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Indians studying abroad not brain drain: diplomat

Friday, 21 March 2003, 00:00 Hrs

NEW YORK: India no longer perceives students pursuing higher studies overseas, especially in the U.S., as brain drain but as a trans-national community, the top Indian diplomat here believes.

This community is concerned about the welfare and progress of its country of origin, Indian Consul General in New York Pramathesh Rath said at a lecture in Pace University.

Speaking on "Indo-U.S. Relations", Rath said a decade ago nine out of every 10 students who left India for higher studies opted not to return while today only four or five opt to stay back.

"Half of the students go back because opportunities have grown. The concept has changed. Indians now act as trans-national communities, going back and forth -- working in business here and bringing to India experience, finance, technology. So the issue of brain drain is not true anymore."

Rath said while geopolitical issues and India's economic reforms programme contributed much to the positive change in Indo-U.S. relations over the past two decades, the contribution of people of Indian origin in America was no less.

He said people of Indian origin occupied significant positions in mainstream America and were dominating several key sectors such as healthcare and IT, which, in turn, was helping shape better relations between India and the U.S.

In the U.S., he said, five percent of physicians were of Indian origin, 35 percent of all hotels here were owned by Indians, 65 percent of the graduates of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) pursued higher education in American universities and Indians comprised 12.5 percent of all foreign students in graduate and undergraduate courses.

On the issue of dual citizenship, Rath said while the government had accepted it in principle, it had to be ratified by Parliament before implementation.

"This is a bilateral thing. The U.S. ambassador in India says 'yes, the U.S. will not have any problems'. But maybe some of the other countries may say no. This is evolving and things will become clearer by the end of the year," Rath said.
Source: IANS

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