Subramaniam, Samy Vellu represent Malaysia at Indian diaspora event

NEW DELHI: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam (pix) and Malaysian Special Envoy on Infrastructure to India and South Asia, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu are representing Malaysia at India's diaspora event.
They were participating in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, a gathering of Indian overseas communities, as special guests, said India's Foreign Ministry.
The three-day event beginning Jan 7 in Bangalore, has attracted large delegations from countries with significant population of persons of Indian-origin (PIOs) such as Malaysia and Mauritius, and those with large numbers of non-resident Indians (NRIs) such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Through the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Day) held traditionally on Jan 9 to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in 1915, India seeks to engage with its NRI and PIO communities.
PIOs are essentially foreign citizens with Indian ancestral links.
There are 31.2 million overseas Indians of whom 13.4 million are PIOs, according to the Indian Government.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, themed 'Redefining Engagement with the Indian Diaspora' this year, offers opportunities to foreign participants to build closer economic, social and cultural links with India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak at the convention on Sunday.
The following day, distinguished members of the diaspora will be honoured with awards for their achievements. — Bernama