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17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 was organized in partnership with the Madhya Pradesh Government from 08-10 January 2023 in Indore. Over 3,500 diaspora members from nearly 70 different countries were registered for the PBD Convention.

  • Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention is the flagship event of the Government of India.
  • It provides an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Indians and to enable the diaspora to interact with each other.
Theme:

The theme of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 was “Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 had three segments:

  1. Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
  2. Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention
  3. Valedictory Session
Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

On 08 January 2023, the inauguration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held in partnership with Ministry of Youth affairs and Sports. Ms. Zaneta Mascarenhas, Member of Parliament of Australia, was the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023:

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 on 09 January 2023 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Chief Guest and Special Guest of Honour:

Chief Guest, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and the Special Guest of Honour, Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Hon’ble President of the Republic of Suriname addressed the PBD Convention.

Commemorative postal stamp:

The Prime Minister released a commemorative postal stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ to underline the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration.

17th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas Convention 2023 'Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen' Stamp
PBD Exhibition:

Prime Minister also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on theme “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” to highlight the contribution of our diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence.

» In view of India’s ongoing Presidency of the G20, a special Town Hall also organized on January 09.

The 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2023 had five thematic Plenary sessions-

1. First Plenary on ‘Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies’

    • It was chaired by Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur.

2. Second Plenary on ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047’

  • It was chaired by Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and co-chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

3. Third Plenary on ‘Leveraging the soft power of India – Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity’

  • It was chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs, Smt Meenakashi Lekhi.

4. Fourth Plenary on ‘Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora’

  • It was chaired by Minister of Education, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

5. Fifth Plenary on ‘Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building’

  • It was chaired by Minister of Finance, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and Valedictory Session

On 10 January 2023, Rashtrapati ji, Smt Droupadi Murmu conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 and presided over the Valedictory Session. This year 27 persons were awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (2023).

About Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award:
  • The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards is the highest Indian award for Non-resident Indian and Overseas Citizen of India or an organisation or institution established and run by Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin.
  • The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is constituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India. The Ministry was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs on 7 January 2016.
  • The first Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award was given in 2003.
  • Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are conferred to select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and honour their contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.
  • The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards symbolise the nation’s highest recognition of the Diaspora members for their contributions to India and in their home countries.
  • These awards are significant as they not only show our appreciation and acknowledgment of the achievements of the Pravasis, but also reflect our faith in their resolve to keep India’s flag flying high in the world.
List of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from 2003 to 2023 (Official Link)
About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:
  • 9 January commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915. To mark this day, the tradition of celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) started in 2003.
  • 1st PBD Convention was organised on 9 January 2003 to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.
  • Since 2015, under a revised format, PBD Convention has been organised once every 2 years. 16 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conventions have been organised till date.
Source: PIB

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