Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every year since 2003 to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.
Since 2015, its format has been revised to celebrate the PBD once every two years and to hold theme-based PBD Conferences during the intervening period with participation from overseas diaspora experts, policy makers and stakeholders. 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.
Seventeen PBDs
To connect India to its vast overseas diaspora and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform, the PBD Convention - the flagship event of Ministry of External Affairs is organized from 7th-9th January every year since 2003.
Seventeen PBDs have been held in various places of India so far as follows:
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas | Year | Dates | Venue |
|---|
| 2003 | 9-11 January, 2003 | New Delhi |
| 2004 | 9-11 January, 2004 | New Delhi |
| 2005 | 7-9 January, 2005 | Mumbai |
| 2006 | 7-9 January, 2006 | Hyderabad |
| 2007 | 7-9 January, 2007 | New Delhi |
| 2008 | 7-9 January, 2008 | New Delhi |
| 2009 | 7-9 January, 2009 | Chennai |
| 2010 | 7-9 January, 2010 | New Delhi |
| 2011 | 7-9 January, 2011 | New Delhi |
| 2012 | 7-9 January, 2012 | Jaipur |
| 2013 | 7-9 January, 2013 | Kochi |
| 2014 | 7-9 January, 2014 | New Delhi |
| 2015 | 7-9 January, 2015 | Gandhinagar |
| 2017 | 7-9 January, 2017 | Bengaluru |
| 2019 | 21-23 January, 2019 | Varanasi |
| 2021 | 9 January, 2021 | Virtual |
| 2023 | 8-10 January,2023 | Indore |
The 17th PBD Convention was held from 8–10 January ,2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh as Partner State. The theme for the 17th PBD was "Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.
The PBD Convention was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in the presence of Chief Guest, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and the Special Guest of Honour, H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Hon’ble President of the Republic of Suriname.
Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi also released a Commemorative Postal Stamp ‘Surakshit Jaayen, Prashikshit Jaayen’ underlings the importance of safe, legal, orderly and skilled migration. Hon’ble Prime Minister also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD Exhibition on theme "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Diaspora in Indian Freedom Struggle” highlighting the contribution of diaspora freedom fighters in India’s Independence.
Hon’ble Rashtrapati ji, Smt. Droupadi Murmu presided over the Valedictory Session and conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2023 to select Indian diaspora members to recognize their achievements and honour their contributions to various fields, both in India and abroad.
The 17th PBD Convention had five thematic Plenary sessions with participation of diaspora experts. The Plenary sessions chaired at Ministerial level , discussed developments in the fields of innovation, new technology, health care, mobility of work force, entrepreneurship and envisaged how diaspora can be an active partner in their sector. The other elements of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas included a Youth segment & a State segment which were organised on 8th January, 2023. H.E. Ms. Zaneta Mascarenhas, Member of Parliament of Australia, was the Guest of Honour at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which provided a platform for youth from all over India to interact and engage with the Diaspora Youth. The State of Madhya Pradesh in its segment showcased its culture, tourism, trade and investment opportunities to the Diaspora participating in the PBD Convention.
Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (RPBD)
Ministry has been organizing Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conferences (RPBD) to reach out to a vast majority of our diaspora, who for various reasons, are unable to attend the main biennial event in India and benefit from its deliberations. This is in response to a strong and persistent demand for holding such events regionally. These have elicited enthusiastic support from the Indian diaspora and the local Governments and have been highly successful. So far, ten RPBDs have been held as per details below:
Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (RPBD) | Sr. No. | City | Country | Date |
|---|
| 1 | New York | USA | 24 Sept. 2007 |
| 2. | Singapore | Singapore | 10-11 Oct. 2008 |
| 3. | The Hague | Netherlands | 19 Sept. 2009 |
| 4. | Durban | South Africa | 1-2 Oct. 2010 |
| 5. | Toronto | Canada | 8-10 June 2011 |
| 6. | Port Louis | Mauritius | 27-28 Oct. 2012 |
| 7. | Sydney | Australia | 10-12 Nov. 2013 |
| 8. | London | United Kingdom | 16-18 Oct. 2014 |
| 9. | Los Angeles | USA | 14-15 Nov. 2015 |
| 10. | Singapore | Singapore | 6-7 Jan. 2018 |
Chief Guests at PBD Conventions:
Chief Guests at PBD Conventions | Sr. No. | PBD Year | Name & Position | Country |
|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister | Mauritius |
| 2 | 2004 | Shri Bharrat Jagdeo, President | Guyana |
| 3 | 2005 | Shri J.R. Ajodhia, Vice President | Suriname |
| 4 | 2006 | Shri Ahmed Kathrada, Political Activist
and a Contemporay of Nelson Mandela | South Africa |
| 5 | 2007 | Prof. S. Jayakumar, Dy. Prime Minister | Singapore |
| 6 | 2008 | Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister | Mauritius |
| 7 | 2009 | Dr. Ramdien Sardjoe, Vice President | Suriname |
| 8 | 2010 | Dr. Khalid Hameed, Chairman, Alpha Hospital Group | UK |
| 9 | 2011 | Sir Anand Satyanand, Governor General | New Zealand |
| 10 | 2012 | H.E. Ms. Kamla Persad Bissessar | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 11 | 2013 | Mr. Rajkeswur Purryag, President | Mauritius |
| 12 | 2014 | Dato Sri G. Palanivel, Federal Minister for Natural Resources and Environment | Malaysia |
| 13 | 2015 | H.E. Mr. Donald Rabinderanauth Ramotar, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana | Guyana |
| 14 | 2017 | Dr. Antonio Costa, Prime Minister | Portugal |
| 15 | 2019 | Mr. Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister | Mauritius |
| 16 | 2021 | H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President | Suriname |
| 17 | 2023 | H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana | Guyana |
Archives
The year wise list of Speakers of various PBD events is as follows:
The year wise list of Speakers of various PBD events| Sr. No. | Year | Download |
|---|
| 1 | 2023 |  (101 KB) |
| 2 | 2021 | (21 KB) |
| 3 | 2019 | (21 KB) |
| 4 | 2013 | (21 KB) |
| 5 | 2012 | (19 KB) |
| 6 | 2011 | (23 KB) |
| 7 | 2010 | (22 KB) |
| 8 | 2009 | (104 KB) |
| 9 | 2008 | (84 KB) |
| 10 | 2007 | (92 KB) |
| 12 | 2006 | (83 KB) |
| 12 | 2005 | (104 KB) |
| 13 | 2004 | (93 KB) |
| 14 | 2003 | (113 KB) |
The year wise list of PBD Theme Paper is as follows:
The year wise list of PBD Theme Paper | Sr. No. | Year | Download |
|---|
| 1 | 2023 | (250 KB) |
| 2 | 2021 | (1.53 MB) |
| 3 | 2019 | (1.53 MB) |
| 4 | 2013 | (1.53 MB) |
| 5 | 2012 | (242 KB) |
| 6 | 2011 | (1.76 MB) |
| 7 | 2010 | (1.55 MB) |
| 8 | 2009 | (1.02 MB) |
| 9 | 2008 | (906 KB) |