Modi lures overseas Indians as visa rules are eased

New Delhi

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed to millions of people of Indian origin across the world to turn to their homeland after he eased visa rules to lure overseas talent, in a bid to make the country a top power.

India has the world's second largest diaspora after China, with more than 25 million people settling overseas since colonial times, from Guyana in South America to Singapore in South-east Asia.

Mr Modi's desire to harness the group's skills and resources is bolstered by his Hindu nationalist leanings towards reasserting India's position as a global leader with a unique civilisation stretching back thousands of years. "There was a time when professionals in India went to distant lands to explore new possibilities," Mr Modi told an annual gathering for people of Indian origin in…