PM Modi to open 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Jan 9

Over 3500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries have registered for For the For the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)

New Delhi: Over 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries have registered for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention. The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will kick off in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government from January 8-10 in Indore. The theme of this PBD convention is "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the flagship event of the Government of India. It provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other. PBD convention will have three segments. On January 8, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport, Member of Parliament of Australia will be the guest of honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

On January 9, the PBD convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will feature addresses by the chief guest, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and the Special guest of honour, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the of Suriname. A Commemorative Postal Stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ will be released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly, and skilled migration.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the first-ever digital PBD exhibition on the theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” to highlight the contribution of our diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence. Given India’s ongoing Presidency of the G20, a special Town Hall will also be organized on January 9.

On January 10, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the Valedictory Session. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are conferred to select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and honour their contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.

The PBD convention will have five thematic Plenary sessions-First Plenary on ‘Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies’, chaired by Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur. Second Plenary on ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047’, chaired by Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

The Third Plenary on ‘Leveraging the soft power of India - Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity’, chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi. The fourth was on ‘Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora’, chaired by Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, and the fifth Plenary was on ‘Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building’, chaired by Minister of Finance, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.

All the Plenary Sessions will feature panel discussions inviting eminent diaspora experts. The forthcoming 17th PBD Convention holds significance as it is being organized as a physical event after a gap of four years and the first after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The last PBD Convention in 2021 was held virtually during the pandemic.