Conclusions and Recommendations

The Summaries of the sectoral chapters have included a synopsis of the Committee's recommendations. It is clear that deep administrative and structural reforms including in those relating to implementation need to be made, cutting across different sectors and the concerned government agencies respectively.

The areas in which structural reforms are urgently required bear repetition here. These are - in economic policies and procedures, including implementing second-generation economic reforms, in the policies relating to NRl/PIO charitable donations, in the mechanisms in place at international entry points, particularly in the immigration and customs departments, in the support structures at central and State government levels for the lower income groups emigrating in search of blue collar employment to the Gulf and other destinations, and a general toning up of administration.

In the Chapter on the Gulf, this Committee has attempted to high-light the hopes and expectations of our workers there from the Government to alleviate their condition. Policy initiatives include granting of dual citizenship with appropriate safeguards to certain members of the Indian Diaspora. Detailed suggestions have been made both in the main sections as well as in the final Conclusions and Recommendations.

In other areas such as increasing interaction with the Diaspora at the political levels, and also in culture, education, media, science and technology, health - fresh initiatives backed up by adequate funding mechanisms are required at many levels. The recommendations made in these areas in the main body of the Report have been listed in the relevant sections of the Executive Summary.

In order to ensure the effective implementation of the entire agenda of reforms and initiatives, this Committee recommends the setting up of a central organisation on the Indian Diaspora, whose structure has already been delineated and whose functions and agenda are cut out.

It is the considered view of the Committee that early implementation of its recommendations would result in opening up of a new Chapter in India's relationship with its Diaspora.

The High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora has spent considerable time and thought in recommending multifarious ways in which India can increase her connectivity with the Indian Diaspora all over the world.

An early and complete approval of the considered recommendations of the Committee is the quickest way to show our Diaspora that India means business in the matter of engaging it in a long-term mutually beneficial interaction.

The Committee also requests a time bound consideration of the report of the Committee, and an in-principle acceptance of its recommendations. A time-bound and in-principle acceptance by the Government of the recommendations of this High Level Committee would send the right signals to our Diaspora about our seriousness and high priority in interacting with them.

As many of our recommendations are original and novel attempts to engage the Diaspora, a sufficient preparation time is needed to translate them into ground reality by the year 2003.