Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Tags: National

• Why in the news?

• The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 

Important points:

• The Chief Guest of18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention is H.E. Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago .

• The 18th PBD Convention is scheduled for January 8-10, 2025, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 

• The theme for this year is the “Diaspora's contribution to a Viksit Bharat” (Developed India).

• A large number of Indian diaspora members from over 50 different countries have registered to participate in the PBD Convention.

• Prime Minister remotely flagged-off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special Tourist Train for the Indian diaspora, which will depart from the Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi and would travel to multiple destinations of tourism and religious importance in India for a period of three weeks. 

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Express will be conducted under the Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana.

About the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) :

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) celebrated once in two years on 9th Januaryis a significant event that honors the contributions of the Indian diaspora to their homeland. 

• The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.

• 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.