Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD), also known as the “Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day” is annually celebrated across India on 9th January to highlight the importance of the contribution of the Overseas Indian community to the development of India.
Background:
i.The tradition of celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) on 9th January started in 2003.
- The day, 9th January, commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915.
ii.The first ever Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was observed on 9th January 2003.
Indian Diaspora,
i.The Indian diaspora includes Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).
ii.The term NRI is used to refer to all Indians residing outside the country.
iii.A PIO refers to a citizen of any country (other than Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Nepal and Sri Lanka) who holds an Indian passport or either of his parents or any of his grandparents was a citizen of India or a spouse of an India citizen.
iv.The OCI refers to a PIO who was a citizen of India on 26th January 1950 or thereafter or was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950.
Note:
- According to the MEA, there are around 32 million NRIs and OCIs residing outside India and overseas Indians comprise the world’s largest overseas diaspora.
- Every year around 2.5 million (25 lakhs) Indians migrate overseas, which is the highest annual number of migrants in the world.
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention:
i.PBD Convention is a flagship event of the government of India that offers a platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other.
- 2023 marks the 17th PBD Convention.
- 17th PBD Convention from 8th to 10th January 2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, is organised in partnership with the government of Madhya Pradesh.
The theme of the 17th PBD Convention is “Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.
Background:
i.Since 2003, The PBD Convention has been organised annually on PBD with an overseas diaspora to enable them to share their knowledge, skills and expertise on a common platform.
ii.In 2015 the format of the PBD convention was revised and it was decided to mark the PBD convention once every 2 years.
- The 16th PBD convention was organised in 2021 in a virtual format.
Three Segments of the 17th PBD Convention:
i.On 8th January 2023, the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was jointly inaugurated by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh,
- The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was held in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, S. Jaishankar, Union Minister for External Affairs and Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- Zaneta Mascarenhas, Member of Parliament of Australia graced the event as the Guest of Honour.
ii.On 9th January 2023, the PBD Convention was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.
- The event featured the addressed by Chief Guest, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana event as Chief Guest and Special Guest of Honour H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname.
Key Points:
i.PM Modi released the Commemorative Postal Stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration.
ii.PM Modi also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on the theme “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle”.
- The exhibition highlighted the contribution of our diaspora freedom fighters to India’s Independence.
iii.A special town hall, in line with India’s Presidency of G20, was also organised on 9th January 2023.
iV.On 10 January 2023, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, will confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and preside over the Valedictory Session.
- The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are presented to the select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and honour their contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.
5 Plenary Sessions of the Convention:
- Session 1 on “Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies” chaired by Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports.
- Session 2 on “Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047”, chaired by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, and co-chaired by Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs.
- Session 3 on “Leveraging the soft power of India – Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity”, chaired by Meenakashi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs.
- Session 4 on “Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora”, chaired by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
- Session 5 on “Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building”, chaired by Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance.
About Ministry of External Affairs:
Union Minister– Dr. S. Jaishankar(Rajya Sabha- Gujarat)
Minister of State– V. Muraleedharan; Meenakashi Lekhi and Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh
