New NRI university in the offing

An announcement to this effect is likely to be made during the January 7-9 Indian Diaspora conclave at Hyderabad. The government would also consider several proposals to increase the number of seats available to persons of Indian origin in educational institutions of India.

The two-million strong Indian community in Malaysia with nearly 45,000 Professionals all welcomed the PM's issue over the proposal. Addressing members of the Indian community in Malaysia, the Prime Minister said, “Our government is considering several proposals to increase the number of seats available to persons of Indian origin in educational institutions of India.” “The idea of establishing an exclusive PIO university is also being considered. The feedback from the PIO community the world over on this initiative has been extremely encouraging,” he said. “The Little Indias which we see in so many towns in Malaysia are more than geographical spaces. They are repositories of the sentiment that links people of Indian origin to the motherland," he said.

Singh added that the large migration of Indians to Malaysia during the colonial era provided the bedrock linking the countries, while the recent second wave of migration of skilled professionals there are over 45,000 Indian professionals working in Malaysia providing the economic impetus for the evolution of ties.

"Your presence in Malaysia will make it easier for us to rapidly upgrade our economic relations to a new level," he told the community that comprises doctors, teachers, software professionals, civil servants and plantation workers. The PM also praised the presence at the meeting of senior Malaysian minister S Samy Velu, who is also the president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, the largest political party representing the interests of ethnic Indians in the country.

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