Though it was an occasion marked to emotionally connect PIOs to their motherland, when over 1,500 PIOs assembled in Jaipur to participate in the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, state governments as well as the Central government urged them to help in development. The host state, Rajasthan, invited the PIOs to invest in solar energy as the state is being developed as a solar energy hub.
The delegates were mesmerised at the venue, Birla Auditorium, which wore the look of a colourful Shekhawati haveli, and by the glittering stalls put up by different states. There were seminars and group discussions on issues like water and power generation on the first day of the three-day mega event.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot told delegates that Rajasthan will be a power surplus state by 2013 and would be able to provide energy to the entire country. He invited overseas Indians to be part of this process and assured them that necessary infrastructure and regulatory mechanisms are being provided for investors.
Mr Gehlot said his government was focusing on non-conventional sources, adding that wind and biomass had reached 1891 MW. Rajasthan energy minister Jitendra Singh said, “We got 700 registrations for solar energy and PIOs have shown much interest in solar energy.”