The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference created a forum for chief ministers and state industry minsiters to attract non-resident Indians to invest in their respective states.

They rolled out the red carpet along with its attendant freebies for the investors, mainly in infrastructure and social sectors.

The deputy chairman of planning commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provided a platform to the overseas Indians to explore opportunities for investment in India. He chaired a discussion in which the states placed before the overseas Indians their packages and the distinctive advantages of investment in their teritories.

The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, Lt. governor, Andaman & Nicobar Shri. Lt. Gen (retd.) Bhopinder Singh, deputy chief minister of Bihar Shri Sushil Kumar Modi, minister for power and parliamentary affairs of Haryana Randeep Surjewala, minister of industries of Kerala Elamaram Kareem and minister for industry of Punjab Manoranjan Kalia addressed the participants and called for NRI investment in their respective states.

The PBD convention is being organised here from Wednesday by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs in partnership with the government of Tamil Nadu and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The consensus was that the Indian growth story is still intact and overseas Indians can take advantage of business opportunities across sectors such as real estate, education and healthcare.

Continuing on its objective to deepen engagement with the Indian diaspora, three concurrent sessions at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Friday addressed opportunities presented for participating in social development in India.

The concurrent session on Healthcare for all took stock of the achievements made and the new directions that should be taken to increase disapora interaction in the medical field. Anbumani Ramadoss, minister of health and family welfare, briefed the delegates on the progress of the Indian health sector, particularly the achievements of the National Rural Health Mission. As 75% of the population lives in rural India with only 25% of medical facility, he urged the Indian diaspora to invest in medical equipment, medical education for nurses and paramedics, and research in healthcare.

He also urged medical professionals in the Indian diaspora to participate in organizations such as Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin AAPI, and British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) to collectively work towards the betterment of healthcare in India.

Keynote speaker, Naresh Trehan, chairman and managing director, Global Health Pvt Ltd said that diaspora should work on bringing next practices in medical healthcare into India. Suggesting corporate-corporate partnership, he encouraged the diaspora to adopt villages and take healthcare to the poor.

Finance, transfer of knowledge, exchange of personnel, corporate participation and research support are some of the various ways in which Diaspora can contribute towards enhancing growth and development in the Indian healthcare sector.

At the session on diaspora philanthropy, union minister for panchayati raj and development of north-eastern region Mani Shankar Aiyar called upon delegates to reestablish linkages with communities for better development in India. There are more elected women in India, then anywhere in the world, Aiyar said, signifying the improvement of the role of the Indian woman over the years and saying that it is a ? tribute to the ability of the country.?

Minister of state (independent charge) for women and child development Ms Renuka Chowdhury briefed about government schemes for empowering women with legal and financial support. While expressing her concerns over the problems faced by women across the world, she mentioned that the government was taking appropriate measures to address those issues. Among these schemes was the ministry of overseas Indian affairs programme for deserted women.

The concurrent session on increased interaction with diaspora women expressed concerns about maintaining values and traditions in a changing environment. Women have the desire to leverage their empowerment for gender equality in India, said Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan, minister of state for social justice and empowerment. Addressing a session, on ?Building Bridges: Trade and Investment? on Thursday, Venu Srinivasan, vice president, CII, and chairman and managing director , TVS Motor said that with a large and growing middle class with increasing purchasing power, and exports at 15% export intensity, the investment potential for India is high.

Ashwani Kumar, minister of state, department of industrial policy and promotion, ministry of commerce and industry, pointed out that India is still a good growth story, as its economic fundamentals are strong. A GDP growth of 6.5% is expected, even while most countries are suffering economic downturn.

He stressed that the diaspora must bring funds into India. At the same time, it should engage in skill-building activities in the country.