'Use India made goods and services': FM Nirmala Sitharaman tells diaspora

Nirmala Sitharaman said that for the next 25 years, India is focussing on the four 'I's - Infrastructure, Investment, Innovation and Inclusion

Indian diaspora are the country's real ambassador and they must use Indian products and services for promotion and innovation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. This will help India in having "wholesome growth" for the next 25 years, she said.

Speaking at the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas convention in Indore, Sitharaman said, "In the process of using the brand, you will also, where possible, make sure to use India-produced products. So that, even as you promote Indian brand, you are also seen around possessing, using and dispensing India-made goods and services."

Sitharaman said that for the next 25 years, India will focus on the four 'I's - infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusion and the diaspora must partner and collaborate with Indian businesses.

"Even as you promote an Indian brand, I would invite you to partner with Indian businesses. So that India in the next 25 years gets your potential for the entrepreneurial skills you may have. So Indian businesses here get that advantage from you and together we build India that can be developed by 2047," she said. 

For partnering, the diaspora may offer technical advice to small Indian businesses and provide ideas for promoting hand-made products through better packaging and marketing, she said. Sitharaman further said that the technology in India is made at an affordable price and can be improved with the participation of the diaspora.  

At the inauguration of the convention on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the Pravasi Bhartiyas were the "brand ambassadors" of the country.

"I consider Pravasi Bharatiyas as brand ambassadors and 'rashtra doot' of India on foreign soil. Your role is diverse. You are the brand ambassador for yoga, Ayurveda, cottage industry, handicrafts and also millets," Modi said.

"The nation has entered the Amrit Kaal of the next 25 years. Our Pravasi Bharatiyas have a significant place in this journey. India's unique global vision and its important role in the global order will be strengthened by you", he said.

He further added that migrants from India have settled in different countries for many centuries and have made extraordinary contributions to nation-building, we should document their life, struggles and achievements.