Indian diaspora in Indonesia anticipates boost in tech, healthcare ties during PM Modi's visit

The visit, scheduled from July 6 to 8, marks the Prime Minister's first bilateral trip to the country since relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2018.

Members of the Indian diaspora speaking to ANI expressed high expectations for the visit, particularly regarding trade, financial integration, and technological cooperation.

Akash Damniwala, President Director of Bank SBI Indonesia, highlighted the potential progress on a local currency settlement framework.

"PM Modi is coming. For the banker side, we have one big expectation in line. Indonesia and RBI had signed in 2024 one agreement, which is local settlement; the current settlement was signed," Damniwala said.

He noted that the framework would facilitate a de-dollarized method for transactions between the Indonesian rupiah and the Indian rupee.

"If the formulation will happen, we hope that when PM Modi visits, the signing will happen and a procedure will come in place that will actually help the trade between both the countries in the local currency," Damniwala added. "The requirement of dollars will come down, which is one of the important things for both countries."

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Prime Minister Modi is undertaking the visit at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto. This trip represents the Prime Minister's fourth visit to Indonesia. During his time in Jakarta, Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with President Prabowo and address a gathering of the Indian diaspora.

Bipin Mishra, CEO of PT. Leap Digital Indonesia stated that approximately 5,000 people are expected to attend the community event.

"The excitement is at an all-time high... We are looking at close to 5,000 people coming in... The bilateral ties are at an all-time high," Mishra said.

Mishra indicated that trade relationships possess further room for expansion, alongside existing academic exchanges.

"We definitely feel that there's still a lot of opportunity for the trade relationships to grow further. We now have a lot of student programs where Indonesian students are visiting India. I think that can also be ramped up further. But the bilateral ties are growing. They have grown tremendously in the last 10 years," Mishra stated.

Prashanth Jayaraman Iyer, Group Chief Marketing Officer and Country Head for Nityo Infotech, observed that enthusiasm among the community remained consistent across the Prime Minister's successive visits.

"This is the fourth visit of PM Modi. The level of excitement remains the same for every visit... We are looking forward to collaboration between India and Indonesia in the AI and technology sectors," Iyer said.

The official itinerary also includes a visit to the Prambanan Temple complex at Yogyakarta, a UNESCO World Heritage site, reflecting the historical links between the two countries.

Ashok Bajpai, Chief Transformation Officer of Indonesia Healthcare Corporation, noted expanding bilateral cooperation within the medical field, referencing an initiative by the local ministry to arrange training for 1,000 Indonesian doctors in India.

"I have witnessed this kind of enthusiasm here for the first time. When the news arrived that the Prime Minister was coming to Indonesia, the excitement I saw not just within the Indian community but also among the Indonesian people was truly unprecedented," Bajpai said.

"If you look at the developments over the last few years, cooperation between India and Indonesia in the healthcare sector has been steadily growing," Bajpai added. "The local ministry has engaged with Indian hospitals to arrange training for 1,000 doctors in India. This serves as a recognition that Indian doctors, hospitals, and expertise can be effectively shared with Indonesia."

The visit to Indonesia forms part of a wider three-nation tour by the Prime Minister that also includes Australia and New Zealand. (ANI)