Silicon Valley NRIs look to adopt 500 villages

new delhi — The average IndianAmerican family annual income is $60,000 as against the national average of $38,885, according to the US Census Bureau. Clearly, Indians in the US are doing pretty well. Their annual buying power is around $25 billion.

But, unlike China, where the rate of ‘returnees’ is very high, few Indians come back to India or invest in their home country. Indeed very few of them are involved with India’s socio-economy. That might change with a new initiative sourced to Silicon Valley.

Non-resident Indians living in the US will adopt 500 villages in India. This would be a part of the well-todo Indo-Americans resolve to develop the rural areas of the country. A formal announcement in this regard would be made during the Big Ideas for Better India conference in Silicon Valley on July 1. At present, NRIs are the second largest Asian group (2,226,585) in the US, behind only the Chinese (2,762,524).

The initiative in village adoption comes from Sri Sri Ravishankar, the founder of the Art of Living. The 500 villages have been selected on the basis of highest farmer suicide rate, high unemployment rates. These communities need immediate support, said Satej Chaudhary, president of the Overseas Volunteers for Better India (OVBI).

Close to 12,000 debt-ridden farmers commit suicide every year in India. In years when monsoon is scanty, the number of deaths go up. As this report is being filed there is a violent farmers’ protest going on in Madhya Pradesh, where seven men were killed in police firing. Most of those ending their lives are men. This further impacts the family where traditionally the male is the main bread earner.

The OVBI would be organising a meeting on July 1. “We are bringing together geoscientists, agricultural experts and entrepreneurs to help double the income of farmers by 2022,” said Satej Chaudhary. Over 1,000 NRI leaders are expected to gather in Silicon Valley on July 1.