According to India’s President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, “the Indian community is the most significant pillar of growing India-Netherlands bilateral relations and serves as a bridge not just between India and the Netherlands, but also between India and Europe.”
He spoke to members of the Indian community and Friends of India at a reception held by Mrs. Reenat Sandhu, India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, in Amsterdam last evening (April 6, 2022). With over 200,000 Hindustani-Surinami community members and over 60,000 Indian professionals and students, he claims the Indian community in the Netherlands is the largest Indian origin diaspora in continental Europe.
President Kovind remarked on how well Indian professionals have fared in the Netherlands. They add enormous value to the Dutch society and economy, as well as the worldwide community at large, as entrepreneurs, doctors, bankers, and technological professionals. India is proud of its accomplishments and triumphs, he stated.
President Kovind stated that an Indian can be taken out of India, but India cannot be taken out of an Indian. While many Indians have migrated overseas in recent centuries, India has always remained in their hearts. And they proudly preserved Indian civilizational ideals wherever they went around the world. Wherever people of Indian ancestry settled, they quickly adapted to their new surroundings and became fully assimilated.
During the pandemic last year, the Indian diaspora provided material and monetary donations, according to President Kovind. He thanked him for his considerate gift and stated that all of the material and monetary donations were put to good use around the country. In times like these, he remarked, we are reminded that the Indian Diaspora living overseas is our extended family, offering us additional strength.
According to the President, India is dedicated to expanding its ties with the diaspora and meeting their needs. Our engagement with and outreach to the Indian diaspora has increased dramatically in recent years. We’ve launched a number of projects centered on the 4Cs — Care, Connect, Celebrate, and Contribute. The Overseas Citizen of India cards were created to provide status and benefits in a variety of areas.
The issuing of long-term visas and E-visas has made it easier to go to India. To enhance diaspora youth involvement and familiarise them with Indian youth and their Indian heritage, we launched the Know India Program and the Diaspora Children Scholarship Program, which allows children of persons of Indian origin to attend Indian colleges for higher study. He asked Indian community members to take advantage of these opportunities and actively participate in them.
According to President Kovind, India today offers a plethora of business, social entrepreneurship, and cultural linkages. He invited Indian community members to participate in India’s developmental process. They may contribute with their ideas, company concepts, and investment profiles, according to him.
President Kovind says that trade between the two nations increased
According to President Kovind, bilateral trade and investment between India and the Netherlands have increased dramatically over the last seven and a half decades. The Netherlands is presently India’s third-largest foreign investor. India is also becoming one of the most important investors in the Netherlands. In terms of water management and scientific knowledge, the Netherlands is a leader. Both parties are collaborating closely on a number of collaborative projects in this field. Other priority areas of collaboration include agriculture, health, port and shipping, research and technology, higher education, and urban development.
We count on the Netherlands as a vital partner in our national flagship programs – Make in India, Skill India, Clean India, and Digital India, according to the President. We want to use Dutch technology, know-how, and investment to help India grow and develop, and the Indian community can play a key role in attaining this goal. After two nation-state visits to Turkmenistan and the Netherlands, President Kovind will depart for New Delhi today.