Odisha: Prime Minister set to inaugurate 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on Thursday

To also remotely flag off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention in Odisha on Thursday. He will also remotely flag off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express.

PM Modi arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, where he was welcomed by Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at the airport.

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The Centre is organising the PBD convention in collaboration with the Odisha State government, which is being held in Bhubaneswar from January 8 to 10. Delegates from over 50 countries have registered to attend the convention, themed ‘Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat’.

After the inauguration, PM Modi will remotely flag off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the Indian diaspora. The train will depart from the Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi and will travel to various tourism and religious destinations across India over three weeks. This initiative is part of the Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate four exhibitions at the venue. He will then take a tour of the Exhibitions and Promotional Stalls of Union and State Ministries/Departments. The four exhibitions are — Vishwaroop Ram: The Universal Legacy of Ramayana – by ICCR; Diaspora’s Contribution to Technology – by MEA (being curated by Dr Masooma Rizvi); Bharat Bharatiya: Swadesh Pardes – Abhilekhiye Virasat par adharit Pradarshani – Launch of Oman Collection by National Archives of India; and the Exhibition on Heritage and Culture of Odisha by state Government of Odisha.

PM Modi will also visit the promotional stalls of Union Ministries (MSME, DST, MNRE, Ministry of Culture, AYUSH, MeiTy, Ministry of Tourism, National Health Mission, IRCTC, FIPI) and the state governments of Odisha, Maharashtra, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, etc The PBD Convention will also feature a virtual address by Chief Guest Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

After the inaugural sessions, the convention has afternoon and evening sessions. The afternoon is themed ‘Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers: Stories of Migrant Skills’. The session will be chaired by Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment and has several reputed speakers from the diaspora.

The evening session is themed ‘Green Connections: Diaspora’s Contributions to Sustainable Development’ to be Chaired by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics & Information Technology; Information & Broadcasting and Railways The valedictory session will be held on Friday. The closing remarks will be made by President Droupadi Murmu, along with the presentation of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was first established in 2003 under the government of then Prime Minister Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as a platform to recognize and engage with the overseas Indian community.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs. It is held in different cities, to showcase the diversity and progress of different regions of India. Since 2015, it has evolved into a biennale event, with theme-based conferences held in the intervening years. This format allows for more focused discussions on specific areas of interest and provides opportunities for networking among the global Indian diaspora.