January 21, 2019
External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj on January 21 inaugurated the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas; The theme of PBD-2019 is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India”
MEA celebrates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or Overseas Indians (OI) Day, to mark contribution of the OI community in India’s development. Indian missions and consulates also celebrate PBD
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the plenary session of Convention on January 22; The 2019 event has Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, as the chief guest
During PBD convention, selected OIs are honoured with the famed Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) to recognise their contributions in various fields both in India and abroad
The 15th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas got off to a grand start in Varanasi on January 21. External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj inaugurated the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas on the first day of the event that is being held over January 21-23. Guests of Honour at the inauguration included Himanshu Gulati, Member of Parliament of Norway, as well as MP from New Zealand, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. The MEA celebrates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), or Overseas Indians (OI) Day, to mark the contribution of the OI community in India’s development. Indian missions and consulates worldwide also celebrate PBD.
In her inaugural address, Smt Swaraj said that India is a land of vast opportunities and Pravasi Bharatiyas will continue to be partners in India’s progress. She emphasized that shared identity and commonness were the key features which bind us together that will grow manifold in years to come. The Minister said that the story of Pravasi Bharatiyas is a tale of courage, determination and character, citing the examples of Google CEO, Sunder Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath to name a few. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the plenary session of Convention on January 22.
The 2019 event has Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, as the chief guest. The summit gives the opportunity to renew connections with Indians worldwide, while celebrating OI’s achievements and contributions. During the PBD convention, selected OIs are honoured with the famed Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) to recognise their contributions in various fields both in India and abroad. The PBSA, conferred by the President of India, is the highest honour conferred on NRIs and PIOs. Alongside, Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is organized to share the ideas for a New India among the NRI, PIO youth.
The theme of PBD-2019 is “Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India”. On the closing day January 23, President Shri Ram Nath Kovind will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.