January 9
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003.Since 2015, its format has been revised to celebrate the PBD once every two years and to hold theme-based PBD Conferences during the intervening period with participation from overseas diaspora experts, policy makers and stakeholders. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities. These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields.
The Glorious History
The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken in line with the recommendations of the Executive Committee (HLC) on the Indian Diaspora established by the Indian government under the chairmanship of L. M. Singhvi. The then Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, received the Committee’s report at a public event held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on January 8, 2002, and announced the “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” (PBD) on 9 January 2002. The date was chosen to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa went to India in 1915.
The event was marked by special programs to recognize NRI / PIO people ‘contributions differently, to entertain NRI / PIO people who have made unique contributions to their chosen field (Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Hindi: NRI / PIO Award)) and to provide a forum to discuss people’s issues and concerns. be diaspora. The event has been organized annually since 2003 and is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of India and the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), originally sponsored by FICCI.
The 8th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas took place on 7-9 January 2010 and was broadcast live on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, [14] and featured live on social media blogging and live writing on the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, [15] online platform is powered by Kotak Mahindra Bank. The Overseas Indians Facilitation Center, has been launched by the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, to strengthen relations with the diaspora in cooperation on India’s growth in the event.
The 2012 Pravas Bhartiya Divas was held from 7 to 9 January 2012. The venue was Jaipur, Rajasthan. The guest of honour at the event was the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The 2013 Pragori Bhartiya Divas was held on 8-9 January 2013 in Kochi, Kerala. The main guest of honour at the event was the President of Mauritius, Rajkeshwar Purryag. The 2015 Pravas Bharatiya Divas was held in Ahmedabad to mark the centenary of Mahatma’s return to India. The chief guest was Mr Donald Ramtar, President of the Republic of Guyana. The theme for this was “Apna Bharat Apna Gaurav” “Connecting Generations”.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), an annual Indian diaspora event, was cancelled in 2016. The nature of the event, which will take place between 7 and 9 January, has been changed as announced by India’s foreign minister. Sushma Swaraj, October 2015. According to the announcement, the event has been rolled out to various regions every two years; a small event would be held in Delhi every year.
In 2017, the Pravas Bharatiya Divas was held from 7-9 January 2017 in Bengaluru. The theme of the series was “Redefining Engagement with the Indian Diaspora”. The Department of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has used digital means to reach Indians abroad. The Digital India campaign has also played a key role in bringing success to Pravasi Bhartiya Divas. The ‘Leveraging Social Media for Diaspora Connect’ public session held on 9 January 2017, at the Pravas Bharatiya Divas looked at social media as a way to connect with the Indian Diaspora
