Kochi, January 8
Describing the overseas Indian community as a bridge of friendship and cooperation between their ancestral home and the developed world, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioned it against complacency and advised it to remain alert to its growing vulnerability to economic crises, conflicts, civil unrest and senseless hate crimes.

Speaking at the formal inaugural ceremony of the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here this morning, Dr Manmohan Singh, after paying tributes to heroes of the Ghadar Movement for their pioneer role in the freedom struggle, said members of the overseas community toiled hard not only to build a future for their families but also served as an effective window of India’s heritage and its progress to the world.

He also released a commemorative stamp on the Ghadar Movement besides announcing to upgrade the Ghadar Memorial in San Francisco into a functional museum and library with a sculpture to honour the Ghadari Babas.

Earlier, Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, in his inaugural address, not only traced the history of India-Mauritius relations, but talked about the strong bond that exists between two friendly nations sharing same rich heritage, culture and religious affiliations.

The Prime Minister said as the Indian expatriate community develops a more global presence, it also becomes more vulnerable to economic and social crises, leading at time to senseless hate crimes without directly referring to recent attacks on Indian community in general and a Sikh gurdwara in the US in particular.

“At a time of turbulence in many parts of the world, the safety and security of overseas Indians are uppermost on our minds,” he said while referring to assurances the Indian government gets from the governments of the countries of residence of affected Indian community.

It was not only physical safety, but social and economic well-being of overseas Indians was another concern that prompted the Union Government to launch various welfare schemes, including insurance for workers, welfare funds for those in distress besides creating a mechanism to help women in distress overseas.

The PM said there was a surge of expectations from an increasingly empowered and articulate public for more responsive, transparent, participative, clean and efficient governance. The government is also determined to turn any setback into opportunity to improve legal and regulatory frameworks.

Earlier, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs V. Ravi announced the widening of the scope of the Indian Community Welfare Fund. V Ravi revealed that the Indian Government has decided to support building of cremation and burial ground for Indians in Sharjah besides building of a multipurpose centre and crematorium at Ajman in the UAE in addition to Indian social centre at Umm in Quwain, also in the UAE.