LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.521
TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019
PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS
521. Shri T. Radhakrishnan:
Shri S. Rajendran:
Kunwar Haribansh Singh:
Shri Gajanan Kirtikar:
Shri S.R. Vijayakumar:
Shri Sudheer Gupta:
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh recently;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the objectives of organizing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas;
(c) the number of participants participated in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Country-wise;
(d) the issues discussed during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the outcome thereof; and
(e) whether any assurance was received from the Indian Diaspora regarding investment in the Country and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]
(a) Yes. The Government organised the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention from 21 to 23 January 2019 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
(b) to (d) Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a major flagship event of the Ministry, which is held once every two years to reach out and connect to the Indian Diaspora. The objective of this event is to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with
the Government of India and reconnect the diaspora with their cultural roots. The convention also aims to celebrate the achievements of our eminent diaspora in their fields of excellence.
The Convention started with the celebration of the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on 21 January 2019, which was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, and was specifically aimed at engaging with our young Indian Diaspora. Guest of Honour,
Shri Himanshu Gulati ji, Member of Parliament from Norway and Special Guest, Shri. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Member of Parliament from New Zealand graced the event.
On the second day, i.e. 22nd January 2019, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. Prime Minister of Mauritius, Shri Pravind Kumar Jugnauth graced the event as the Chief Guest of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. A Cultural
Evening themed "Ganga Avataran” showcasing the performance by Smt. Hema Malini was also organized for the delegates.
On the third day of the Convention, i.e. on 23 January 2019, Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind addressed the Valedictory Session of the PBD and conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards to 30 eminent and distinguished Indian-origin individuals
or organizations for their outstanding achievements in their chosen fields in India and abroad.
Total number of persons registered for the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held at Varanasi is 7239, out of which 3121 were registered from foreign Countries.
The country wise break-up of the registration of persons from foreign countries is as follows:-
|
Country
|
No: of Registrations
|
|
Afghanistan
|
1
|
|
Argentina
|
4
|
|
Australia
|
77
|
|
Bahrain
|
58
|
|
Bangladesh
|
1
|
|
Belgium
|
1
|
|
Bhutan
|
1
|
|
Botswana
|
6
|
|
British Indian Ocean Territory
|
1
|
|
Brunei Darussalam
|
1
|
|
Bulgaria
|
7
|
|
Cameroon
|
1
|
|
Canada
|
67
|
|
China
|
18
|
|
Cyprus
|
1
|
|
Denmark
|
4
|
|
Djibouti
|
1
|
|
Egypt
|
1
|
|
Equatorial Guinea
|
1
|
|
Fiji
|
48
|
|
Finland
|
1
|
|
France
|
38
|
|
Germany
|
9
|
|
Ghana
|
4
|
|
Guyana
|
31
|
|
Hong Kong
|
5
|
|
Iceland
|
2
|
|
Indonesia
|
8
|
|
Iran
|
1
|
|
Ireland
|
1
|
|
Israel
|
5
|
|
Italy
|
4
|
|
Jamaica
|
2
|
|
Japan
|
13
|
|
Jordan
|
1
|
|
Kazakhstan
|
1
|
|
Kenya
|
18
|
|
Kuwait
|
58
|
|
Latvia
|
3
|
|
Liberia
|
1
|
|
Libya
|
1
|
|
Liechtenstein
|
1
|
|
Luxembourg
|
2
|
|
Macedonia
|
1
|
|
Malawi
|
2
|
|
Malaysia
|
440
|
|
Maldives
|
3
|
|
Martinique
|
2
|
|
Mauritius
|
413
|
|
Mexico
|
1
|
|
Mozambique
|
4
|
|
Myanmar
|
11
|
|
Nepal
|
3
|
|
New Zealand
|
14
|
|
Nigeria
|
6
|
|
Norway
|
6
|
|
Oman
|
113
|
|
Palau
|
1
|
|
Papua New Guinea
|
1
|
|
Peru
|
2
|
|
Poland
|
7
|
|
Portugal
|
2
|
|
Qatar
|
156
|
|
Reunion
|
26
|
|
Romania
|
1
|
|
Russian Federation
|
4
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
92
|
|
Seychelles
|
5
|
|
Sierra Leone
|
1
|
|
Singapore
|
74
|
|
Slovakia
|
1
|
|
South Africa
|
59
|
|
South Korea
|
4
|
|
Spain
|
5
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
13
|
|
Sudan
|
1
|
|
Suriname
|
21
|
|
Sweden
|
4
|
|
Switzerland
|
14
|
|
Tajikistan
|
2
|
|
Tanzania
|
2
|
|
Thailand
|
17
|
|
The Netherlands
|
16
|
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
30
|
|
Tunisia
|
2
|
|
Uganda
|
6
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
404
|
|
United Kingdom
|
120
|
|
United States
|
488
|
|
United States Minor Outlying Islands
|
2
|
|
Zambia
|
5
|
|
Others
|
4
|
|
Grand Total
|
3121
|
(e) The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas gave an important platform for the government to engage with the diaspora, and showcase its various flagship programmes and policies to the overseas Indians. During the event, the interaction led to an increased interest
among the Diaspora in various investment opportunities in India. However, the objective of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is not to gain investment from the diaspora but to connect the diaspora with their Indian roots, and hence no formal assurance was asked
from the Indian diaspora regarding investment in the country.
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