Indian Padmashri recipient and Doha-based entrepreneur C K Menon has said efforts are underway to include Indian professionals in advisory capacity at the India Development Foundation (IDF) of overseas Indians. The first meeting of the foundation was held yesterday in New Delhi.
The foundation, set up at the initiative of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has two members from the GCC states – C K Menon and managing director of Emke Group of Companies M A Yusuffali.
The India Development Foundation is a not-for-profit trust registered with the Ministry of Overseas Indians affairs.
The main objective of the foundation, said Menon, is to facilitate philanthropic activities by overseas Indians by initiating innovative projects and instruments such as micro-credit for rural entrepreneurs, self-help groups for economic empowerment of women, best practice interventions in primary education and technology interventions in rural health care delivery.
Besides Menon and Yusuffali, yesterday’s meeting was attended by chairman of the IDF Minister for overseas Indians Affairs Vayalar Ravi, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, home secretary G K Pillai, finance secrtary Ashok Chawla, former ambassadors T P Sreenivasan and Bickey Chakraborty.
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