Lok Sabha Question No. 2378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Know India Programme
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, Shri Omprakash Bhupalsinh Alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  2378

ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026

KNOW INDIA PROGRAMME

# 2378. Shri Arvind Ganpat Sawant

Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

Shri Omprakash Bhupalsinh Alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar

Will the Minister of  EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)   whether   the   Government   evaluated   the   impact   of   the   'Know   India Programme   (KIP)'   in   strengthening   the   cultural,   emotional   and developmental engagement of  overseas Indian youth with India, if  so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of  participants benefited from this programme since its inception and during the last five years, country-wise, particularly Girmitiya countries;

(c) whether the Government proposes to increase the participant capacity, number of editions per year or country coverage of the programme, if so, the details thereof; (d) the various measures taken to improve the outreach of  the programme, quality   of   exposure   visits,   post-programme   engagement   and   long-term tracking of participants; and (e) the steps taken/being taken to ensure sustained diaspora engagement and soft power diplomacy?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a) Yes Sir, this Ministry constantly monitors and evaluates the impact of the 'Know India Programme (KIP)' in strengthening the cultural, emotional and developmental engagement of  overseas Indian youth with India.  It secures feedback from the participants, scrutinises them and incorporates the suggestions in the next editions of the Programme with the view to enhancing   its   impact   and   effectiveness.   Ministry   also   factors   in   the

comments/suggestions from Indian Missions/Posts abroad based on the debriefing by the participants of the Program upon their return. The feedback of the KIP participants has been encouraging on account of Ministry's continuous efforts to enhance the robustness and efficiency of this Programme. KIP participants have posted positive remarks of their experiences during the Programme on their social media handles and have strongly recommended their friends and acquaintances to participate in it. (b) 3116 youth PIOs benefited from this programme since its inception in 2003.  The number of participants of the Know India Programme, particularly those from the Girmitiya countries, during the last five years is attached at A nnexure-I . (c) Ministry has adopted a multi-pronged approach including effective and strategic utilization of the social media and digital platforms to expand awareness and outreach of the Know India Programme amongst the youth members of the Indian diaspora overseas. It has also worked towards creating engaging and attractive content, such as videos, infographics, and interactive quizzes, to attract their attention and to share information with the latter in a more robust and dynamic manner. Indian Missions/ Posts abroad,   through   their   focussed   and   targeted   outreach,   have   also

disseminated the unique opportunities offered by this Programme.

The response of the young diaspora members has been overwhelming demonstrated by their oversubscription for every edition of the Program over and above the current limit of 40 participants per batch. KIP participants are selected to represent the widest possible geographical spread of the Indian diaspora.

(d) Ministry has been steadfast in its effort to design the most appropriate schedule and agenda for each edition of the KIP. It strives to offer the participants experiences from different regions of India by facilitating their visits to at least two States in India during each edition of the Programme. More and more States are being included in the list of visits by fresh batches of participants as part of Ministry's efforts to showcase diverse aspects of India's rich cultural heritage, technological advancements, historical places etc. Ministry is also trying to further evolve this programme by making it more subject-oriented and tailored. The quality of the Programme is sought to be continuously improved and sharpened to include more high-level Calls on   dignitaries   (Parliament,   Rashrapati   Bhawan)   and   visits   to   premier scientific institutions like ISRO and BARC. The last two batches of  the KIP (85th and 86th editions) had the honour to Call on the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India while also having the opportunity to participate in the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue (VBYLD) in January 2026. To ensure long-term

tracking of  participants of  the KIP , Ministry has been sharing the alumni database with Indian Missions/Posts abroad for continued engagement with them.

(e) Ministry has successfully been able to leverage the young members of the Indian diaspora to promote its 'soft power', particularly by encouraging the participants to undertake an effective and impactful projection of India through their social media handles and other digital platforms.

## Annexure-I

## Number of KIP Participants, year-wise, during the last five years

|   S.No. | Country     |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |   2024-25 |   2025-26 |   Total Particip ants |
|---------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------------|
|       1 | Argentina   |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       2 | Armenia     |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       3 | Australia   |         0 |         0 |         1 |         0 |         3 |                     4 |
|       4 | Austria     |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       5 | Belgium     |         0 |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       6 | Canada      |         0 |         0 |         2 |         0 |         3 |                     5 |
|       7 | Chile       |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       8 | Colombia    |         0 |         0 |         1 |         0 |         0 |                     1 |
|       9 | Denmark     |         0 |         1 |         0 |         1 |         0 |                     2 |
|      10 | Fiji        |         0 |        33 |        83 |        49 |        22 |                   187 |
|      11 | France      |         0 |         3 |         4 |         3 |        12 |                    22 |
|      12 | Germany     |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |                     1 |
|      13 | Guyana      |         0 |        31 |        35 |        16 |        17 |                    99 |
|      14 | Indonesia   |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |         0 |                     1 |
|      15 | Israel      |         0 |         4 |         2 |         2 |         5 |                    13 |
|      16 | Italy       |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |         2 |                     3 |
|      17 | Jamaica     |         0 |         0 |         1 |         0 |         2 |                     3 |
|      18 | Kenya       |         0 |         0 |         1 |         2 |         1 |                     4 |
|      19 | Madagascar  |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |                     1 |
|      20 | Malawi      |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         1 |                     1 |
|      21 | Malaysia    |         0 |         7 |        23 |        11 |         8 |                    49 |
|      22 | Mauritius   |         0 |        51 |        89 |        51 |        23 |                   214 |
|      23 | Myanmar     |         0 |        19 |        30 |        29 |        18 |                    96 |
|      24 | Netherlands |         0 |         3 |         1 |         0 |         3 |                     7 |
|      25 | New Zealand |         0 |         1 |         4 |         4 |         1 |                    10 |
|      26 | Panama      |         0 |         0 |         0 |         0 |         2 |                     2 |

| 27          | Paraguay                 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |    1 |
|-------------|--------------------------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|------|
| 28          | Portugal                 |   0 |   1 |   0 |   0 |   1 |    2 |
| 29          | Russia                   |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |   0 |    1 |
| 30          | Singapore                |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |   2 |    3 |
| 31          | South Africa             |   0 |  17 |  21 |  20 |  18 |   76 |
| 32          | Sri Lanka                |   0 |  11 |   3 |  13 |   7 |   34 |
| 33          | Suriname                 |   0 |  30 |  28 |  19 |  13 |   90 |
| 34          | Switzerland              |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |    1 |
| 35          | Tanzania                 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   6 |   0 |    6 |
| 36          | Thailand                 |   0 |   1 |   0 |   0 |   0 |    1 |
| 37          | Trinidad and Tobago      |   0 |  14 |  41 |  24 |  16 |   95 |
| 38          | United Kingdom           |   0 |   0 |   0 |   0 |   1 |    1 |
| 39          | United States of America |   0 |   4 |   0 |   3 |   9 |   16 |
| 40          | Venezuela                |   0 |   0 |   1 |   0 |   0 |    1 |
| 41          | Zimbabwe                 |   0 |   0 |   1 |   1 |   0 |    2 |
| Grand Total | Grand Total              |   0 | 235 | 374 | 257 | 194 | 1060 |

Number of KIP Participants from Girmitiya Countries (FY Wise)

|   S.No . | Country                 |   2021- 2022 |   2022- 2023 |   2023- 2024 |   2024- 2025 |   2025- 2026 |   Total |
|----------|-------------------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------|
|        1 | Fiji                    |            0 |           33 |           83 |           49 |           22 |     187 |
|        2 | Reunion Island (France) |            0 |            3 |            2 |            0 |            9 |      14 |
|        3 | Guyana                  |            0 |           31 |           35 |           16 |           17 |      99 |
|        4 | Jamaica                 |            0 |            0 |            1 |            0 |            2 |       3 |
|        5 | Mauritius               |            0 |           51 |           89 |           51 |           23 |     214 |
|        6 | South Africa            |            0 |           17 |           21 |           20 |           18 |      76 |
|        7 | Suriname                |            0 |           30 |           28 |           19 |           13 |      90 |

| 8     | Trinidad and Tobago   |   0 |   14 |   41 |   24 |   16 |   95 |
|-------|-----------------------|-----|------|------|------|------|------|
| Total | Total                 |   0 |  179 |  300 |  179 |  120 |  778 |

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