The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) will be held in Gandhinagar (capital of Gujarat) in January next year (i.e 2015) to mark 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa.
The 13th edition of the PBD will be held for the first time in Gujarat, at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar from Jan 7-9.
The mega event is expected to be attended by over 4,000-5,000 NRIs.
It is considered as the world's largest annual gathering of the Indian diaspora.
Mahatma Gandhi returned to his homeland from South Africa on Jan 9, 1915 and hence all the celebrations at PBD 2015 will be focused on the centenary year of Gandhi's homecoming.
Indian Diaspora
he Indian Diaspora is a generic term to describe the people who migrated from territories that are currently within the borders of the Republic of India.
It also refers to their descendants.
The Diaspora is currently estimated to number over twenty million.
Indian Diaspora composed of "NRIs" (Indian citizens not residing in India) and "PIOs" (Persons of Indian Origin who have acquired the citizenship of some other country).
The Diaspora covers practically every part of the world. It numbers more than a million each in eleven countries, while as many as twenty-two countries have concentrations of at least a hundred thousand ethnic Indians.
What is Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)?
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (English: Non-resident Indian Day), is celebrated in India on 9 January each year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.
The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in Mumbai (then Bombay) on 9 January 1915.
The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken in accordance with recommendations of the High Level Committee (HLC) on the Indian Diaspora set up by government of India under the chairmanship of L. M. Singhvi.
The then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Bajpayee after receiving the report of the Committee at a public function at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 8 January 2002, announced the "Pravasi Bharatiya Divas"(PBD) on 9 January that year.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is sponsored by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the government of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region of India.
A celebratory event is held on 7–9 January each year in an Indian city: a forum for issues concerning the Indian Diaspora is organized and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are given. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.
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 annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Program since 2003 has been organized in the following cities:
- 2003- 1st Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2004- 2nd Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2005- 3rd Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Mumbai.
- 2006- 4th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Hyderabad.
- 2007- 5th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2008- 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2009- 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Chennai.
- 2010- 8th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2011- 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
- 2012- 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Rajsthan (Jaipur).
- 2013- 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Kerala (Kochi).
- 2014- 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas New Delhi.
Highlights of 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
The 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet tookduring 7–9 January 2014 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
The Theme was “Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations”.
It was attended by 1,500 delegates from 51 countries.
President Pranab Mukherjee gave the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards.
The President of Mauritius, Rajkeswur Purryag, was the chief guest at the official inaugural session.
Canadian Minister Jason Kenney became the first individual of non-Indian heritage to address the gathering.
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