President Ali conferred with prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Award

…holds bilateral talks with Indian President Droupadi Murmu

President Dr Irfaan Ali has been conferred in India with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, which recognises the stellar contributions of the Indian Diaspora around the world.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was conferred on President Ali by Indian President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony on Tuesday. The Head of State received the award for his outstanding contribution to politics and community welfare.

In her remarks, President Murmu spoke about the achievements of the Indian Diaspora, including in politics. She also welcomed the special guests, including Ali and Surinamese President Chan Santokhi, who also received the Pravasi Award.
“I am pleased to welcome His Excellency, Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana as the Chief Guest in this year’s convention. His presence has made this event even more special,” Murmu said.
Meanwhile, President Ali also held wide-ranging discussions with his Indian counterpart on areas of enhanced cooperation, including oil and gas, health care and training. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Ali is presently leading a delegation of Guyanese, including Government officials and Private Sector representatives to India, where he has participated in various ceremonies. Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd; Minister within the Ministry of Local Government, Anand Persaud, and the Director of Projects, Marcia Nadir-Sharma are also part of Guyana’s delegation.
On Monday, President Ali had referred to the Pravasi Bharatiya Convention as an essential platform for not only exchanging ideas but also for fostering deeper and stronger ties among States which have significant Diasporas, such as India and Guyana. He had also wished the convention every success.

In his address to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, Ali had said that Guyana was keen to transform “brain drain into brain gain” using technology to tap into “our highly-skilled Diaspora”. Notwithstanding, he had stressed that Diaspora policies should not be cast in stone but remain flexible and adaptable to changing realities.
The President had lauded India’s management of its Diaspora relations, while the commonalities between the two countries, including through culture and religion, were highlighted. He also bemoaned cases where misinformation is fed to the Diaspora, who are led astray by destructive elements. But Ali noted that the Diaspora is also strategically placed to be a positive force for the country.
“Many of the members of our Diaspora are strategically placed in positions of influence to help protect and promote Guyana’s national interests overseas.  We look to our Diaspora to project our external interests, including to protect our democracy and to defend our territorial integrity and sovereignty, particularly from external threats.”
“We look to our Diaspora to champion the international causes which are germane to our national interests, including arresting climate change. Indeed, we also look to our Diaspora to wield its influence in attracting and in unlocking markets for our products,” the President said.
According to the President, his Government’s intention is to position Guyana to be among the leaders in the world in energy, climate and food security, and other areas. He also spoke about the model the Government is pursuing, to best integrate the Diaspora into the development of the country.
President Ali pointed to ways in which the Diaspora can be integrated into national development, including through the provision of accurate and updated information. The Diaspora integration model, President Ali added, also embraces a role for Guyana’s Diaspora as an instrument of soft power.
On Monday, the President had also struck an emotional chord with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he referred to the latter’s obvious devotion to his mother who recently passed away at the age of one hundred. The Guyanese President made it clear that such filial devotion is shared in the Indian Diaspora.
He made the connection between PM Modi and Guyana even more explicit when he reminded that the Indian Prime Minister had visited in 2000 when he was not even a Minister of Government.
In his response, in addition to promising to work closely with Guyana, PM Modi had said, “I am very grateful to the President of Guyana that he shared great memories today. Because when I went to Guyana, I was nothing, not even the Chief Minister, and he recalled the relationship then. I am very grateful to him. Once again, I have come to this function for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, I have got a chance to meet you after a gap.” (G3)