The government has said that Indians residing overseas will get a chance to exercise their franchise from the next general elections. Announcing this at the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas Sammelan in New Delhi Friday morning, the Prime Minister said he recognises the legitimate desire of Indians living abroad to exercise their franchise and to have a say in who governs India. He urged them to return home to join politics and public life.<br/><br/>Seeking the active involvement of the Indian Diaspora in accelerating the country's economic and social development, Dr. Manmohan Singh asked the second generation of the Diaspora to connect with the ancestral country.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister said the government has been able to expand access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities to a vast majority of the population.<br/><br/>Noting that India is one of the top investment destinations with expanding economic opportunities everywhere, Dr. Singh asked the overseas Indians to consider long-term investments.<br/><br/>He said Foreign Direct Investment in India by overseas Indians is low and far short of potential.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister said, Indian industry is rapidly developing a global orientation with many of its companies transforming themselves into multinational corporations with global brand names.<br/><br/>He hoped that the newly established Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre will become an effective hub for promoting two-way interaction between the overseas Indian community and local institutions.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister said India's economy had fared well despite the unprecedented global financial crisis and recorded 7 per cent growth this year. He said the country will return to sustained annual growth rate of 9-10 per cent in a couple of years.<br/><br/>The Prime Minister said that India is investing much more in building skilled manpower and would emerge as the largest supplier of the trained manpower.