Host Madhya Pradesh is enthused with the response to the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention, as more than 3200 non-resident Indians from 66 countries have already registered for the event to be held in Indore–the cleanest city of the country–from January 8 to 10.
Big delegations from countries like UAE, Mauritius, Qatar, Oman, USA, UK, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia and others will be participating along with ministerial-level delegations from countries like Mauritius, Malaysia and Panama.
There is additional enthusiasm for the three-day event as it is after four years that a physical PBD convention is being held. The 16th PBD convention, held in 2021, was conducted virtually due to the surging COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the event on the second day – January 9. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana will be the chief guest, while Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of the Republic of Suriname will be the special guest of honour. Zaneta Mascarenhas, Member of Parliament, Australia will be the guest of honour for the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held on January 8.
President Droupadi Murmu will present the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards during the valedictory session on January 10. The theme of the 17th PBD is "Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India's Progress in Amrit Kaal." “The event will showcase and discuss the vision of New India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the next 25 years and the key role to be played by NRIs (Pravasi Bharatiyas) in this context,” a government release said.
Plenary sessions on key topics
The three-day event will see five plenary sessions on key topics, a town hall and cultural programmes besides an exhibition on the theme “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” which will be inaugurated by PM Modi.
The first plenary session will be on “Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and New Technologies”. In the post-lunch session on the first day, two sessions will be hosted by the Madhya Pradesh government. The first will be on three topics - Textile and Garments: Weaving the growth story of MP, IT/ITeS (Information Technology enabled) sectors: Coding the Stories of Change in MP, and Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals investments: Reshaping the Global Health Value Chain.
The second session will also include three topics - Invest in Madhya Pradesh, the Food Basket, Start-up Ecosystem: Unleashing the strength of Madhya Pradesh and Tourism opportunities in the ‘Heart of Incredible India.’ The first evening will also witness cultural programme showcasing the dance and music of Madhya Pradesh.
On the second day, following the inauguration, a plenary session will be held on the topic 'Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Ecosystem in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047.' The third plenary session will be on 'Leveraging the soft power of India - Goodwill through craft, cuisine and creativity.' This will be followed by a Town Hall with G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla as speakers. In the evening, there will be cultural programme by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Before the valedictory session on the third day, there will be plenary sessions on 'Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora' and on 'Harnessing the potential of women diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building.'
