Demand for dedicated NRI ministry gains attention

Mangaluru: Following leadership change in the state govt, the long-pending call for a sector-specific ministry for non-resident Indians has come back into focus.

On Tuesday, Ronald Colaco, an NRI and philanthropist, along with MLC, and AICC secretary in charge of the Indian Overseas Congress and vice-chairperson of the foreign affairs department, Dr Arathi Krishna, met chief minister DK Shivakumar and sought clarification on his recent announcement of setting up the non-resident Kannadigas secretariat.

CM DK Shivakumar reportedly said that that a non-resident Kannadigas ministry will first be set up under the chief minister of Karnataka, supported by the required secretariat and departments, along with allocation of the necessary budget. It would be his prerogative to later hand over this ministry to an appropriate person.

A detailed note on the matter was presented during the discussion by financial adviser and chairman of the business corridor LK Atheeq. Colaco and Aarthi Krishna also urged that their suggestions be considered before finalising the objectives, departmental structure and policies, and the chief minister has agreed to this request.

Colaco stated that although engagement with overseas Indians has improved in recent years, the lack of an independent body focused on NRI matters has meant that key issues remain unresolved and policy implementation is scattered. He referred to the scale of the diaspora’s economic and strategic role, including remittances, potential investment and international influence, as reasons for a more specialised governance set-up. “NRIs remain one of India’s strongest global assets, but institutional mechanisms must evolve to match their growing importance,” Colaco said, urging changes that would ensure clearer accountability and quicker responses to diaspora-related concerns.