Malaysia on Wednesday invited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to set up a branch in the south-east Asian country which has nearly two million people of Indian origin.

Addressing the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here, Malaysian Federal Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Datu Seri G Palanivel invited IIT to open a branch in that country.
He said several students from Malaysia come to India to get degrees in dentistry, engineering and medicine and some of the Indian educational institutions have already set up centres there.

Palanivel, who is the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, is also the president of Malaysian Indian Congress.

He said his country would like to work closely with India in the area of biodiversity.

While finalising a draft bill for natural resources and benefit sharing, the Malaysian government learnt from the Indian experience on implementation of national biological diversity bill, he noted.

Delivering the welcome address, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said the celebrations help people of Indian origin to connect with the land of their ancestors.

He recalled that the programme is held every year on January 9 to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa this day in 1915.