Doha, Jul 18 (Gulf Times): Preparations for the seventh Global Conference of the World Malayali Council (WMC) from July 28 -31 in Doha have been finalised, a spokesman for the organisers said yesterday.
Ministers as well as top government officials, film stars, diplomats and media personalities from India, and delegates from across the world will attend, he said.
The main events will be held at Ramada Hotel and other sessions at the Doha Grand Hotel.
Among the speakers confirmed for various sessions and the public meeting are Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, Kerala’s Industry Minister Elamaram Kareem, Education Minister M A Baby, Revenue Minister K P Rajendran and Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President Ramesh Chennithala, former Union Minister and BJP leader O Rajagopal, former MP and Indian Union Muslim League leader Abdus Samad Samadani, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy chairman and film star Mukesh, India’s former ambassador to the UN T P Sreenivasan, Doha Bank Group chief executive officer R Seetharaman and media personalities Jose Panachipuram (Malayala Manorama) and T N Gopakumar (Asianet).
The Kerala industry minister will be accompanied by a high- level delegation from the state, including additional chief secretary (industries and commerce) T Balakrishnan and Kerala State Industries Development Corp (KSIDC) managing director Alkesh Sharma, who will address an investment seminar.
One of the highlights of the conference will be the presence of 25 top students selected from different colleges in Kerala and sponsored by Doha-based businessman C K Menon. The students have excelled in WMC’s leadership training programme called Altius.
M A Baby will address a special session titled ‘Globally competent and socially committed youth”. He will speak on the ‘Role of youth in building our nation’. It will be attended by visiting students and students selected from different institutions in Doha.
Seetharaman will chair a session on ‘Avenues for NRI participation in the development of Kerala’.
Vayalar Ravi will attend the closing ceremony which will begin at 5pm on July 30. Mukesh will inaugurate the cultural and entertainment programmes.
Behzad Group is the main sponsor of the conference. Doha Bank is the co-sponsor, and Standard Chartered Bank is the website sponsor. Jet Airways is the official airline. Ramada Hotel is the official hotel and Doha Grand Hotel is the associate hotel. Marriott Doha is the partner hotel. Event managers are Star World Group.
The World Malayali Council was formed in April 1995. It was inaugurated on July 3, 1995 at the first World Convention of Non Resident Malayalis in New Jersey, USA.
The main objective of the organisation is to provide a non-political forum to bring together the widely scattered people of Malayali/Kerala origin and strengthen their common bonds of culture, tradition and way of life.