International and Bilateral Issues:

Inaugurating the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, Govt. of India announced :
- The right of franchise to the non-resident Indians who are registered under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
- A new pension and life insurance fund for overseas Indian workers, to enable them to voluntarily save for their return and resettlement, has also been introduced.
- A Bill had been introduced in Parliament to merge and streamline the PIO and Overseas Citizen of India schemes by amending the Citizenship Act. This would provide for an overseas Indian card that would be given to foreign spouses of the holders as well.
- The launch of an “Apne Rajasthan Ko Janiye” (know your Rajasthan) programme, under which the State government would invite 50 youths from among the NRIs and PIOs every year to visit and experience Rajasthan.
- Key initiatives of his Ministry for the welfare of overseas workers, including the Indian Community Welfare Fund and bilateral social security arrangements with over a dozen countries.
Dr. Singh said the government was “acutely conscious” of the security needs of over six million Indians staying in the Gulf and West Asia.

Dr. Singh expressed the hope that some legislations on the government's agenda would bring similar impacts like the RTI Act did in bringing transparency to governance.
Indian democracy had deepened and gained in strength and vitality, as more and more people from the disadvantaged sections of society had secured their rightful place in the economic and political processes over the past years.
Dr. Singh launched a website of the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDFOI), a trust under the aegis of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.
- It will provide a credible window for overseas Indian philanthropy for the country's social development.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, who is the chief guest at the three-day festival that began on Saturday, said the role of the diaspora was not just limited to investments and socio-economic development, but they also helped create a positive image of the country of their origin.
- The function represented a spirit of unity and cooperation and provided a platform for diaspora engagement
The inaugural session witnessed some tense moments as the auditorium was packed beyond its capacity.
- A large number of people, including delegates, squatted on the floor even as most of the chairs in the media enclosure were occupied by the government officers.

Yemen's cabinet proposed an immunity law on Sunday to speed President Ali Abdullah Saleh's exit from the Arab state under a Gulf-brokered plan to end months of protests that have paralysed the impoverished country.
The bill would give immunity "to Saleh ... and those who worked with him in all civilian, military and security state bodies and institutions during his rule"
The United States and Saudi Arabia are keen for the plan to work, fearing that a power vacuum in Yemen is giving militants an opportunity to thrive alongside the Red Sea, a key shipping channel.

China hopes that the two sides will support each other and learn from each other, so as to push for better and faster development of the Sino-Indian strategic and cooperative partnership
Its comments came after a string of recent commentaries in more nationalistic party-run media outlets had taken a hard line on India, accusing New Delhi of being part of a U.S.-led “containment” strategy and looking to provoke China into disputes.
It said exchanges in 2011, which was marked as the “year of exchanges” between the neighbours, had helped “increase mutual understanding,” citing the visit of a 500-member Indian youth delegation to Beijing.
Two-way trade, had reached US$ 67.28 billion in the first 11 months of last year, a 21.8 per cent year-on-year rise.