17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore

• 10 Jan 2023

Why In News?

• On January 9, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the first-ever digital PBD exhibition on the theme 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of Overseas Indians in The Indian Freedom Struggle'.

Key Points

• The Prime Minister also released a commemorative postage stamp 'Go Safe, Trained' to highlight the importance of safe, legal, orderly and efficient migration.
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conference is a flagship event of the Government of India, which provides an important platform to connect with overseas Indians and enable overseas Indians to interact with each other.
• The 17^th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being organized in Indore from January 08-10, 2023 in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
• The theme of the conference is 'Diaspora: Trusted Partners for India's Progress in the Amrut Period'. More than 3,500 overseas Indian members from about 70 different countries have registered for the PBD Convention.
• Addressing the conference, the Prime Minister said that for the first time, a digital Pravasi Bharatiya Divas exhibition has been organized on the theme of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', which brings out the glorious era once again.
• Highlighting the important role of the diaspora in the next 25 years of the journey of the AMRUT period, the Prime Minister said that they will strengthen India's unique global vision and its role in the global order.
• The PBD Convention will have five thematic plenary sessions-
  • First session on 'Role of Overseas Youth in Innovations and New Technologies' chaired by Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur.
  • Minister of Health and Family Welfare Minister of State for External Affairs Dr Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the function. Second session on 'Role of Indian Diaspora in Promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-System in AMRUT Period: Vision- 2047' co-chaired by Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
  • 3^rd session on 'Leveraging India's Soft Power – Goodwill through Crafts, Cuisine and Creativity' chaired by Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi.
  • 4^th session on 'Enabling Global Mobility of Indian Workforce - Role of Indian Diaspora' chaired by Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan.
  • Fifth session on 'Harnessing the Potential of Overseas Entrepreneurs towards an Inclusive Approach to Nation Building' chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• The 17^th PBD Convention assumes significance as it is being held as a de facto event for the first time after a gap of four years and since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last PBD conference was held virtually in 2021 during the pandemic.