many areas and there is so much to learn from that,” said Parameswaran. He reiterated that such platforms like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas are important for the building of win-win partnerships. India and Malaysia realising the value of their industrial/skilled work sectors perhaps could well join hands for growth through co-innovation.

China+1 Strategy——Vietnam Model for India

In part a shift of global supply chains triggered by China+1 strategy, countries like Vietnam and Indonesia have become large winners. Co-Founder & CEO of Invesify Vietnam, Indronil Sengupta (INTERVIEWED) shed lights on what India can learn from Vietnam where it done very well till date.

Game Changer by Vietnam Industrial Parks Sengupta said “ The country has been well established its industrial parks and it is a game changer “ Almost 1000 industrial parks located across the nation making it very easy for businesssto rent space and bypassorate bureaucratic red tapebenefiting companies with startingproduction within months more likely in nine. Also, some of Vietnam´s large free trade zones (FTAs) close to 50% of global GDP are expected to be an extremely powerful attraction for investors.

India has already started on this path. PM modi has announced the development of industrial parks across India to simplify enterprise operations. But Sengupta said the need for India is to move these efforts up a gear and begin signing more FTAs in order to be competitive in the global value chain.

EV aspirational India : Lessons from Norway

India aims to be #1 in Electric vehicles (EVs), not only as an end-everything EV market but also as manufacturing side in the world. An expert in EV space and Founder of Morrow Batteries, Rahul Fotedar from Norway shared his views in a recent interview — what India could have learnt from what Norway has achieved with EV transformation so far.

As Fotedar explained, “the EV success in Norway is because of decades of policy that rewarded a transition to EVs. In Norway, EVs are the norm as a result of generous tax breaks on EVs, free paid parking, toll-free motorways and a decade-long plan for charging infrastructure. He however extended that India will be on a different path.

“India could be a significant producer of EVs,” Fotedar underlined. India, with its immense manufacturing footprint and skilled work force could be a trusted source for components and batteries used in electric vehicles. But he did point out that the government need strong policies that drive both production and adoption. Charging infrastructure development will be crucial because it builds a positive feedback loop – more chargers → greater EV adoption, which then justifies more investment into the charging infrastructure.

Capitalizing On The Global Order : The Road Ahead

India is at a crossroad in her economic transformation. There seem to be changes in the global terrain with new trade tech and engineering opportunities. The China+1 strategy gives India a chance; Indian would finally stand as strategic fulcrum in global supply chains.

Meanwhile, the move towards renewable energy and electric vehicles is an opportunity for India to take the lead especially on sustainable innovation.

This run of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas goes beyond an event; it’s a call for all the Indians (NRI) living across the world to tap into their untapped intellect, both financial and networking and help hailing an even stronger, prosperous India. Between building up bilateral ties with countries such as Malaysia, benchmarking efforts to Vietnam’s industrial policies or learning from the EV success in Norway India really has limitless scope for more synergies.

The diaspora will play a critical role in deciding the future of this nation as we move towards an independent India on the 100th year. With their backing and the enduring spirit of participation, India would not only fulfill its dream of becoming a developed nation but also continue to be a torchbearer of culture, innovation & more – on the world stage.

Cheers to celebrating our global Indian family at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and creating a better tomorrow!

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Summery of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Viksit Bharat 2024 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Odisha: The Indian diaspora’s contribution for making “Viksit Bharat” by 2047 Key areas of discussions were on deepening India-Malaysia relations, takeaways from Vietnam industrial parks and inspiration from Norway EV transition. The event reiterated the role of diaspora in economic prosperity and international reputation of India.