Mumbai, January 9
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today exhorted overseas Indians to pool in their intellectual and financial resources to help fund research to mitigate the effects of natural calamities like earthquakes.
Addressing the concluding function of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here today, Dr Kalam called upon the establishment of Overseas Indian Research Foundation with a seed capital of $ 100 million.
The President felt that the foundation could identify institutions of excellence and obtain the services of top scientists. He added that they should be provided with the environment and resources to do research on this subject.
“The results sometime may take long... but it will make the whole planet a better place to live in,” he remarked.
The President felt that overseas Indians could do a lot in lifting the country’s 260 million people above the poverty line.
Dr Kalam identified five focus areas — education and healthcare, agriculture and agro-food processing, development of infrastructure, information and communication technology and critical technologies and strategic industries.
Dr Kalam called for connecting village clusters through quality transport, telecommunication systems and education networks.
Recounting his meeting with South African leader Nelson Mandela last year, Dr Kalam said when he had put forth a query to Mr Mandela regarding the pioneers of anti-apartheid movement in that country, he responded spontaneously: “Of course M.K. Gandhi. India gave us M.K. Gandhi and we gave you back Mahatma Gandhi after two decades.”
Describing Gandhi as the best example of a “Bharatiya pravasi”, he reminded the overseas Indians that it was January 9, 1914 when Gandhi returned to India from South Africa with his experience of fighting against apartheid system to launch the Indian Freedom movement.
