New Delhi: Lauding the contributions of the Indian diaspora, who number some 25 million in over 130 countries, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said they were a source of "inspiration" for their country of origin. "India is today viewed with respect as one of the world's fastest growing economies. People of Indian Origin are engaged in diverse activities around the world and their capabilities are recognized the world over," he said in a speech from the Red Fort.

"Their achievements inspire us," the prime minister said in his Independence Day address to the nation, his last for the current tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"The world today expects India to regain its due place in the comity of nations. This is a moment of opportunity for us."

In the past, too, Manmohan Singh has praised the Indian diaspora, not just for the huge remittances, estimated at $27 billion annually, but also for the role it has played as unofficial ambassadors of their country of origin.

The UPA government was the first to set up a separate ministry - the ministry of overseas Indian affairs - to exclusively deal with the affairs of the Indian diaspora.