PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS

News: Prime Minister to inaugurate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Indore

 

What's in the news?

       Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on January 9 inaugurated the 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city.

       President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, will be the chief guest and the Republic of Suriname President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, will be the special guest of honor.

 

Key takeaways:

       The theme of the PBD convention is 'Diaspora: Reliable partners for India's progress in Amrit Kaal'.

       More than 3,500 diaspora members from 70 countries have registered for the event, which is being organized in the physical mode for the first time since 2019.

       The 16th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention was held in virtual mode in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Prime Minister Modi 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 the diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence.

       A commemorative postal stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ will be released to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration.

 

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

       The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on January 9 to mark the arrival of Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai from South Africa on that day in 1915.

       Since 2015, the convention has been organized every two years to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of the nation.

       The Centre has organised the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.

       A particular city is chosen to host the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations, by the Ministry of External Affairs.

 

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023:

       On a concluding day, i.e., on January 10, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the valedictory session.

       It is pertinent to note that the government recently announced 27 Indians living overseas for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA).

 

Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

       On January 8, Union ministers S Jaishankar and Anurag Thakur had addressed the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas programme held as part of the PBD convention.

       The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized the event in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh government.

       Australia's Member of Parliament Zaneta Mascarenhas was the guest of honor at the event.

 

Go back to basics:

       India has the largest diaspora population in the world with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland in 2020, according to the 'International Migration 2020 Highlights' report by the UN, which says UAE, the US and Saudi Arabia host the largest number of migrants from India.

       India's large diaspora is distributed across the United Arab Emirates (3.5 million), the United States of America (2.7 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million).

       According to a World Bank Report, India received approximately 87 billion dollars in remittances in 2021 with the USA being the biggest source, accounting for over 20% of these funds.