The committee has recommended in its report that embassies and missions abroad should play a more proactive role, and encourage the diaspora to register themselves…reports Asian Lite News
A parliamentary panel on External Affairs has asked the government to create an authentic data on Indian diaspora, which would help to effectively implement welfare schemes for Indians living abroad.
In its report presented in Parliament on Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on external affairs expressed surprise that authentic data of the Indian diaspora is not available in the External Affairs Ministry, as the government has said that registration by diaspora being voluntary, the entire community does not register with Indian embassies and missions abroad, and also the data varies due to their mobility.
The panel headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary felt that the government may not be able to implement welfare schemes for the overseas community and address its challenges in the absence of a comprehensive and up-to-date database.
Therefore the committee has recommended in its report that embassies and missions abroad should play a more proactive role, and encourage the diaspora to register themselves with the embassies and missions in coordination with the various diaspora associations, cultural organisations and student bodies, so that authentic database is maintained.
The panel further recommended to the government that as the composition of the Indian diaspora is diverse, consisting of labourers, workers, traders, professionals as well as students, therefore it should develop a module for migrant workers and overseas students within a specified time-frame.
Panel lauds NMC
A parliamentary panel has lauded the National Medical Commission’s efforts for devising a scheme for Indian medical students who did not undergo physical clinical training in their colleges abroad due to extraordinary situations created by Ukraine crisis and COVID-19 and said it should be provided the updated status of students who have benefitted from the option along with the data of students who returned to the respective countries, particularly China.
The committee, headed by BJP member PP Chaudhary, presented the Twenty-first Report of the Standing Committee on External Affairs on Action Taken by the Government on its recommendations contained in the fifteenth report of the committee on the subject ‘Welfare of Indian Diaspora: Policies/Schemes’ “Due to their concern about the plight of thousands of Indian students who were pursuing medical and other courses in Ukraine and China, the Committee had desired MEA to take up with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare the proposal to allow returnee medical students from Ukraine and China to enroll in Indian private medical institutions on a one-time exemption basis to complete their courses,” the committee said in the action taken report.