The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention was held from 7th to 9th January 2017 in Bengaluru, India. Dr. R. Seetharaman, Doha Bank CEO was conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) by the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the convention on 9th January 2017 which is the highest honor conferred on overseas Indians by the Government of India in recognition of their achievements both in India and abroad.
The PBSA was conferred was for his significant contribution to building closer links between India and the overseas Indian community in Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC).
Dr. R. Seetharaman is the recipient of multiple doctoral degrees from USA, Europe and India and has provided invaluable contribution to Green Banking, Sustainability, and Governance. He is a benevolent philanthropist who has contributed to several social causes. He is also a recognized economic commentator for global financial media channels.
Dr. R. Seetharaman gave some insight into the significant bilateral relationships between GCC and India. He said “Remittances to India from the Gulf countries in 2015-16 was $35.9 billion. GCC – India trade was close to $100 billion in 2015-16. Indian diaspora in GCC can leverage their relationships with GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds to contribute to India’s FDI. Indian companies can participate in various infrastructure projects pertaining to Qatar FIFA 2022 World cup and Dubai World Expo in 2020.”