(Image source from: Pragativadi)

In the wake of Indian government scrapping Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, India’s Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday urged the Indian diaspora to effectively counter false propaganda negative narrative about India.

"Overseas Indians must create awareness in the countries of their stay that the dilution of Article 370 was purely an internal administrative measure and aimed at accelerating the development of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh," he said while speaking after releasing a coffee table book titled ‘Glorious Diaspora- Pride of India' in New Delhi.

The book contains brief profiles of the recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards from 2003 to 2019.  

                        (Image source from: evdiscourse)

Clarifying that measures taken by the Jammu and Kashmir government after revoke of special status have nothing to do with religion, he stated any such propaganda should be negated strongly as a spread of a lot of disinformation would lead to the portrayal of the negative image about India in the western media.

Read: Misinformation Being Spread on J&K: Kashmiri-American Body

Naidu said: "A few isolated incidents are used to spin fictitious narratives that intolerance, religious and social disharmony is on the rise in India."

He emphasized that Pravasi Bharatiyas must effectively counter such falsehoods and project the correct image of India, particularly on the harmonious co-existence of the people belonging to all religions and various social groups.

Naidu lauded Indian diaspora’s contribution to the welfare of the nation through their philanthropic and charitable work and described them as an ambassadors of India’s great culture, heritage, and its intrinsic values of humanism.

He called on Indian diaspora to be instrumental in India’s growth story through active participation in the fields of education, agriculture, and health since giving back to the society was a key element of Indian philosophy.

He urged Indian diaspora to turn out as partners in programs such as Swachh Bharat mission, Clean Ganga, Make in India, and Skill India and strengthen them.

Since the launch of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) in 2003, several commendable people of Indian origin across the world including political leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and economists have been honored, Naidu said.

By Sowmya Sangam