NEW DELHI – India’s State of External Affairs Minister V. Muraleedharan will interact with the Indian community and diaspora during his two-day visit to Malaysia this week.
The minister will take part in the inauguration of the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Day-Malaysia and launch the PIO International Festival being held from June 2 to 4, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement yesterday.
“He will address the Indian community and diaspora at the ‘Pravasiya Bharatiya Utsav’ (Overseas Indian Festival). With 2.75 million PIOs, Malaysia is home to the second largest PIO population in the world,” the ministry said.
The Indian government issues PIO cards to citizens of other countries who have Indian ancestry or are married to Indian nationals.
The United States has 3.18 million such persons of Indian heritage, while Myanmar, South Africa and Sri Lanka also have significant PIO communities.
Malaysia is also home to more than 225,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs).
Muraleedharan will have a bilateral meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin and meet Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar during the Malaysia visit, the Indian ministry said.
He will deliver a keynote address at a conference organised by the Indian High Commission Kuala Lumpur in collaboration with Centre for Asean Regionalism University Malaya and Asia Europe Institute.
The Indian minister will arrive in Malaysia on June 1 after his May 30 to 31 visit to Brunei Darussalam. – Bernama, May 30, 2023
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