NRI/PIO ECNOMIC, BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Friday, August 21, 2009

Theme

India and Indian Diaspora in the Context of Global Economic Challenges and Development

CO-SPONSOR

CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN INDUSTRES (CII), New Delhi

Chair: Dr. Thomas Abraham Co-Chair: Dr. Maya Chadda

Dramatic deceleration in the global economy pose serious challenges to India and the people of Indian origins residing in different parts of the world. How has this global developments affected them? Having returned to power with a stronger mandate, what direction the new government is taking?  Will it accelerate economic reforms and liberalization? Will it take steps to establish a more business friendly environment encourage Indian and Diaspora-led business? Will it promote transfer of technology and encourage Indian community abroad to participate in India's growth and advancement? What impediments is it likely to encounter in achieving this? What investments, trade and technological collaborations can one expect from the interface between India and the Indian Diaspora in advancing India's status as a potential great power? 

9.00 a.m. - 10.00 a.m. INAUGURAL SESSION

             Speaker -  Hon. K. Mohandas, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. Govt. of India

10:00am - 11:15am  Session I - India & the Global Economy: Prospects and Challenges
Session Chair - Dr. Maya Chadda, Prof. of Political Science 

William Paterson University, New Jersey

Speakers - Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Professor of Economics and Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian

Political Economy Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs

Sreedhar Menon, Chairman of the Board, Strategic Advisor

& Co-Promoter of VITEOS Fund Services Inc., NJ and Bangalore
Dr. Sanjay Reddy, Professor of Economics, New School for Social Research, New York

11:15am - 11:35am  Tea/Coffee Break

11:35am - 12:50am  Session  II - Indian Diaspora - Prospects and Challenges in the
Emerging Global Economy
            Session Chair - Bharat Bhargava, President US-India American Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC
            Speakers - Naveen Jain, CEO, Intelius, Bellevue, WA
George Abraham, Managing Director, GA Group, Singapore
Vibhuti Jha, Director,The Human Potential Project, New York

12:50pm -  2:00pm    Lunch - Keynote Speaker - Ambassador Frank Wisner
                                                                          Former US Ambassador to India

  2:00pm - 3:15pm   Session  III - Diaspora in India's Development
            Session Chair - Prof. P. Somasundaran, La von Duddleson Krumb Professor
School of Engineering Columbia University, New York

            Speakers - Lord Diljit Rana, Business Leader & Member of House of Lords, UK
Dr. George Abraham, MD, FRCS, Medical Director, ED & EMS, Troy Community Hospital;

Chair and Secretary, American Academy for Emergency Medicine in India and President and Managing Trustee, Institute of Emergency Medical Services (IIEMS); Troy, Pennsylvania

Dr. Sanjay Sinho, American India Foundation, New York

Dr. Surendra Kaushik, Prof. of Finance, Lubin School of Business, Pace University (New York)

and Founder Chairman, Mrs. Helena Kaushik Women’s College, Rajasthan, India

3:15pm - 3:35pm   Tea/Coffee Break

3:35pm - 4.35 pm  Session  IV – Indian Diaspora in Social Development – What could we do?

Session Chair - Yesu Persaud, Chairman, Demerara Ltd. and Chairman of the Caribbean

Council for Europe (CCE), Guyana

Speakers - Hon. P. Chandrasekaran, Minister of community Development & Social Inequity

Eradication, Govt. of Sri Lanka

Dr. Raj Warrier, Vice Chancellor, Manipal University, India

Aruneshwar Gupta, Advocate General of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India

Pritpal Singh Pannu, Chairman, National Integrated Forum of Artists and

Activists (NIFAA), Karnal, Haryana, India

4:35pm - 4.55 pm  Special Presentation

             Speaker  -  Shefali Chaturvedi, CEO, Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre &
Head, CII's Young Indians, Confederation of Indian Industry

4.55pm - 5.15pm   Concluding Session & Resolutions
                                      To be conducted by Conference Chairs

5.15pm - 7.00pm   Networking reception - Chief Guest: Honorable Vayalar Ravi, 
                                                               Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs

7.00 pm   Inauguration of GOPIO Convention – Chief Guest Hon. Vayala Ravi

Registration for the conference including breakfast, coffee breaks, lunch and evening reception is only $50. To register online, visit,

http://www.gopio.net/Convention_2009/purchase_tickets.html.