16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held virtually on January 9

Agencies | New Delhi

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2021 will be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9. It will be held virtually this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, officials have announced.

The website for the event was inaugurated by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on December 8, in order to online register participation.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is the flagship event of the Indian government and provides an important platform to engage and connect with their overseas diaspora. The theme of PBD 2021 is "Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

In the run-up to the 16th PBD Convention, five PBD conferences are being held virtually in 2020-2021.

These are – (i) "Role of Diaspora in Promotion of Indian Culture” on December 9.

(ii) "Dialogue with Diaspora Business Leaders & CEOs – Targeting US$ 5 Trillion Aatmanirbhar Bharat Economy by boosting MSMEs” on December 10.

(iii) "Regional PBD – GCC- India Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference” on December 11.

(iv) "Forging Media & Entertainment Partnership to showcase India @75” on December 21.

(v) Youth PBD Conference on "Bringing together India’s Young Achievers & Diaspora Young Achievers from different walks of life” on January 8 in collaboration with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The winners of Bharat ko Janiye Quiz will also be announced during the inaugural session.

The PBD Convention will include two Plenary Sessions - (i) "Role of Diaspora in Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (ii) "Facing Post Covid Challenges - Scenario in Health, Economy, Social and International Relations”.

This will be followed by the valedictory session where the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards will be announced to honour eminent overseas Indians for their contributions to various fields both in India and abroad. Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will deliver the valedictory address to the diaspora.

The PBD convention, as well as the preceding PBD conferences, will be streamed live across the ministry’s virtual platforms to enable every Indian and diaspora member to engage and participate.