On the 62nd anniversary of the Independence Day of India, I extend warm greetings to all members of the Indian community in Kuwait and sincerely thank our esteemed Kuwaiti friends for their good wishes.

On this auspicious day we pay tribute to and recall with gratitude the sacrifice of those who fought for India’s freedom under the leadership of the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. We render homage to our compatriots who laid down their lives for the safety and security of our nation. We remember the commitment of all our citizens working to build a modern India, and re-dedicate ourselves to serving the people of India and the larger cause of humanity.

In little over six decades since independence, India has secured a unique place as the largest, most diverse democracy in the world, with a fine record of tolerance, commitment to equality and justice, and governance by rule of law. It is inspiring to see a country of well over a billion people, characterized by vast linguistic, religious, ethnic and cultural diversity, so determinedly and confidently forging ahead as one. Our deep-rooted democratic credentials were recently once again reaffirmed by the peaceful, free and fair elections to the Indian Parliament that saw 460 million voters exercising their franchise in the largest electoral exercise in history.

Contemporary India is a trillion dollar economy, with one of the highest growth rates in the world. With a large middle class, diversified industrial base, plentiful raw materials, huge supply of highly skilled scientific and technical manpower, and dynamic entrepreneurs, India is an attractive destination for business and new investments. Moreover, India's economy has strong fundamentals and is based on solid institutions, including prudently regulated and well capitalized banks. India has ensured that credit delivery remains on track, while public spending has been significantly enhanced with major new infrastructural projects being implemented across the country. Such measures have enabled India to maintain a robust 7% growth rate this year, despite the effects of the current global economic crisis. In contrast, advanced economies are set to contract by 2% in 2009. As a result, India stands out as one of a few countries where growth is happening and where profits are to be made.

India’s international stature has continued to grow with each passing year. Last November, India became one of a handful of nations to launch a lunar exploration mission. India has opened up to the further harnessing of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. India last month joined a select group of five nations capable of indigenously developing, building, and launching a nuclear powered submarine.

While further triumphs await us, we are also acutely aware that vast challenges remain as we seek to uplift the many Indians who are still below the poverty line. India has undertaken an ambitious programme for the social and economic transformation of its citizens on the margins of its growth story. The National Employment Guarantee Programme, the “Bharat Nirman” scheme to modernize our villages, and the National Rural Health Mission, are being successfully implemented. We are pursuing a development path with a human touch that devotes attention to the well being of all. We seek caring and inclusive growth as we battle poverty, disease, illiteracy and ignorance, and invest in sectors such as education, health and sanitation, care of the elderly and disabled, and employment generation.

On the foreign policy front, India will continue to pursue its enlightened national interest, maintaining the strategic autonomy and independent decision-making that has been its hallmark. India seeks an external environment that is conducive to our peaceful development and the protection of our value system. As a responsible member of the international community, India will work with other countries to tackle issues of common concern, such as international terrorism, the current global economic crisis, climate change, energy security, food security, and reform of multilateral institutions to reflect contemporary realities.

Having confronted it for over three decades, India has been at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, which poses an unprecedented challenge to the civilised world. India has always unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and is convinced that no cause can ever justify it. India considers the early adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism will send a strong signal of international unity in confronting this evil.

India’s foreign policy has a special focus on the Gulf region, with which we have had long-standing interaction and friendship. It is also one of our most important trading partners, an important source of energy for us, and home to over four and a half million Indians.

Belonging to each other’s extended neighbourhood, India and Kuwait are not merely geographically proximate, as our peoples and civilizations have inter-mingled over the centuries. Our excellent bilateral ties extend beyond historical, cultural and civilizational linkages to encompass significant political, trade and economic interests. Kuwait provides 12% of India’s oil imports, while our non-oil bilateral trade is presently close to $2 billion annually. Our ties have strengthened over the years and are expanding constantly to encompass an ever widening spectrum. It is our ardent wish that our partnership is deepened and diversified even further in coming years, to mutual benefit.

High-level exchanges provide a platform for reaffirming friendships and exploring new avenues for cooperation. These high-level interactions between India and Kuwait have intensified in recent years. The official visit to India in June 2006 by HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, was a landmark event and provided a fresh impetus to our bilateral ties. The official visit of the Hon’ble Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari to Kuwait in April 2009 enabled us to reaffirm the traditionally close bonds of friendship that bind our countries. Bilateral agreements, on scientific and technological cooperation, education and learning cooperation, and cultural and information exchanges, were signed during that visit. We look forward to more high-level interactions as we boost our ties to a qualitatively new level.

The presence in Kuwait of an Indian community of well over half a million adds a vital dimension to our relationship. One of the biggest concentrations of Indians outside India, it is also the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. A microcosm of India’s rich multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual, and multireligious diversity, the community has earned a reputation for being disciplined, hard working, efficient, talented and law-abiding. Its contribution to the development and prosperity of Kuwait, and to that of its own members and their families, is noteworthy. I take this opportunity to express gratitude for the benevolence bestowed on the Indian community in Kuwait by HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, and for the goodwill of the friendly people of Kuwait.

The increase in visitors from Kuwait to India due to our expanding bilateral interaction and the growing size of the Indian community here have necessitated a strengthened consular response by our Embassy. We recently outsourced passport and visa services with the aim of providing a better and more efficient service. The inevitable teething issues resulting from such a change are now behind us and the convenient new timings and locations have proved beneficial.

We also seek to continuously enhance the welfare support available to Indian workers in Kuwait. Two free facilities have just been started on a pilot basis - a toll-free 24x7 telephonic helpline exclusively for Indian domestic sector workers and a Help Desk to guide Indian nationals on routine immigration procedures, employment, legal, and other issues. These are in addition to existing Embassy services that have been re-grouped as an Indian Workers Welfare Center and include a labour complaints desk, shelters for domestic workers in distress, a free legal advice clinic for Indian workers, and a work contract attestation system. A joint bilateral inter-governmental mechanism to address labour and manpower issues is also in place.

As we commit ourselves anew to the service of our motherland on this memorable anniversary of India’s Independence Day, I would like to convey my heartiest congratulations and best wishes for good health and prosperity to each and every Indian in Kuwait. On this joyful occasion I would also like to express my best wishes for the continued good health and prosperity of HH the Amir of the State of Kuwait, HH the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait, HH the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, as well as the people of the friendly State of Kuwait. Long live India-Kuwait friendship!

Jai Hind!