The government will announce an insurance scheme for Indians in West Asian countries and expand the scope of dual citizenship for Non-Resident Indians during the second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas slated for January 9 to January 11, 2004.

An external affairs ministry official said that the formalities of the changes to the Dual Citizenship Act announced by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in January this year are expected to be completed before the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2004.

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Also in the offing are final announcements on the Gulf Insurance Scheme and the amendments to the Foreign Contribution Act, he said.

The prime minister will inaugurate the three-day event at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2004 too will be presented during the gathering.

The second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be organised jointly by the ministry of external affairs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

It will provide a renewed platform to take forward the collective task initiated last year of bringing together the Indian Diaspora and leveraging the potential offered by the 'Global Indian Family.'

The Indian Diaspora is 20 million strong and spread over 110 countries.

The event will focus on Indians living in the Gulf countries. Last year, the issue of Indian Diaspora in the Gulf was raised from several platforms.

The official said: "A special session has been incorporated to provide them a forum to air their grievances and present their solutions."

Another focus area is the youth of the Indian Diaspora, who is being targetted with the view that the coming generations are the torchbearers in building future Diaspora relationships.

To encourage participation from the younger generation of the Diaspora, a two to three weeks internship programme in India before the start of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is being planned.

Twenty students -- one each from 20 prominent destinations across the globe -- will be selected for this programme.

India also wants NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin to be well informed about their homeland.

And this is why one of the focus areas of the event will be 'ethnic media,' which keep them connected with India and amongst themselves as well.

The official said a session of 'notable interest' will be on the ethnic media -- both, print and electronic owned by Indians that target Indian community -- which play an important role in keeping Indian communities connected and informed on India.

"The discussions at this session, among other things, will explore how the ethnic media can be offered help to get up-to-date and accurate information," he said.

The highlights of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations include a session with the minister of external affairs on 'Policies for Productive Engagement,' and a session on 'The Emerging World Order and the Indian Diaspora' with the leader of the Opposition.

Minister of Finance Jaswant Singh will talk on 'Globalisation, Indian Economy and the Diaspora,' while Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani will present his 'Vision for 2020.'

Other subjects for dialogue include issues of personal international law and the Diaspora, international trade, Diaspora hubs and the global market, knowledge-based industries, networking for global leadership and tourism, and branding strategies for India.

Round table discussions on voluntary sector and development finance, and making India a competitive destination in healthcare, are also on the cards.

The final day will be devoted to parallel sessions with the state governments on creating science and technology corridors and opportunities in defence and internal security research and development.

A special handbook for NRIs and PIOs will also be released on the occasion. This will have information about the rules and frameworks on basic issues such as taxation, rights on property matters, special schemes offered by governments for the NRIs and PIOs.

January 9 each year has been chosen as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, both, in India and overseas, as it was on this date in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi finally returned to India after almost two decades in South Africa.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations aim to recognise the contribution of the Indian Diaspora in the political, economic, social, academic and cultural fields.

"The second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will take this effort further and not only enhance the belief and power that this family possesses, but also deal with the issues and concerns faced by them," said J C Sharma, secretary, ministry of external affairs.