The story of India is a promising one at a time when the rest of the world is experiencing a slowdown, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said as he asked the Indian diaspora to make use of the opportunities for investment and innovation in India.

Naidu, who is here to attend the centenary year of the end of the World War I, addressed the Indian diaspora at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

He asked the Indian diaspora to connect actively with their roots and participate in India's developmental process.

India's bold reforms agenda is transforming the academic landscape of the country, Naidu said.

"The story of India is an unfolding and a promising one. This is at a time when the rest of the world, including parts of this region, is experiencing a slowdown," he said, adding that the introduction of the Goods and Service Tax was a major step towards having a seamless and efficient national market.

"It would make it easier for businesses to establish and grow in India," an official statement quoted Naidu as saying.

He invited the members of the Indian diaspora to participate actively in the creation of New India.

He asked them to make use of the time and suitable opportunities for investment and innovation in India.

"It is also an important time to connect actively with your roots," he said.

Naidu lauded the contributions of the diaspora in the fields of science and technology, industry, agriculture, art, culture, governance and politics.

"Their strong contributions and successes are as much a matter of pride for France, the country of their settlement, as they are for India, the country of their origin," he said.

"Persons of Indian Origin and Indians abroad have excelled in many areas of French public life, with many as members in the French Parliament as well as in the European Parliament," he added.

Reminding the gathering about long and mutually enriching association with the French, the vice president said that Rabindranath Tagore's intellectual influence was known to have touched several French thinkers.

"Indian luminaries like Madame Bhikaji Cama and JRD Tata, who were significant figures in India's pre-independence history, too had strong links with France," he said.

Naidu also talked about the joint efforts of India and France to promote the use of clean energy by way of International Solar Alliance.

He said that the development partnership between India and France had brought mutual rewards to both of our economies, especially in the field of smart urbanisation and transportation.

India has always been a voice for peace and non violence, he said, adding that peace is the only pre-requisite for progress.

He also interacted with Director General of the UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and apprised her about India's efforts to achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, especially in all the fields including education.

They also discussed matters such as usage of information and communication technologies to improve access to education, enhancing the quality of teaching-learning process and teacher development programmes, strengthening educational planning and management and improving monitoring systems.