The Hindu Business Line : Aid from expatriates

THERE are more than three million persons of Indian origin who have settled down in the UK and the US, either as citizens or under the non-resident category. They constitute a thriving, prosperous community, highly respected for their intellect, business acumen, duty-consciousness, hard work and professional competence. They still retain their pride in the cultural heritage of their mother country, and are keen to promote its well-being.

Mostly, this desire takes the form of contributing to projects relating to literacy, education, healthcare, drinking water facility and other basic needs. These contributions flow along diverse channels. They can be from individual expatriates to NGOs and institutions in the fields or districts preferred by them.

Typically, many donate amounts to the schools or colleges in which they studied, or take up welfare schemes in their erstwhile native places. There are also quite a few who have set up, or collaborate in, business ventures of various kinds as part of their efforts to accelerate the pace of India's economic development.

In the last few years a number of charitable foundations have sprung up, especially in the US, which pool the contributions of persons of Indian origin (PIOs), and make allocations to various projects after carrying out the necessary appraisal and if necessary, spot inspection. They certainly are useful sources of financial assistance for cash-strapped activities undertaken by local public-spirited individuals and organisations.

But the problem is that each foundation, by itself, is able to mobilise only a fraction of the corpus that can be made available for economic and social purposes. Also, it imposes a big burden on applicants for aid who have to approach a number of big, medium and small foundations to explore their chances. A lot of time is lost in paper work or in replying to queries.

If only the philanthropic PIOs in countries like the US and the UK could set up a single national foundation, it would be of immense advantage to the aid-seekers. Principally, such an outfit would command a sizeable chunk of the affordable resources estimated conservatively at around $100 billion in both countries. It will save applicants from the being driven from pillar to post. And it will make a big impact by funding large enough projects to make a difference to the economy.