The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held from January 8 to 10 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The theme for this year’s PBD is “Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India's Progress in Amrit Kaal”.

All you need to know about the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs, which provides an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Indian community.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 to commemorate the day Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to India in 1915. The tradition of celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas started in 2003 when the PBD Convention was organised to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.

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The format of the PBD Convention was revised in 2015 and since then it has been organised every two years.

During the convention, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is given to select overseas Indians to recognise their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad.

The convention will be held in a physical format after a gap of four years as the last PBD Convention was held virtually during the COVID pandemic in 2021.

The Youth PBD will be held on January 8, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Australian Member of Parliament (MP) Zaneta Mascarenhas is set to be the guest of honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

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The 2023 PBD Convention will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9. President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali will be the chief guest this year.

On January 10, President Droupadi Murmu will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards and preside over the Valedictory Session.

The PBD Convention 2023 will also include five plenary sessions on various themes.

First Published:Jan 2, 2023 4:36 PM IST