‘Hala Modi’: PM addresses Indian diaspora in Kuwait
PM Modi said the age-old ties between India and Kuwait should serve as the foundation for creating a futuristic partnership
New Delhi: The Indian diaspora should join the drive to transform India into a developed nation by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, emphasising the country’s role as a hub for innovation, green energy and electronics in the coming decades.
Addressing a gathering of the Indian community at the “Hala Modi” event at Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah indoor sports complex in Kuwait, Modi said the age-old ties between the two countries should serve as the foundation for creating a futuristic partnership. Modi noted that he was first Indian premier to visit Kuwait in 43 years.
Noting that Kuwait leaders and people have praised the skills and hard work of the one-million-strong Indian community in the West Asian country, he said Indian teachers are creating the next generation of Kuwaiti citizens while professionals such as engineers and architects are building the next generation of infrastructure.
While inviting the Indian diaspora to join the drive for building a developed India by 2047, Modi said the country is moving forward as a “Vishwa Bandhu” (friend of the world) with the good of the world in mind. India, with its young population, is set to meet the world’s demand for skilled manpower in the coming years and has signed migration and mobility pacts with two dozen countries, including Mauritius, Italy and Germany.
“The developed countries are opening their doors for skilled Indian manpower,” Modi said, adding that hundreds of thousands of Indians had benefited from the eMigrate portal that matches recruitment agents and foreign employers.
He pointed to India’s progress, especially in technology, infrastructure and sustainability, and said the country is now the fifth largest economy and a global leader in fintech, startups and digital connectivity. India’s goal of “Viksit Bharat” and the “New Kuwait” policy have shared objectives and provide opportunities for the two sides to work together, he said.
In the years to come, India will be a hub for innovation, green energy, pharmaceuticals, electronics and semiconductors, Modi said. Kuwait, on the other hand, is an important energy and trade partner and India is a big investment destination for many Kuwaiti companies, he noted.
Earlier, Modi visited a labour camp in Mina Abdullah area of Kuwait that houses around 1,500 Indian blue collar workers. He interacted with a cross-section of workers from different states and enquired about their well-being. Besides interacting with the workers, he joined them for a meal.
The visit to the labour camp came six months after 46 Indians died in a devastating fire in a housing complex for foreign workers in Kuwait on June 12. The external affairs ministry said the visit to the labour camp was symbolic of the importance attached by Modi to the welfare of Indian workers abroad.
In the last few years, the government has undertaken several technology-based initiatives such as the eMigrate portal, Madad portal and upgraded Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana for the welfare of Indian workers abroad.
Modi met Abdullah Al-Baroun and Abdul Lateef Al-Nesef, who translated and published the Ramayan and the Mahabharat in Arabic. “Their initiative highlights the popularity of Indian culture globally,” Modi said in a post on X.
He also met Mangal Sain Handa, a 101-year-old former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer based in Kuwait. “I admire his contribution to India and his passion for India’s development,” Modi said on X. The interaction with Handa was arranged after his granddaughter made a request to Modi on X.