WASHINGTON (TIP): December 23, 2013: ‘Big Ideas for a Better India‘ event has brought together key influencers from the NRI community from all across the United States. More than 100 Indian community leaders from 25 major cities came together on this unique occasion at the University of Maryland. The main focus of the event – curate and implement the best ideas in an objective manner – to address the challenges faced by India. The event was well received, with distinguished representatives of religious and non-profit organizations, prominent venture capitalists, lawyers and doctors participating to effect positive change in India.

The event featured a presentation on the role of ‘Overseas Volunteer for Better India’ in bringing together people from different backgrounds under one umbrella & addressing issues in India today. The event also unveiled “Vote for a Better India” android app that will be used to power Voteathon – an inter college voter registration competition that is expected to have over 10,000 participating colleges with the goal of registering over 30 million voters. World renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who presided over the event as the keynote speaker said that we should take pride in the heritage and language of our nation. He asked all Indians to come together build a nation on the pillars of spirituality.

A view of the gathering watching the power point presentation

Naveen Jain emphasized people’s role as visionaries in creating & executing ideas and bringing forth abundance of opportunities through entrepreneurship. Rajiv Malhotra stressed on inner development to help individuals inspire to create a greater nation, a nation that in turn inspires the individuals. The panel discussion focused on concerted efforts on finding new synergies of institutional and technological cooperation. These BIG ideas will provide many action oriented professional approaches to help India march towards becoming a global leader. Meanwhile back in India, Volunteer for Better India (VBI) in conjunction with Election Commission of India is driving up a huge effort to create awareness of the voter registration program in light of the upcoming general elections in India in 2014. OVBI called upon the NRIs to register themselves to vote and travel to India for a fortnight to contribute to voter education drive. They also urged them to encourage their family and friends to vote for a better India. The event showcased the changing role of the Indian- American diaspora in the Indian growth story.

About OVBI:
Overseas Volunteers for a Better India (OVBI), an apolitical organization, was launched in May 2013 and is the overseas wing of the Indian organization VBI. It provides a global platform for the 23 million non-resident Indian (NRI) community worldwide; a platform to work toward a positive transformation. OVBI and its corps of volunteers are working tirelessly on a campaign to boost the voter registration, education and voter turnout for the 2014 India elections. With a target to increase the voter turnout by 100 million, the ‘I Vote for a Better India’ campaign is gearing towards one of the largest nation building activity in 2014 to impact the future of India. For more details visit: www.overseasvbi.org